Gongura

Gongura Also known asAmbada, Red Sorrel Leaves..Gongura is a leafy plant , which has many culinary uses, the most popular is the pickled version. Gongura comes in two varieties, green stemmed leaf and red stemmed. The red stemmed variety is more sour than the green stemmed variety. Gongura is popular in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In Maharashtra markets, it is called Ambaadi. It is a summer crop and the hotter the place the more sour the leaf gets. Andhra Pradesh produces the best quality Gongura.Blanched gonguraCut the leaves in pieces. Blanching can be done by boiling or steaming. Put the leaves in a wire basket, submerge them completely in the boiling water, cover with a lid, and blanch for 3-4 minutes. To blanch by steaming, put the leaves in a steamer basket and suspend it above an inch or two of boiling water. Cover the pot, and begin timing(3-4 minutes) as soon as steam starts to escape from under the lid. With either method, shake the basket a couple of times to ensure that all vegetable surfaces are exposed to the heat. After the allotted time, remove the basket, and plunge the vegetables into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool, remove them, drain thoroughly and add to your recipe.Torn GonguraRemove the leaves from the stalks and tear them roughly with your hands in small pieces.