From Greens to Gold!

The week had been particularly hard on me and the death of a young colleague weighed heavily on the heart and head this week. It all came to a head for me on Saturday and it almost was like my system detoxed itself out of the grief and my head felt so much clearer and lighter...

I went to the Farmer's Market (as usual) on Sunday and walked by all my favorite vendors. The Lee Farms is one of my favorites because he carries some of my favorite veggies - bitter gourd , opo squash, bhindi, habanero peppers.

Today he had these strange looking greens and I went up to him and I was like - Lee, what's this?

He gave me a wide-eyed look and said - I thought all you Indians know this green - it's gongura...😉

Well I didn't but there is a first time to everything

So I got the bunch of gongura leaves home on an impulse. I googled recipes and the one that stood out to me like a healthy fit to my style of cooking was - Gongura Pappu. I also googled the health benefits of the Gongura Leaves  known as Red Sorrel Leaves. These leaves are a rich source of Iron, Vitamin C, B6, folic acid, calcium, phosphorous and magnesium. It has anti-oxidants essential for human nutrition. All for the win!

What you need

1. 1 bunch of Gongura leaves - cleaned, pluck the leaves and rough chop
2. 1 cup Toor Dal (soaked for an hour in hot water)
3. 1  small finely chopped red onion, 3 cloves Garlic, 2 Red Fresno Chillies (use dry red chilis), Curry Leaves, Cumin and Mustard Seeds for Tempering, Hing
4. Ghee
5. Imli Pichku (Maggi) or Tamarind Paste
6. 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
7. 1 tsp turmeric powder
8. Salt to taste

To Cook 

1.  Put your Instant Pot on Saute - add the ghee, then hing. Add the tadka ( Cumin and Mustard Seeds, Curry Leaves). Now add the onions, garlic and chilly and saute till the onions brown. Add the turmeric and chilly powfer
2. Add the Gongura Leaves and the Toor Dal and saute for a minute
3. Add the Imli Pichku and the Salt
4. Now turn the IP to Manual, High Pressure for 15 minutes NR (no release)
5. When you open, taste test and adjust for salt

Enjoy with a hot bowl of rice/quinoa and soon you realize this golden delight with a sour kick to it is fast to get over - it's so addictive.  A strange time to get reminded of Robert Frost but I think of his poem -

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.”