Thotakoora Koora / Amaranth leaves with roasted gram

I miss all the greens I get in the markets in Bangalore. Here's its pretty restricted to spinach / palak, fenugreek / methi and some seasonal ones like bathua and sarson in winter.
Amaranth or dantin soppu as its called in Kannada is one of my favourites. It was available all year round and I used it in dals or paired it with some simple vegetables. I finally saw it in hypercity here last week, bought a big bunch and then turned to my trusted book for simple, tasty recipes - Cooking with Pedatha



I love this book and everything that I have tried from it so far, has been simple and delicious. Everyday vegetables like pumpkins, cucumbers, brinjals and carrots turn out to be such heart-warming dishes with the perfect balance of spice, sweet and sour tastes.
This recipe with amaranth leaves / thotakoora was another such earthy dish with so much green goodness. Paired it with hot rice and rasam, and had a happy content meal.



Thotakoora Koora

Adapted from 'Cooking at home with Pedatha' - Vegetarian recipes from a Trditional Andhra kitchen by Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain

What you need -

1 large bunch amaranth leaves
2 tbsp Roasted gram / pottu kadalai, powdered
1" piece ginger
2 cloves garlic
handful of coriader leaves
2 green chillies
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Tempering
1tsp urad dal
2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida
6-7 curry leaves

What you do with it

Clean and chop the greens, along with the tender stems. Mine came up to about 4 cups
Grind the ginger, garlic, coriander and green chillies to a paste
In a deep pan, heat oil for tempering. Add the urad dal and the pop the mustard. Lower the flame and add turmeric, asafoetida and curry leaves
Add the greens and stir. Cover and cook till done
Add the ground paste and salt and continue cooking for 2-3 mins
Take it off the heat and stir in the powdered roasted gram
Serve hot with steamed rice or as a side dish