Kanda-Bachali Koora is one my favorite gravy curries, and this recipe
of my mom's is an easy pressure cooker recipe. Kanda (sooran, elephant
yam) and bachali koora (ceylon spinach, pasalai keerai) combination is
very popular in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Ceylon spinach has an earthy flavor and a slightly sticky texture and
works well with sooran. Sooran and ceylon spinach are available in
Indian grocery stores. Fresh bacchali leaves are ususally available in
late summer and autumn. In the US, fresh sooran is a rare sight, but
frozen sooran
is widely available through-out the year. This simple yet tasty and
healthy gravy
curry is great with rice or roti.
Servings: 4-6 Cooking Time: 15
minutes
Ingredients
4 cups bachali leaves, chopped
4 cups kanda (sooran), cut into small cubes
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
For Seasoning
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder (hing)
4 tsp urad dal (split black gram)
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
4 red chillies, broken into a few pieces (adjust to
taste)
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp or less (tamarind paste (adjust to taste)
Preparation
Place the kanda and bachali koora in a medium
container with 1/4 cup water and turmeric powder, and cook in a pressure
cooker for about 4-5 whistles. Remove when cool and set aside.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan, and add asafoetida,
urad dal, and mustard seeds. As the dal starts to turn golden and the
mustard seeds start to pop, add the red chillies, turmeric powder, and
chilli powder, and fry for a couple seconds.
Add the cooked kanda-bachali koora along with some
salt and tamarind, and cover and cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
Mash some of the sooran to thicken the gravy. Remove
the curry from heat.
Serve the kanda-bachali koora with rice or any
Indian flatbread. This curry also goes well with regular toasted bread.