Red Chori Beans Curry in Coconut with Raw Green Jackfruit - Konkani Style (Bagdo Kadgi Koddel)

Koddel is a Konkani preparation commonly made in all Konkani homes. When Garlic is used for the seasoning, some also call it Bendi. I like to pair the beans with seasonal vegetables like Chinese Potato (Kooka), Raw Green Jackfruit (Kadgi) or Plantain Stem (Gabbo). Since Raw Green Jackfruit  (the canned variety) is easily available here, I use it often.

The beans used for this recipe is Red Chori Beans, known as Bagdo in Konkani. The beans are easily available in Indian stores all over US. I paired them with Phulkas and Salad.

~ Bagdo Kadgi Koddel ~

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Red Chori Beans/ Cow Beans/ Bagdo - 1 cup

Raw Green Jackfruit (semi-cooked, cleaned) - 14 oz. 

Salt

Koddel Masala -

Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup

Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp

Red Chillies (Byadgi variety) - 3-5

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

For Seasoning -

Garlic pods (peeled and crushed) - 3-5

Coconut Oil 

Method:

Clean, rinse and soak the beans overnight or for 8-10 hours. In a small frying pan, heat a few spoons of coconut oil and roast red chillies. Grind to a smooth paste along with grated coconut, turmeric powder and tamarind with little water. Pressure cook the beans with tad bit salt for couple of whistles. Allow to cool.

In a deep bottomed vessel, bring the masala to boil. Add water as per consistency required and add the Jackfruit pieces. Simmer on low flame for 5-8 minutes till completely cooked. In the same frying pan used before, heat a few spoons of coconut oil and saute crushed garlic pods. Once light brown, pour the seasoning over the cooked curry and cover with a lid. Mix before serving. Pair with steamed white rice or Phulkas/ Rotis.

Note: The seeds are very delicate and tender once pressure cooked. Do not stir a lot, else they turn mushy.

White Pigeon Peas in Coconut - Konkani Style (Dhavi Tori Ghashi)

Come winters, beans, lentils and legumes of different sorts gain the center stage in my kitchen. Sometimes, out of necessity and more often out of need. Its easier to fix up dinner with a bag of beans than run to do groceries in chilly weather where fighting windchill, getting a frostbite on your hands and ears are more scarier than managing with what you have in the kitchen. For one, I choose to go with latter. I am also glad that  I have the choices which folks belonging to my generation happily use and choose. For instance - frozen meals, canned food (BPA free variety if you are very picky), frozen package of individual or mixed vegetables, prepared foods if you are too sick to cook which make your life a bit easier. If everything else fails, there are plenty of restaurants/ pizzerias which will gladly deliver food at your doorstep.

White Pigeon Peas - Raw and Soaked

I used this particular type of bean found in Southern India. Its known as Pigeon Peas in English. In Konkani cuisine, the beans are known as Tori and there are two different varieties of this bean - white one (Dhavi Tori) and black one (Kali Tori). I had earlier posted a recipe on the black variety of this bean here. The bean is very tasty, has a tad bit nutty and creamy flavor and the skin has a tough texture, but packs quite a punch when used in curries and gravies.

Ghashi is a particular variety of Konkani curry which has the regular masala of coconut, red chillies and tamarind. The finish is provided with a seasoning of mustard seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds. My Ma and Grandma avoided the use of Cumin seeds for the seasoning, I follow the same practise. I have used Yam (Suran) as a complementary vegetable in the curry.

~ Dhavi Tori Ghashi with Suran ~

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

White Pigeon Peas / Tori (Dhavi Tori) - 1 cup

Yam (Suran) [Fresh or frozen] - 1 cup

Coconut Oil

Salt

Ghashi Masala -

Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup

Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp

Red Chillies (Byadgi variety) - 3-5

Turmeric powder - a pinch

For Seasoning -

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

Clean and soak the beans overnight and pressure cook them for couple of whistles along with Yam if you are using the fresh variety. Save the stock for Saaru. 

Heat a spoon of oil in a small frying pan and roast the red chillies on low flame. Allow to cool. Grind to a smooth paste along with grated coconut and tamarind. Bring the beans to a boil, adjust salt and add the ground masala and Turmeric powder. If you are adding frozen Yam, add it at this stage. Once thoroughly cooked, turn off the flame. This process takes around 15-20 minutes.

In the same frying pan used before, heat a few spoons of coconut oil and season with mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop, add curry leaves and red chillies. Pour this seasoning over the cooked curry, cover with a tight lid. Mix before serving with Rotis/ Steamed Basmati Rice.

Curry Leaves Rasam (Karibeva Saaru)

Few days back, I happened to buy two packets of Curry Leaves from Indian grocery by mistake. Curry leaves are known as Karibeva Pallo in Konkani. The problem is the leaves dry very soon in the crisper of my fridge and the potency is lost in the bargain. Ma suggested a Rasam (Saaru) she has been making using these leaves and she uses this recipe when she has a huge bunch of these leaves. The recipe is very similar to Lemon Saaru recipe, but I tweaked it a bit. The taste is spicy and tangy, a bit unique for my palate.

Few of my friends get roughly powdered  curry leaf powder (home made) which sees them for a few weeks after they arrive to US. Some even oven roast, dry and crush the dry leaves to a powder and store for long term use.

Curry leaves bright and green

Curry Leaves have the following health benefits -
- They help is eye sight and hair growth.
- They aid in weight loss.
- Its also believed to be useful for memory growth and enhancing better cognitive abilities.

In India, everyone owns a Curry Leaf sapling or a shrub (if they are lucky) in their backyard. Its easier to distribute amongst your friends and family which is invariably how my mother ends up with a huge loot of these leaves. In US, no such luck. Whenever I buy those small plastic packets stuffed with the bright green leaves for $ 0.50 at Indian grocery, I feel a bit sad. Its like hapless splurge! In hindsight, I better not grumble as some of my closest friends have to drive for good 15 miles to reach Indian grocery and get their groceries for the week. A sense of self-imposed optimism always works well they say. I envision that some day when I own a backyard of my own, I will plant a Curry Leaf sapling first.

~ Curry Leaves Rasam ~
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Curry Leaves - 4-5 sprig
Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies (make a tiny slit in the centre of each of the chilli) - 2
Tamarind pulp - 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt
Ghee/ Oil

For Seasoning -
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies (split into two) - 1

Method:
In a small frying pan, heat a tsp of ghee/ oil, sear the green chillies gently. Be careful and make sure to make a slit else sometimes due to pressure built in, the chilli seeds fly everywhere. Once blisters are formed on the skin, keep them aside and allow to cool.
In the same pan, roast curry leaves and allow to cool. Grind the roasted green chillies, curry leaves, coconut (grated) to a smooth paste with salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Bring this paste to a gentle boil, add little water, turmeric pulp and adjust consistency and salt as required and cook till the raw flavor of curry leaves goes off. The reduction allows flavors to concentrate.
In the same frying pan used before, heat a tsp of ghee/ oil. Once the ghee/ oil is hot enough, season with mustard seeds. Once they begin to splutter, add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Pour this seasoning on the cooked broth, cover with a lid. Serve hot with cooked white rice.