Malabar spinach with cow-peas curry I Basale Alasande Sambar I
Basale Alasande Sambar/ Malabar spinach recipe with black eyed beans – This is one of our comforting and a favorite curry made with roasted ground spices and fresh coconut are the key ingredients to make this sambar. One of the most versatile Mangalorean specialties is the Vegetable Gravy which is usually made during the week, The Vegetable Gravy is best eaten with brown rice (unpolished boiled rice) and whatever’s remaining can be reheated & served with chapati’s for breakfast the next morning. Basale/ Malabar spinach is a popular tropical leafy-green vegetable, commonly grown as backyard herb in the home gardens especially in coastal regions of Karnataka. Health benefits of Basale/Malabar spinach are numerous – it is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It has a high amount of proteins, it is good for skin, bones, eyes, teeth, for pregnant women and lactating mother’s, good for heart health and blood-related issues…and many more.
Ingredients:
Black-eyed cowpeas – 1/2 cup
Malabar Spinach (Basale soppu) – 1 bunch chopped
Onion – 1 medium chopped
Tomato – 1 medium chopped
Salt to taste
To grind –
Coconut – 1/2 cup
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Dry Byadgi or Kashmir chilies – 3 no’s
Shot dry chilies – 3 no’s
Coriander – 1 1/2 Tsp
Cumin – 3/4 tsp
Fenugreek – 1/4 Tsp
Mustard – 3/4 Tsp
Garlic – 4 cloves
Tamarind – a small marble sized ball
For tempering –
Oil – 1 Tsp
Mustard – 1/2 Tsp
Garlic – 4 or 5 cloves peeled and crushed
Curry leaves – 1 spring
Method:
Pressure cook cowpeas for 4 or 5 whistles with 2 cups of water.
Clean and chop Malabar spinach (Basale soppu) and keep ready, once the cowpeas are cooked add onion, tomato, and Malabar spinach. Cook until the spinach becomes soft/cooked, it takes within 10 mins,
cook covered on a medium flame, add salt to taste.
Add little oil in a pan fry coriander, fenugreek, Cumin, and dry chilies, (no need to fry mustard, it is added raw while grinding)
Transfer all the ingredients to grind – Coconut, turmeric, roasted cumin, coriander, dry chilies, fenugreek, garlic cloves, tamarind, and raw mustard seeds. Blend it to a smooth paste, add water to blend as needed.
Add the ground paste to cooked spinach, add water to adjust the consistency, the consistency of the curry must be medium thick. stir properly, bring it to boil for 10 mins on a medium flame.
Heat oil (preferably coconut oil) in a pan when it is hot add mustard, allow it to splutter, add crushed garlic and curry leaves fry until you get a nice aroma, remove from the flam, add it to prepared curry, stir.
Serve with steamed Boiled rice, stir fry, papad/pickle.
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