Pan fried masala prawns

Our everyday food is easy to make, fuss free vegetarian food, with some special and elaborate dishes thrown in for the weekend meals. I gave up eating meat many years back and do prefer vegetarian, but there are occasions when I give in to my cravings for sea food.



This is something Ma made for me last week. A really simple recipe that tastes absolutely delicious, with the ingredients that are used in our everyday cooking. In Mangalorean Konkani cuisine, this masala is a pretty standard one. It is a nice balance of heat, tanginess and the flavour of garlic.



This makes for a lip-smacking appetizer. Serve it with a sprinkle of lemon juice and some onion slices.

Pan fried masala prawns

What you need -

25-30 prawns (shelled, deveined and cleaned)
8-10 red chillies (ideally byadgi for its colour)
6-8 cloves of peeled garlic
small ball of tamarind / 1 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 - 1 tsp salt

What you do with it -

Clean the prawns well once it has been shelled and deveined
Apply turmeric powder and salt on the prawns and set aside for at least 10 mins
Grind the tamarind, red chillies and garlic to a smooth paste, adding a tsp or two of water (keep the water to a minimum)
Mix this with the prawns well and allow to marinate in a sealed box in the refrigerator for at least an hour
Heat a shallow pan and add about 3 tbsp of oil
Pour out the semolina and rice flour in a flat plate and combine
Dip each of the prawns in this semolina-flour mix, so that its coated well
Once the oil is hot, place the 3-4 prawns in it, and fry on a low flame for 2 mins
Turn over and allow it to crisp on the other side as well
Take it off the heat and drain on an absorbent paper
Sprinkle some lemon juice over it and serve hot with onions slices

Patolis for Gowri / Gauri puja

Gowri / Gauri puja is celebrated by Konkanis and Kannadigas a day before Ganesh Chaturthi. Some families keep an idol of Gowri, others worship a printed picture. Among Konkanis, this day is also called 'Vayana puja'. Young girls and married women keep decorated coconuts and offer it to the Goddess. Then these coconuts are usually given to women older than you and you seek their blessings. Ma gifted me this silver Gauri that needs to be placed over a coconut. I have been using this for my puja for the last couple of years now.



I used to help my grandfather a lot with all the preparations for the puja, and the cooking was all done by Ma. We had the whole family come over, help with the cooking, especially for Ganesh Chaturthi and really enjoy the elaborate spread
Being in a place that is not so familiar with this puja, I have started celebrating it and call some friends over. The food cooked on this day is pretty simple, compared to the spread for Ganesh Chaturthi.
The main dish cooked for this puja is Patoli (paa-toh-lee). Its steamed in turmeric leaves and has a wonderful aroma. This dish is a favourite with my friends here, since its so new and different for them.



My dear Ma couriers the leaves across every year, since I haven't found any turmeric leaves here. I wrap it in a damp cloth and refrigerate it till I use it. Even if the leaves, turn a little yellow, they work beautifully and still have that distinct aroma.

Have a wonderful Gauri puja and Ganesh Chaturthi

Here's a step-by-step on making these patolis

Clean the turmeric leaves, wipe and place them in a plate. Grease the leaf with a little oil



Using your fingers, spread the maida paste over the leaf. It should not be too thin or too thick



Place a spoonful of the coconut-jaggery mixture on one side. You can do this vertically or horizontally



Fold the leaf in half (length-wise or width-wise, depending on how you placed the filling)



Place in a steamer and steam for 8-10 mins



Once done, gently lift one half of the leaf and serve with ghee



What you need -
(15 patolis)

15 turmeric leaves

For the filling
1.5 cups freshly grated coconut
3/4 cup grated jaggery (less or more depending on how sweet the jaggery is)
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom

For the paste
1 cup maida (rice flour can be used instead of maida, but maida is an easier option)
1.25 cups water approx

What you do with it -

In a non stick pan, add the jaggery and coconut and stir it over low heat till the moisture is all gone. Mine took about 15 mins on a really low flame
You can make this a day in advance
Mix the maida with the water, adding a little at a time, so you get a consistency of a dosa batter, not too thick, not too thin
Clean the leaves, wipe them and grease with a little oil
Spread the maida paste with you fingers over the leaves, keeping it as smooth as possible. This again should not be too thick
Place a spoonful of the coconut mixture on one side
Fold the leaves and steam it for about 8-10 mins
Gently open the leaf and enjoy your patoli with some ghee

Surna Ghashi / Yam in a Konkani style coconut masala

Rice is a staple in Mangalorean cuisine. Rotis were never really part of it. Its a more recent addition, with people adapting to food from different cultures or switched over from rice, for health reasons.

To go with rice, there is always a simple dali saar or the Mangalorean favourite - coconut based curries with sprouts or vegetables. Kadi, tambli or a lighter saar.
A favourite among these coconut based curries is the ghashi (gha-she)



Ghashis can be made using different legumes, vegetables or even fish. This time I tried a yam / surna ghashi and it turned out really good.

In Konkani cooking, there are slight variations in the ingredients that go into the masala, and then it turns into a new dish with a new name ! To make an 'ambat', skip the coriander seeds and add fenugreek / methi seeds instead. The seasoning is with fried onions in this case.

Yam / Surna ghashi

What you need -

100-125 gm yam / 1 cup chopped yam
3-4 garlic cloves
3 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp tamarind paste or a small ball of tamarind
4-5 red chillies
oil
salt to taste

What you do with it -

Cut the skin off the yam, chop into bite size pieces and place in a colander under running water. Do not touch the yam while cleaning it, it can give you a bad rash
Drain and add a tsp of salt and cover with water, allow it to steam and cook. Do not let it get too soft.
Fry the red chillies and coriander seeds in a tsp of oil and set aside
Grind the grated coconut, turmeric powder, tamarind along with the friend coriander and red chillies, to a smooth paste
Add this to the cooked yam (along with the water) and bring it to a boil
Fry the garlic in oil and add it to the yam ghashi
If you don't want to use garlic, you can give it a seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves
Serve hot with rice

Sprouted Moong Saar / Mooga Saar

TH has had his wisdom tooth extracted and is in quite a bit of pain, and can't really chew on anything or have anything hot or spicy for a couple of days. He had ice-creams and shakes for a day, but doesn't feel like he's had a meal, unless he has his quota of rice.
I made this mooga saar with rice for him, which is a nice comforting meal !



This is one of my favourites, apart from this tomato saar, from Ma's different varieties of saar. Its made from sprouted green moong. A simple, quick saar that goes really well with rice and any simple sabji. This saar doesn't let any of the sprouted goodness go waste and is really nutritious.

If you have the patience, you can sprout the green moong. I'm lucky since I get sprouted moong from my vegetable vendor.

What you need -

1 cup sprouted green moong
6-8 sprigs of coriander
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 tbsp grated jaggery
1 tbsp jeera / cumin seeds
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp oil
a few curry leaves

What you do with it -

Take the leaves off the sprigs, clean, chop and set aside
Cook the sprouted moong in enough water. Drain and save the water
The skin of the sprouts rises up when you cook it. Take this skin along with some of the cooked moong and set aside
Store the remaining cooked moong to make an usal or any other sabji
Add the coconut, coriander leaves, jeera, tamarind, green chillies and jaggery to the skin and moong that is kept aside and grind to a smooth paste
Add the water (check the consistency and add appropriately) from the cooked moong and salt and bring to a boil
Temper the mustard seeds and curry leaves in a tsp of oil and add to the saar once its done
Serve with rice for a simple satisfying meal

Ambe Khol / Spiced mango curry

A favourite delicacy among Konkanis is Ambe sasam or curried mangoes. If its not the season for mangoes, then fruits like pineapple or grapes are used. Coconut, red chillies and mustard are ground to make a base for the mango curry and I, personally, do not care too much for this and always prefer eating the fruit as is



I've always believed that adding any spice to the fruits spoils the real taste of it, though I am slowly opening up to it now
My son was on a mango diet in Bangalore and totally enjoyed it. Then Ma made this ambe khol. This is different from the sasam - it does not have coconut, just slightly spiced.

My son enjoyed it so much, that I decided to finally give it a shot. Though I hate to admit, I actually enjoyed this. I may even give the sasam a try, with pineapple perhaps. The spices should work better with that !

Ambe Khol

What you need -

5 small mangoes (called goyant ambe in Konkani)
1/2 cup grated jaggery
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 red chilli, broken into 2-3 pieces
1/2 tsp oil
1 cup water
pulp of one mango (alphonso, badami or any other, based on availability)

What you do with it -

Wash mangoes and peel the skin off. Keep the mangoes aside
Add 1 cup water to the peeled skins and squeeze them well, taking as much pulp as you can and then discard the skin
In a pan, heat a tsp of oil, add the mustard seeds and the red chilli
Add the mangoes, squeezed out pulp, mango pulp, jaggery, salt and pepper powder
Bring it to a boil and then add adjust salt and jaggery, as required

Fresh mango pickle / Kothle lonche

Life's been good since I've reached Bangalore. Being with my family and friends is always wonderful, and to add to it, the weather is at least 10 degrees lower than Ahmedabad !! It rained the day I reached and its been a nice pleasant weather ever since...

I've been visiting my favourite places to eat in Bangalore and in one of the places, where you get Mangalorean style food, I had this absolutely yummy fresh mango pickle. I even had a second serving of this pickle at lunch that day !



This fresh pickle or kothle lonche, as its called in Konkani, is almost always on the traditional wedding lunch menu. These lunches, however simple or lavish, are traditionally served on a plantain/banana leaf. There is a particular direction in which the leaf should be placed and an order in which the various items are served. It starts with the salt then the pickle, and then the servers start with the stream of side dishes, rice, kheer, etc...
This pickle is made on the same day or perhaps a day before and served fresh. I remember eating this pickle like a side dish at most weddings.

It does not have oil and there are no preservatives, so it can't be stored for too long. Mango pickles generally have the skin on, but in this one, the skin is peeled so that it doesn't change the texture too much when you are eating this pickle.

My aunt has sent across a bunch of raw mangoes and Ma promptly made this pickle the next day.



Fresh Mango pickle

What you need -

2 raw mangoes
1" piece ginger
1-2 green chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
15-20 methi seeds
a pinch of asafoetida / hing
10-15 red chillies (if using byadgi chillies, lesser if its a spicier variety)
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt

1 clean and dry glass bottle with an air-tight lid

What you do with it -

Wash and peel the mangoes. Cut it into tiny pieces
Peel the ginger, wash and dry completely and chop finely
Wash and dry the green chillies and cut really fine
In a cleaned and dried glass bottle, add the turmeric powder, hing, salt, mango pieces, ginger and green chillies
Grind the mustard, methi and red chillies to a smooth paste, adding as little as required
Add this ground masala along with the lemon juice to the mangoes in the bottle
Mix well with a dry spoon and close the bottle with an air tight lid
This pickle should be stored in the refrigerator and used within 3 weeks, since it is a fresh pickle and has no preservatives or oil

Batata Saung / Konkani style potatoes in a chilli tamarind sauce

Here's an all time favourite Konkani dish with potatoes - its called Batata(Potato) Song / Saung
Its a funny name for a dish and friends always wonder why its called a song ! The logic I once heard is that its so spicy, it will make you sing !!
Actually, it isn't that spicy. Its just the magic of the byadgi chillies, that gives it this beautiful bright red colour, with just the right amount of heat. Byadgi is named after a town in Karnataka, that's famous for these chillies

Its easy to make and adds the zing to a regular meal.
My favourite is dali saar and rice with batata song...

Give it a shot, its really good !



Batata Saung
Adapted from Rasachandrika, the Saraswat cookery book

What you need -

1/2 kgs potatoes / 5-6 medium potatoes
10-12 red chillies (byadgi chillies are the best for this)
3 medium onions
1 small ball of tamarind / 1 tsp ready tamarind paste
2 tbsp oil
1 - 1.5 tsp salt


What you do with it -

Chop the onions
Cook the potatoes, peel and chop into bite size pieces
Byadgi chillies are the best option for this. If you are using any other variety, you may want to reduce the number of chillies to about 7-8
Grind the red chillies and tamarind to a smooth paste, using a little water
I usually soak the red chillies in hot water for 10 mins, before I grind it-makes it easier that way
In a pan, heat the oil and then add the onions and fry till it turns light brown in colour
Then add the ground masala, salt and potatoes and stir well
Add about 1/2 cup of water and allow it to simmer for about 10 mins
For an authentic Mangalorean taste, use coconut oil - I find it a bit overpowering though
Serve hot with rotis or a simple dal and rice

Bhubhus Roti / Sweet puri / Mangalore buns

TH loves anything sweet and these are a favourite. Its called Bhubhus roti in Konkani and famous as buns in Mangalore. Its more like a sweet banana-flavoured puri. I've made these after ages, though everytime there is an overripe banana, TH suggests I make these !
Yesterday, I finally gave in and made these and he really enjoyed them, along with our son, who has inherited his sweet tooth !



Surprisingly, banana happens to be optional in the original recipe, though I can't imagine these without that lovely banana flavour. This recipe if from Rasachandrika, the complete Saraswat cookery book...This book was gifted to me when I got married and I have really used it so much over the years - if you'd like to try cooking authentic Konkani food at home, this one is extremely useful...



Bhubhus Roti

Recipe Source - Rasachandrika

What you need

1 overripe banana
2 cups maida / all purpose flour
1/2 cup curd
1/2 cup powdered sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
oil for deep frying

What you do with it

Mash the banana. Add the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda
Then add ghee and curds and mix well
The dough gets very sticky, but that's how its supposed to be
Cover it and set aside for an hour (I left mine for 4 hours)
Divide the dough into small balls and roll out the dough into a small thick round
Heat oil in a deep pan and deep fry the puris till golden brown
These can be made and stored in an air-tight box for about 4-5 days

Mangalorean Egg Curry

I just realised a couple of days back that I haven't made an egg curry in over a year, which is very strange because I really like it. Eggs have only got into some cake or muffins, and maybe some breakfast omelettes over the last one year !

I decided I just had to have egg curry for dinner and called up Ma for her recipe. She gave me this one. Its typically Mangalorean - its got coconut, red chillies, tamarind and coriander seeds, which is a standard base for so many Konkani dishes...

Had it with steamed rice and a salad and it felt like such a perfect meal...



What you need -

4 eggs
1/2 cup grated coconut
4-6 red chillies
1 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
1/2 inch piece ginger / 1/2 tsp ginger paste
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
5-8 curry leaves
1 medium onion
1 tomato
1 tsp mustard seeds

What you do with it -

Boil the eggs, allow it to cool
Peel and cut into half lengthwise
Heat oil in a small pan
Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red chillies and fry taking care not to burn the chillies
Add the cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger and coconut and fry for two more minutes
Keep aside and allow it to cool
Then grind all the ingredients along with tamarind, using about 1/2 cup water into a smooth paste
Chop the onion and tomato into small pieces
In a pan, add a tsp of oil and the mustard seeds - allow it to splutter and then add the curry leaves, onions and tomatoes
Sauté till the onions are brownish and the tomatoes are squishy
Add the ground paste and salt and bring it to a boil, adding more water if required
Lower the flame and add the eggs
Boil for 2 more mins and take it off the heat
Serve hot with rice, parathas or bread

Divkadgi Phodyo / Breadfruit fritters

This looks like a jackfruit, but is less spikey...Its called divkadgi in Konkani or breadfruit...Its not really like a fruit, though.
When I googled for this, I realized that this seems to be a popular vegetable / fruit in the tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean too !
Check this link for more information on breadfruit...



This was not really easily available in Bangalore and we used to wait for Thursdays when the trucks from Mangalore would bring in all the Mangalore-special vegetables into the stores in Bangalore. I guess the trucks come in more frequently now

Ma generally makes fritters / phodyos (pronounced as 'fod-yos') with this. They have a very different texture and they taste absolutely yummy.



Really soft on the inside, this is an absolute treat...



What you need -

1 medium sized divkadgi/ breadfruit
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup rice flour
4-5 tbsp oil

What you do with it -

Cut the divkadgi into 4 quaters. Remove the centre portion which is a little hard
Carefully cut out the skin of the divkadgi
Then cut into slices, about 1/4" thick
Wash and put them in a flat bowl
Sprinkle turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt
Mix well and then sprinkle about 2 tbsp of rice flour over the pieces. Toss and add more rice flour if required. Toss again to ensure all pieces are coated well
Heat a pan with about 2 tbsp of oil
Place the pieces in the pan and fry on both sides till they are golden brown
Fry in batches till all pieces are done
You could deep fry them too, if you like
You could also add salt after frying - this helps them remain crisp for a longer time

Dumbbells (Stuffed snakegourd)

I am not sure how this dish got its name, because this is a part of the Konkani cuisine, so cant imagine how this word crept its way in, but if you look real hard, you can see it resembles the little dumbbells from the gym, perhaps !



Snakegourd dishes aren't exactly the most inviting ones, but in this avatar, it sure is...
Dumbbells are basically potato patties encased in a snakegourd shell...

Simple recipe, looks nice, tastes great, that's reason enough to make it !!



What you need -

1 long snakegourd/padavalangai/paddul
4-5 potatoes
2 green chillies
3-4 pods of garlic
1 tsp cumin seed powder
2 tsps chopped coriander leaves
1 cup bread crumbs
salt to taste
oil to shallow fry

What you do with it -

Cook the potatoes, peel and keep aside
Scrape off the skin of the snake gourd with the edge of a knife
Don't use a peeler here, it takes away too much
Chop the snakegourd into about 1.5" pieces
Bring water to a boil in a large pot with a little salt
Once the water comes to a boil, drop in the pieces of snakegourd. Take the pot off the heat and cover with a lid. Leave aside for 5-6 mins
This helps the snakegourd pieces get steam cooked, but they are still firm and will take lesser oil while shallow fry
Grind the garlic and chillies with salt. Add the cumin seed powder and chopped coriander leaves
Mash the potatoes and add the ground paste and mix well
Fill this into the snakegourd pieces
Cover both sides of the snakegourd pieces with bread crumbs
Heat oil in a shallow pan and shallow fry the pieces on both sides

Mango in Coconut milk / Ambe Rasayan

The good thing about being here in Ahmedabad is that we get mangoes for almost 4 months in a year...The last of the season is the 'kesar' which comes from Junagadh in Gujarat and is almost as good as the famous Alphonso mango...They are really sweet and its still available in the market !!

If mangoes are not in season, you can make this with bananas, honeydew melon, or a combination of grapes and bananas



This is a classic Konkani recipe that uses mangoes, coconut milk and jaggery. Can be eaten as a dessert or as the main meal with puris.
Ma has made this when we were in Bangalore and my son relished the combination of the mangoes and coconut milk...

What you need -

2 ripe mangoes
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp jaggery (add more if you want it sweeter)
1 cardamom powdered

What you do with it -

Cut the mangoes into bite size pieces
Add the jaggery to the coconut milk and mix till it dissolves well
Add the mango pieces and cardamom powder
Mix well and refrigerate
Serve with hot puris

Kairas - Capsicums in a sweet, spicy coconut masala

This is one more of my favourites from Ma's kitchen...

I love the flavours that come from this dish. Its sweetish, spicy and sour, all in one bite. Its a perfect side dish since it has the right amount of masala and goes well with rotis or dal-rice




What you need -

1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp methi / fenugreek seeds
1.5 tsp dhania / coriander seeds
1.5 tsp chana dal
4-5 red chillies
4-5 pepper corns
1 tbsp white til / sesame
1 tsp tamarind paste / small ball of tamarind
1/2 cup grated coconut
1-2 tsp jaggery
peanuts / cashewnuts
1-2 capsicums
2 potatoes
1 raw mango(optional)
salt to taste
2 - 3 tsp oil
Seasoning
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of hing / asafoetida
a few curry leaves
pinch of turmeric powder


What you do with it -

Cook the potatoes. Peel, cut into bite size pieces and keep aside
The peanuts / cashwenuts used here need to be cooked, so I generally cook it along with the potatoes
Wash and cut the capsicums into bite size pieces
Dry roast the white til, powder and keep aside
Clean the raw mango and cut into pieces, if using

In a little oil, roast the mustard, methi, dhania seeds, chana dal and red chillies
Add the coconut and roast for a minute or two
Take it off the heat and grind along with tamarind, adding a little water

In a another deep bottom pan, heat a tsp of oil and and prepare a seasoning with mustard seeds, hing, and curry leaves
Add the turmeric powder and then add the chopped capsicums. Fry for 2-3 mins
Add the ground coconut masala, peanuts / cashewnuts, potatoes, raw mango, til powder, salt and jaggery Add a little water, if required
Serve with hot rotis or dal and rice

Lasun Batata / Spicy Garlicky Baby Potatoes

One more of my Ma's special dishes..Knowing my love for potatoes, its a surprise I haven't made this in a really long time...

I had some friends over for lunch and decided to make this...It was a real hit, they even packed the remaining for their dinner !! If you like it with a little more gravy to have with rotis, you can add curd to the masala..My aunt makes it like that and its called 'jumping potatoes' !!



Peeling garlic isn't really one of my favourite things to do..I used to buy peeled garlic from the stores earlier, but ever since one of the vegetable vendors here told me that they rub kerosene on the garlic to make it easier to peel, I have stopped buying them...Do check with your stores before you pick up peeled garlic...
And let me also mention here that the 12 cloves of garlic I used in this dish are the regular Indian sized garlic cloves. I had to mention this since the garlic I've seen in the US is about 3-4 times the size of the ones here !!

You can make these as spicy as you like. I have used my stock of Byadgi chillies from Bangalore, which give a lovely red colour, but aren't that spicy..

What you need -

15-20 baby potatoes
10-12 cloves of peeled garlic
15-20 red chillies (use as per your preferred spice level)
small ball of tamarind / 2 tsp tamarind paste
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp oil

What you do with it -

Boil the baby potatoes in a pot of hot salted water
Peel and set aside
Grind the peeled garlic, tamarind and red chillies into a smooth paste, without adding water
Add salt and grind once more
Apply this paste on the potatoes and keep aside for 10-15 mins
Heat half the oil in a heavy bottom pan and then put the potatoes in it
Stir occasionally and fry on a low heat, adding the remaining oil, as required, for about 20 mins or till the ground paste has blended well with the potatoes and there is no raw smell
Serve hot with rotis or dal and rice

Jeer Meerya Kadi / Cumin-Pepper Coconut curry

Kadis and Tamblis are popular in Konkani cooking...Undoubtedly, coconuts are the base for this...Both use almost a similar set of ingredients, with some variations here and there...
The basic difference is that tamblis are served cold, they are not heated at all, just grind the ingredients and serve, Kadis on the other hand involve some roasting, grinding and boiling...



Jeera (cumin) and meerya (pepper) are considered very good at helping with gastric problems, Ma used to always make this when we had a stomach upset, or anyway make it about twice a month, to help with any gastric problems...She even uses the skin of a pomegranate in this, which added a bitterish but nice flavour...

This kadi/curry with rice is one of my total comfort foods...

What you need -

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp pepper corns
3/4 cup grated fresh coconut
6-8 cloves garlic
skin of 1/2 pomegranate (optional)
4-5 red chillies
small ball of tamarind / 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp ghee
salt to taste

What you do with it -

Dry out the skin of the pomegranate and then cut into pieces
Heat ghee in a small pan and add the cumin, pepper, 3-4 cloves of garlic and the pomegranate skin and roast for 2-3 mins
Grind together the coconut gratings, chillies, tamarind and salt
Add the roasted ingredients and grind to a smooth paste
Add 2-3 cups of water to this and bring to a boil
to season, heat some ghee/oil and fry the remaining garlic till it turns brown
add to the kadi and serve with hot rice and papads

Sweet Appe / Paniyaram

Ever since I've moved to Ahmedabad, and met new people here, most of them ask me where I am from and I start with saying that I am a Mangalorean, who's been living in Bangalore, and their instant reaction is 'oh, you are a South Indian'...ok, i am very much that, but then the next classification is that being South Indian means eating only idli, dosa, sambar and rice...
We do eat that, but that is not the only thing we eat...
Each state down South has so much variety to offer in terms of food, language, customs, but its all tagged as one happy idli-eating community !

Ok, I do know people down South who think that everyone this side of the Vindhyas are 'North Indians' and eat rotis, cholay and paneer !!
Its wierd that after having most cities being so cosmopolitan, some ideas just dont get out of our heads !



I had some friends and their kids coming over yesterday for lunch and decided on a South Indian menu that did not have idli, dosa or sambar...
We had spicy and sweet appes, raw mango chitranna, green and red chutneys, potato fry, chana dal vadas and curd rice (a little boy requested that)

I had a little dough of the sweet appe and made that for breakfast today !
These sweet appes are really spongy, soft and tasty and you can gobble a few down, before you even realise it...Its not too sweet, so it works well for me !

What you need -

3 cups raw rice
1 1/2 cup poha / beaten rice or 2 cups puffed rice
2 cups grated jaggery
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated coconut
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup buttermilk
a pinch of salt

What you do with it -

Soak the rice in the buttermilk for about 3-4 hours. You can add water to make enough liquid to cover the rice
Grind the soaked rice with the coconut till its a smooth paste
Wash the poha and drain the excess water
Add turmeric powder, jaggery, salt and beaten rice and grind well
Do not add too much water
Ferment it overnight
Heat the appe kadai / Aebelskiver pan and add a drop of oil into each cavity
Pour a spoonful of the batter till its 3/4th of the level in the cavity
Cover and flip over each one after 2-3 mins
Let it cook for another minute

If you dont have a appe kadai / Aebelskiver pan, you can add a little buttermilk / water while grinding the batter
Pour out like a small thick dosa, on a tava
Cover with a lid till done. You dont need to flip this over
This is called 'surnoly' in Konkani

Kela Sukke (Raw banana in a coconut masala)

I was never too fussy with my veggies even as a child. I liked most of what I ate and it was a rule at home, that we couldn't waste anything. We had to finish what we were served on our plates.
A friend once noticed that my brother and I had always managed to finish what we had on our plates (or leaves) when we once sat together at a traditional Kannada wedding lunch ('madhuve oota'). I am hoping its the good childhood habit that surfaced more than the greed !!



Raw bananas were not made that often at my mom's place, but TH's family seemed to use it and like it a lot. Pakodas, dry curries, kuzhambu, lots of different things are made from raw bananas at their place. I have started using it quite a bit too now and this is one of my favourites...
Sukke in konkani means 'dry', here its more like a thick gravy.
This goes best with some hot rice and dal

Recipe adapted from Rasachandrika, an excellent book on Saraswat cooking

What you need -

3 medium sized raw bananas
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4-6 red chillies
a handful of chana dal / bengal gram
1 small ball of tamarind
1.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated jaggery
1.5 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal / black gram dal
1/4 tsp fenugreek / methi seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
a few curry leaves

What you do with it -

Soak the chana dal in water for 4-5 hours
Scrape the skin off the bananas and cut it into broad and long pieces
Keep the pieces dipped in water to prevent them from darkening
Cook the soaked chana dal in a vessel with enough water to cover the dal
Once its cooked, add the banana pieces, salt and jaggery
Allow the banana pieces to cook well
Fry the coriander seeds, urad dal and methi seeds in a tsp of oil
Grind the grated coconut, turmeric powder, chillies and tamarind to a coarse paste
Add the fried ingredients and grind to a paste
Add the masala to the cooked bananas and bring to a boil on a low flame
Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves and pour over the banana curry

Goan Egg Curry

Most families from the Konkani speaking community have a 'family deity' temple in Goa. Goa, best known for its beaches, food and as a great holiday destination also houses a whole lot of temples and churches.
I remember my friends from school who would be so awed that Goa is my temple town !! Our 'kuladevi' (family deity) is Shantadurga and there is this really beautiful temple in Goa that we have often visited when we were kids.



Rice, coconut and fish is the staple food in most homes in Goa. The cooking styles of the Hindu and Catholic community in Goa varies slightly, in that, the Catholic style of cooking generally uses more vinegar. There is a lot of Potuguese influence in the this cuisine.
The Hindus do not eat fish/meat on Mondays ('Shivraak', the day they pray to Lord Shiva) and do not eat beef for religious reasons.
There are a lot of fresh spices used in this cuisine and along with the coconut, it adds a lot of flavour to any dish.

This recipe was written down in a big hurry, from a recipe book at my uncle's place. He is a great cook and the lunch that day was all Goan cuisine, made from this book. This egg curry was brilliant and I have made it many times after that.
Cant remember the name of the book or author - will definately update it once I check with them.

What you need -

6 eggs
1 cup grated coconut
4 red chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
5 cloves garlic
1/4" piece of ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 onion
1 tomato
2 tsp tamarind extract / extract from a few rinds of kokum soaked in water
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

What you do with it -

Hard boil the eggs and cut in half
Grind coconut, chillies, cumin, mustard, garlic and ginger to a paste
Mix in with tumeric and tamarind extract / kokum water
Slice the onion and chop the tomato
Fry onions in a kadai till it turns brown and add the ground masala, salt and chopped tomato
Fry for 2 more mins and add a cup of water and bring to a boil
Cook for 5 mins
Place the eggs over the masala
Cover the pan and cook for 4-5 mins
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Masala Keli (Spiced Bananas)

When I was out grocery shopping last week, I found this 'Kerala Store' that stocked a lot of white pumpkins(the veggie vendors here never have this), small red pumpkins and the famous 'nendra pazham'/kerala bananas. I had never seen these bananas or even the elaichi bananas that you get in Bangalore, in a real long time. I was so thrilled to see all this, that I bought a cute little red pumpkin and 4 of the nendra pazhams.

I made the mathanga erissery from Nags' blog with the red pumpkin and Ma made this masala keli with the nendra pazhams. The masala keli / spiced bananas is traditionally made with a chutney stuffed in the bananas, but this is Ma's easy version, and I totally love it




You could try making this with any variety of bananas I guess, but the nendra bananas have a very different flavour and it suits this the best

What you need -

4 nendra pazhams / ripe bananas
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
2 red chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
3 tbsp grated jaggery
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ghee

What you do with it -

Peel the bananas and make thick slices
In a bowl, add the bananas, coconut, jaggery, coriander leaves and salt
Toss and keep aside for about 10 mins
For the seasoning, heat the ghee add mustard seeds and the broken red chillies
Add the seasoning to the bananas

If you try this with any other variety of bananas, do let me know how it turns out

Will try the authentic version of stuffing the bananas with the chutney and post it soon

Paan pole (Neer Dosa)

One more Mangalorean special coming your way...Ever since I saw this RCI on Udupi and Mangalorean cuisine, (hosted by Sia this month, an event started by Lakshmi), I cannot stop myself from blogging about all the Mangalorean cooking, especially the regular home food that you may not get in a restaurant.
This particular one though, is quite popular in most Mangalorean cuisine restaurants, and served with Mangalorean style chicken curries

Like I've mentioned in my earlier posts, coconuts are used a whole lot in Mangalorean cooking, here the dosa and the accompaniment has coconut in it !



This neerdosa (neer = water in Kannada) / paanpole (In Konkani...paan means leaf and polo/pole means dosa), is really thin and soft, that why the name

I remember I once hosted this Dosa brunch at my place on a Sunday, where I made masala dosa with sambaar and chutney, pesarattu with tomato chutney and these paanpole with 'choon' (pronounce the 'ch' like the 'cz' as in 'czar', its more like a 'czoon')
My granduncle was also there and he said that it reminded him of the breakfast his mother made for him when he was a child. I was so touched, this was perhaps the best compliment I had recieved. This 'choon' is a no-cook accompaniment and goes great with paanpole(recipe below)

Paanpole can be served with any chutney, but this one is my favourite. A closer look at the choon...



Paan pole

What you need -

3 cups raw rice (use regular rice, its easier to grind than the boiled / idli rice)
2/3 cup grated coconut
salt
oil

What you do with it -

Soak the rice in water for 4-5 hours
Grind the rice with the grated coconut, adding water, to a very smooth and thin paste
Add salt and mix well
The batter should be really thin
On a hot tava, apply a little oil and take a ladle of batter and spread it, starting from the side and then towards the centre
Since its really thin, you will not be able to flatten and spread it like a regular dosa, you can instead lift the tava and swirl it around, so that the batter fills up the empty spaces (Reading this sounds more complicated that it actually is !!)
Cover the tava. This is meant to be a soft dosa, not crisp
This will not turn brown, so once it starts leaving the edges, flip it over and cook for a minute. Fold into a quarter and serve hot

Choon

What you need -

1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup grated jaggery
1/4 tsp powdered cardamom

What you do with it -

Mix all the ingredients
Serve as an accompaniment with the paanpole