Onion Gojju (Piyavaa Gojju)

A simple dish for rainy and cold winter days. I just love the simplicity of this dish. How do I describe Gojju?

"A simple concoction of vegetables - chopped, mashed, diced or boiled, add a dash of chosen appropriate seasoning - Mustard seeds and Curry leaves and you are set to enjoy this simple dish which packs lot of flavours. Vegetables I use for Gojju - Onions, Okra, Potato, Paasphanas, Raw Mango in brine. This is suitable and apt as a side dish. Gojju truly explores the simplicity and dexterity of vegetables".

I have grown up eating Gojju. A very simple dish when you quickly need a side dish say in 15 minutes flat. Quite a regular at my home. My maushi's are all adept at different varieties of these. Its a soupy side dish, the broth of the coconut and vegetables blend well to offer a unique flavour. The Gojju main ingredients (atleast in Konkani preparations) - Coconut grated, Green Chillies and Tamarind fuse to offer different flavours when tried with different vegetables.

Personally I like Onion Gojju and Okra Gojju; I feel it gels well as an accompaniment to Soupy Brown Rice or Ganjee. I have recently registered for Nupur's 7-day Recipe Marathon and cannot wait for my turn to dish out 7 recipes which go back to back. I am all set and excited about the Marathon.

A dear friend N from Chicago recently sent me excerpts of Gretchen Rubin's Book - The Happiness Project which is all set to hit the stands on Dec 29th. I cannot wait to get my hands on this long awaited book. You could read the excerpts here. Do skip through her blog if you get a chance. Her blog speaks about simple things which we often fail to think or retrospect upon. Personally, I find a lot of impact and depth in her simple tips and suggestions. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!

Recipe Source ~ My Mom

Preparation time ~ 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Onions (finely chopped) - 2

Grated coconut - 1/ 2 cup

Tamarind pulp - 1/2 t

Coconut oil - 2 t

Water - for Gojju consistency

Green Chillies (chopped) - 2

Salt - as per taste

Asafoetida - 1/4 t

Seasoning (optional):
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
Oil - For frying


Method:
Take a serving bowl and crush the coconut, chillies, tamarind, asafoetida and salt together. Add enough water as per the consistency desired. Add chopped Onions and mix well. Garnish with coconut oil and serve as a side dish.
Some of the people I know also serve this dish with a seasoning. Just heat oil in a small container on flame, add mustard seeds and once they finish popping, add curry leaves. Do all this on low-to-medium flame. Pour this seasoning on top of the dish. This is an optional step.