- What’s Cooking? by P.S. Lakshmi Rao
1 Lb bachchali koora,Wash thoroughly before cutting. Separate leaves from stems and chop the leaves fine. Cut the stems to one inch pieces.
2 Green chilies
1 1⁄2 Teaspoons salt or to taste
1⁄2 Teaspoon turmeric ( haldi)
Lemon size tamarind soaked in one-cup water
1⁄2 Cup cooked thoor dal
Place first four ingredients in a four-quart saucepan. Squeeze tamarind with water three times to make 4 cups of juice and add the juice to the vegetables. Cook on medium high heat until the stems are soft to the touch. Mix thoor dal into the soup and add popu.
Popu (Tadka or Vagar)
1⁄2 Tablespoon oil
10 Methi seeds(fenugreek)
1⁄2 Teaspoon red mustard seeds
1 Dried red chili
1⁄2 teaspoon cumin seed
1/8 Teaspoon of hing (asafoetida)
1 Tablespoon of rice flour
3 Tablespoons of water
Heat oil in a small pan and fry methi seeds until light brown. Add mustard seeds and red chili, and fry. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add cumin seeds and hing. Mix this in to the soup.
Mix rice flour and water. Add this to the soup and let it boil for two minutes in medium high heat, so that the soup thickens. Turn the heat off.
Variation: Aava pulusu: Make bachchali koora pulusu the same way as above, except don’t add thoor dal. Grind 1 teaspoon red mustard seeds with 2 teaspoons water, 1/8 teaspoon haldi, and teaspoon oil and add this paste to the bachali koora pulusu after it is cooled a little.
