Chakuli

Sakhre khichdi

2006-08-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, this story has nothing to do with Konkanis , unless Alexander (the Great) came to Mangalore to pick .....Sugarcane! Who knows, stranger things have happened..
Alexander the Great is said to have taken sugarcane from India to the West around 325 B.C.If you don't believe me , see Vajpayee's inaugural speech at the Sugarcane conference.Typically something like this would make u wonder, what macedonians used for sweetening prior to that or how many sugar economies still exist around the world but I couldn't get past the mental image of the Great Alexander holding a sugarcane instead of a sword:-)
Oh, well...

if life gives u sugarcanes make sugar
if life gives u sugar make Sugar khichadi
and of course the precursor to this all... ( if life gives u a sword exchange it for sugarcane!!!!!!)

1 1/2 cups Lapsi ( wheat crushed)
1 fist chana daal
7-8 tbsp Sugar
1 small fist grated coconut
cut cashews, raisins
crushed cardamom powder
ghee

boil Lapsi and chana daal separately

boil sugar in water
Add coconut grated to sugar syrup
stir for some time

Add cashews, raisins to sweet sugar/coconut combination

Add boiled dalia and chana daal to above mixture, add 2 spoons ghee

Add crushed cardamom

Watermelon dosa,Soornali, Tausali & chutney

2006-07-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

If you think making dosas from watermelons is wierd, then I presume you won't be buying these square watermelons anytime soon.My jaw dropped when I saw these! Now why didn't I think of this?Everytime there is a space crunch in the refrigerator, because of their unwieldy shapes I end up chopping and rechopping them until I have filled the fridge from top to bottom with 50 different containers and a million watermelon pieces.Wouldn't a square tiny one be just nifty?
All said and done,there is something to be said for NOT thinking "out of the box" but instead just staying right there-IN the box!

Watermelon dosa
2 cups rice -soak for 3 hours
coconut grated
White part of water melon ( yup- the one between the juicy red part and the skin) chopped

grind together- don't add too much water
Add salt.

Soornali
2 cups rice -soak for 3 hours
coconut grated
10-12 methi seeds soak in water
grind together - don't add too much water , add salt.
Now add grated jaggery

Tausali
2 cups rice -soak for 3 hours
coconut grated
10-12 methi seeds soak in water
grind together - don't add too much water , add salt.
Now add grated cucumber and grated jaggery

Chutney
coconut grated
3 green chillis
ginger small piece
2-3 pudina leaves
hing water
grind together.season with mustard and curry leaves

Dudhi Paan Phodi

2006-07-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Never ceases to amaze me that the rest of the world is so much more attuned to the laws of nature and generally does not challenge positions atleast in the food pyramid.They see leafy vegetables, they quietly add oil and vinegar, if they want to be fancy; garnish it with nuts and that's that.Matter of minutes..

Konkani approach to leafy vegetables?
1.Apply for 2 week leave from work.. ( Atleast I would have to, I wouldn't want to attempt this unless I am mentally and physically well rested!)
2.First week, scout obscure farmer's market to procure doodhi Paan.
Remember Spinach leaves and other easily available greens are for the Toms & Dicks not for the Pundaliks and the Keshavs!
3.Don't idle away this time.Its time to work the body that has been beefing up on the bendis and wolfing down those waags ( am quite pleased with these animal witticisms, if I may say so myself:-)).Pay special attention to leg muscles and don't forget the upper body workouts.
4.Week 2 -5th day...today is the big day.All that you have been working towards for the past days is about to pay off

Soak rice in water for 1-1/2 hrs
drain water completely

3-4 red chilis
soi 2-3 spoons
1 spoon urad daal fried reddish

Grind above ingredients together and add salt

Dudhi Paan Washed and dried
Add above masala one by one to stack of 5-6 dudhi paan (This is where you thank me for the upper body work out)

Be kind to your tongue..Remember to add masala to coarse side

Roll the stack so the masala doesn't leak and chop it up into manageable bites.

Now , fry these in oil.
Remember -smaller the pieces the more for you to fry!

5.Next 2 days to recover and clean up the mess.

Kulit( Horsegram) Koddel and Saar

2006-05-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Kulit Koddel
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
kulit washed 2-3 times
( Don't soak overnight, it spoils the taste!)
Boil kulit for about 20-25 mins.

Masala
coconut grated
4 fried red chillies
tamarind water

Add salt to boiled kulit and add masala after some time

Tadka
3 garlic cloves smashed , in oil

But wait there is more

Kulit Saar
--------------------------------------------------------
Prior to adding masala, separate out some water from the boiled kulit

Tadka
2-3 garlic cloves
2 red chillis

dalitoi and tandle bibo upkari

2006-05-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

Dalitoi
--------------------------------------
tur dal
2-3 green chillies slit length wise

Boil tur daal with green chillis
After its done, churn it
Add cilantro, boil some more

Tadka
hing
mustard leaves
curry leaves
2 red chillis

Tandle-Bibo Upkari
-----------------------------------------
tandle thinly sliced
1/2 packet bibo
coconut grated

Bibo soak in warm water for about 2 hrs.Peel it.Wash after peeling a few times.

In oil , add mustard seeds, 2-3 red chillis, add bibo, add water.After 5-10 mins add tandle.
Add salt to taste.

Add grated coconut at the end.

Mullangi sukke, kela upkari

2006-05-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

How full is full?

The Okinawans, age slowly- a lot of them live upto 100,have lesser incidence of dementia, have stronger bones and natural menopauses.They have managed all this through a diet rich in antioxidants,plant food, omega3 fish etc.They have even managed to find a carbohydrate more complex than rice- a purple sweet potato called imo.They also have this philosophy that eating upto 80% full is enough.

Hey, if I were eating soy every day I would stop at 20%!Konkanis on the other hand, have taken a nutritionally rich vegetable like the white radish and cooked its juices dry(that's what sukke is!).Any chance of living past 70 is taken care of by the coconut. Coconut= Konkanis what Cheese=Americans.
Anyway, don't be afraid to eat up. Our boys in the military bases are taking care of the competition one artery at a time. Yet another way the golden arches have come to our rescue. What would we do without them?

Mullangi Sukke
---------------------

1 mulangi(raddish) peeled and cubed
1-2 potatoes peeled and cubed
finely chopped onion
1 tbsp boiled daal

Masala
Grind together
3-4 fried red chillis
grated coconut
tamarind pint sized
1 tsp urad daal fried in oil

In oil add mustard seeds,onion and fry for sometime
add mulangi, potatoes cover and cook for some time.
Add boiled daal, now add masala and haldi powder
cook some more.

Kelan upkari
-------------------
1-2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2-3 red chillies chopped
1 green banana peeled and finely chopped

In oil add garlic and red chillies, after sometime add banana
add water, cover and cook for some time
Cooks in a jiffy.

Whew vs phew

2006-05-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

Writing the last post got me thinking, when would you use whew and when would use phew?
Yeah, my world is plagued by unanswered questions like these.Anyway, here is the answer
Phew- used to express relief or fatigue
Whew- a whistling sound or a sound like a half-formed whistle uttered as an exclamation
-used interjectionally chiefly to express amazement, discomfort, or relief

So u see, whew! can be a Phew! but Phew! cannot be a whew!.
as in
Whew! I am amazed at my findings,
Phew! I am glad this post is over.

Veg Pulao and Batata Song

2006-05-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Substance abuse is not good, sometimes for the substance!!

Case in point, the story of the potato.Apparently, the Spanish bought the potato into Europe from Peru.The Irish loved it so much that they ate it right into near extinction, causing the great Potato famine of 1845.Thankfully the Portuguese navigators had the sense to bring the "batata" as it was called in Brazil into India.Whew! what a relief..Doesn't this call for a song?
Incidentally 'batata' is Haitian word for potato too. Now how on earth did the delhiites manage to call it alu?Imagine preserving your name during your travails across the world and the minute you get home, your next door neighbor rechristens you!

Batata Song
---------------------------
4 Potatoes boiled and peeled
2 tomatoes
few cauliflower florets
1 onion chopped

Masala- grind together
4-5 fried red chillies
coconut grated small fist
tamarind ball sized
1 sp coriander seeds

In oil add onions, fry,
add potatoes boiled, some cauliflower, tomatoes, peas
add masala and boil

Vegetable Pulao
-------------------
Beans julienned
carrots julienned
cauliflower finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped

kaju, kismis
clove,
cinammon,
3-4 black pepper
2 cardamom

In ghee fry all the garam masala and the onion,
add beans, carrots,cauliflower, green peas

Mix with cooked rice

Garnish with small bread cubes fried in ghee

Much ado about bagado

2006-05-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principal one was, that they escaped teething.
-Mark Twain

Now you can too!!The following dishes are easily digestible with or without teeth.So the next time, at your grandpa's rummy night you can prepare these dishes.Never mind, if you look at the steps involved in making the bagado u might age overnight yourself.

Tomato Saar
---------------------------
3-4 tomatoes
3 green chilies
hing powder
sambar powder

Boil tomatoes, add green chilies, hing powder, add sambar powder

Tadka
curry leaves
mustard leaves

Bagada Ambat
------------------------
For those of you who do not know what bagado is, it is a red black eyed pea ( as opposed to white black eyed pea).I 'll post a picture when I have more time but till then take my word for it.
If you don't know what a black eyed pea is, quit right now.You have more important things to take care of...If on the other had if you know your peas, go right ahead and soak the bagado overnight.
No, just soaking wont do.It is an involved process

1) wake up in the morning preferably earlier than usual ( you had set your alarm and blackberry for this occasion months ago when you set out to buy the peas right??)
2) soak the bagado in water
3)At night, transfer the bagado MINUS the water into a closed vessel ( a cooker would do just fine).This is a necessary step for sprouting.Who knew?????Resist temptations to bother either the bagado or the cooker.Find something better to do.
4) After they sprout the next day, peel the skin off the bagado

Boil the bagado for no more than 3 whistles.Add salt.

Masala
1 fist coconut grated
3 fried red chillis
very little tamarind
(grind together)

Now add the ground masala to the bagado.

Tadka
finely chopped onion in oil

Bend it like Bendi or maybe Bhindi

2006-05-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today's meal ideas

1.Rajma bendi
2.Bhenda Sagle

for the bendi
----------------------
2-3 fists Rajma

Grind together
coconut grated -1 fist
4-5 fried red chilies
tamarind (little more than usual)

Boil rajma in a cooker for a long time,
add salt,boil some more.Add masala to the rajma.
By now you should have the hang of it.Boil some more.

Tadka
Add 4.5 crushed garlic in oil to the above mixture.

Bhenda Sagle
Grind together
coconut grated -1 fist
4-5 fried red chillis
tamarind (little less than usual)
1 tsp fried coriander seeds in oil
1 tsp fried urad daal in oil

Okra quartered
ginger chopped
onion chopped

In oil add mustard seeds, ginger,onion, okra,add masala,salt and boil
Tip: Above dish can be made with small eggplants instead of okra.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering about the quantities and wondering what is "more than usual" and why use "fists" as measurements, welcome to the world of Konkani cooking and please go with your intution.If you want to flee that is fine too.Konkani cooking is not an exact science ,and sagle with any other ingredient would taste just as good

First Post

2006-05-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is my absolutely first post in blogdom.What was the need to lift a finger now, you ask? Well, my parents are visiting and I am rediscovering the pleasures of real Konkani food.Every year I make it a point to note down the recipes and promptly forget it ..the recipe as well as the paper on which it was written.This time though, I decided to make the recipes more permanent, setting the sukkes, ambats and bendis in electronic typeface, relying on google and blogger to retrieve them incase I lose sight of them.
BTW, I think I am very much in tune with the pulse of the Konkani community in starting to write about upkaris and sagles.Check out this introductory learn Konkani lesson.
Now, I have taken a lot of beginners lessons in foreign languages- Spanish,French and have also grown up learning Hindi,Marathi etc.

Nowhere does a beginner lesson have this!Goes to show how much the konkani has his mind in the butter!

Had your lunch?
= Javan jalwe

What is the curry?
= Randai Kasale

Watch this space as it gets filled with things and ideas related to Konkani food and culture.Repeat after me,no more will we be second banana to any other form of south indian cuisine.In fact any second banana found, should and will be promptly made into koddel ,upkari or shikran depending on how ripe the banana is.