I love working with new ingredients! New vegetables and fruits that I come across excite me and evoke my creativity in the kitchen. I was introduced to Gongura when I came to USA. It is a well known vegetable used in Andhra cooking. They use the leaves to make pickle, mutton curry and chutney. These leaves have a tartness and sliminess that make them unique. Here is my take on this vegetable cooked with potatoes.

What you will need:

How to make it:

• Remove the gongura leaves from the stalk. Wash them thoroughly and then roughly chop them.
• Dice the green chilies, onions and tomatoes as well.
• Heat one tablespoon of oil in a vessel. Add the garlic and diced onions. Let the onions brown.
• Once the onions begin to brown, add the tomatoes and green chilies. Saute for 2 minutes.
• Next, add in the gongura leaves and cover the vessel. Stir after 3 minutes. The leaves will have reduced.
• Turn the flame off and let this mixture cool. Once it comes to room temperature, make a paste without adding any additional water and  keep it aside.
• While the mixture is cooling, boil the potatoes in a vessel with 1/4 cup of water.
• Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the gongura paste.
• Also, add in the salt and jaggery. Mix well.
• For the tempering, heat the remaining oil in a tadka pan.
• Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, coarsely ground coriander seeds and dried red chilies. Next, add in the peanuts and let them brown.
• Pour the tempering/tadka into the potato-gongura mixture.

  

• Bring the mixture to a boil and stir frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
• Mix everything well and serve hot with chapati or dosa.