210) YAM BONDA

YAM BONDA

A TASTY DEEP FRIED SNACK

Ingredients for the stuffing:

     1)    Yam – 1 kg.

     2)    Hot green chilies – 3 Nos.

     3)    Tender ginger – ½ inch piece

     4)    Tender curry leaves – 3 sprigs

     5)    Onion – 150 gm.

     6)    Urad dal (split black gram lentils) – 1 teaspoon

     7)    Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

     8)    Coconut oil – 1½ tablespoons

     9)    Salt – 1½ teaspoons

Ingredients for the tempura/jacket:

     1)    Chickpea flour – 500 gm.

     2)    Hot red chili powder – 1 teaspoon

     3)    Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon

     4)    Asafoetida powder – ¼ teaspoon

     5)    Salt – 1 teaspoon

     6)    Coconut oil or other cooking oil – to deep fry

To prepare the stuffing:

          Peel the yam and cut into big chunks. Soak in a solution of 2 litres of water with 20 ml. of vinegar for 10 minutes. This will help get rid of all the dirt and most of the slime. Wash in 2 or 3 changes of clear water. Drain and transfer to a pressure cooker. Pour in enough water to immerse the chunks. Tip in a teaspoon of salt. Close the lid and set on high heat.

          As soon as you hear the first whistle, turn down the heat and cook for 4 minutes. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally. Meanwhile, discard the stems of the hot green chilies and chop to super fine pieces. Peel the ginger and the onion and chop likewise. Pluck the curry leaves from their sprigs and set aside.

          By this time, the cooker should be cool enough to open. Drain off the stock (water) and mash the yam chunks thoroughly. Set a thick wok on high heat. Pour in the coconut oil and throw in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds are about to finish spluttering, throw in the urad dal. Stir till the urad dal turns light brown.

          Now tip in the chopped green chilies, the ginger, the onion, the curry leaves and the remaining half teaspoon of salt. Lower the heat and stir nicely for 3 minutes. Put in the mashed yam and mix thoroughly. Taste and add more salt if required. Stir and switch off the heat. Let the mixture cool down a bit. As soon as it is cool enough to touch, make lemon sized balls and set aside.

To make the batter:

          Put the chickpea flour, the red chili powder, the turmeric powder, the salt (1 teaspoon) and the asafoetida powder into a food processor. Add a little water and blend to a thick batter of a consistency slightly thicker than pancake batter. Transfer it to a bowl.

To Fry:

          Set a wok with oil to deep fry on high heat. As soon as the oil is hot and about to smoke (you should not allow it to smoke since such overheated oil is not good for health), dip each yam ball in the batter and roll it around to coat it fully. Release gently into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the wok but leave a little space to turn the balls in order to fry them evenly on all sides.

          Turn and fry till their jackets are crispy and golden orange in colour. Lift out and drain off the excess oil. Serve warm with coffee or with tea.

Enjoy!!!

Note:

To make potato bonda, go to my bonda recipe.

209) ADA PAYASAM

ADA PAYASAM

A KERALA RICE DESSERT

Ingredients:

     1)    Commercially available unroasted rice ada – 200 gm.

     2)    Jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) – 250 gm.

     3)    Sugar – 3 tablespoons

     4)    Big coconut – 2 Nos.

     5)    Cardamom pods – 6 Nos.

     6)    Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece

     7)    Cloves – 4 Nos.

     8)    Cashew nuts – 25 gm.

     9)    Sultanas (dried sweet seedless grapes) – 25 gm.

     10)     Ghee (Clarified butter) – 2 tablespoons

To Cook:

          Grate the coconuts and collect the three coconut milks as detailed in my delicious valval recipe. Set a small vessel on low heat. Pour in 50 ml. of water. Put in the jaggery and the sugar. Stir till they melt fully. Sieve and set aside. Shell the cardamom seeds and crush to powder. Pluck off and discard the dry stems of the sultanas.

          Set a thick, wide, flat vessel (around 12 inches wide and 4 inches deep) on high heat. Pour in the ghee and tip in the rice ada together with the cashew nuts. As soon as the ada gets hot, turn down the heat. Stir on low heat till the ada turns a light rose in colour. Now tip in the sultanas and stir for a minute. Pour in the second and the third (thinner) coconut milk. Turn up the heat. Stir continuously and let boil till it cooks and thickens nicely.

          Now add the jaggery-sugar syrup. Do not let up on the stirring. Add the cinnamon stick and the cloves. Once the syrup is added, the payasam will become a little thinner. Stir for a few more minutes till it thickens again. Now add the first (thick) coconut milk and stir.

          Just as it starts to boil, add the crushed cardamom seeds and turn off the heat. Cover with a lid and let rest for at least 30 minutes. If you like to have your payasam thin, you can serve it straight away. If you like it thicker and tastier, let rest for 3 to 5 hours before serving.

          Serve warm, tepid or chilled. If serving chilled, garnish with candied cherries or fresh strawberry pieces. You will love ada payasam, a favorite of Keralites.

Note:

          Rice ada is a pasta-like preparation which is made traditionally with white or red raw rice. The rice is ground to fine thick paste, spread thinly on banana leaves pre-greased with ghee, folded and steamed. The steam cooked ada is peeled off the leaves, sliced into fine bits and stir fried in ghee in an ‘uruli’ – a thick wide bronze vessel – over a wood fire. The fried rice ada is then used to make the payasam. Although this traditional method is quite elaborate, painfully time consuming and tough for the modern person, the payasam made thus is truly divine.

208) SOYI BHAJJILÉ GHASHI

SOYI BHAJJILÉ GHASHI

ROASTED COCONUT CURRY

A DELICIOUS TRADITIONAL KONKANI CURRY

Ingredients:

     1)    Roasted coconut curry masala (see my recipe) – half the quantity given in the recipe

     2)    Brown or white chickpeas or dry green peas – 200 gm.

     3)    Drumstick (moringa) – 2 Nos.

     4)    Either elephant foot yam or potato – 200 gm.

     5)    Kudampuli (dried fruit of a Garcinia tree which grows in Kerala) – 20 gm. OR tamarind – 20 gm.

Dried kudampuli fruit

     6)    Salt – 1¼ teaspoon

To Cook:

          Soak the chickpeas or the green peas in water overnight. Peel the elephant foot yam (or the potatoes) and cut into big chunks. Cut off the tips of the drumsticks, scrape off a very thin peel with a sharp knife and cut into 3 inch long pieces.

          Wash and drain the soaked chickpeas or green peas and transfer to a 2 litre pressure cooker. Chuck in the elephant foot yam/potato chunks. Pour in enough water to immerse the vegetables. Close the lid and set on high heat. As soon as you hear the first whistle, turn down the heat to minimum and cook for 4 minutes. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally.

          If you are using tamarind in place of kudampuli, soak it in 50 ml. of water for 10 minutes. Squeeze it with your fingers. Sieve and set aside the juice. When the steam has subsided, open the lid and tip in either the kudampuli or the tamarind juice. Chuck in the drumstick pieces, the salt and the roasted coconut curry masala. Turn on the heat and stir well. This curry generally has a thick consistency.

          If it is too thick, pour in some water and bring it to the desired level. On the other hand, if the curry is too watery, do not panic but lower the heat and just scoop up a couple of ladlefuls of the peas and the chunks together with some gravy and grind to paste in your food processor. Tip it back into the curry, stir and cover with a lid.

          Take care not to let the thick curry burn at the base. Stir frequently and check to see if the drumstick is cooked. Insert the tip of a knife into the drumstick. If it goes in smoothly, the drumstick is cooked. Taste and add more salt if required. Stir and switch off the heat. Let the curry rest for 30 minutes.

          Serve hot as a side dish with rice and dali toye or with idlis, roasted idlis, machkats, appos, chappatis, porottas or freshly baked bread.

Enjoy!!!

Notes:

     1)    Soyi bhajjilé ghashi is an important side dish served in Konkani festival feasts and marriage feasts.

     2)    Soyi bhajjilé ghashi can be reheated and enjoyed over a period of 2 days.

207) HAVISHYANNE

HAVISHYANNE

A QUICK-MAKE LENTIL-RICE

Havishyanne with tomato pickle

Introduction:

          In Sanskrit, ‘havis’ stands for sacrificial fire and ‘anna’ stands for food. Havishyanne is the pure, mild, simple, easy-to-digest food given to the digestive fire in the stomach by yogis and devotees when they do their ‘sadhana’ or penance to seek god or truth. Yogis take havishyanne with either a glass of milk or with some fruit and lime juice. In the month of ’karthika’, ‘gopis’, lovers of Krishna in Vrindavan do their sadhana taking havishyanne.

          Even though prepared in different ways at different places, havishyanne essentially comprises of rice and a small amount of lentils. Havishyanne can be cooked in 15 to 20 minutes and can be eaten with a little pickle, chutney or papad. This delicious simple fare is also good for convalescents, children and people with a weak digestion.

          Havishyanne, like cherupayar kanji keeps your stomach light and gives you instant energy and a tranquil mind. Havishyanne is a blessing for office goers with time constraints who desire to have a hot breakfast or a simple quick meal at home.

Ingredients:

     1)    B.T. rice (Bombay Terminus rice or fine raw rice) – 300 gm.

     2)    Moog dal (split green gram lentils) – 50 gm.

     3)    Mustard sees – ½ teaspoon

     4)    Coconut oil or other cooking oil – 2 teaspoons

     5)    Dry hot red chilies – 2½ Nos.

     6)    Salt – 1¼ teaspoon

     7)    Water – 1 litre.

To Cook:

          Wash and drain the rice and the lentils. Break the red chilies into 2 or 3 pieces. Set a 5 litre pressure cooker on high heat. Pour in the cooking oil. Tip in the mustard seeds. As soon as they are about to finish popping, tip in the chilies. Stir once and pour in the water. Tip in the salt, the rice and the lentils.

          Close the lid (with the weight on). When you hear the first whistle, turn down the heat and cook for 4 minutes. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally. When the steam has subsided enough to open the lid, your havishyanne is ready to serve. Serve either by itself or with any pickle, chutney, chips or papad. Steamed or baked ripe Nendran banana is a good accompaniment.

Enjoy!!!

206) TOMATO PICKLE

TOMATO PICKLE

HOT N’ SPICY YUMMY TOMATO PICKLE

Ingredients:

     1)    Tomatoes – 1 kg.

     2)    Hot green chilies – 4 Nos.

     3)    Garlic – 2 big pods

     4)    Tender ginger – 1 inch pieces

     5)    Tender curry leaves – 4 sprigs

     6)    Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

     7)    Fenugreek seeds – ½ teaspoon

     8)    Gingelly oil (sesame oil) – 50 ml.

     9)    Hot red chili powder – 1 tablespoon

     10)     Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

     11)     Pickle powder – 100 gm.

     12)     Sugar – 100 gm.

     13)     Salt – 75 gm.

     14)     Vinegar – 100 ml.

To Prepare:

          Peel the garlic cloves after separating from their pods and set aside. Peel the ginger and chop to superfine pieces. Discard the stems of the green chilies and cut to very thin rings. Pluck the curry leaves from their sprigs and set aside. Chop the tomatoes to fine pieces (variation in size does not matter so long as the pieces are not too big).

To Cook:

          Set a large thick stainless steel or non-stick wok on high heat. Pour in the oil. Throw in the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds are about to finish crackling, tip in the fenugreek seeds. Stir once and put in the chopped ginger, the garlic cloves and the curry leaves. Stir for 3 minutes and tip in the chopped tomatoes. Stir nicely and let boil for 5 minutes.

          Now add the salt, the chili powder, the turmeric powder and the pickle powder. Boil for another 5 minutes on medium heat taking care not to let the tomatoes stick to the base. Now tip in the sugar and stir for 3 minutes. Pour in half (50 ml.) the vinegar. Stir well and switch off the heat.

          Keep the wok open and let the pickle cool naturally to room temperature. Transfer to a clean, dry, airtight glass jar. Top up with the remaining vinegar and close the lid tight. Store in a dark place for at least 2 days. The more you rest the pickle, the tastier it becomes. Serve with almost any kind of food.

Do try for sure!!!

Tomato pickle with havishyanne

Notes:

     1)    If you like a milder pickle, use Kashmiri chili powder in place of hot red chili powder with only 75 gm. of pickle powder but store in the refrigerator as the shelf life may be compromised.

     2)    Once the pickle jar is opened for use, store in the fridge to keep for longer periods.

205) MOOLA AMBAT

MOOLA AMBAT

A YUMMY KONKANI RADISH CURRY

Ingredients:

     1)    White radish without leaves – 300 gm.

     2)    Potato – 100 gm.

     3)    Onion – 100 gm.

     4)    Dry hot red chilies – 6 Nos.

     5)    Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

     6)    Tor dal (split pigeon pea lentils) – 100 gm.

     7)    Small coconut – ½

     8)    Coconut oil or other cooking oil – 1 tablespoon

     9)    Powdered salt – 1¼ teaspoon

     10)     Drumstick (moringa / muringa) – 1 no. (optional for extra taste and flavor)

To Cook:

          Wash and drain the tor dal. Transfer to a 2 litre pressure cooker. Peel the radish and the potato. Cut to large chunks (the size can vary) and drop them into the pressure cooker. Tip in the turmeric powder. Pour in enough water to immerse the vegetables. Put on the lid and set on high heat. As soon as you hear the first whistle, turn down the heat and cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool naturally.

Meanwhile, grate the coconut. Set a small pan on low heat. Put in the dry red chilies and dribble in a few drops of oil. Stir and roast the chilies for just a minute. Switch off the heat. Put the grated coconut and the roasted chilies into a food processor. Pour in a cup of water and grind to superfine paste (the smoother the paste, the tastier the curry).

          Now cut off the tips of the drumstick (if you are using it) and scrape off a thin layer of skin (it will suffice to just rub it with the sharp edge of the knife). Cut into 3 inch long pieces (the drumstick should never be put in a pressure cooker as the flesh separates from the fibre and the curry loses its taste and texture). Set on high heat.

          If there is too little water, add some more to immerse the vegetables. Tip in the salt and stir. Once the curry comes to a boil, lower the heat and use a plate or a flat lid to partially cover the vessel. Remember to stir occasionally for you do not want the lentils to stick to the base and burn. Cook until the drumstick is soft (pierce with the tip of a knife to check).

          Now put in the ground paste and stir. If the curry is too thick, add a little water to get it to pourable consistency (not too watery). Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. On boiling, switch off the heat and cover with a lid.

          Set a small pan on low heat. Pour in the cooking oil and tip in the chopped onion. Stir fry till golden brown. Switch off the heat and pour the caramelized onion together with the oil into the curry. Stir and let rest for 30 minutes. Your delicious moola ambat is ready to serve. Pour over a plate of hot, soft rice and enjoy!!!

Tips:

     1)    If you have a sweet tooth, take moola ambat in a bowl, add some sugar, stir and sup up like soup.

     2)    Mangalorean Konkani people love to eat sweet moola ambat. If you wish to try this delicious fare, melt 100 gm. of jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) in a pan with 50 ml. of water on low heat. Sieve and set aside. As soon as the drumstick is cooked, pour in the melted jaggery.

     3)    For those new to eating drumsticks – to enjoy the drumstick, hold one end between your fingers, insert the other into your mouth, clench lightly with your teeth at the middle of the piece and pull out, leaving the delicious flesh in your mouth. Now turn around the piece, hold the other end and repeat. Enjoy!!!

204) BILIMBI PARIPPU CURRY

BILIMBI PARIPPU CURRY

A DELICIOUS CUCUMBER TREE FRUIT

LENTIL CURRY

Ingredients:

     1)    Mature cucumber fruit (Bilimbi in Malayalam, Bimbul in Konkani) – 4 Nos.

     2)    Small coconut – ½

     3)    Tor dal (split pigeon pea lentils) – 100 gm.

     4)    Hot green chilies – 2 Nos.

     5)    Dry hot red chilies – 2 Nos.

     6)    Hot red chili powder- ¾ teaspoon

     7)    Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

     8)    Salt – 1¼ teaspoon

     9)    Mustard seeds – ¼ teaspoon

     10)     Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoons

     11)     Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

     12)     Coconut oil – 2 teaspoons

To Cook:

          Cut off the stem tips of the cucumber tree fruits and chop the fruit to fine pieces. Wash the dal, drain and put into a pressure cooker. Add the chopped cucumber tree fruit. Slit the green chilies lengthwise on one side and tip them in. shake the cooker to settle the ingredients and pour in double their volume of water. Put on the lid and set on high heat.

          As soon as you hear the first whistle, lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally. Meanwhile, grate the coconut. Transfer to a food processor and pour in a cup of water. Grind to superfine paste. Either break the red chilies roughly into 2 or 3 pieces or use a pair of scissors to cut them to thin long strips. Pluck the curry leaves from their sprigs and set aside.

          By now, the cooker should be cool enough to open. Transfer the contents to a curry vessel. Set the vessel on high heat. Tip in the salt and stir well. As soon as it starts to boil, tip in the coconut paste. If the curry is too thick, loosen it up to the consistency of pouring gravy by adding a little water. Sprinkle the chili powder and the turmeric powder. Stir well and taste. Add more salt if required.

          As it comes to a boil again, switch off the heat and cover with a lid. Set a small pan on low heat. Pour in the coconut oil and throw in the mustard seeds. Stir once and tip in the curry leaves and the red chili pieces. Stir again and switch off the heat. Tip over the contents of the pan into the curry.

          Stir nicely and serve hot with soft cooked Ponni, Kuruva, or Matta rice.

Bon appétit!!!

203) BONDIYÉ BHOJJO

BONDIYÉ BHOJJO

BANANA FLOWER POD

HOT N’ SAVORY DEEP-FRIED PATTIES

Ingredients:

     1)    Banana flower pod (bondi in Konkani, koombe in Malayalam), without the hard core – 300 gm.

     2)    Raw rice – 200 gm.

     3)    Tor dal (split pigeon pea lentils) – 200 gm.

     4)    Hot red chili powder – 1 tablespoon

     5)    Asafoetida powder – ¼ teaspoon

     6)    Powdered salt – 1½ teaspoons

     7)    Freshly grated coconut – ½ cup

     8)    Coconut oil or any other cooking oil – to deep fry

To Make:

          Soak the rice and the tor dal in water for an hour. Bite on a small piece of the flower pod to confirm that it is a sweet edible type. Some varieties are quite bitter. For more details, see my bondiyé upkari recipe.

          Chop the banana flower cone to super fine bits, taking care not to use any of the hard core (spear-like extension of the stem which ends at the center of the flower pod). Wear gloves if you will for the juice of the flower pod can stain your fingers dark for a day. Wash and drain the rice and the dal.

          Put them in a food processor and grind to a somewhat grainy to smooth paste (the traditional bondiyé bhojjo is quite grainy. However, my husband and kids love to eat softer bhojjos and so I usually grind it to smooth paste). Transfer the paste to a mixing bowl and add the chili powder, the asafoetida powder, the salt and the chopped pieces. Mix nicely with your hand. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.

          Set a wok on high heat. Pour in the cooking oil. As soon as the oil is hot and about to smoke, make small lime sized balls of the mixture, flatten them between your palms to patties and release gently into the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the wok. Stir frequently to fry all the sides equally. Do not allow the oil to get too hot or to smoke. Adjust the heat and fry the patties till the outside feels crispy when you stir with the ladle. Lift out and drain off the excess oil. Continue till all the bondiyé bhojjos are fried beautifully.

          Serve warm with porridge, rice gruel, rice, cherupayar kanji or just as a crispy snack.

Enjoy!!!

202) PICHPICHI UPMA

PICHPICHI UPMA

AN EASY-TO-MAKE YUMMY-TO-EAT

KONKANI DISH

Ingredients (for one large helping or two small helpings):

     1)    Roasted Bombay rava (fine wheat semolina) – 100 gm.

     2)    Salt – ½ teaspoon

     3)    Sugar – 1½ teaspoons

     4)    Coconut oil – 2 teaspoons

     5)    Ghee (clarified butter) – 2 teaspoons

     6)    Cashew nuts – 10 numbers

     7)    Mustard seeds – ¼ teaspoon

     8)    Tender curry leaves – 1 sprig

     9)    Tender ginger – 5 gm.

     10)     Hot green chilies – 2 Nos.

     11)     Dry hot red chilies – 2 Nos.

     12)     Coriander leaves – of one small plant

To Prepare:

          Pluck off the stems of the green chilies. Slit the chilies lengthwise on one side. Break each red chili into 2 or 3 pieces. Peel the ginger and chop to fine pieces. Pluck the curry leaves from their sprig. Wash the coriander leaves and chop to fine bits.

To Cook:

          Set a vessel with 300 ml. of water on a stove. Set a thick cast iron wok on the other stove (both on high heat). Pour the oil and the ghee into the wok. Throw in the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds are about to finish spluttering, tip in the cashew nuts.

          Stir till the cashew nuts turn a light brown. Now tip in the curry leaves, the ginger and both the types of chilies. Stir once or twice and pour in all the boiling water from the vessel on the other stove. Put in the salt and the sugar. Stir nicely and taste. Add a bit more salt if you wish. Keep the rava ready in a small bowl or cup.

          Stir the liquid continuously in a clockwise motion with your right hand. Take up the bowl of rava in your left and pour it in slowly while you keep stirring with your right. When all the rava is in the wok, turn down the heat and cover with a lid. Open the lid after a minute, stir nicely and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Switch off the heat and cover with a lid. Let the upma rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot at teatimes. You can pack hot upma in banana leaves (for extra flavor) and carry on picnics or to work.

Enjoy!!!

Note:

          The success of the upma depends to a large extent on the stirring while you put in the rava. If the stirring is not proper, the rava will form balls with uncooked semolina in the center. When properly stirred, you get a silky-smooth upma.