Pick, wash lobia several times. Soak in three cups of water for two hours. Drain and boil in three cups of water until three-fourths cooked. Keep aside along with the cooking liquor.
Peel, wash and finely chop onions. Wash and chop tomato. Clean, wash and finely chop coriander leaves. Wash and peel ginger and garlic.
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and red chillies. Saute for two minutes on low heat stirring constantly till it emits a fragrant aroma. Let cool and grind with ginger and garlic, using a little water, to a smooth paste.
Heat remaining oil in a kadai. Add cinnamon and when it begins to sizzle, add onions. Saute until lightly browned.
Add tomato, ground paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cover and let it cook in its own juices for five to seven minutes.
Add lobia with water. Cover and cook till lobia is tender and gravy almost dry.
Chef\'s tip
You can serve with scraped fresh coconut. |
