Gongura Palya | North Karnataka-Style Pundi Soppina Palya

Gongura Palya pairs beautifully with Jolada Rotti. This interesting North Karnataka-style palya is cooked in a unique method with coarsely ground sorghum, or whole jowar. It’s best enjoyed with jowar rotis.

Also known as Pundi Soppina Palya, this dish should not be confused with Mangalorean Pundi.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch gongura leaves
• 1 tbsp chana dal
• 1½ tbsp raw peanuts
• 3–4 green chillies (bird’s eye or regular)
• 3 tbsp whole jowar (sorghum)
• Coriander leaves
• Curry leaves
• ¼ tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
• 1 tsp cumin (jeera)
• 6–7 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 1–2 tsp jaggery, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Water, as needed

Method

First wash the gongura leaves. Cook them with the chana dal, raw peanuts and green chillies in water just covering the mixture, until the dal and peanuts are tender. If using a pressure cooker, allow the pressure to release safely before opening. Strain the cooked mixture and discard the cooking water to reduce the sourness.

1. Coarsely grind the whole jowar to a grainy texture. Do not use a fine flour texture.
2. Add fresh water to the strained leaf mixture and bring it back to a boil. Sprinkle the ground jowar in a single layer on top of the water.
3. Do not mix. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Add hot water at intervals if needed as the jowar absorbs the liquid.
4. Meanwhile, coarsely grind the coriander leaves, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, cumin and garlic into a paste.
5. After the 15 minutes, add the ground paste, oil, turmeric and asafoetida. Again, do not mix. Cover and cook on low heat for a further 10 minutes, adding hot water if needed.
6. Lightly mash the mixture with a pestle, keeping the peanuts intact.
7. Add salt and 1–2 teaspoons jaggery to taste. Jaggery may also be added with the turmeric and asafoetida; powdered jaggery can be added at the end.
8. Serve hot with Jolada Rotti (jowar rotis), sweet onions and green chillies on the side.

Notes from my kitchen

• I used bird’s eye chillies for extra heat. Regular green chillies work too.
• Keep the jowar grainy rather than grinding it into fine flour.
• Leave the layers unmixed during the two covered cooking stages, and add hot water as needed.