Thotakura Kaadala Pulusu | Amaranth Stems Stew

One of my cousins recently visited my place and she brought few yummy goodies from her home town and these amaranth stems are one of those goodies and they are also freshly plucked from her garden. When she gave them to me I really had no clue what to make with it and then I got the recipe from her to make this stew.Those stems sat in fridge for two days and started to wilt a bit that is when it caught my attention to make the stew immediately.I have paired it with simple potato fry and papad and I must say it was a simple home style meal and is perfect for a lunch.The amaranth stems were so tender to bite in and they also added nice flavor to the stew.The one's she brought were quite big almost the size of drumsticks and they are not easily available everywhere until and unless you have your own amaranth plant,if you do not get them just replace them with the small tender stalks of amaranth leaves(after the leaves plucked) which we get in market.
Thotakura Kadala Pulusu Recipe:(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
10-12 thick Amaranth stems
1 medium Onion,finely chopped
2 Garlic pods,crushed
2 Green chillies,slit
1 amla sized Tamarind
1 tbsp grated Jaggery
1 tbsp Rice flour
1/2 tsp Rasam powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

for tadka:
1 tsp Oil/Ghee
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2-3 Red chillies
a sprig of Curry leaves
a fat pinch of Hing

Method:

• Remove/Peel the outer layer of those thick amaranth stems like how we do for drumsticks.Cut them into 1-2" long pieces.
• Soak tamarind in water and extract pulp and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add green chillies and crushed garlic and fry well.
• Add chopped onions and fry until they turn pink.
• Add the chopped amaranth stems and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add tamarind pulp and a cup of water,turmeric powder and salt and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
• Once the pressure drops,switch on the flame again and add jaggery,rasam powder and boil it.
• Mix rice flour with 2-3 tsp water and add it to the boiling stew and let it boil until it slightly thickens.Taste the stew and adjust the salt,sweetness and spicyness according to your taste buds.
• Heat oil/ghee in a small tadka pan and crackle mustard seeds and add red chillies,curry leaves and hing and fry for half minute and add this to stew and boil for 2-3 mins.

Serve it hot with hot rice,ghee,papad and some fry.I served it with alu fry and papad.

Notes:

1. In general cooked amaranth stems are tender and soft to eat,if it is hard then just chew them like how we do for drumsticks.
2. Addition of rasam powder is optional but it gives nice flavor,if you do not have it use coriander powder instead.
3. For a Vegan version use oil instead of ghee in the recipe.