Thotakura/Keera Dal

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Ingredients:
3/4 cup tur dal (kandi pappu) pressure cook until soft and mash (shouldn’t be watery)
2 cups tightly packed thotakura leaves (not the stalks)
1 big onion finely chopped
4-5 green chillis slit length wise
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
lemon sized tamarind (soak in a cup of warm water and extract)

For tempering/poppu/tadka:
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp split black gram dal
1/2 tsp channa dal
4-5 dried red chillis (tear into pieces)
5-6 garlic flakes crushed
10-12 curry leaves

1 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds, let them pop, add the cumin seeds, split gram dal and channa dal and let them brown. Next add the garlic, red chillis, curry leaves, chopped onions and green chillis and sauté till onions turn slightly pink.

2 Add the thotakura and stir fry for 3-4 mts. Add the turmeric pwd and salt and combine. Cover with lid and cook till the greens cook (approx 7-8 mts). Using the back of the ladle, mash the contents slightly.

3 Add the cooked and mashed dal to the onion-thotakura mixture. Cook for another 4-5 mts on medium heat.

4 Add the tamarind extract and combine well. Cook for another 9-10 mts or till the rawness of tamarind disappears. It should not be a watery dal but have more of a thick consistency dal.

5 Serve with white rice or hot rotis.