Very weirdly and entertainingly, I was the only kid who would love this green leafy vegetable, and would ask for it all the time! This has been an all time favorite!
A typical Maharashtrian Dish, which is made for any special occasion, like weddings, or festivals.
The nice soft texture of the puréed vegetable, with crunchy peanut and coconut slices, and a nice filling soft bite of Channa dal, with a stunning combination of sweet-sour-and-spicy makes it a dish liked by one and all.
Buying and handling Colocasia Leaves is a bit tricky. They should not be too big and rough to touch, or any other colour but green. Few shades of yellow on the leaves is ok. But make sure they are not too mature, as they contain a high amount of sodium crystals which won’t even dissolve after cooking them in a pressure cooker. The worst is, if you end up consuming any vegetables / fries made of such leaves, they can irritate your throat a lot. Hence, caution needs to be maintained while choosing the right leaves. Even if you end up eating the high sodium leaves which irritate your throat, quickly have a banana and that should do the trick to soothe it.
A gorgeous, mild preparation which goes great with rotis and rice.
Hope you like it as much as I love it.
A typical Maharashtrian Dish, which is made for any special occasion, like weddings, or festivals.
The nice soft texture of the puréed vegetable, with crunchy peanut and coconut slices, and a nice filling soft bite of Channa dal, with a stunning combination of sweet-sour-and-spicy makes it a dish liked by one and all.
Buying and handling Colocasia Leaves is a bit tricky. They should not be too big and rough to touch, or any other colour but green. Few shades of yellow on the leaves is ok. But make sure they are not too mature, as they contain a high amount of sodium crystals which won’t even dissolve after cooking them in a pressure cooker. The worst is, if you end up consuming any vegetables / fries made of such leaves, they can irritate your throat a lot. Hence, caution needs to be maintained while choosing the right leaves. Even if you end up eating the high sodium leaves which irritate your throat, quickly have a banana and that should do the trick to soothe it.
A gorgeous, mild preparation which goes great with rotis and rice.
Hope you like it as much as I love it.
PREP TIME TOTAL TIME SERVINGS | 10 - 15 minutes 45 minutes 2 portions |
INGREDIENTS Colocasia Leaves (अळू) Peanuts Coconut Channa Dal Green Chillies Chann Flour / Besan Tamarind Pulp Jaggery For Tempering Oil Cumin Seeds Mustard Seeds Hing / Asafoetida Curry Leaves | QUANTITY 12 - 14 1 tbsp 1 tbsp, dry, sliced 1 tbsp 2, slit 2 tsp 2 tsp 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 1 tsp 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp 5 - 10 leaves |
RECIPE
In a large bowl, keep salt water ready.
Cut the stems off the leaves, and put the leaves in the salt water. Make sure they are immersed in water for at least 5 - 10 minutes.
When the leaves are soaking in the salt water, in the meanwhile with a small knife, start peeling the skin of the stems. It comes off very easily.
Drain and rinse the leaves in fresh water. Shake the extra water off the leaves. Roughly chop the leaves and the stems.
Drain and rinse the leaves in fresh water. Shake the extra water off the leaves. Roughly chop the leaves and the stems.
In another vessel, soak peanuts and channa dal in warm water for 5 - 10 minutes.
Place the chopped leaves and stems into another vessel and add water about 1 cup of water to it.
Add 1 tsp of tamarind pulp. Stir it well and put both the containers in the pressure cooker to cook them for 3 - 4 whistles.
Place the chopped leaves and stems into another vessel and add water about 1 cup of water to it.
Add 1 tsp of tamarind pulp. Stir it well and put both the containers in the pressure cooker to cook them for 3 - 4 whistles.
After the cooker is ready and the steam has settled, open it and allow the container to cool a little.
Keep the following ingredients ready - Tamarind pulp, slit green chillies, sliced dry coconut, curry leaves, jaggery, Cumin seeds, Mustard Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds and Asafoetida.
Keep the following ingredients ready - Tamarind pulp, slit green chillies, sliced dry coconut, curry leaves, jaggery, Cumin seeds, Mustard Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds and Asafoetida.
After allowing the leaves to cool down a bit, strain them, but do not throw the water they were boiled in. Use this water to add it to the vegetable for adjusting its consistency. Put the leaves in a grinder, add the Channa Flour / Besan to it, and grind to a smooth paste, using the water it was boiled in.
Heat oil in a kadai / casserole. Add the mustard seeds first allowing them to crackle. Then add the cumin and fenugreek seeds and cook for 30 seconds or so. Then add the asafoetida / hing and allow it to cook for another 5 - 10 seconds.
Then add the slit green chillies and curry leaves. Allow them to cook for about a minute.
Then add the slit green chillies and curry leaves. Allow them to cook for about a minute.
To this, add the boiled channa dal and peanuts and the dry coconut slices.
Stir well, and allow them to sauté for 1 - 2 minutes.
Stir well, and allow them to sauté for 1 - 2 minutes.
Add the puréed leaves to the casserole. Adjust the consistency. The gram flour / besan is going to make it a little thick after it boils, so even if you add a little extra water is all right.
Add the jaggery, adjust the salt and add 1 sp of tamarind pulp. Stir well and allow to a boil. Simmer and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes.
Serve with rotis or rice.
Serve with rotis or rice.
MY NOTES
I have added some tamarind pulp while boiling the leaves as this helps reduce / dissolve the sodium crystals in the vegetable.
Here, in Kuwait, we don’t get Ambat Chuka so I had to substitute it with tamarind pulp.
In most of the Maharashtrian variations, another green leafy vegetable called Ambat Chuka / आंबट चूका (Green Sorrel) is added to the Colocasia Leaves while boiling them in the cooker. This doesn’t only add more texture to the vegetable, but also gives it a gorgeous sour taste. If you are using Ambat Chuka / आंबट चूका too, then do not add the tamarind pulp.
Maharashtrians normally add some white Radish to the Leaves while boiling them, to give the vegetable more body.