Bacchali kura chintakaya pulusu (Malabar spinach pulusu with green tamarind pulp)

Tamarind is grown in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Thailand and Indian Subcontinent.

It is cultivated all over India. Tamarind is a very large tree with long, heavy drooping branches and dense foliage.

The fruit pulp is edible.  It is used in South Indian cooking to make chutneys, dal and sambar etc. The hard green pulp of a young fruit is sour, and is often used as a component of savory dishes, as a pickling agent etc.

Its sticky pulp is a good source of dietary fiber which binds to toxins in the food thereby help protect the colon mucus membrane from cancer causing chemicals.

Tamarind is rich in tartaric acid which gives sour taste to food and is a powerful antioxidant.

Tamarind pulp is used in many traditional medicines as a laxative, digestive and as a remedy for bile disorders.

When tamarind is raw, before it ripens, it is rich with lot of pulp. Normally, I cook the tamarind with a little bit of water, in a pressure cooker. When the mixture cools, I add some more water to it and squeeze the pulp. Strain it and keep it away in the freezer. When the raw tamarind is not available, this pulp comes in handy for recipes.

Bacchali is a perennial vine Basella alba and found in tropical Asia and Africa where it is user as a leafy vegetable. It is known as pui shak in Bengali. poi ni bhaji in Gujarati, basale soppu in Kannada, mayalu in Marathi. Bacchali is available in vine form and also small bunch type, In creeper variety also, you can find red and purple stem vine and green stem.

Malabar spinach, like any other green vegetable, is high in vitamins, iron and calcium. It is also a rich source of soluble fiber, low in calories by volume and high in protein per calorie.

In this recipe, I am making pulusu using bacchali kura and frozen green tamarind pulp. Raw tamarind gives the dish a distinctive taste. The recipe can also be made using regular tamarind paste or sour green mango!

Ingredients:

•      3 Bunches bacchali kura  (about 3 cups chopped leaves)
•      1 cup chintakaya pulp (either fresh or frozen)
•      4 or 5 green chiles
•      1/4 Tsp. turmeric powder
•      Salt to taste
•      3 Tsp. rice flour

Seasoning:

•      2 Tsp, oil
•      2 or 3 red chiles
•      1 Tsp. methi seeds
•      1 Tsp. mustard seeds
•      1 Tsp. jeera seeds
•      Pinch of hing (asafetida)
•      3 Tsp. mustard powder

Directions:

1.      Wash and clean bacchali kura.
2.      Chop coarsely.
3.      Boil a little water in a thick bottomed vessel.
4.      Add chopped bacchala kura and green chiles.
5.      When the leaves are cooked, add tamarind pulp.
6.      Add salt and turmeric powders.
7.      Let the mixture cook on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
8.      Add 1/2 cup water to the rice flour make a paste and add to the cooking mixture.
9.      Keep stirring and let cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
10.      Heat oil in a small pan, add red chiles, methi, mustard and jeera seeds.
11.      When mustard seeds splutter, add hing.
12.      Add the seasoning to the pulusu.
13.      Turn the heat off.
14.      Add mustard powder or paste to the pulusu and stir well.
15.      Keep covered and serve hot.
16.      Goes well with rice.

Mirapa kaya stuffed with onion masala ( Anaheim peppers stuffed with onion paste)

In Hyderabad area, stuffed deep fried mircas (peppers) are very popular. These green chiles are less spicy and are sort of larger than the spicier ones. For those, who do not want spicy peppers, in super markets, larger and slightly greenish yellow peppers are available.  These peppers are very well suited for stuffing.

In USA, Anaheim peppers are slightly spicy and give a nice taste to the final product. You may try banana peppers also, but they are not at all spicy, they are not very tasty.

Instead of deep frying the peppers after dipping them in chickpea flour batter etc., I tried stuffing the peppers with onion paste and either microwave or pan fry them.

It is a slightly spicy dish, depending on the  Anaheim pepper spice level and is good to eat with rice or roti.

 
Ingredients:

 

•      6 to 8 mirchas (Anaheim peppers)
•      2 cups diced onions
•      3 pods garlic
•      1 Tsp. grated ginger
•      1/2 Tsp. chile powder
•      1/2 Tsp. jeera seeds
•      4 Tsp. oil
•      Salt to taste

Directions:

1.      Clean peppers and make a lengthwise slit. See that the peppers are not completely cut.
2.      Deseed the peppers.
3.      Clean garlic and cut into pieces.
4.      Grind onion, garlic, chile powder and salt to a coarse paste.
5.      Heat 1 Tsp oil in a flat pan.
6.      Add jeera and stir.
7.      When jeera seeds are crackling, add onion paste.
8.      Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes.
9.      When most of the fluid is evaporated, turn the heat off.
10.      Let the mixture cool.
11.      Fill the onion masala equally into the peppers.
12.      *Heat a wide pan and add oil.
13.      Place the peppers in hot oil.
14.      Keep frying on low heat.
15.      Occasionally roll peppers using a fork or something so that the peppers retain their shape.
16.      After the skin of the peppers looks cooked, turn off the heat.

*If you want to microwave the peppers,

Place the  peppers in a microwave safe dish and microwave partially covered, for 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn the  peppers around and microwave for 2 more minutes, till the outside cover is cooked.

Can be served along with rice or rotis.