Thotakura Vepudu
An andhra-style stir-fried greens vegetable. The addition of tamarind and sesame seeds imparts am an interesting depth to the flavour.
Ingredients
- 400 grams Leafy Greens - red amaranth, green amaranth, spinach, fenugreek, etc. remove the fibrous stems of the leaves before adding them.
- 4 tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 Onion
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 inches Ginger, crushed
- 2-3 Green Chillies, crushed
- 1 tsp Filtered Sesame Seed or Groundnut Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Hing
- 5-6 Curry Leaves
- 1/2 tsp Urad Dal
- 1/2 tsp Roasted Chana Dal or Daalia
- 2 tbsp Tamarind Pulp
- 1 tbsp Dates Puree or Jaggery
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Amchur Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Instructions
- Heat a pan. Dry roast the sesame seeds. Cool them and powder.
- In a hot pan, add the oil. Once the oil is smoking, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and hing. Follow this up with ginger chilli paste and let this cook till golden brown.
- Add chopped onions. Let this cook for a few minutes till just short of caramelization.
- While the onions are cooking, chop the leaves into chunks.
- Add the leaves to the pan, sprinkle some water, cover and let this cook till they become soft. You may need to stir this from time to time.
- Add salt and all the dry masalas.
- Once the vegetables are thoroughly cooked, mix in the tamarind pulp and dates puree. Lazy Tip: I simply add sweet chutney to avoid the hassle of making all of this fresh
- Finally, mix half the powdered sesame into the vepudu.
- Garnish with the remaining sesame seed powder.
- Your Leafy Greens Vepudu is ready!
Notes
My go-to combinations:
- Red and Green Amaranth
- Poi, Red Amaranth & Bathua
- Spinach & Sarson
- Steamed Rice
- Roti
- Neer Dosa