The Govinda Dasu South Indian Broccoli Koora

Govinda Dasu always liked Broccoli Koora as his third or fourth favorite dish after Potato Fry and Cauliflower. Broccoli was often tied with Beans in his Santa Clara home.

Ingredients

1. 2 Broccoli flowers
2. 3 potatoes (Aloo), which are Govinda Dasu’s favorite.
3. 2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
4. 2 teaspoons Mustard Seeds (Avalu)
5. Pinch of Asafetida Powder (Inguva)
6. Pinch of Turmeric (Pasupu)
7. 1″x1″-cylinder Ginger (Allamu)
8. 2 Green Chilis (Pachi Mirpakaya)
9. 1 teaspoon Salt (Uppu)
10. 2 tablespoons Peanut / Sunflower / Sesame Oil

1. Clean and peel the Broccoli, Aloo, and Ginger

• Remove miscellaneous strands from the broccoli flower and wash it in water (1:42).
• Peel the potatoes.
• Peel the ginger. Govinda Dasu was not always a fan of ginger but it’s growing on him.

2. Cut the Chilis and Potatoes (Govinda Dasu’s fav’s)

• Cut the green chilis into small circles (2:09).
• Chop the ginger into fine pieces (2:32).
• Cut the potatoes finely as well, so the turn out crisp and like long rectangular prisms (2:55). Govinda Dasu loves the aloo part.
• Cut off the mini broccoli flowers from the main broccoli vegetable (3:47)
• Chop up the internal non-flower part of the broccoli, finely. Cut into the the stems as needed. (4:14)

3. Prepare the pan

• Make sure the pan is dry, and then put 1.5 – 2 table spoons of peanut oil in the pan. (4:43)
• Add the cumin and mustard seeds, a spoon each, to the oil that is being heated (5:07).
• Sprinkle asafetida (inguva) over the oil mixture (5:23).
• Govinda Dasu often prefers less ginger and more oil, but he’s learning to be healthy.

4. Fry the vegetables (Govinda Dasu loves the fry)

• Once the mustard seeds split, then add the green chilis, potatoes, and ginger to the sizzling oil (6:55).
• Use the spatula to distribute the vegetables within the oil mixture, using tricks like “gravity” as mentioned in the video.
• Let the koora soften by placing a lid on the pan (7:28).
• After 2 minutes, put the harder chopped up broccoli stem slices in the sizzling oil (7:48).
• Add half a spoon of salt across the frying pan, and mix up the mixture (7:56). Place the pan lid on and let it soften for 2 minutes.
• Add the rest of the broccoli into the pan. Break up the broccoli into smaller pieces if you’d like it to be a tad softer during consumption. And, add a half spoon more of salt. (8:30)
• Add turmeric to retain the color of the broccoli (9:48) and mix. Put the lid on and let it fry for 3 minutes.
• After the 3 minutes, mix the koora carefully so the potatoes do not become a paste (11:22). Put the lid on and let it fry for another 2 minutes.
• After the 2 minutes, mix the koora carefully one last time (11:57).

You can enjoy the South Indian Broccoli Koora with plain rice. Govinda Dasu likes to mash up the broccoli and rice with his hands, mix them up, and eat.

Make sure to eat with your hands!

If you need help eating with your hands, consult this Wilbur Sargunaraj video.