Piyava Gojju

Name: Piyava Gojju
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: south_indian
Ingredients: 300 g onion (thinly sliced); 20 g tamarind (soaked in warm water and extracted); 300 ml water (for tamarind extract and simmering); 15 g jaggery (grated); 0.5 tsp salt; 2 tsp oil; 0.5 tsp mustard seeds; 0.5 tsp urad dal; 2 pcs dried red chili (broken); 8 pcs curry leaves; 1 pinch turmeric powder; 1 pinch red chili powder

RATING

4.3/5(28)

TASTE SCORE

8/10

A homestyle Karnataka onion gojju with soft cooked onions, tamarind, jaggery, and a simple tempering. It turns sweet, tangy, and gently spiced, making a comforting side for rice, dosa, or chapati.

PREP

10m

COOK

20m

SERVES

1 KATORI

82 cal

SERVINGS

METHOD · 5 STEPS

prep · ~10 min
Soak the tamarind and slice the onions.
1.Soak tamarind in a little warm water for 10 minutes.
2.Squeeze and extract the pulp, then strain if needed.
3.Slice the onions thinly so they cook down evenly.
temper · ~2 min
Make the tempering.
1.Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
2.Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
3.Add urad dal and fry until lightly golden.
4.Add dried red chili and curry leaves for a few seconds.
TIPKeep the heat medium so the urad dal turns golden without burning.
saute · ~7 min
Cook the onions until soft.
Add the sliced onions and cook until soft and lightly golden, stirring now and then. The onions should lose their raw smell and turn sweet.
simmer · ~10 min
Add the gojju ingredients and simmer.
1.Add tamarind extract and the remaining water to the pan.
2.Stir in turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and jaggery.
3.Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
4.Cook until the raw tamarind smell goes away and the gojju lightly thickens.
serve
Serve the piyava gojju warm.
Serve warm with hot rice, dosa, or chapati. The taste should be balanced with tang, mild heat, and a light sweetness.

PRO TIPS

What to keep in mind.

7 tips from the recipe — small details that make a real difference to the final dish.

1
Slice the onions evenly and thin so they collapse into the gravy instead of staying stringy.
2
Let the urad dal turn just golden in the tempering; if it darkens too much, the gojju can taste bitter.
3
Cook the onions until the raw smell is completely gone before adding tamarind for a sweeter, rounder base.
4
Simmer after adding tamarind until the sharp raw sourness fades; this is the key doneness cue for gojju.
5
Taste only near the end, then adjust jaggery and salt together to keep the sweet-tangy balance typical of Karnataka gojju.
6
This gojju tastes even better after 30 minutes of resting, when the onions absorb the tamarind and spice.
7
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days and reheat gently with a splash of water if it thickens too much.