Gongura was the first Indian vegetable I had seen (except Spinach) when I came here. Even Methi I saw after 6-7 months. I had habit of going to sabzi-mandi with Mummy or sometimes on my own so it was not difficult to recognize the vegetables here. I realized that gongura is neither fresh nor tender so I just used leaves. I was about to start cooking it when I realized that I don't have Jawar(Sorghum) then decided to use Toor Daal. I did not like the taste too much. Later I even experimented with daliya but I liked Rice better than anything. Around same time I discovered Brown rice and started using it and it was the closest to what my Mom used to make. 

We lived near farms so we always got fresh vegetables and that was the best tasting vegetable one could ever have. I could feel the difference in taste when I came here, now it doesn't matter I kind of got used it. 

Maharashtrian style Gongura Bhaji  

1 bunch Ambadi (Gongura or Pundi Palle(in Kannada))

 Fistful rice ( use Jawar if available) 

3-4 Cloves of Garlic 

Salt and red chili powder per taste 

2 Tbsp Oil 

1/2 tsp Turmeric  

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

 small piece of jaggery (about golf ball size)1/2 cup water

Pluck just the leaves from the Gongura bunch. Wash thoroughly and chop. Grind rice or jawar coarsely. Mix together chopped leaves and ground rice/jawar in pressure cooker. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook it till soft (2 whistles or so). Let the cooker cool down. Mix the cooked leaves well, add salt, red chili powder and jaggery and mix well. Heat oil in a kadhai, add turmeric and cumin seeds, let cumin seeds sizzle. Add mixed vegetable in kadhai mix it well and cover it to cook for about 5 minutes. Smash garlic or cut into pieces. Heat remaining oil in tempering vessel add garlic to it and let it sizzle on low flame. Add red chili powder and salt to oil while garlic is sizzling till garlic turns golden brown. Now serve the cooked sabzi and add a tsp of garlic oil on top and enjoy with bhakri or chapati. 

Tips- 

1. If yoo don't want to prepare garlic oil, add smashed garlic in the tempering and just add some salt, red chili powder and oil on prepared sabji while serving.
2. If you don't enjoy sour sabji, drain water from cooked vegetable before adding to the tempering.
   

This Maharashtrian delight is on its way to Harini's FIC: Green ...