Gongura Rice/ Gongura Pulihora

Gongura Rice/ Gongura Pulihora

In South India we make a lot of one pot meal which is easy to make and packed with flavours. 

Gongura Rice is a spicy, tangy delicious variety rice which is a perfect for Lunch Box.

There are two varieties of Gongura one is green leaves with maroon stems (red sorrel leaves) and another one is green leaves with green stem. 

The red sorrel leaves are more tangy / sour in taste. In Tamil it is called as 'Pullicha keerai,'.

Today I'm using red sorrel leaves (Gongura) to make Gongura rice. In this recipe I' ve included a small marble size tamarind which gives a nice flavour to the rice...and also a little jaggery as it balances the spices and tangyness and enhances the taste.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1.5 cups

Gongura / red sorrel leaves - 1 bunch

Peanuts - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Urud dal - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Red chilli - 2 nos

Gingerly oil - 2.5 tablespoons

Asafatedia - 1/4 tsp

Jaggery powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste.

Roasted powder:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Methi / Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Corriader seeds - 1 tsp

White sesame seeds - 1.5 tsp

Red chilli - 3-4 nos

Method:

# In a pan dry roast mustard, methi seeds, corriader seeds, red chilli, tamarind and white sesame one after another. Allow it to cool down completely.

# Wash and rinse gongura leaves.

# Heat a pan add one tsp of oil, add gongura leaves and fry for 3-4 minutes or until it becomes soft in texture. Allow it to cool.

# Make a powder of roasted ingredients.

# Make a fine paste of fried gongura leaves.

# Heat a pan add oil, fry peanuts, add mustard seeds let it splutter well add urud dal, channa dal, red chillies and wait till it slightly changes its colour. 

# Add gongura paste, grounded spice powder, turmeric powder, salt, asafoetida and cook well. It takes 7-8 minutes on medium flame for gongura paste to cook. Once oil seperates from pan and gongura paste becomes thick like pickle add jaggery powder mix well switch off the flame.

#Add little salt and 1 tablespoon of gingerly oil to cooked rice and mix well.

# Add 1/2 of gongura paste to the rice, mix well. Do not break the rice. Add oil as required while mixing gongura paste and rice. If needed add more of gongura paste or else you can store the paste in an airtight container.

Gongura Rice is ready to serve. 

Please do try and provide your comments.

Oats Dry-Fruits Modak / Kozhukathai

I tried healthy twist to Ganapathi Neivadhyam - famous Kozhukathai / Modak by using Oats instead of grated coconut. It came out very well & delicious too. Surely Lord  Ganesha would liked it! 😉

Ingredient:

For filling -
Oats      - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Cardamon - 1/4 spoon

Dry-friuts - 1/2 cup (almonds, cashew, walnuts)

To make Kozhukathai-
Rice flour -1 cup
Water         - 1cup
Salt             -  1 pinch

Method:

# Heat a kaddai or thick bottom pan, add few drops of oil then add water to it, let it boil well then add the rice flour little by little and with help of spatula mix nicely. It should not form lumps. 

 # Now for filling take another kadai or non-stick pan add Oats and dry roast it, along with it dry roast, dry-fruits and allow it to cool.
# Once it cools down, put it in the mixer and make a coarse powder. 

# Then on the same pan add few drops of ghee add the jaggery when it start's toboil let it reduce and add the oats, cardamon powder add mix well. The filling should come without sticking.

  # For modaks or Kozhukathai smear oil in your parms and take a small portion of rice dough and flatten it, then keep the filling and give a shape of Modhak. 

 # Heat steamer with enough Water and place the Kozhukathai or modaks which u have prepared, steam for 10 min and serve them.

   This recipe is my daughter's favorite sweet dish.