Cilantro Besan curry (Kothimeera Senagapindi kura)

When you think of Cilantro or Coriander leaves, the first thing that comes to mind is garnishing a dish. But the beauty of this recipe is, it uses these greens along with protein rich Besan/ Gram flour to make a lip smacking side dish Kothimeera Besan.It is usually served with Rice. Will Pair perfectly with Rasam or Sambar. Try my Tomato Charu or Lemon Rasam or Raw mango Pacchi pulusu along with this curry to make your meal complete. 

As a kid I have seen my Mom making Aloo(potato) Besan, Tinder (Dondakaya) besan etc but never Cilantro. Then I happen to had it at a friend's place and instantly loved it. Sometimes when I'm out of veggies and all left is Cilantro, I make this recipe. Another common recipe we make back home is, Kothimeera vellulli Karam (Cilantro with garlic spice powder). It goes well with Steamin hot rice topped with Ghee. 

If you like Greens do try my Swiss Chard in Tamarind sauce (Swiss Chard Pulusu kura), Malabar spinach Dal or Spinach Chutney. i have a 'Leafy Vegetables' recipe category exclusively for greens.

This is a pretty simple recipe. One thing to remember, once besan is added you need to fry it enough to remove it's raw taste. Other than this it's very easy peasy.

Off this topic, if you like to grow Cilantro at home it's super duper easy. All you have to do is take some Dhaniya/Coriander seeds. Crush them by placing between your palms. Now place seeds in Soil. Patiently wait for the sprouts to appear. This way you always have fresh coriander handy. Pluck the leaves so new leaves regenerate. 

Now back to the recipe.

Servings:

Four (4)

Total Time:

30 minutes

Ingredients (I use US standard measuring; 1cup=8oz=250ml):

• 2 big bunches of Cilantro/Coriander leaves(Kothimeera)
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tbsp chili powder or adjust
• 1/4 cup Gram flour/besan (Senaga pindi)
• Mustard seeds
• Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• Salt to taste

Kothimeera Besan Step wise Recipe

1. Wash the greens and chop em.
2. Chop Onions into small pieces. 
3. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and Urad dal for seasoning. Once the seeds splutter, add chopped Onions. Cook till they turn slightly brown.
4. Add chopped leaves and cook till they turn soft. 
5. Add salt to taste and pinch of turmeric. Cook till any water released is evaporated.  
6. Now add chilli powder and mix well. 
7. Add 1/4 cup Besan. You can add it gradually which makes it easy to mix. Once all the besan is mixed well cook for 3-4 minutes so the raw smell will be removed. Stir in between during this time. The curry should not be too dry or wet. More like lumpy. 
8. You can add more  besan if you like. The more besan you add, more dry the curry gets. Some people like it dry. In this case adding more oil also helps the texture and makes it tasty. 
9. Once Gram flour is cooked. Turn off the stove. Do not garnish with Coriander:-):-). Remember it's Coriander curry. 
10. Serve with Rice.