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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Verdolagas Dal / Payalaku Pappu


'Paayalaku' or 'Goli koora' is one of the greens which are available in our native state, Andhra pradesh. They grow wildly near any water source. They are slightly sour when cooked and are considered very beneficial for nursing mothers.
Recently I came across the same greens sold as Verdolagas, here. After some googling, I came to know that they are native to North America and are also called as purslane. They are used in Indian, Greek, Middle Eastern cuisine.
Back at home, the greens are mostly used to prepare 'Pappu', the Andhra style dal.


Ingredients:
Toordal - 1/2 cup
A bunch of verdolagas
Thick tamarind extract - 4 tbsp or adjust the amount to suit your taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chillie powder
Salt

For tempering:
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - A few pinches
A few curry leaves

Preparation:
Roughly chop the leaves. Chop the stems finely if they are tender or else discard them. Wash toordal thoroughly once or twice with plenty of water and throw away the water used.
Add the toordal, chopped leaves & stems, turmeric powder and sufficient water to a cooker or a thick bottomed vessel. Cook till you hear 2-3 whistles or till the dal reaches a fall- apart stage. (If using a cooker, 1 to 1.25 cups of water is enough.
Use only the amount of water needed to cook the dal. It should be not watery.)
After the dal is cooked, add tamarind extract, chillie powder and salt according to your taste and let it simmer for a few minutes on medium heat. Then turn off the stove.
Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, turn off the stove. Add this tempering mixture to the cooked dal / paapu. Stir once and close the lid.
Serve hot with plain rice and a tsp of ghee.

"Verdolagas Dal' - My entry to Nupur's A - Z Indian vegetable cooking series.


Post a comment

13 comments:

Shivapriya said...

Hey is this called "CHUKKA KURA" in telugu ???

Vini K said...

Hi Suma,I love this leafy veg.Generally in India,we buy a lot of it.Haven;t seen this in London till now.very different name as well:)Perfect fit for Nupur's series.

Suma Gandlur said...

Padmaja,
This one is different. It is not chukka koora.

Vini,
Thx. I too saw it for the first time here in US. My SIL spotted it.

Nupur said...

I have heard the term purslane, but had no idea about this pretty vegetable...the green color is so bright and fresh! Thanks for teaching us something new and interesting, Suma!

Suganya said...

I have seen this green here in my city. Do you by any chance know its tamil name?

Roopa said...

looks different but still can't get the leafy rightly. nice recipe

FH said...

I am not familiar with this greens.Looks great.I will remember the Pulsane next time I go to the grocery.I am on vacation,see you when I come back:))

ushaprashanth said...

Hi!
No onion is used...I have never cooked greens without onion. One work less for me If i cook this!!!

Prema Sundar said...

I am not sure I have seen this.. let me check it out the next time i go to grocery store.

Suma Gandlur said...

Nupur,
Thanks

Suganya,
Sorry. I don't know it's Tamil name.

Asha,
Have a great vacation.

Usha,
You can add onions to this as well.

Anonymous said...

I love this fast-growing and ultra healthy vegetable, young in a salad, or full-grown cooked up in a pot of beans. In fact, I just tasted today's batch and had to blog about it again.

deen islam said...

thnx for share, i like this veggi.

deen islam said...

i love vegetable, little salty but teate is good.