dondakaya patholi (Andhra) (Kundru/tindora/gherkin moong dal patholi)

Patholi in Andhra cuisine refers to a dry subzi. The main ingredient is either yellow split pesara pappu (moong dal) or chana dal or toor dal, soaked for about an hour and ground to a coarse paste. The ground paste is added along with spices to any sautéed vegetable and cooked for a few minutes. Patholi is a popular side dish for either steamed rice or roti and usually served along with raita or pacchadi or.maggiga pulusu.

Patholi is known by different names in different parts of India eg. paruppu usili in Tamil Nadu, or a popular Malvani dish vatli dal in parts of Maharashtra, Goa and Konkan region. In Goa and Konkani cuisine patoli is a steamed sweet dish with rice flour, coconut and jaggery wrapped in fresh turmeric leaves!!

Now, coming to Andhra patholi, there are different versions of how to make the same dish. I will try to give the recipes for different versions. Many vegetables like cluster beans, kundru, sandita (cucamelon), asparagus, methi leaves (fenugreek greens), or mulaga aku (drumstick leaves) can be used in making patholi.

In this recipe, I have used dondakaya (kundru) and moong dal. After grinding the dal with spices, I added the wet paste to the sauteed kundru and cooked along. In this method, you need to add more oil to get the nice texture and taste.

Ingredients:

•      1 cup moong dal (split green dal without skin)
•      1 cup  dondakaya
•      2 or 3 red chiles
•      1 Tsp. mustard seeds
•      2 Tsp. jeera seeds
•      Pinch of asafetida
•      3 Tbsp. oil
•      A few curry leaves.

Directions:

1.      Soak moong dal in enough water for 1 hour.
2.      Drain the water and grind dal in a blender with one or two red chile and jeera seeds.
3.      Avoid adding water as much as possible.
4.      The mixture can be coarsely ground.
5.      Set aside the ground paste.
6.      Wash and cut dondakayalu in to small long pieces.
7.      Heat oil in a thick pan.
8.      Add red chile to the hot oil.
9.      After a minute, add mustard and jeera seeds and mix.
10.      Add asafetida.
11.      When mustard seeds sputter add curry leaves.
12.      Add dondakaya pieces and cook while stirring often.
13.      When the pieces are getting soft, add the dal mixture, using your palm, so that it is kind of sprinkled.
14.      Add salt and keep stirring.
15.      Reduce the heat and let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
16.      Moong dal will give a nice aroma and the wetness from the mixture will be gone.
17.      Turn the heat off.
18.      Cover and let it stay for a few minutes.
19.      A nice main dish for rice or quinoa or roti.
20.      A popular combination for this subzi is  (Roasted egg plant chutney) Vankaya pulusu pacchadi or kheera raita

Bendakaya with tomatillo subzi (Bhindi/okra with tomatillo)

While I was looking around for Indian recipes using tomatillos, I came across this interesting recipe

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/indian-style-red-velvet-okra-and-tomatillos by author

and vegetable farmer Jack Staub. I  tried making the subzi and to suit to my family taste, I added some more spices.

About tomatillos, In my earlier post http://sitaruchulu.blogspot.com/2014/10/tomatillo-pappu-tomatillo-dal.html all the information is available.

As bhindi is cooked in tomatillos which are rather tangy, the usual stickiness is not there. This is a very good combination of tomatillos and bhindi.


 

 

Ingredients:

•      20 bendakayalu (bhindi)
•      15 to 20 tomatillos
•      2 large tomatoes
•      1 cup onion (chopped)
•      1 or 2 green chile (either slit lengthwise or finely chopped)
•      1 Tbsp. ginger (grated)
•      1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
•      1/2 tsp jeera seeds
•      1 Tsp. dhania powder (coriander powder)
•      1/4 Tsp. jeera powder (cumin powder)
•      1/2 Tsp. garam masala
•      2 Tbsp. oil
•      1/4 cup water

Directions:

1.       Remove husk and clean tomatillos well in lot of water.
2.      Cut tomatillos into quarters and set aside.
3.      Clean and cut bhindi into half inch long pieces.
4.      Cut tomatoes into small pieces.
5.      Heat oil in a deep pan.
6.      Add jeerra seeds and cook for 2 minutes.
7.      Add onion pieces and turmeric powder.
8.      Stir well, add dhania and jeera powders.
9.      When onions turn transparent, add bhindi and tomatillo pieces.
10.      Keep cooking on medium heat till bhindi turns slightly brown.
11.      Add tomato pieces, green chile pieces and ginger.
12.      Add water, salt and garam masala.
13.     Cook on low heat till bhindi is soft and liquid is evaporated.
14.     Transfer into a serving bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro.
15.     A good side dish to be served along with roti or rice.

 

 

 

Mexican sour gherkin (Sandita) and baby potatoes in bagara masala gravy

Mexican sour gherkins have a name SANDITA!

Mexican sour gherkin are also known as mouse melon or melothria scabra. They are the size of large grapes, look like our kundru (miniature) or doll sized watermelons and taste like cucumber or kundru. This variety is not genetically-modified hybrid developed in laboratories! It is heirloom that has been grown and eaten in Mexico for centuries. A long-lost heirloom, cucamelon has only recently been rediscovered. Now, they are grown in USA and are available in farmer's markets etc during summer. Mexican sour gherkin is mostly used in salads, pickles along with pearl onions etc.

If you are looking for seeds to plant in your garden, you may have to look for "melothria scabra"

 

  

Google search provided some information about its availability in India, though I wonder if it is the same vegetable. Kachri or kachari is a wild variety of cucumbers, and grows wildly in Rajasthani desert. It is supposed to be sour to taste and kachri powder is used in tenderizing meat etc.

 

Last year it was planted in our yard and the fruits were eaten raw from the plant as snack! It almost looks like kundru and also tastes very much like kundru or cucumber. I wanted to make use of this vegetable in making Indian subzi. This year we got quite a few of cucamelons and I got to experiment. You may use the same masala as in the recipe for dondakaya kothinira karam kura also. I am inserting some photos of the climber etc for more information.

This time I made bagara style gravy for the subzi. I included baby potatoes also as both the vegetables looked similar in size!

 

 Sandita on the climber:

 

 

 

Ready for cutting:                                                                                       Cut only partially:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As compared to kundru you can see the size:

 

 

Ingredients:

•      1 cup sandita (Mexican sour gherkin's name)
•      1 cup baby potatoes
•      1/2 cup onions (diced)
•      2 pods garlic
•      2 inch cinnamon stick
•      3 or 4 choti elaichi (green cardamom)
•      2 or 3 laung(cloves)
•      3 Tbsp. oil
•      1/4 Tsp. turmeric
•      1 Tsp. dhania powder
•      1/4 Tsp. jeera powder
•      1 Tsp. chile powder (according to taste)
•      Salt to taste
•      Few curry leaves
•      Cilantro for garnish

Masala:

•      2 Tbsp. peanuts
•      2 tsp. sesame seeds
•      1 Tsp. poppy seeds
•      4 or 5 almonds (soaked and peeled)
•      3 Tbsp. dry coconut powder
•      2 Tbsp. tamarind paste

Directions:

      

1.       Clean sandita and slit them in half, while one end is not cut. 
2.      Roast peanuts in a pan without any oil.
3.      When peanuts are almost roasted, add sesame seeds. Sesame seeds splutter. Use some cover to avoid the seeds flying everywhere!
4.      Add poppy seeds and all the ingredients are fully roasted, turn the heat off.
5.      Add coconut powder.
6.      Add peeled almonds.
7.      Keep stirring for a few minutes.
8.      Let the mixture cool.
9.      Saute sandita in a shallow pan with a spoon of oil. (you may microwave for 2 to 3 minutes on high till they are cooked))
10.      Saute baby potatoes separately in oil. (you may microwave for 2 or 3 minutes till they are cooked)
11.      Set them aside.
12.      Grind onion and garlic to a coarse paste.
13.      Grind the roasted nut mixture with a little water.
14.      Heat oil in a deep pan.
15.      When the oil is hot, add cinnamon, elaichi and laung.
16.      Add curry leaves.
17.      Add onion garlic paste and keep stirring.
18.      When onion paste is translucent, add turmeric, dhania and jeera powder.
19.      Add chile powder.
20.      Keep stirring.
21.      Add cooked sandita and baby potatoes.
22.      Stir well.
23.      Add masala mixture, tamarind paste and more water, if necessary.
24.      Add salt.
25.      Let the whole mixture cook for about 10 minutes.
26.     Turn off the heat.
27.     Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Note: Adding baby potatoes is not necessary. As both the vegetables appear to be same size, they look good and of course, potatoes are hot favorites for a lot of people!!