Colocasia Leaves Curry (Kesu Leaves Curry)

Colocasia/Kesu is leafy vegetable which is grown plenty during rainy season. It is used mostly during rainy season because of its healthy values.

There are two varieties of Kesu/Colocasia plants, one is purely green from stem and the other one is black at stem part and leaves are bit dark green. The second variety is said to be very good and does not need much of tamarind. The pure green variety needs more tamarind and it has the more itchy sense when you do not use needed tamarind quantity. People should take care of this point before cooking Colocasia leaves.
We do many varieties of curries and dishes using this kesu leaves. Kesu patrode is famous and so many dishes also can be prepared even using cooked patrode.
Here is a Colocasia curry which is a gravy dish and goes well with almost all the dishes as a perfect side dish.

Lets see the recipe now.

Ingredients

To Cook :
Colocasia leaves/Kesu leaves : 8 to 10 leaves
Onions : 2
Green Tomatoes ) : 3 to 4
Tamarind : 1/2 Lemon size
Salt : As required
To Add :
Sambar Powder : 2 to 3 Teaspoons
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoons
Coconut Oil : 1 Teaspoon (Optional)
Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons
Seasoning :
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teapoon
Urid Dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : a  little
Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 8 to 10 leaves

Method :

1. Wash kesu leaves and cut it into small pieces. (You can add stem pieces too)

2. Wash and cut tomatoes and keep it aside.
3. Remove the outer layer of onions and wash and cut them into small pieces.
4. Soak tarmarind in warm/hot water and squeeze out the juice and keep the juice aside.
5. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and mustard seeds and urid dal.
6. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add ingh and curry leaves.
7. Add cut onions and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add cut tomatoes and fry for a minute.

8. Add kesu leaves and fry for a minute. Add tamarind pulp, jaggery  and mix it well.
9. Add turmeric powder and salt. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

10.Add required water and mix it well. Let it boil for a minute.
11. Add sambar powder and mix. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix it well and shift the curry to a serving dish.

12. Add coriander leaves and fresh coconut oil/Ghee and serve with the main dish.

Note : 

Remove the outer layer of the stems if adding to the curry. Cut the leaves into thin pieces. Adding any curry powder is optional. I have added homemade sambar powder. Adding more spice is optional.
Adding little methi seeds to the curry is optional. ( It adds to the taste of the curry). Adidng garlic to the curry is optional. No added any kind of dal. Home made fresh sambar powder is used here. You can also use harive soppu/Amaranth leaves, spinach/palak or basale/ Indian Malbar leaves also can be used instead of colocasia leaves. (Tamarind pulp quantity should me minimised according to the leaves you use). You can also add fried garlic to this curry. ( I have not added). Optional. Adding coconut oil is also optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4.

Fresh Sambar Powder 
Dry roast  1/2 Teaspoon methi seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of urid dal, 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds, 5 to 6 byadagi chilly, 1/4 Teaspoon of jeera/cumin seeds, a little ingh and 8 to 10 curry leaves ...and dry
grind it together. Sambar powder is ready to use. 

Avalakki Guli Appa/Paddu/Guntpongalu

Avalakki Guli appa/Paddu is a breakfast/snack dish. It is soft, fluffy and spongy. Most of us love to have them. It is normally prepared using dosa dough. Using avalakki and curd along with raw rice we do prepare dosa and idli. I just tried the same dough and prepared spicy onion coriander Guli appa.
I have used Avalakki/flattened/ Beaten Rice, curd and raw rice.

Lets know about what they call this Avalakki/Beaten or flattened rice in some indian languages.
Avalakki (in Kannada language) is known as Poha in Hindi, Pauaa /Paunva -Gurjarati and Poya in Rajastani. Chuda in Oriya, Atukulu -Telugu, Aval - Tamil and Malayalam. Pohe in Marathi and Phovu in Konkani.
Lets see some benefits of eating Avalakki/fllaten/beaten rice in our diet.  
Avalakki is also known as Rice flakes is light and easy to digest. It is a good source of instant energy since it contain carbohydrates. It provides good amount of Vitamin B 1 and helps to stabalize blood sugar. It is full of iron and low on gluten.
Lets see the recipe now. We can prepare fluffy dosa, sweet/spicy and onion guliappa with the same dough.

Things Needed : 

For the dough 
Avalakki/Rice Flakes /Poha : 1 Cup
Raw Rice : 2 Cup
Urid dal : 1 Tablespoon
Sour Curd : 1/2 Cup
Salt : To taste
 To Add : 
Onions : 2
Coriander Leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8 leaves
Green Chilly : 1
Grated ginger : 1 Teaspoon
Guli Appa / Kuli appam/ Paddu Pan
Oil : 2 to 3 Tablespoon

Method : 

1. Wash and soak raw rice and urid dal together for 2 to 3 hours.
2. Wash and soak thin variety of Avalakki/Flatted rice separately
3. Grind rice, urid dal and avalakki using curd.
4. Remove from the mixi jar and put it in a big bowl. Add salt.
5. Mix it well and leave it for over night for fermenting. (or 6 to 8 hours)
6. Divide the ferment dough in to two parts.

7. Remove the outer skin of onions and wash it. Cut it into small.
8. Wash coriander leaves, curry leaves and green chilly. Cut them into thin pieces. Grate ginger and keep it aside. (Wash and remove the outer layer and wash it again before grating ginger).
9. Mix these cut onions, green chilly, coriander leaves to a portion of ferment dough.

10. Keep a pan on the fire. Heat. Sprinkle oil,
11. Mix the dough well and put a small portion of ground fermented dough in each part of guli appa.
12. Sprinkle oil on the top and cover. Let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

13. Turn the ohter side and cook for 10 Seconds.

14. Remove guli appa from the pan, add little ghee on the top and serve with the side dish you have prepared.

15. Prepare plain guli appa the same way.

Note :

The dough must get fermented to have good guli appas. You can also add jaggery to the dough and prepare sweet guli appa or sweet dosa. Let the dough be thick while grinding .(Use curd little by little. Do not add any water while grinding).
Time :
Soaking time : 2 to3 Hours
Grinding :  5 to 10 minutes
Fermentation : 6 to 8 hours
Preparation of guli appa : 15 to 20 minutes
Total time :  9 Hours and 30 minutes.

You can also prepare fluffy dosas with same dough.