Bachali aaku salla sambar or bachali aaku salla charu is a yogurt based curry made with fresh malabar spinach leaves cooked with curd and besan (gram flour) curry. It is flavored with Indian spices and tempered with fried garlic & red chillies. It’s a traditional recipe from Telangana kitchens originated from countryside of Telangana.
This salla sambar is just a Telangana variation of Kadhi and seems to have originated in rural communities to use the churned butter-milk which was abundantly available.There are two kinds of buttermilk one being the venna salla, the whey reserved from making butter and the other is salla that is thinned yogurt. However in recent days we have turned towards using the buttermilk or thinned yogurt for making SALLA CHARU or SALLA SAMBAR.
Across India, you can find many variations of kadhi from North Kadhi pakora to South Mor kuzhambu. Yogurt or Indian style curd is widely used in our daily meals. And similarly this Kadhi is Telangana has the rustic or rural essence, as it was essentially made with venna salla i.e., churned buttermilk(reserved whey from making butter), which retain its sourness and the flavor is quite intense. While the urban and now the most common version made with thinned yogurt. And coming to what makes the Telangana style kadhi different from others is its wide usage of leafy greens and minimal spices.
Telanganites love leafy greens and we have at least one leafy vegetable on the menu everyday either leafy curry/dal/stir fry. And the most commonly used greens in our cuisine are Bachali aaku(Malabar spinach), Palakura(spinach), Menthi kura(Fenugreek leaves), Thotakura(Amaranth leaves), Ponnaganti kura(Dwarf copperleaf), Gangavalli kura(Purslane), Tella garjala kura(Punarnava), Pindi kura, thummi kura, balsi kura, chamakura, avisa aaku etc., and there are many more foraged greens widely available in rural or local farmers market in Telangana region.
Now what all the spices goes into making of this tangy and flavorful BACHALI AAKU SALLA SAMBAR is the garlic, chillies, cumin seeds, and a basic tempering. Freshly pounded garlic and cumin seeds, green chili paste adding it as raw to the Kadhi base makes it quite flavorful and delicious. The tang from sour yogurt and also from malabar spinach adds a beautiful tangy notes to the meal. And this salla sambar tastes great with Rice accompanied by stir fried veggies like potatoes or tindora etc.,
Do give this Telangana style kadhi, Bachali aaku salla sambar or bachali aaku salla charu a try and give your valuable feedback in the comments below.
Please checkout more traditional Telangana recipes here.
BACHALI AAKU SALLA SAMBAR
Ingredients
- 1½ cup Curd/Yogurt
- ½ cup Chickpea flour/Besan
- 1 cup Malabar spinach leaves
- ½ Onion thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Green chili paste
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 cups Water
Tempering
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 3 Whole dry red chillies
- 1 tsp Chilli seeds optional
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 2 cloves Garlic
Instructions
- Pound some garlic cloves and cumin seeds in a mortar pestle.
- In a mixing bowl add curd/yogurt, green chilli paste, pounded garlic cumin paste, chopped malabar spinach, turmeric powder, salt, thinly sliced onion, besan/chickpea flour and give everything a good mix until there are no lumps.
- Now gradually add water and mix until everything is completely incorporated.
Using Instant pot
- Press saute mode, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and allow them to splutter.
- Now add the whisked yogurt besan mixture to the tempering and give it a good mix.
- Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Set Instant Pot to soup mode for 5 mins. Open after 10 min NPR.
- Add more water depending on the consistency you prefer and bring the kadhi to a full boil on sauté mode.
- While releasing the pressure be very careful if you are opening it before the 10 min NPR - as the kadhi can spill out of the pressure valve. Do slow, short bursts of quick release if you need to open before the 10 minute NPR.
Using stove top method
- Heat a saucepan, add the whisked yogurt mixture directly to the pan and let it boil in medium flame by stirring intermittently until it completely thickens.
- Taste and adjust the salt according to your taste.
Making a tempering
- Heat a small pan, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chilli seeds, torn red chillies, curry leaves and let them splutter.
- Now add pounded garlic cumin mixture to the tempering and let them fry until they turn golden brown.
- Add this tempering to the cooked Salla sambar/kadhi.
- Serve hot Bachali aaku salla sambar with rice or millet flatbreads.
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