Thotakura Poopu and Maamidi Rasam

The one thing I missed a lot after coming to the US were the green leafy vegetables we used to eat in India. I am from a small town In Southern India from the state of Andhra Pradesh. When I was little, we used to get such fresh leafy vegetables and I loved them. And one of my neighbors actually used to go to the nearby fields and buy these leafys from the farmers. And sometimes they used to take me with them. So they were that fresh.
              I used to miss the Thotakura (Amaranth leaves) and Gongura (Sorrel leaves). After almost 4 years I found Sorrel leaves in one of the Indian stores heres and imagine the look on my face. Oh man, there was genuine pleasure on my face.

Amarnath leaves

              This time around I found these Amaranth (Thotakura) leaves in one of those Chinese grocery stores. So I found out our neighbors, the Chinese, also use them. Anyway I got them yesterday, but they were monsters compared to what we used to get back in India. But still I love them and I made the Poopu or Poriyal with these leaves and Rasam with dried mango instead of Tamarind

Thotakura Poopu (Amaranth leaves tempered)

Thotakura Poopu

Ingredients:

1. About 3-4 cups of Amarnath leaves cleaned and chopped (along with the stems)
2. 2 tablespoons oil
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin, chana dal(soaked in water for 10 minutes)
4. 1 teaspoon urad dal, salt
5. 4 dried red chillies broken into pieces
6. few curry leaves
7. 2 ginger cloves chopped

In a pressure cooker, cook the washed chopped Amaranth leaves with 1/4 cup of water and turmeric for 2 whistles (Skip this step if the stems were not that think )
In a pan heat the oil and fry the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and cumin for a couple of minutes. Now add garlic, red chillies and curry leaves and fry for 5 minutes. Add the leaves either from cooker or washed and stir to combine. Cover and cook till the leaves are cooked (for about 10-20 minutes) and all the excess water has evaporated. Serve with hot rice, dal or rasam

Mamidi rasam(Dried mango powder soup)

Mamidi Rasam

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup dried mango pieces soaked in a cup of water for 1 hour
2. 1 teaspoon salt (or less), rasam powder
3. 1 green chilly sliced
4. 2 red chillies broken
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida, cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric

Grind the soaked dried mango pieces (or if you have fresh sour mango, grind it into paste) to a paste and boil it with 3 cups of water and turmeric and green chilly for about 15 minutes. In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin and mustard seeds for 3 minutes. Add asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves and fry for few more minutes. Add this tempering to the mango liquid and the rasam powder and bring to a boil. garnish with cilantro and let it boil for 5 more minutes. Serve