Gongura Chicken - Sorrel Leaves Curry

Gongura Chicken curry is a classic andra chicken curry made with sorrel leaves or, as it is locally called ,gongura leaves.

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• Ingredients for Gongura Chicken Curry
• Ingredients Substitutions
• How to cook Gongura Chicken
• Tips on adding more nutrition to Indian Food
• Hot Tip
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Serving Gongura Chicken gravy
• Related
• Pairing
• Gongura Chicken Curry
• Ingredients 1x2x3x
• Instructions
• Notes

This is a spicy curry with slightly sour notes from the fresh gongura leaves, also called sorrel or spinach dock leaves. It's one of those win-win recipes- full of good protein and seasonal greens, which are a rich source of iron.

This curry can be made in many ways. Sometimes, it looks like saag chicken where instead of wilting the leaves with the base sauce, you add gongura paste or puree of cooked sorrel leaves. This makes the curry green.

This also makes the curry a little more sour than I would prefer. Plus! The added work of cooking the leaves and pureeing them is quite a big deterrent for someone like me.

So, I like using fresh, whole sorrel leaves with the stems trimmed off. In India, you get sorrel, which is dark green, almost maple leaf-shaped, with red stems.

Gongura chicken is best enjoyed with piping hot soft white rice and Dal, with a little drizzle of ghee. You can, of course, also eat it with rotis and dosa.

Here is what we are going to do

• Make base sauce with onion and tomatoes.
• Add Gongura Leaves and wilt them.
• Add the chicken and cook on low.

Sour sorrel leaves are also used to make the famous gongura pachadi,gongura dal (gongura pappu), and gogura pickle.

Another great recipe from andhra we love is the Khatti Dal. We make it almost weekly at home.

Ingredients for Gongura Chicken Curry

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this delicious recipe

• Chicken
• Gongura
• Oil
• Onion
• Tomato
• Curry leaves
• Turmeric
• Chili - red and green

See the recipe card for quantities.

Chicken

Most chicken curries call for chicken on the bone. That way, the chicken can be cooked for a long and develop a better, deeper flavor.

You can use chicken drumsticks, or chicken thighs on bone, or if you have the access, get your local butcher to cut a whole chicken into 2-3 inch pieces.

You can choose to make the curry with skinless or skin-on chicken. Some people prefer the skin, which keeps the chicken tender and moist. While some prefer to avoid the excess fat from the skin.

Gongura

These popular leafy greens are easily available in most vegetable shops across south India. It might be a little difficult to get hold of in the northern states of India.They are often called pulicha keerai in local language.

In the US, it is quite easily available and is called sorrel leaves or spinach dock. You should look for the red stemmed variety.You can also find these leaves readily available in your neighborhood indian store.

Chillies

The food from the Andra Pradesh region is known to be spicy. They use various chilies to give it layers of flavor and heat.

In this curry, we used green chillies, dry red chillies, and ground chili powder.

I have given instructions in the recipe card on using chilies to make the curry as mild or spicy as you need.

Ingredients Substitutions

Most of the ingredients listed in the recipe are pretty simple. However, for whatever reason, if you do not have them on hand, here are some common substitutions.

• Chicken - substitute with potatoes or jackfruit for a vegetarian version
• Gongura or Sorrel Leaves - Use chopped-up methi or fenugreek leaves instead. You could also use spinach leaves, but add them after you finish cooking the chicken.
• Curry Leaves - This is an unmistakable South Indian flavor bomb. If you can't get fresh ones, use dried or even powdered form. If not, leave it out of the curry.
• Coriander Powder - A great substitute will be any of the indian spice mixes like garam masala or sambhar masala which typically have coriander powder and a bunch of other spices in it already.Here is how to make coriander powder at home.We have been making our own coriander powder for about 10 years now!
• Tomatoes- Fresh tomatoes can be substituted with canned tomatoes or a tablespoon of tomato paste. (Tomato puree is different from tomato paste which is very concentrated)

How to cook Gongura Chicken

Step 1: Cook the Onions

Heat the pan on medium - low heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil.This is done so that the curry and the onions do not stick to the pan.

Add the chopped onions and curry leaves once the oil is heated through, which should take about a minute.

Saute till they turn translucent. We do not want to brown them here but just sweat them till they turn soft and almost white.

Step 2: Add Tomatoes & Spices

Lower the heat and add the fresh green chili, red-dried chili, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and ginger garlic paste.

If the pan is too hot, the ground red chili powder will burn and turn bitter. Give it a mix and cook for about 30 seconds or so till the raw smell goes away.

Next, add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook until they turn mushy.

If the pan gets too dry, you may need to add ¼ to ½ cup of water. Use the back of your ladle or spatula to mash the tomatoes lightly. This step is the main flavor maker of your curry.

Taste the base sauce to check salt at this stage.It should ideally be a tad bit saltier than what you would prefer.

Step 3: Add the Gongura leaves and Chicken

Now add the washed and trimmed fresh leaves to the pan. Cook on medium-low heat till they wilt. You can use the back of your ladle to mash them up lightly.

Next add the cut chicken pieces and give it a good mix.

Cover the pan and let the chicken cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Check periodically in the middle to see if the curry has enough water.Add a little water if the curry starts to burn or stick to the pan.

You could just add a cup of water and walk away. We don't prefer that because we get some caramelized bits of chicken and the base sauce. This gives it a better taste and also a better, darker color.

Step 4: Check & adjust

Open the lid. Add more water if the curry is too dry or the bottom burns.

Cook the chicken in open for 10-12 minutes more.

My way to check if the curry is cooked is to look at the chicken drumstick. If the chicken drumstick near the boniest part is tearing or breaking apart, it's usually when the chicken is cooked for me.

Or you could cut into one of the bigger parts and see if the chicken is cooked inside.A cooked chicken should not have any translucent bits.

You can garnish the chicken curry with chopped coriander leaves and a few drops of lemon juice.

Tips on adding more nutrition to Indian Food

If you are like me and have tried every other "diet" in the world, only to come back to regular everyday food, then you need to read on.

Here are my quick hacks to up the nutrition in my everyday Indian food

• Make dough or dosa batter with pureed, chopped up, or powdered seasonal green leafy vegetables like drumstick leaves, spinach, and fenugreek.
• Add a tablespoon of mixed seed powder to all my pancakes and porridge.
• Try to eat 2-3 colored - red, yellow & green colored fresh produce or fruits.
• Only use oil whose ingredients can be identified easily- mustard oil, sesame oil, ground nut oil, and olive oil. Absolutely dump the vegetable or other processed oils.

Variations

You could give this recipe so many different delicious twists-

• Gongura mutton - Use the same recipe but with mutton instead. The cooking time will increase by 20-30 minutes.
• Gongura prawns - Use cleaned, deveined prawns instead of chicken. These will cook in 2-3 minutes, so instead, take your time to make the base sauce.
• Kid-friendly - Either leave out or reduce the chilies in the curry or simply dilute it with coconut milk.

Equipment

You could need one big, deep pot or pan to make this curry. I like using my deep cuisinart or cast iron pan while making this curry.

The cast iron pan, not only adds a great color but also infuses the food with free iron.

Storage

If you are not eating the curry in a couple of hours, leftover chicken curry can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for four to five days.

In fact, chicken curries always taste better the next day.

Freezer - You can freeze the curry in single servings for later use. I find using silicon bags to freeze is the most convenient and environmentally friendly way of freezing curries. That way i can stick them in the microwave straight from the freezer and have a meal ready in no time.

Serving Gongura Chicken gravy

Here are some easy ways to serve the curry

• The traditional way - with hot plain rice and some dal.
• Dosa & chicken- Our most indulgent Sunday breakfast
• With rotis and parathas

Related

Here are some more curry recipes

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with :

If you make this gongura chicken curry, please leave a review. I appreciate every rating and review comment!

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