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Gongura pachadi
గోంగూర పచ్చడి: sharp, sour sorrel-leaf chutney with roasted red chillies and garlic
Gongura, the sour leaf of the roselle plant, is so central to Andhra cooking that it's called the state's own vegetable, and gongura pachadi is its best-known form. The leaves are fried in oil until they melt, then pounded with roasted red chillies, garlic, coriander seeds and fenugreek, and finished with a mustard tempering. It's intensely tangy, hot and garlicky, and in Guntur and Vijayawada homes a spoonful is mixed into hot rice with ghee or eaten with jowar rotte. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Chef's tip: fry the leaves until all their water cooks off and they turn dark olive; any moisture left shortens how long the pachadi keeps.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the chutney
For the tempering
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp of 4 tbsp groundnut or sesame oil in a pan over a medium-low heat. Add 12 dried red chillies (Guntur), 1 tbsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp fenugreek seeds and 1 tsp cumin seeds and roast for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the chillies darken slightly and puff and the fenugreek turns reddish. Lift them out to cool.
3 minStep 2: Add the rest of 4 tbsp groundnut or sesame oil and the 9 oz gongura (red sorrel) leaves leaves. Cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 10–12 minutes until the leaves collapse into a dark, soft, almost dry mass and the pan stops steaming. Common mistake: taking it off while it's still watery; the pachadi then spoils within days.
12 minStep 3: Grind the roasted chillies and spices with 8 garlic cloves and 1 ½ tsp salt to a coarse powder. Add the cooked gongura and pulse briefly to a coarse paste; traditionally it's pounded in a mortar, so it shouldn't be smooth.
Step 4: Heat 2 tbsp groundnut or sesame oil over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds; when it crackles, add 1 tsp urad dal, ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida, 4 garlic cloves and 10 curry leaves and fry until the garlic is golden and the leaves crisp, about 1 minute. Pour over the pachadi and mix.
1 minStep 5: Cool completely and store in a clean, dry jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Serve with hot rice and ghee, or with idli, dosa or millet rotte.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gongura pachadi take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of coriander seeds?
- Ground coriander, same amount (add it later in the cooking; it burns faster).
- What can I use instead of fenugreek seeds?
- Leave them out, or add a little extra mustard seed (you lose the slightly bitter, maple-like note).
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