Gangavalli aaku pappu, is a hearty delicious lentils made of purslane leaves, mango and split pigeon peas. Purslane is native to India and Persia. It is known as ganga vayala kura in telugu, kulfa in hindi, paruppu Keerai in tamil.
గంగ వాయలాకు, గంగ పాయల కూర, గంగవల్లి కూర – PURSLANE, a wild weed for the western world but a Wonder leafy greens which is consumed widely in Telangana.This wonder leafy greens can be seen across Telangana near fields or in empty lands growing wildly, it doesn’t need much water hence in a region with predominantly hot climate has suitable conditions for growing.
Foraging, an age old practice of searching for foods and greens in the wild areas gave us many beautiful and nutritious vegetables, fruits and leafy greens just like this wonder greens as a gift of this practice. Telangana being a home for a huge tribal community, the foraged greens are still widely used and fortunately still available for the urban areas too. I still remember going with my Nanna(father) to the market carrying a సంచి/sanchi, (upcycled cloth bag from old clothes ) and coming back with loaded greens and vegetables. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste these wonder greens as part of my childhood like gangavayila/gangavalli kura(purslane), tella galijeru(punarnava), ponnaganti kura(sessile joyweed), pindi kura, thummi kura, balsi kura and many many more.
Purslane has fleshy succulent thick leaves and stems. It can be called as tasty, easy to grow weed with rich nutrients. Purslane grows anywhere from fertile to the infertile soils, and grows with very less water. It is a weed and you can see it growing almost in any place. They can also be lightly steamed or stir-fried.
These leaves can be added to salads and consumed raw. When cooked they have this viscous or gelatinous texture. Many don’t prefer this healthy greens for the same reason. In the west these purslane are considered as weed, but we south-indians embrace these leaves and prefer to make hearty dals and stir fry with this leaves. You can substitute spinach in many recipes with purslane and get 2-6 time more nutrients.
I have used dried mango chunks here in this recipe, I have soaked them for an hour before cooking with lentils. You can substitute dried mango chunks with raw mango, tamarind, raw tamarind, lemon. In Telangana, when Raw mangoes are in season people cut them into wedges, apply a little salt and turmeric and sun-dry them until they turn crisp and no moisture remains. These dried mango wedges are called as “Mamidikaya tankara” in Telangana.
Please checkout more traditional Telangana recipes here.
GANGAVALLI AAKU PAPPU
Ingredients
- 1 cup Purslane leaves washed
- 1 cup Toor dal washed and soaked
- 1 Raw mango
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
Tempering
- 3 tbsp Cooking oil
- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 3 Whole dry red chillies
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a mortar and pestle add peeled garlic, cumin seeds and slightly crush them to a coarse paste.
Instant pot method
- Add the soaked lentils to the inner pot and add 3 cups of water, peeled and diced mango, purslane leaves, turmeric powder, crushed cumin garlic mixture.
- Turn on the pressure cook mode on high pressure for 16 minutes and make sure to close the pressure valve.
- Once the lentils are cooked, let the pressure release on its own or carefully release the pressure manually and slightly mash the lentils using a ladle.
- Heat a tempering pan, add oil and once it's hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds.
- When they start spluttering, add curry leaves, dry red chillies and crushed garlic cloves and once they turn golden brown turn off the add it to the mashed lentils.
- Add in turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, add water and cook until the water has been absorbed by half.
- Serve hot gangavalli aaku pappu with steamed rice and fryums.
Stovetop pressure cook method
- Add the soaked lentils to the inner pot and add 3 cups of water, peeled and diced mango, purslane leaves, turmeric powder, crushed cumin garlic mixture and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
- Let the pressure release on its own or slowly release it and then mash the lentils slightly.
- Heat a tempering pan, add oil and once it's hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds.
- When they start spluttering, add curry leaves, dry red chillies and crushed garlic cloves and once they turn golden brown add it to the mashed lentils.
- Add in turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, add water and cook until the water has been absorbed by half.
- Finally serve hot gangavalli aaku pappu with steamed rice and fryums.
Notes
- You can substitute the raw mango with dried mango chunks, raw tamarind, tamarind, or even lemon juice will work.
- You can substitute the toor dal with moong dal or masoor dal.
If you’ve tried this recipe and loved it, I’d love to hear your feedback by tagging your photo and share it with #mycurryveda on Instagram @mycurryveda or on Facebook . Also follow @taste.of.telangana on Instagram for more traditional recipes, culture and stories.
