Gongura pachadi ( Pickle)

Gongura Pickle

Ingredients:

- Gongura leaves 1 big bunch

- Methi (Fenugreek) seeds 1 table spoon (fry till turned into dark brown; powder it medium coarse to fine granules with the help of mortel and keep aside)

- Jeera (Cumin) 1 table spoon ( fry till brown; take aside and powder it into fine granules)

- Salt 2 table spoons

- Red chilli powder 2 table spoons

- Tamarind 10 grams

- Edible oil 4 table spoons (groundnut oil or sesame oil preferred; any other edible oil such as sunflower oil/rice bran oil/palmolein may also be used, the taste will slightly vary - as such, suggest choice as per tastes and cooking habits)

For seasoning:

- Edible oil 1/2 cup (variety of edible oil to use as per taste and cooking habits)

- Red chillies (whole) 2

- Rai (Mustard) seeds 1 tea spoon

- Jeera (Cumin) 1 tea spoon

- Udad dal (Black gram) 1 tea spoon

- Chana dal (Bengal gram) 1 tea spoon

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai (deep fry pan) fry gongura leaves till they loose oil moisture and as a nice aroma of fried leaves fills the kitchen, take them out of pan and keep aside;

2. Dry-grind the fried gongura with tamarind in a mixie till a smooth paste is made.

3. Take out the paste into a bowl, add salt, chilli powder,jeera powder and menthi powder and mix the batter thoroughly.

4. Heat oil in a pan, add rai seeds, as they start crackling, add jeera, chana dal,urad dal and red chillies; fry till they all turn golden, - a minute or so is all that it takes for this to happen; quickly pour it into the batter ready and, lo the gongura pachadi is ready to be served!

5. The seasoned pachadi stays for several weeks if the salt proportions are good and the oil is adequate for the batter and hence, we can treat it as a pickle too!

6. Serve with steaming hot rice and a salad of onions and green chillies to taste your tongue.

7. Bon apetite!