Chilakada Dumpa Pulusu

Also known as sweet potato stew.

My grandmother and mom were experts in making this dish. I have tried to imitate the delicious, nostalgic taste of this pulusu that I had when I was younger, and I think it is just as good! Made with just a few ingredients, this dish is sure to be a household favorite.

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Ingredients:

For pulusu:

• 2 big sweet potatoes

• 1 lemon-sized tamarind

• 1 red onion

• 1 big tomato

• 2 green chili, slit

• 2-3 tbsp jaggery powder

• salt to taste

For Tempering:

• 1 tbsp channa daal (bengal gram)

• 1/2 tbsp urad daal (split black gram)

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds

• 4-5 dried red chilis

• 1/2 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds

• 2 tsp sesame seeds

• 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)

• 1 tbsp oil

Method:

For powder:

1. In oil, fry all tempering ingredients.

2. Blend into fine powder.

For pulusu:

1. Soak tamarind with enough warm water to cover it for 30 minutes. Squeeze out tamarind to make a pulp. Set aside.

2. Wash and dice sweet potatoes into cubes.

3. Chop onions and tomatoes.

4. Pressure cook all pulusu ingredients, tempering powder, and tamarind pulp. An instant pot can also be used on the soup setting.

5. In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add 1 tsp urad daal, 1 tsp mustard seeds, and a pinch of hing. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add the cooked pulusu ingredients to the saucepan. Let it cook for an additional couple of minutes.

6. Garnish with chopped cilantro and curry leaves.

7. Serve after a couple of hours with rice. Pulusu tastes best when left out for a couple of hours. This allows the different ingredients of the pulusu to marinade and enhance the taste.