- What’s Cooking? by P.S. Lakshmi Rao
6 cups chopped Thota koora (kalaloo)
1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2½ cups besan (gram flour)
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
½ cup oil or enough to deep fry
Gravy
2 red dry chilies
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 long curry leaf stems; leaves removed
2 large onions, cut into small pieces
3 long green chilies cut into three pieces each
1 tablespoon chopped ginger or ginger garlic paste
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups water
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ cup milk
Remove thick stems from thota koora and keep them for some other use. Chop the rest of the thota koora and wash thoroughly in a colander. Place them in a four-quart saucepan with ½ cup water, salt and turmeric. Cook for five minutes on medium high heat. Drain it into a bowl, saving the water, and let it cool.
Mix thota koora with besan, salt, and red pepper using a little drained water from thota koora as needed to make stiff dough. Oil both hands. Take a half cup dough and roll into a four inch log, about four inches in diameter. Repeat with the remaining dough. (Makes about four logs) Place the logs in a steamer or idli plate and steam for five minutes on high and three minutes on low. Let the logs cool; cut them into ¼” circles.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry thota koora circles a few at a time on medium heat until little crisp; set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
Leaving 2 tablespoons of oil in the same pan, fry red chilies, cumin seeds and curry leaves for half a minute on medium heat. Add onions, green chilies, chopped ginger or ginger garlic paste, turmeric, and red pepper. Fry until oil separates. Add thota koora pieces, mixing to incorporate the flavor for three minutes, being careful not to break the pieces. Add 3 cups water or enough to cover the thota koora idlies. Add garam masala and cook for three minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add milk slowly while mixing.
Tastes great with rice or chapatti.
Makes six servings.
I would like to thank Mrs. Pramila Penumetcha from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, for sharing this recipe.
