Majjiga Pulusu with Greens

Majjiga pulusu or majjiga charu is a scrumptious Andhra dish made with buttermilk, spices and veggies. Serve with rice for a delicious meal.

Author: Pavani

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 50

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: andhra

Servings: servings

Soak chana & toor dal and rice for about 30 minutes in warm water. Drain the water.
In a blender, combine coriander & cumin seeds, ginger, green chilies and coconut. Blend to form a coarse paste. Add the drained lentils & rice, salt and blend to make a coarse mixture. Add just 1~2 tablespoons water, if needed, while grinding.
Remove 1 cup of the mixture into a bowl. To the remaining mixture in the blender, add ½ cup of water and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk yogurt along with the water to make a smooth paste with no lumps.
Heat oil in a medium size saucepan on medium flame. Add mustard & cumin seeds, dry red chilies and hing. Cook till the seeds splutter, about 1 minute. Add the curry leaves and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the chopped greens and turmeric. Cook till they are wilted, about 3~4 minutes.
Add the ground paste and 1 cup of water. Mix well to avoid any lumps. Bring the mixture to a simmer, lower the heat and cook for 4~5 minutes.
Stir in the whisked yogurt and cook just until heated through, about 2~3 minutes. If you think the mixture is too thick, add water to bring to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Heat enough oil in a medium size pan on medium-high heat for deep frying. Test if the oil is hot enough by dropping a bit of batter. If it sizzles and comes up to the surface, it is ready to go. Take about 1 teaspoon of batter and flatten it between your fingers.
Gently slide the batter into the hot oil. Fry the vada until golden brown on both sides, about 1~2 minutes per side. Depending on the size of your pan, you can fry multiple vada at a time. Remove fried vada using a slotted spoon onto a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve vada either on the side or add a few to majjiga pulusu just before serving and enjoy!!

Use sour yogurt for the best flavor. Either homemade or store bought yogurt will work. Greek yogurt is naturally tangy and would work well in this recipe.
Feel free to add other veggies like potato, carrot, okra etc. along with the greens. Or omit the greens and use only veggies.
You can also make anapakaya majjiga pulusu ~ instead of using bachali kura (or spinach), use chopped bottle gourd in the recipe.
Add vada in the pulusu just before serving otherwise they will get soggy.
If you don't want to make vada, then use the following quantities to make the lentil masala paste:
- 1 tablespoon Chana dal
- 1 tablespoon Toor dal
- 1 teaspoon Raw Rice
- 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- ½" Ginger piece, coarsely chopped
- 1~2 Green Chilies
- 2 teaspoons Grated Coconut, fresh or dry
You can make the lentil mixture 1 day in advance. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
Store leftover majjiga charu in the fridge for up to 2 days.

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