tastyrecipesfrompooja

SUNGTA AAMBAT AANI BHAJILLI SUNGTA

Sungta aambat ani bhajilli sungta is what they call the prawns curry and fried prawns in the konkani language. This is a recipe from the Karwari NKGSB cuisine.

Karwar, a city in Karnataka, lies at the mouth of the river Kali. With the abundance of fish and coconuts in that area, the Karwari GSBs are thorough fish eaters and the gravies they cook are made using coconuts, corriander seeds and dry red chillies.
Here is a recipe of prawns curry relished by the Karwari NKGSB community with rice and fried fish.

A sour dried fruit called Sola….. i.e…..Vatambe is used in the gravy. This is mistaken for Kokum which too is called sola in some places. But as these sola… vatambe aren’t simply available elsewhere, I have substituted it with tamarind. Also the masala for fried prawns used to be ground on a ragda using whole spices to get a thick paste. This cannot be attained in a mixer grinder. Hence I have used spice powders for the same.

For some more fish curries, do take a look at the following recipes too….

Prep Time : 30 min

Cooking Time : 25 min

Serves : 4

INGREDIENTS :

(I) FOR THE GRAVY :

25 Medium size prawns

2 Small potatoes (cubed)

1 Cup Fresh grated coconut

2 Tsp Corriander seeds

4 Dry red Bedgi chillies (deseeded)

3 peppercorns

1 Tsp Tamarind

1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder

1 Tsp Red chilli powder

2 Small onions

2 Tbs Oil (for gravy)

Oil for roasting the spices

Salt to taste

(II) FOR THE FRIED PRAWNS :

10-12 Medium size prawns

2 Tsp Lemon juice

1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder

1 Tsp Red chilli powder

1 Tsp Corriander powder

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Raw rice ground coarsely like semolina OR semolina and rice flour mixture (coarse) for coating the prawns

METHOD :

1. To begin with making the gravy, first clean and devein the prawns. Wash thoroughly and drain.

2. Apply a little salt and turmeric powder and keep aside.

3. Chop the onions finely except 1/4th piece of one of the onions which has to be reserved for grinding.

4. In a pan, heat oil and add the chopped onions to it.

5. Saute till translucent. Add turmeric powder and mix.

6. Add the cubed potatoes and saute. Cook covered adding little water to cover the potatoes.

7. In the meantime roast corriander seeds and the red chillies in a small kadhai using a few drops of oil.

8. Grind together the coconut, red chillies, coriander seeds, tamarind, pepper corns, reserved onion using sufficient water to get a paste.

9. Check the potatoes. If half cooked, add prawns, red chilli powder, salt. Add water if needed and mix well. Cover and cook till done.

10. When the prawns and potatoes are fully cooked, add the ground paste and mix well. Add water if required to get a medium thick consistency. Check seasoning. Bring to a boil and then reduce the flame and simmer for a while for the coconut to be cooked. If gravy thickens at this stage add water to adjust consistency.

11. For the fried prawns the first thing to be done is applying the mentioned spice powders and other ingredients to the cleaned, deveined and washed prawns and keep aside to marinate for some time.

12. Grind raw rice to get a coarse powder. Or mix rice flour and semolina to get a coarse powder. Coat the marinated prawns with it and shallow fry on hot oil till crisp.

13. Relish the Sungta Aambat Ani Bhajilli Sungta with some steamed rice or with some soft fresh Bhaakari or Ghaavan and a cooling Kokum Kadhi by the side.

Picture of dried Vataambe pieces :

NOTE:

Traditionally even boiled drumsticks or a piece of raw mango are added to the gravy when in season! Both options taste delicious.

VEG HYDERABADI PAALAK SOYA BIRYANI

Biryanis are synonymous with Hyderabad!The Hyderabadi Dum Biryani is quite famous. So is the use of palak in their dishes. In Mumbai, if at all you order for a Hyderabadi biryani…whether veg or non veg… You will be served a green biryani. That set me thinking. Actually it’s my personal favourite too. So my added twist here is that I have added soya chunks to this recipe and amalgamated the quintessential Hyderabadi Veg Biryani with the Paalak biryani to make a Veg Hyderabadi Paalak Biryani.

If you like Biryanis and Paalak too, do go through my following recipes too :

1) Andaa Biryani

2) Paalak Daal

3) Paalak Raita

4) Mori Vade

INGREDIENTS :

2 cups Basmati rice

8 cups Water (for boiling rice)

2 tsp salt (to be added to rice)

1/4 cup Dry soya chunks

1/4 cup Chopped carrots

1/4 cup Chopped french beans

1/4 cup Green peas

1/4 cup chopped cauliflower

1/4 cup Chopped capsicum

3 Medium potatoes (chopped into small cubes or slices)

2 Small Tomatoes

2 Large onions (For the gravy)

3 Large onions (For frying)

1 tbs Ginger paste

1 Tbs Garlic paste

Oil for frying the onions and for the gravy.

FOR MAKING THE SPINACH PUREE:

1 Small bunch paalak(spinach)

1/2 cup Fresh Corriander

1/2 cup Fresh Mint leaves

2-3 Green chillies

5 Almonds

WHOLE SPICES FOR THE RICE:

1 inch piece Cinnamon

1 Cardamoms

2 Cloves

1/4 tsp cumin

WHOLE SPICES FOR THE BIRYANI :

2 inch piece Cinnamon

3 Cardamoms

1 Big Cardamom

3 Cloves

1 Bay leaf

1/2 tsp Shahi jeera

1/4 piece Mace( javitri)

DRY SPICE POWDERS FOR THE BIRYANI

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chilli powder1

1/2 tsp Corriander powder

2 tsp Garam Masala powder

Salt to taste

FOR LAYERING THE BIRYANI :

Fried onions

1//4 cup corriander leaves ( chopped)

1/4 cup mint leaves ( roughly torn)

1/2 cup milk

6-7 strands Saffron

Ghee

INSTRUCTIONS :

1. Begin with washing the rice well and soaking it in sufficient water for half an hour.

2. In a saucepan boil water, almost triple the quantity of rice or more with salt and the whole spices mentioned above.

3, When the water comes to a boil, add the soaked rice and cook till almost done. When almost a bite remains in the grains, drain the rice in a sieve. Keep aside.

4. Heat a bowl of milk and soak the saffron in it.

5. In the meantime you can start by slicing the onions and deep frying them in hot oil to get birista. Add a pinch of salt to get crispy fried onions. Then fry the potatoes.

6. In another vessel boil sufficient water to boil the vegetables except the capsicum.

7. Add the cauliflower first to the boiling water. After about 6 minutes add the rest of the vegetables. When almost done drain from the water and keep aside.

8. Heat sufficient water in a vessel and soak the soya chunks in it for 10-15 minutes. After that drain from water, wash thoroughly and squeeze tightly to discard any extra water.

9. For the biryani, in another vessel heat oil and add to it all the whole spices mentioned. Now add the chopped onions and saute on high flame. Add a bit of salt to it.

10. When onions turn translucent, add ginger garlic paste and mix well. After a while add turmeric and the chopped tomatoes.

11. Mix well and cover and cook for a while.

12. Add all the other dry spice powders and mix well. At this time, puree the palak with other mentioned ingredients.

13. Add the paalak puree and mix well. Keep stirring on high flame for a while. Now add the beaten curds to the gravy and stir continuously on high flame.

14. Add the soya chunks and mix well. Cover and cook. After a few minutes add the boiled vegetables, salt to taste. Mix well.

15. Adjust seasoning or masalas now. Add most of the fried onions reserving little for layering and garnishing.

16. When all water has evaporated and the gravy has thickened, close the flame.

17. Keep a thick griddle to heat on the stove top.

18. Start layering the biryan in a handi. Start with spreading half the gravy at the bottom. Cover with rice. Spread some ghee fried onions, corriander leaves and mint over it.

19. Repeat the same process with the remaining gravy and rice.

20. Cover the vessel with aluminium foil and shut the lid tightly over it. Keep vessel on the hot griddle for dum.

21. Keep flame high for first 3 minutes and then on low flame for about 6-7 minutes.

22. Keep covered for few more minutes. Open and mix a bit or serve in layers.

23. Serve hot with Burani raita or boondi raita and some sliced onions.

BEETROOT PARATHA (SAVOURY BEETROOT FLATBREAD)

BEETROOTS are one of the healthiest vegetables, but generally disliked by a number of people! They provide us with a lot of iron, but just a slice or two doesn’t help!

Apart from making a vegetable, beetroot parathas taste delicious and appeal to the young as well as old. Best as breakfast or as a change for lunch or dinner!!

For more delicious dishes do give a try to :

1) Sweet Potato Corn Chaat

2) Pesarattu Pizza And Wraps

3) Aaloo Parathas

4) Rataalyaache Parathe

5) Quick Aaloo Parathas

Here’s the recipe for the delicious Beetroot Parathas….

Perp : 30 mins

Cooking time : 1-2 mins/paratha

Serves : 4 (8 Parathas)

Cup Used :200 ml

INGREDIENTS FOR BEETROOT PARATHAS :

3 Small beetroots….boiled (Chakundar)

2 cups Whole wheat flour

1/4 cup Besan

1/4 cup Quick oats (powdered)

2 Tbs Oil for kneading

2 Tbs Fresh Homemade Curds/Store Bought Yoghurt

1/2 cup Chopped fresh coriander

2-3 Green chillies (as desired)

1 Tsp Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Homemade ghee for roasting

METHOD FOR MAKING THE BEETROOT PARATHAS :

1. To begin making the beetroot parathas, first grind together the boiled beets, green chillies, curd, cumin seeds to a fine paste.

2. In a mixing bowl, take the mentioned flours and add the above paste. Add the chopped coriander and salt to taste and knead into a semisoft dough using water as required. Add little oil and knead again. Set aside to rest.

3. Knead well after a few minutes and divide into 8 balls or as desired.

4. Roll into parathas and roast on a hot griddle using little homemade ghee.

5. Serve hot with some green corriander chutney and tomato ketchup by the side or a healthy Gaajar Flower Taaja Loncha if desired.

NOTE :

These Parathas are a very healthy option for tiffins too.

A suggested variation …… Add little finely chopped onions to the dough just before making the parathas, knead well and roll lightly. Tastes like beetroot thalipeeth. Relish with some homemade butter on top!

AMBAADAE UDID METHI (HOG PLUM CURRY)

Ambaadae udid methi is a vegetarian curry from the Karwari GSB cuisine. Karwar, a city in Karnataka lies at the mouth of the river Kali. Coconut, jaggery corriander seeds and red dry chillies form the base of most of the gravy dishes in the Karwari GSB cuisine.

One such gravy made commonly in all homes there is udid methi which can be made using raw mangoes too instead of Ambaadae. This sour fruit Ambaadae, is called as Hog plum in English, Pulicha kaal in Tamil and Ambade in Tulu and Konkani. It can be commonly found in South India as it needs humid and tropical climate to grow.

This recipe has been passed down to my mom by her mom. Forwarding it to you all just the way my grandma used to cook it, but with a tiny twist added to it. That is the addition of bitter gourd to this gravy, but in no way does it affect the original taste of this gravy.

INGREDIENTS :

5-6 Medium size Ambaadae

3/4 cup Fresh grated coconut (200ml cup used)

1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder

1 Tbs Corriander seeds

1 Tsp Udid daal (split black lentils)

1 Tsp Raw rice grains

1/4 Tsp Methi (fenugreek seeds)

5-6 Black peppercorns

4 Dry red chillies ( Bedgi)

2 Tbs Jaggery

1 Pinch Irani hing Crystal (Strong Pickle Hing) – optional

1 Small bitter gourd

2 Tsp Oil for tempering

Salt to taste, oil for roasting, mustard seeds and asafoetida for tempering.

METHOD:

To make Ambaadae Udid Methi, first scrape away the outer layer of the bitter gourd, clean it from inside and cut into thin rings.
Apply 1/4 tsp Salt to it and keep aside for about an hour to do away with it’s bitterness.
After an hour wash the chopped bitter gourd thoroughly and keep aside to drain.
Use little oil and roast the bitter gourd rings on slow flame till crisp.
Peel and clean the Ambaadae.
Heat little oil in a kadhai (a few drops each time) and lightly roast the corriander seeds, udid daal, methi seeds, rice grains, peppercorns, asafoetida crystal and dry red chillies (deseeded) separately on low flame.
As soon as each ingredient changes colour, remove from flame and keep aside to cool.
Grind all these ingredients with the grated coconut using water to form a smooth paste.
Add to this paste 1 cup water and mix well to form a semi thick gravy.
Now add to it the turmeric powder, ambade, jaggery, roasted bitter gourd rings, salt to taste and keep on high flame stirring occasionally till it reaches boiling point.
Once it starts boiling, lower the flame and simmer for about 8-10 minutes till ambade are cooked.
If you feel that the gravy has thickened too much by now, just add some water to bring back it’s medium consistency.
Check for salt and sweetness now itself and add more salt or jaggery if required.
In a kadhai, heat oil for tempering and add mustard seeds and asafoetida (avoid asafoetida if using hing crystal in roasting).
Pour this over the prepared udid methi.
Serve the delicious Ambaadae Udid Methi with hot steamed rice and some vegetable or fried fish by the side.

NOTE:

The earlier this dish is prepared before having it, the better as by then the sourness of the ambade will have seeped into the gravy giving it the required slightly sour flavour!

Enjoy the Udid methi with hot steamed rice and some Gaajar Flower Taaja Loncha by the side. Also serve some crispy Phodi as a side to the meal!

NKGSB STYLE SWEET AND SOUR RAW MANGO CHUTNEY

Raw mango sweet and sour chutney is a unique chutney from my grandmother’s recipes from Karwar. The NKGSB community of Karwar uses a lot of jaggery, coconut and red dry chillies in their cooking. This chutney scores high on the health quotient due to the combination of raw mango and jaggery.

I have used a strong and aromatic hing (asafoetida) called IRANI hing in the preparation of this chutney. If unavailable, substitute it with some other strong flavoured pickle hing. This chutney is unique in the sense that the ingredients used here are roasted which helps release their natural oils and thus give a sticky texture to the chutney and a longer shelf life! Again the Irani hing used here imparts a unique and absolutely delicious flavour to this chutney especially when the crystals are roasted in oil.

This chutney can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for a few days to be used as desired. Passed down to my mom by her mom and now presented by me to you all.

For some more chutneys do take a look at the following recipes too….

Here goes the recipe for this delicious Sweet And Sour Raw Mango Chutney……

Prep Time : 6 min

Cup Used : 200 ml

Serves : 1 1/4 cup Chutney

INGREDIENTS :

1/4 cup Raw Mango…… Peeled and Cubed (3 pieces of 1 inch size each)

4-5 Bedgi dry red chillies … Deseeded

1/4 tsp Irani Hing crystals / Strong Pickle Hing Crystals (Asafoetida)

1 cup Fresh grated coconut

6-7 tsp Jaggery …. To be adjusted
1/4 tsp salt

Oil for roasting the ingredients

METHOD :

In a small kadhai, heat a few drops of oil and roast the raw mango cubes in it for about 2 to 3 minutes.
As the raw mango changes colour slightly and softens a bit, transfer it to a dish and set aside to cool.
In the same kadhai, once again heat a few drops of oil and add the Bedgi red dry red chillies.
Roast lightly on low heat for about a minute and transfer to a dish to cool down.
Now again heat a few drops of oil in the kadhai and add the Irani hing pieces to it. They’ll immediately puff up releasing a unique aroma. Immediately remove from the flame and keep aside. If using regular asafoetida powder, I would suggest switching off the flame and quickly roasting the asafoetida powder in the hot oil, to avoid burning it.
Now in the same kadhai, dry roast the fresh coconut for about 2-3 minutes on low flame. You’ll see that it changes a bit of colour and texture. Switch off the flame and remove the coconut in a dish to cool down.
When all ingredients have cooled down, grind them all together (except the jaggery) in a mixer grinder without using a single drop of water.
When they have been almost ground, add the jaggery to it and grind again.
At no stage of grinding should water be used. It’s a wet sticky chutney with a unique sweet and slightly sour taste and the wonderful aromatic flavour of the special Irani hing.
Serve this delicious NKGSB Style Sweet And Sour Raw Mango Chutney as an accompaniment to a meal of Daali Toay and hot steamed rice.

Note:

If using red chilli powder instead of dry red chillies in the preparation of this chutney, then add it directly to the other ingredients while grinding and adjust the quantity as per preference.

Some raw mango varieties are too sour while some like the Totapuri variety are less sour. The quantity of jaggery added depends on the sourness of the raw mango used.

This is an absolutely flavoursome chutney which can be substituted for vegetables to be had with chapatis or phulkas or can be relished for lunch and dinner with some Varan or Daali Toay and hot steamed rice and some crispy Phodi as an accompaniment.