I have a thing for what we call “independent houses”. As opposed to apartments. It is my dream that one day I will own a large, sprawling bungalow (independent house, if you will. Or row house… or whatever else it is called in your city!) with a lawn in front, a backyard, a porch, a driveway, an outhouse, and lots of trees and place for kids to play. No, we do not have kids. Yet. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting a huge play area, lots of trees to climb, lots of hidden nooks and corners to play hide-and-seek and a lovely verandah or porch to sit and bask in the sun…
Every time I think of my childhood home, food is not far behind! I know I have gone on and on about the food I grew up with many times, but the dish I’m talking about today is just another one of those traditional Telugu recipes that makes me wax eloquent. As a kid, I admit I never had any great love for this spicy, heavy curry since I was obsessed with only all things fried or potato. And that’s all my diet would consist of… But this “Ava Koora” (Mustard Curry) was a regular feature on our dinner table and was made with either raw papayas, raw bananas or with lauki (gourd). I know these are not the most exciting of vegetables and you might think how can fruits like papaya and banana be made into curries(??), but trust me – when you pair these raw fruits/veggies with the mustard mix, the super pungent flavours will blow your mind!
BOPASAKAYA AVA KOORA (Raw Papaya in Spicy Mustard Curry)
Ingredients:
Raw Papaya – 1 small
Mustard seeds (Rai) – 2 tbsp
Raw Rice – 1 tbsp
Grated fresh Coconut – ¼ cup
Green Chillies – 8
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Coriander Leaves – 1 fistful
For the tempering:
Vegetable Oil – 1 tbsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Channa Dal – 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 6
Dried Red Chillies– 2
Turmeric – 1 pinch
Asafoetida (Hing) – 1 pinch
Soak 2 tbsp mustard seeds and 1 tbsp raw rice in a cup of warm water. Peel and cube the papaya roughly into 1-inch squares. Make sure you discard the seeds. Boil in salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside. Take the soaked mustard and rice, green chillies, ginger, grated coconut, coriander leaves and salt and grind to a paste. Add about a tablespoon of water, if required, to get a smooth paste.
In a kadhai or non-stick pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add all the tempering ingredients and fry till the dal turns golden brown and the mustard seeds start sputtering. Now add the boiled and drained papaya pieces and stir for 2 min. Then add the mustard-coconut paste and mix well. Sprinkle some salt and a little water if needed. Cover and cook for about 10min.
The way I like it:
It's mustard-hot, spicy and delicious!!! Tastes best when served hot with steamed rice and some ghee in typical South-Indian style :) Also goes well as an accompaniment with rasam-rice and rotis.
This recipe is making it's way to Charitra and Richa Priyanka's event - F for fresh Fruit Curries!
La @ FoodSlice · 689 weeks ago
Swati Sapna 43p · 687 weeks ago
thoma · 689 weeks ago
you truly live in your past lady!
Swati Sapna 43p · 687 weeks ago
Prathima Rao · 689 weeks ago
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner
Swati Sapna 43p · 687 weeks ago
Ola · 689 weeks ago
Swati Sapna 43p · 687 weeks ago
Smruti · 689 weeks ago
Swati Sapna 43p · 687 weeks ago
Jay · 688 weeks ago
Tasty Appetite
Swati Sapna 43p · 687 weeks ago
alpana · 688 weeks ago
Swati Sapna 43p · 687 weeks ago
Vaishali · 687 weeks ago
Sra · 687 weeks ago
I thought this was majjiga pulusu, we don't make ava kuras at home though I've tried them once or twice.
Swati Sapna 43p · 685 weeks ago
Aahhh... majiga pulusu is another childhood dish! I must try my hand at it and ask mom for the recipe. Do give this ava koora recipe a try. Am sure you will like it!
richa · 687 weeks ago
i lived in independent houses while growing up, but now cant imagine living in one after living in a condo here in Seattle.:)
Thank you for dropping by the blog via harini. hope to see you there often!
-Richa
Swati Sapna 43p · 685 weeks ago
You will definitely be seeing me more often on ur blog :)
Priya · 685 weeks ago
Also want to share with you the good news that you are a winner of my blog anniversary giveaways - congrats dear - do email me your address and I will send your prize asap :) cheers, Priya
Swati Sapna 43p · 685 weeks ago
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