Coconut Based Preparations - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Ghia/ bottle gourd Ambat.

Posted on November 8, 2024November 8, 2024 by vinayaprabhu2

This is a traditional Konkani preparation which makes use of bottle gourd in a coconut based gravy along with potato, onion and cashewnuts. Arhar Dal is also used to lend texture and sweetness to the preparation.

Ingredients:

A small bottle gourd weighing 200 gms peeled and cubed

2 medium sized onions cut into large chunks

1 potato peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

1 large onion chopped fine

12 cashewnuts halved

1/2 of a small coconut grated

12 roasted Byadgi chillies

1 heaped tsp tamarind paste

100 gms Arhar dal

3 tbsps coconut oil

Salt.

Method:

Tip the cubed bottle gourd, potato and onions into a pot. Cover them with water enough to cover the pieces. Add salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook till tender. Drop the Arhar dal and cashews into a pressure cooker and add 750 ml water. Pressure cook to three whistles. Add this cooked dal and cashews to the bottle gourd and keep simmering. Grind the grated coconut, roasted red chillies and tamarind to a smooth paste. Drop the paste into the simmering mixture and bring to a roaring boil adding enough water to adjust the consistency. Lower heat and allow the flavours to infuse. Heat a pan with the coconut oil. Add the finely chopped onions and roast them to a rich brown. Drop them into the Ambat. Boil for a couple of minutes. Switch off and allow the Ambat to stand for about half an hour before serving.

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Gardudhi/ bottle gourd Amso Kocholu.

Posted on October 31, 2024October 31, 2024 by vinayaprabhu2

Here is a Gardudhi Amso kocholu which is popular in the GSB cuisine. Bottle gourd or Gardudhi as it is known in my mother tongue Konkani is used in a variety of preparations..

Ingredients:

Tender bottle gourd weighing around 250 gms.

Half a coconut grated

10 roasted Byadgi chillies

1 heaped tsp tamarind paste

15 cloves of garlic crushed

1 tbsp coconut oil

Salt.

Method:

Deskin the bottle gourd. Wash and chop into small pieces. Tip the pieces into a vessel . Add a glass of water and required amount of salt. Bring to a boil and cook till done. Grind the grated coconut, tamarind paste and Byadgi chillies to a smooth paste. Tip it into the cooked bottle gourd. Adjust consistency adding enough water as required and bring to a boil. Heat the oil in a pan . Add the garlic and roast to a golden brown. Drop it into the coconut, bottle gourd mixture. Simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Cover and keep aside for about half an hour before serving.

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Eggplant Bhartha

Posted on September 21, 2024September 21, 2024 by vinayaprabhu2

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant weighing 500 gms

1/2 of a coconut grated

1 large green chilly chopped fine

2 roasted Guntur chillies

5 roasted Byadgi chillies

1 tsp tamarind paste

Salt

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 large onion finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger

Method:

Wash and cut the eggplant into chunks. Pressure cook it. Allow it to cool and remove the skin. Mash well and keep aside. Grind the coconut, roasted red chillies, tamarind and ginger to a smooth paste. Tip it into the eggplant. Crush the green chillies and salt together and add it to the mixture. Mix well. Tip in the chopped onion and drizzle with coconut oil.

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Drumstick/ Moringa leaves Sanna khotto/ dumplings.

Posted on October 5, 2022October 5, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

There are a couple of varieties of Sanna khotto posted in this website. Sanna khotto are nothing but steamed dumplings or also can be termed as spicy idli… One can add finely chopped greens, veggies onions or even make them plain with asafoetida added for flavour. You can also make them with rice or with equal measures of rice and arhar/ toor dal. Posting a Sanna khotto flavoured with healthy Drumstick/ Moringa leaves today.

Ingredients:

250 gms raw rice

1/2 of a large coconut

6 roasted Byadgi chillies

6 roasted Guntur chillies

1tbsp tamarind paste

Finely chopped Moringa leaves as required

Asafoetida as per preference

Salt

Method:

Wash and soak the rice for three hours. Tip it into the mixer jar along with the grated coconut, asafoetida, roasted chillies and tamarind. Grind it to a semolina/ rava like consistency. The batter should be slightly more loose than of dropping consistency. Pour the batter into a bowl. Add the finely chopped Moringa leaves, salt and mix well. Grease katoris/ steel cups with oil. Pour the batter into them and steam in a steamer for about fifteen minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Remove from flame and allow to cool. De mould and keep covered in a container. Serve drizzled with coconut oil along with rice and Dal.

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Ghashi Pathrado

Posted on September 20, 2022September 20, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

Ghashi Pathrado is one of the delicacies from the Konkani cuisine. Slices of Pathrado are dunked into a coconut gravy which is seasoned with a generous amount of onions. On auspicious days when onions are avoided it is seasoned with mustard and curry leaves. Of course the real taste lies in the one seasoned with onions. Some prefer to pour the ghashi over the rice and enjoy it with pieces of Pathrado…but the true taste lies in scooping the ghashi with pieces of Pathrado.

The recipe link for the Pathrado is given below. Posting the recipe for the ghashi today.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/moong-pathrado-colocassia-leaves-roll-2/

Ingredients:

Half of a coconut grated

6 roasted Byadgi chillies ( for the colour)

6 roasted Guntur or Pandi chillies ( for the spice)

1 tbsp tamarind paste

2 large onions finely chopped

2 tbsps coconut oil

1/4 tsp methi/ Fenugreek seeds

Salt

Method:

Roast both the varieties of chillies in a little oil till they change colour and turn crisp. Grind the coconut, roasted red chillies and tamarind to a smooth paste. Tip it into a pot, add enough water to bring it to a flowing consistency. Bring to a boil, lower heat and allow to simmer. Heat oil in a pan. Add the methi seeds and as soon as they turn a golden brown add the onions. Add salt and roast the onions on a high flame. Ensure that you keep roasting it continuously as we want some of the onions to turn dark brown and the remaining to stay translucent. Once done tip the seasoning into the boiling ghashi. Allow to cook for a minute, switch off the stove, cover and keep aside for the flavours to infuse. Serve hot over pieces of Pathrado.

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Ashgourd Sasam

Posted on December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Ashgourd/ Bhopla/ Budakumbalkayi or Kuvvale as it is called in my mother tongue Konkani is widely used in the South of India in a variety of dishes. Posting a Kuvvale Sasam today which is very popular with the GSB community. This is a medium spicy preparation as Ashgourd on it’s own has no flavour. A tap of raw mustard is added while grinding the masala to impart flavour.

Ingredients:

300 gms Ashgourd de skinned and cut into cubes

1/2 of a small coconut grated

7 Byadgi chillies roasted in a little oil

1/2 tsp tamarind paste

3/4 tsp mustard while grinding

1 level tsp rice flour

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard

2 sprigs curry leaves

Salt

Method:

Cook the ashgourd pieces in two glasses of water with salt. Grind the coconut, roasted red chillies, tamarind, rice flour and mustard to a smooth paste with enough water. Pour the ground masala into the cooked ashgourd. Adjust consistency by adding enough water. It should be neither thick nor runny. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. After they crackle add the curry leaves. Toss and pour the seasoning into the boiling Ashgourd Sasam. Switch off, cover and keep aside for about fifteen minutes for the flavours to infuse.

Note: you may skip the rice flour on auspicious days when rice is avoided. It is basically added to lend texture to the dish. Instead, increase the quantity of coconut used.

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Pineapple Menskai

Posted on May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is a must when pineapple is in season. A traditional dish of Udupi , it is made during weddings and all auspicious occasions in South Kanara. Sweet, spicy and tangy, it goes well with both rice and roti.

Ingredients:

1 pineapple cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 of a small coconut

2 tbsps coriander seeds

10 seeds methi/ Fenugreek

15 pepper corns

2 tbsps Chana Dal /Bengal Gram Dal

1 tbsp Til/ Sesame

A kidney bean sized piece of hing/ asafoetida

A pinch of haldi /turmeric

12 roasted Byadgi chillies

2 tbsps Tamarind paste

5 tbsps Jaggery syrup

Salt

1 tbsp mustard

3 tbsps coconut oil

Method:

Boil the pineapple pieces with a little salt till done. Dry roast the coconut to a rich brown on a gentle flame. Roast the Byadgi chillies in half a tsp of oil till crisp. Roast the coriander, chana dal, sesame, methi and pepper corns in a tsp of oil to a golden yellow. Drop in the hing and roast to a nice golden brown. Remove from flame and add the haldi. Mix thoroughly. Grind the roasted coconut, roasted red chillies, tamarind and the roasted spices to a smooth paste with as much water as required. Drop the paste into the cooked pineapple pieces. Add the jaggery and adjust salt. Boil well. Heat oil. Add the mustard. After it splutters drop it into the boiling Menskai. Switch off, cover and keep aside for half an hour for the flavours to infuse.

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Goolla Alle piyavva sagllein/ Eggplant in a ginger and onion coconut based gravy.

Posted on February 21, 2021February 22, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is a long forgotten traditional recipe made with Goolla a variety of Eggplant that is grown in Matti near Udupi in South Kanara. Goolla today is used to make Bhajjia/ fritters, Pakora, in Sambhar and also a dish called Phodi. When my friend Suchitra Kamath mentioned this recipe to me, it brought forth fond memories of having enjoyed it at our ancestral house along with Pez/ Kanji/ rice gruel.

Ingredients:

One large Goolla chopped into bite sized pieces

2 large onions sliced

1 small potato, peeled, sliced thinly and quartered

2 inch piece of ginger

Half of a coconut grated

6 roasted Byadgi chillies

6 roasted Guntur chillies

1 tbsp tamarind paste

3 tbsps coconut oil

Salt

Method:

Tip the sliced onion, potato, ginger and salt in a pan. Add two glasses of water and bring to a boil. Simmer till the onions are three fourth done and then drop in the pieces of Goolla. Do not over cook the Goolla. In the meantime grind the coconut, roasted chillies, tamarind and rice flour to a smooth paste. Drop it into the simmering mixture and stir well. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if required. It should be of pouring consistency. Bring to a boil and gently simmer for a couple of minutes. Drizzle with coconut oil. Keep aside for fifteen minutes . The Goolla gets cooked in the hot gravy. Serve with rice or rice gruel.

Note: Drop in the ground paste after the Goolla has boiled only for a minute. Overcooking makes the Goolla mushy.

Serves four.

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Moong curry

Posted on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is one curry which is ready in no time. Moong/ Green gram needs no prior soaking like other lentils do. A couple of extra whistles of the pressure cooker and it’s done. This preparation goes well with Roti, Paratha, poori or even with hot Basmati rice. My heartfelt thanks to my friend dear Rekha Shenoy for this lovely recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup or 125 gms Moong/ whole Green gram

1/4 cup coconut

1 large onion roughly chopped

1 large tomato roughly chopped

15 sprigs of coriander leaves

1 Star anise

4 cloves

2 cardamom

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tsps Red chilly powder

3 tbsps oil

Method:

Wash and pressure cook the Moong with a little salt to five whistles. If you have soaked it the previous night just a couple of whistles is enough. Allow the pressure to release naturally. In the meantime, powder the cumin, star anise, cardamom and cloves. Add the grated coconut, tomato, onion and coriander leaves. Grind to a fine paste along with the turmeric powder.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the ground paste and the chilly powder and roast it on a gentle flame till it leaves the sides of the pan. Drop in the cooked Moong . Check salt. Adjust consistency of the gravy by adding water. Do remember that Moong tends to absorb water so add enough water to make a gravy of pouring consistency. Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Serve hot .

Serves four

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Okra Curd Pacchadi

Posted on February 9, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

One needs no accompaniment to rice other than maybe a Papad or pickle when you serve it with this Okra Curd Pacchadi. I simply love this recipe shared by my friend Geetha Navaneeth as it can not only be prepared quickly, but is a quick fix solution when having guests.

Ingredients:

15 Okra/ Lady’s finger chopped into half inch bits

1 cup / 200 ml curds/ yoghurt

A pinch of turmeric

Salt

A quarter of a coconut grated

2 green chillies

1tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp oil to saute the Okra

For the tempering:

1 tsp coconut oil or oil of choice

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Urad dal/ split black gram

A large pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

1 dry red chilly broken into two

1 sprig curry leaves

Method:

Heat oil in a pan . Tip in the chopped okra, turmeric and salt and roast on a gentle flame till it turns crisp. Keep aside. Grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds to a fine paste. Add it to the okra along with the curds. Mix well. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard and after it splutters add the Urad dal. After the urad dal turns a golden brown add the red chilly bits, asafoetida and curry leaves. Toss. Drop the seasoning to the okra Curd Pacchadi. Mix and check for salt. Do be careful as salt has been added while roasting the okra.

Serves two.

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