Ponnaganti Aaku Kura/Water Amaranth Leaves Curry

Ponnaganti aaku kura
Ponnaganti aaku  – ‘A nutritional gold mine’. The name itself mentions about it. ‘Pon’ means Gold and ‘kanti’ is eyes. It’s an amazing green leafy vegetable. Ponnaganti aaku is very good for eye sight, anaemia, diabetes and many more. I grew up eating ponnaganti kura very often. We used to have plenty of them in our backyard. I’ve prepared very tasty curry using ponnaganti aaku. Here I present Ponnaganti aaku kura which goes well with hot steamed rice. Njoy Cooking,Serving n Savoring!
Author: Akshayakumbham
Course: Main
Cuisine: Andhra
Servings:3-4
Ingredients:
Ponnaganti aakulu: 6 small bunches
(Water amaranth leaves)
Toor dal: 1 1/2 tbsp or one fistful
Salt: As required
Turmeric: A pinch
Tempering:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Chana dal: 1 tsp
Urad dal: 1 tsp
Mustard: 1 tsp
Cumin: 1 tsp
Hing: A pinch
Red chillies: 3 nos.
Turmeric: Generous pinch.
Coriander leaves: Few for garnishing.
Method of preparation:
1. Take 6 small bunches of ponnaganti aakulu. Separate leaves from the stem. It takes little time. Rinse thoroughly with water and keep aside.
2. Now take a pressure cooker, transfer the leaves onto a plate. Take 2 tbsp of toor and spread over it. Usually I steam few veggies like carrot, beetroot, raw banana, potato and ponnaganti leaves in pressure cooker along with rice    keeping the veggies on a plate above the rice vessel. This saves time and cooking gas. If you are not using pressure cooker, cook the leaves in enough water for 20 minutes along with toor dal.
3. Steam the leaves for 5 whistles and switch off the flame. Allow the pressure to settle down on its own. Open the lid and keep the steamed ponnaganti aakulu aside.
4. Now heat kadai, pour oil. When oil becomes hot put Chana dal, Urad dal, mustard and cumin seeds. When mustard splutters, add hing, turmeric and red chillies.
5. Now add cooked ponnaganti leaves to the tempering. Add required amount of salt too.
6. Stir fry them for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame.
7. Transfer the healthy and tasty curry into a serving bowl and serve hot with steamed rice. This curry can be eaten as a salad too. 
Tip:
Fresh/frozen grated coconut can be added to this curry if you like. If using grated coconut add it at the end of the preparation. Mix well, fry for a minute and switch off the stove. Serve hot with steamed rice.