Bilimbi Soup (Bimblaa Saaru/ Bilimbi Saaru)

Here's wishing all the Foodie's around the globe a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Great health and prosperity to everyone.....

Last few week's have been hectic hence been MIA from the blog zone. Special thanks to all my readers who inquired on my well being and whereabouts. After all the year long festivities are done, a good way to detox one's diet is to partake simple, nutritious food. I prefer this version of Bilimbi Saaru which is very apt and soothing on the palate as well.

This is my Mom's version of Saaru. Her recipe mixes sweet and sour flavours to create a different taste all together. Its a very simple recipe but very dear to my heart. As kids, we had couple of Bilimbi tree's growing in our ancestral farms.

We had a gala time climbing the huge slippery branches only to pluck the purple flower of this fruit which is very tangy. Chewing the flowers leaves a tangy purple coat on the tongue which was a sought after childhood delight for us as kids. In US, its very difficult to find Bilimbi, but these are available in plenty in India and a must-have-sapling if you are a Konkani and have a backyard. :)

The taste of this Soup is neither sweet nor tangy. For my non Konkani friends, you could just slurp this on a cold winter evening on its own if you do not wish to combine it with rice. This is a very simple recipe but I wanted to document it for the simple reason that with the advent of fast food choices and changes in tastes and preferences, these simple recipes are long forgotten and pushed into periphery.

~ Bilimbi Saaru ~

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Bilimbi (chopped) - 2 cups

Ghee

Jaggery - 1 teaspoon

For Seasoning -

Red Chillies (split into two) - 2

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt

Method:

Remove the calyx attached to the fruit. Chop them into tiny bits. For one cup of chopped Bilimbi add 1 and 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil. Simmer on low flame till the pieces are soft and cooked. Add a teaspoon of Jaggery while boiling. Adjust salt as per taste. Add more water if desired. Once completely cooked, turn off flame and cover with a lid.

In a separate vessel, heat few spoons of Ghee, once the oil is hot enough, temper with Mustard seeds and Curry leaves roughly chopped. Once the seeds begin to pop, add the red chillies (split into two) and pour this seasoning over the cooked broth, cover tightly with a lid. Mix while serving, enjoy with steamed white rice.