Billala Pulusu/Stew with Besan cakes

Ingredients for the Billalu/Besan Cakes:

1 cup Besan/Gram flour

1 cup water

1/4 onion finely chopped

Little oil

Green chillies

Curry leaves

Turmeric

Salt

Red chilli powder

Ingredients for the Stew/Pulusu:

1 tbsp Oil

1 onion chopped

Green chillies

Garlic

Ginger

Lemon sized tamarind (soaked in water)

Fenugreek Powder/Menthula podi

Cumin Powder

Corriander Powder

Dry Coconut Powder

Cilantro (for garnishing)

Procedure:

1. Heat very little oil in a pan and add green chillies, corriander leaves and onions.

2. As the onions are cooking, add 1 cup of water. Soon after, add turmeric powder, salt and red chilli powder accordingly.

3. As the water start to fully boil, add 1 cup of besan

and mix it well.

4. Turn off the heat and let the besan mixture cool down.

5. When the besan mixture cools down, pat it down on a greasy plate and cut the besan into cake like pieces as shown below. Make sure the pieces are hard and comp

ressed.

6. On the other hand, heat oil in a vessel and add, green chillies, corriander leaves, ginger, garlic and onions, mostly in that order.

7. When the onions are cooked, add the water from the soaked tamarind. Add more water to this mixture based on how sour you like your stew to be.

8. Add all the remaining powders into this liquid: Fenugreek powder, Corriander powder, Cumin powder and Dry coconut powder. [The powders are also meant to thicken the stew slightly so add them based on the thickness you like] If you still find the stew to be very watery, then add some more besan to the mixture.

9. Finally, add the besan cakes slowly to the boiling stew and allow for the stew to boil for a few minutes.

10. Add corriander leaves to garnish and serve with hot with rice.

I learned this recipe from my mother-in-law as I loved it when I 1st had it in Warangal. Im sure a lot of you know how to make a stew in your own way. This is one of the ways I have learned it and it works well with the Besan cakes.