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Jan
16
Gongura Dal (Lentils with Red Sorrel)
January 16, 2009 |
Gongura / Kenaf / Sorrel / Bloody Dock
**Edited on Jan 17, 2009 to add: Now I am confused as heck. Some sources like Wiki say Gongura is from the Hibiscus family (Hibiscus Cannabinus) and a relative of Roselle. Others call it “Jamaican sorrel“. Guess what, as long as it’s tart, edible and tasty, I don’t care if what I’m eating is Sorrel or Roselle.**
I’d eaten gongura (sorrel) in a pickle many years ago on an assignment in rural Andhra Pradesh. I adore tart stuff and the lemony flavour of the leaves was refreshingly delicious.
When I found a fresh bunch of red sorrel at the local African store, I looked for a recipe in Raghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries. There was one called “Gongura Sambhar”. Ruin a perfectly good bunch of greens by dousing them in sambhar? No way in heck. I was ready to turn the page, but stopped to peruse the ingredient list. No sambhar powder. In fact, it sounded like a flavourful dal, not like a sambhar at all.
And it used masoor dal - skinned Egyptian lentils with the gorgeous salmon colour favoured in North-East India. They cook much faster than toor dal (split pigeon pea), have a slightly milder flavour, and turn yellow after cooking.
I followed his recipe exactly, halving the ingredients. He calls it “Addictive Red Lentils with Gongura Leaves.” It’s rustic, addictive and hits the spot, like all his recipes.
Red Sorrel/Red-Veined Sorrel/Bloody Dock (Rumex Sanguineus), is called Kenaf in Africa (where it originated) and Oseille Rouge in French. The green variety (Rumex Acetosa) is more readily available in seed form. They both taste about the same, but the one with the red veins is prettier and has more phytonutrients because of the red pigments. Gongura is considered to have great medicinal value.
In the U.S., in some areas, its cousin Rumex Acetosella also edible, and also called ‘Red Sorrel’, or ‘Sheep Sorrel’ is classified as a ‘weed’ with guidelines on how to eliminate it using herbicides. It’s quite like arugula in the way it spreads and propagates. So will they classify arugula as a weed as well? Or is arugula more hip because it has an Italian name and is found at Whole Foods?
Lesson learnt from the arugula crop: Plant sorrel in a pot and don’t keep it too close to the lawn, ‘cos you’ll have baby sorrel sprouting through the grass. Arugula is invasive like mint, and though it dies down in fall, it scatters enough seeds to come back as a mini-forest the next spring.
Unlike arugula, though, sorrel is a perennial ( Zones 5-8 ) and susceptible to frost. It needs to be brought indoors in winter. More about growing it at Paghat’s Garden and Love Apple Farm. If you want to purchase seeds online, look for ‘Bloody Dock’ or ‘Rumex Sanguineus’. We found at least five sources. Also check seedsofindia.com.
Gongura with Masoor Dal (Red Sorrel with skinned Egyptian lentils)
From 660 Curries (p. 400) by Raghavan Iyer
(Makes 2 cups)
You can make this with any greens. If the greens are not sour, add 1 tsp tamarind paste 5 minutes from the end, or some lime juice at the very end.
Rinse and cook to tender in a bog pot or pressure cooker
1/2 cup masoor dal
**Any skinned lentils (toor dal, moong dal, chana dal) will work in this recipe.
with 1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp sea salt)
and
2 cups water
until tender (about 15 minutes on the stove top).
Meanwhile, wash and stem
4 oz gongura (about 2 small bunches)
and cut into strips.
When the dal is cooked, on medium heat add the chopped gongura leaves, a fistful at a time until all of them are wilted. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until the leaves soften.
In a small skillet, dry roast
1 tbsp skinned peanuts.
Chop and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) - vegetable oil for vegans
Add
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (brown or yellow)
When they start popping, add
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 dry red chillies
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
Stir fry on medium heat for a minute or two until the garlic turns golden, add it to the dal and simmer for a couple of minutes. Garnish with the peanuts.
Gongura Dal is our entry for My Legume Love Affair. The Seventh Helping is served by Srivalli @ Cooking 4 All Seasons.
- bee
660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking, Andhra-Pradesh, Chillies/Peppers, dal, Egyptian lentils, Garlic, Gongura/Sorrel, Lentils, masoor dal, Peanut/Groundnut, Raghavan Iyer, red lentils, red sorrel, roselle, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes
We don’t get here gongura leaves at least i have never seen in the asian stores.
I love this curry book, I have tried few recipies from the book and loved it every time.
My hubby think this books is a real treasure as I have been making few new legume dishes.
That looks so lovely bee..thanks for the entry!
Yum. I make the toor dal version.
In Bay area, farmers market carry this leaves for dollar in summer. I made only pickle because of extreme sour taste! But adding dhal will balance I guess . Looks delish!
This is something new with gongura for me.We make thogayals out of it.Will give this a try!!nice posting:)
I have always made Gongura with Toor dal , combining with masoor dhal and the peanuts should taste good. Will definetly try.
Quick clarification
- did you mean add the raw gongura leaves to the dal directly or just simmer them in an empty pan? I’ve tried adding them to the tadka with a little water, and that’s worked better than dry roasting them…
raw gongura leaves to the dal.
I have a bottle of Gongura pickle, very tangy and yummy indeed. Sorrel seeds are available in Indian seeds online store but I didn’t buy it. Masoor dal looks delish, very easy to cook in the Microwave too.
Have a great weekend. It’s 10F today and expecting snow on Monday!:))
Love the gongura pickle or gongura leaves chutney or by themselves but not with dal
But I love the look of it though.
Heard a lot abt it,but never tasted sorrel.This looks awesome,i love dal in any form in any way,just give mne a plate of steaming rice with dal and i m the happiest person on earth
You skinned peanuts or you bought them skinned?
skinning peanuts is for dhanda-nots.
i buy them skinned from the thai store.
Love the tanginess of gongura. Looks yumm with masoor dhal..I make with thoor dhal..
I seem to like everything you make from the “660 curries”… Have seen gongura leaves here at the Indian store, now I know what to do with them.
I have never tried these greens…will look out for them. The masoor dal is nother story though….just devoured a bowlful for dinner
mmm. looks so mouth-watering! Have a great weekend.
I followed Indira’s recipe for gongura dhal and loved it… Masoor must work well too.
I have tasted gongura pickle only once in a friend’s lunch box. Then I went & got myself a pickle from the store which did not taste as good.
This dal reminds me of a similar thing my mom used to make, except for the peanuts. Masoor dal is almost an every day thing in Bengal. She would make it with with spinach & then she would add fresh lemon juice, once the dal was done cooking. Peanuts will add the crunch I bet.
I love Gongura. I am not a Gongura pickle fan, coz I feel the flavour is lost in the oil and the spices. I have tried a stir-fry with just onions, peanuts and salt and cayenne pepper and it is out of this world! It is tangy and as I type this out after a really heavy dinner, my mouth still waters.
We get it in the Indian store almost every other week!
Yum Gongura Dal…I love it’s sour, tangy taste. Didn’t think about growing it in backyard…thanks for the info about where to find the seeds..You guys rock !
The gongura-toor dal at Andhra Bhavan is an absolute fave, especially with the son, who will eat nothing else there. That first picture of yours should make it possible for me to spot it in the market…if it’s available at all.
Gongura “sambhar”? Hmph!
Love sorrel. I’ve also seen it added to tomatillo-hominy pozole recipes. Very nice.
The only time I had sorrel was in form of an ice cream at this lovely restaurant in Chicago. It was really weird like eating a karela ice cream…..would love to try it out in dal.
I have never tried Gongura…i have to get a pickle now…
Gongura leaves, masoor and peanuts…..oooooh!!! sounds mouth watering!!!
Aha! So gongura is sorrel. Ive seen red sorrel at the local asian store but never knew what it was untill now. Ive only had gongura in pickle. So if its not suspended in one year old pickle oil, I dont recognize it
The dal sounds lovely and id take masoor dal any day over toor! Gorgeous photo!
That second photo of the dal is magical! love it!
The dal sound terrific. Do you think it would work with kale?
any greens would work.
I love gongura and have tasted only as a pickle. This looks very inviting!
We make most greens with mung or masoor - haven’t yet tried with gongura. Thanks for all the other names … I am going to hunt for sorrel, bloody dock whatever in Sydney! Will let you know if I find it here!
Wow!! thats heavenly Bee..
I love gongura and so does Rocky, we usually get these leaves in paste form to add with prawns and meat. I am still searching to buy in uk…
Another tasty recipe, thanks for posting. Your Lollo Rosso contribution is now live on the Weekend Herb Blogging #166 roundup if you would like to stop by and check it out. Thank you for participating.
Gongura pachadi (chutney) is my favorite. I make a similar daal with spinach and beet greens. Will try this the next time I find gongura.
Ah, the joys of misinformation. And alas now your blog post will contribute to it. Would be lovely if you took down substantial portions of this post — esp the authoritative sounding sections on growing Rumex sorrel, the veins, phytonutrients and whatnot.
One look at the structure of the Gongoora plant or even the flowers and leaves will tell you that it is not at all related to sorrel (Rumex acetosa or sanguineus.If you have ever laid eyes on a hibiscus flower the similarity in flower structure will be no surprise. Hibiscus sabdariffa is what it is.
Since you are pretty conscientious thinking person bloggers — here is a question worth considering — is write what you know about a good policy for bloggers as well? Particularly as applied to those bloggers who tend to combine authoritative sounding informational sections along with descriptions of their own experiences.
If what you are posting is gleaned from googling, then perhaps the thing to do is simply link to your sources, instead of writing as though these are things you were exhaustively researched from primary or authoritative sources.
Otherwise fanly
Khaoo
the only way i have eaten Gongura is in the form of piclkles, I have seen sooo many gongura recipes, I really do need to try them..
I have seen these leaves in the local indian stores.Never knew these were gonguras.Will surely try this….looks yummy!
Bloody Dock sounds pretty damn cool. I wonder how this tastes.
ahahhahaa..the first few lines made me do that..Sorrel and Roselle. I add Roselle flowers in my tea pot so I know how it tastes. It is tart too but not as tart as Sorrel and now since you don’t care I won’t say anything more
I love sorrel and lentils combo. Pictures of Ryozen Kannon are simply gr8! We visited Thailand few years back and I could hear my son yelling to his dad “can we go back home! I am sick of seeing standing, sitting and sleeping Buddha” :))
I found red gongura this past summer at our farmers’ market; it is an integral ingredient in a popular chicken-and-green stew eaten by the Hmong people. Might do a post sometime. I’m trying to get away from using the word “sorrel” though- that name is applied to too many unrelated plants!
This sambhar looks and sounds very delicious, and good season for it! Plus it looks quick and simple for days I don’t feel like a big roasting and grinding production. I just made an unusual sambhar myself (possibly Keralan- sambare?)with moong and beet-greens (orignally toor dhal and spinach) with much coconut and a very garlic-y tadke.
Lovely and divine!
Not sure if I am more confused or less about what plant is actually harvested for gongura or gongoora leaves. You seem to have mixed quite a few things up here. We have now two genus of plants being used with the same common names. I would like to find out as I woul like to try growing some of the REAL gongura.
for real gongura, go to seedsofindia.com. they sell it.
You guys have become my go-to reference for all things exotic. I found gongura leaves in the internation store today, and now I found the perfect recipe. Thanks!