Mushy Rice With Green Chillies (Tanni Anna/ Panta Bhaat)

Many a times when we were kids, leftover rice would be aptly used for this recipe - Tanni Anna or Panta Bhaat - the Bong version of this rice. I am talking about days when scorching summer would annoy to no end and refrigerators were owned only by the rich, if you know what I am saying. Mom used to soak the rice in cold water at night before sleeping, make a comforting meal for 1100 noon next day morning for us. Anna is Rice in Konkani, Tanni is cold in Kannada. Even during days when there is no leftover rice, I keep some cooked rice aside to prepare this soul-warming comfort meal! This is a depleting recipe yet very very silly one so to say. I sometimes think that lesser mortals like me are the only ones hounding their Grandmoms and Aunts to offer gyaan on such simple recipes. But I wanted to document this to aid the sprawling, curious bunch of posterity in my jumbo family.

The science behind this recipe is the rice gets lightly fermented in water giving it a very mushy texture. Next day morning the rice is squeezed from the water, mixed with little green chillies crushed in a mixture of salt and oil. All the gooey mass mixed in together to form a mushy kid meal. But mind you, this recipe is not for the faint hearted. The green chillies pack in quite a punch, so reduce you green chillies if you are not ready for spice and heat. I prefer soak time of 2 hours and use the rice thereafter. Do not oversoak as you run the risk on over-fermentation of rice. My Ammama made this and Paej frequently when she had to feed an army of kids, grand kids in a joint family. The recipe is close to my heart for the sheer paltry ingredients it needs and the simplicity it carries. It is also known as a Paupers meal owing to the simple stuff its made of and was prepared by poor people during olden days as resources were scarce so says my Grandma.

Few years later further to my discovery, a Bengali friend of mine informed me that they have a similar version amongst Bongs, known as Panta Bhaat. The only difference being, the seasoning is some lime juice, red onions chopped and green chillies instead. Panta = soaked in water and Bhaat = boiled rice in Bengali. Panta Bhaat is made during key Bengali festivals. In Konkani homes (atleast the ones I know), this is a hush-hush secret recipe to devour the leftover rice. My Grandmom was to embarassed to discuss the details and laughed it off saying it was 'silly' and too easy. I think its too precious to be passed off and ignored what she said! :)

Soaking time - 8-10 hours

Processing time - 5 minutes

Ingredients:

Cooked rice (2 cups) - soaked in double the quantity of cold water

Green Chillies - 1-2

Coconut oil

Salt

Method:

Soak cooked rice which is cool, in water for 8-10 hours. Once soaking time passes, squeeze the rice out of water. Mix salt and oil and crush green chillies in them. Mix all of this together and devour with relish. Remover green chillies while serving if required. For more authentic flavour, use Coconut oil.

Bitter Gourd Pickle (Coated With Spice Powders)/ Kaarate Kudko

Bitter Gourd is one of my favorite vegetable (as weird as it sounds). My octogenarian Ammama makes the best Bitter Gourd Pickle which I will save for another post. When hale-o-hearty, she regularly sent a jar full of Bitter Gourd Pickle and other goodies for me. Last time when I visited my Ammama, she told me about this recipe of another version of Bitter Gourd pickle which her MIL used to made - Kaarate Kudko. She said she remembered it had a powdery coating of spices. She asked me to research more about it.

Few years later, I was invited for lunch at one of my dear Aunt's place. Since she knew I love Bitter Gourd, she had saved her latest batch of pickle for me. I was thrilled and delighted when she gifted me the tiny jar. I quickly grabbed a spoon and tasted a piece and indeed it was heavenly! I asked her the recipe and she informed me its called Kaarate Kudko. My quest ended there with the discovery. I quickly got the recipe and dabbled around with it till I got it right. Aunty perpetually has a jar of this pickle and her kids relish the flavourful pieces to the last bite. I make a small batch and refrigerate them in a glass jar since Bitter Gourds are prone to quick spoilage. The name essentially comes from Kudko which implies pieces and Kaarate implies Bitter Gourd in GSB Konkani, hence the name Kaarate Kudko. This recipe has an old world charm and a certain element of originality which fascinates me. I know very few families who pickle the gourds at home in this fashion. If you detest eating Bitter Gourd, you can pass off this post.

There are many versions of this pickle in practice, some where the spices are toasted and ground and some where the powders are directly added. Take your pick as per choice.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd (chopped) - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon + 1/3 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 to 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida - Just a pinch

Salt

Ghee

Method:

Wash the Bitter Gourd and trim off the ends. Chop them into 1/2" pieces, boil them in water which is salted with turmeric powder (1/2 tsp). Once the pieces are par-boiled, turn off the flame and drain the water off. Transfer to a kitchen paper and allow to cool thereby absorbing the moisture.

In a separate deep pan, heat few spoons of ghee and add all the spice powders. Reduce the flame to low. Add the boiled Bitter Gourd pieces and saute to get an even coating of spice powders all over the gourd. Adjust salt as per taste. The pieces would be crisp, bit fried by now. Turn off the flame and allow to cool. Transfer to a clean, sterilised glass jar and refrigerate after use. Goes well as a pickled serving with white rice or Paej.

Bitter Gourd Melon Dry Side Dish (Kaarathe Kismuri)

Bitter Gourd Melon is a vegetable loved by some and disliked by some. In Konkani culinary, Kismuri is a recipe where in the vegetable or an item is mixed along with grated coconut, spices to create a dry version of side dish which goes well with rice. 'Kaarate' implies Bitter Gourd in Konkani language. My Ammamma (konkani for grandmother) tells me that in olden days when people did not have plenty of supplies dishes like Kismuri were the order of the day. The best part about the recipe is that it does not require any long tedious preparation. This dish took me less than 30 minutes and is very nutritious owing to Bitter Melon properties.

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd Melon or Kaarate (finely chopped) - 2 and 1/2 cups

Grated coconut - 3/4th cup

Red Chillies - 4-5

Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon

Onions (chopped) - 3/4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Ghee/Oil

Salt

Water

Method:

Wash Bitter Gourd thoroughly and chop into tiny fine pieces. Apply salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the juice and saute the tiny bits in few spoons of oil. Saute till they lose water content and are lightly brown. Keep aside.

Grind Red Chillies, Tamarind, Coriander seeds and grated coconut to a coarse powder preferably without water. Adjust salt as well. Mix this coarse powder with Onions which are finely chopped and the pre-fried Bitter Gourd pieces. Serve as a side dish with Rice and Curry of choice.

Spicy Red Chillies Pappad in Onions & Coconut (Mirsaange Happla Kismuri)

Spicy Red Chillies in Onion & Coconut or Happala Kismuri are a desirable lunch or dinner accompaniment for me and my family. This recipe takes me back to night-time dinners when Mom used to ask me help her make this dish. I used to love crushing the Pappad's, the sheer 'crack' sound of Pappad used to get me amused. We used to relish eating this side dish with 'Paej' or 'Paez'. This recipe is little on spicier side; but relished to the core by everyone in the family, including my husband. The Happalams I like eating most of the times are sourced from Arathi Home Industries, Kundapur. Their Happalams are also available at Udupi & Mangalore local condiment stores.

My granny tells me that Gojju's and Kismuri's are the ancient way of cooking. They take less time to make plus most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry without a trip for grocery shopping. In olden days, especially in a joint family system, the ladies would gather on a terrace of the house or the central exposed portion (chowk) of the house with the Chakla-Belan and sun-dry arrays of Red Chillies Pappad on large plastic sheets. Kids would add their help by turning the sheets to areas where sun rays were at their blazing best. Mom made large batches of Pappad when we were kids. Apart from offering help here and there, I used to love blowing air into a freshly rolled Pappad, stuff some oil in a tiny aperture on the side, seal it completely and eat it, swallow and gobble till you enjoy the spicy thrill which comes along! All kids used to compete on which one could finish the process seamlessly. And all this cookery fun in a broad daylight with the scorching heat and blazing hot Sun!

Cooking time: 5 minutes
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
Red Chillies Pappad or Mirsaange Happolu (konkani term) or Happalam - 6
Onions (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut or Shredded coconut - 4-5 tablespoon
Green Chillies - 2
Coconut oil - 1-2 teaspoon
Salt - as per taste

Method:
Roast the Pappad on a Tawa/ Frying pan till they are evenly fried on both the sides. Immediately apply oil on the exposed side of Pappad and keep aside. Crush green chillies in grated coconut, add chopped onions and adjust salt. Hand crush the Pappad one by one and keep aside. While serving, add the crushed Pappad and mix well. Add oil if desired, otherwise omit this step. Serve as a side dish during lunch or dinner. Goes well with 'Paej' or 'Paez'.

Suggestion: Microwaved Pappad and Stove-Burner fried Pappad do not give the same flavour as Tawa-Fried ones. Moreover they puff up and do not remain flat upon frying as required for this recipe. Choose your medium of frying Pappad carefully as it makes a big difference to the final taste. For best results, choose good quality fresh or frozen grated coconut.

Fenugreek Leaves Mini Dosa (Methey Sanna Pole/ Methe Sanna Polo)

In my house, Mini Dosa's or Sanna Pole's are quite a common sight to see. So what is this Mini Dosa or Sanna Pole all about? These are mini tiny Dosa's made of Rice and Red Chillies with little coconut. This is a quintessential Konkani dish. I relish all my afternoon lunches with these tiny spicy and crisply fried rice pancakes. I recall long elaborate conversations with mom, aunts, granny and host of other relatives on the daily tit-bits and trivia's of life shared over these tiny cute things. These should not be confused wih the Goan Sanna's as they are a different entity all together. The batter (Peet) of this Dosa is very tasty and little bit on the spicier side. The only chore for this dish is the rice has to be soaked for good hours before the plumpy grains can comfortably break down in the blender. Some add lentils (Toor Daal) along with rice, I prefer the dosa with rice alone.

During the olden days when produce was scarce and commute was a big problem, this recipe was a big relief. Some smear the batter with the palm to make Mini dosa's on a hot frying pan giving it a perfect round shape. I use my trusted long wooden spreading spoon. Grind rice with red chillies, throw in a some spice, mix in chopped vegetables and voila! You are done with the dish! During my great grandmother's era, everyone had a cowdung smeared stove top for cooking. The ladies had a hollow rod which was used to ignite the spark and enable the wood to catch the flame to provide heat. Times have changes so much with lot of ease and convenience introduced into our kitchens.

Batter remains the same, change the vegetables to make Cabbage Dosa, Fenugreek Leaves Dosa, Drumstick leaves Dosa, Onion Dosa or mix all of these vegetables together as per your choice. These dosa's go well as side dish and make a crispy tasty fare with less oil. I personally prefer this tiny dosa's with Soupy Brown Rice or Paej as its called in Konkani. The batter should be used in 2 days max and once done stored in the refrigerator.

Yield: 6 Mini Dosa's

Preparation time: 240 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Fenugreek or Methi leaves (washed and chopped finely) - 2 - 2 1/2 cups

Dosa Rice (Sona Masoori variety) - 1/2 cup

Red Chillies (Byadgi variety preferred) - 5-6

Tamarind Juice - 1 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 2-3 tablespoons

Asafoetida - Just a pinch

Turmeric powder - Just a pinch

Oil - For frying

Method:

Wash rice till clear and pre-soak rice in water for 4-5 hours. Roast red chillies in a teaspoon of oil and mildly sweat them in oil till they are partially roasted for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool. Grind along with Rice, Red Chillies, Tamarind, Turmeric powder, Salt and grated coconut to a coarse paste with very little water.

Mix the batter with chopped vegetable. Adjust salt and spice levels. Heat a shallow frying pan, take a spoonful of the batter mix and spread on the pan. Spread mini dosa batter as per capacity. Drizzle oil on the sides. Once cooked on sides, flip them over to other side and fry evenly on both the sides. The dosa's taste better if crunchy and little bit charred. Serve hot as a side dish along with rice and curry.

Patrode (Steamed Taro Leaves in Spicy Coconut Batter)

Patrode or Pathravadey is the most pampered Konkani dish I have come across. Making Patrode is a big ritual for those who are not used to it, primarily because its a labor intensive process, takes lot of time, patience and has finer steps to be followed till the completion. Surprisingly, many of my the ladies in my family are experts in making the tastiest Patrode. This is one dish which I can proudly say resembles my Mom's whenever I've made it. I follow her measurements accurately and its never failed me. Unlike some houses, we do not add Mong Daal to the batter but only use - Coconut, Rice, Red Chillies and Tamarind. This recipe has been followed by four generations in my family and has never failed us.

It is a must-have dish especially during Ganesh Chaturthi festival food preparation. I enjoy them with Paej/ Brown Rice soup and feel that best way to enjoy them would be when the rolls are piping hot. There are many versions of Patrode made at my home - Steamed Patrade, Phanna Upkari Patrado, Patradey Ghashi, Patrode Rava Fry.

Patrode has been a common dish at my home. My mother and me are big fans of these creamy spicy treats. Mom used to make these specially on Sunday lunches where elaborate conversations set the tone of the day. Patrode is made from Taro leaves which are a common sight to see in local markets particularly during rainy seasons where they grow in abundance on streets, marshy tree side, areas with vast foliage and fauna and damp areas.

There are two kinds of Taro leaves - One with green stem and the other with purple stem. Its a common belief that the one with purple stem causes less itchiness in throat while eating Patrode. Many refrain from eating owing to potential itchiness in trachea and throat region due to which you do not want to go through the ordeal. To tackle this, Tamarind is added to the batter. The main reason for itchiness in leaves is due to the presence of Calcium Oxalate crystals which is believed to reduce its impact after considerable amount of cooking.

Patrodo has 2 major parts - Getting the leaves deveined and getting the batter to be smeared ready which is also called as Peet in Konkani. The leaves mesh well with the paste to create a unique flavour which is one of its kinds. Various leaves used for making Patrode are - Marvala Paan, Tere Paan and Patrode Paan. While rest of them are available in plenty during the rainy season, Marvala Paan grows on trees and is very thick, rubbery in texture. My Ammama used to procure them from local farmers who used to rear their cattle into forests and pick them up from trees. Since they grow high on trees, one needs to be skilled enough to climb the tree and pick the right leaves.

Devour with some coconut oil slathered on top of each Patrode, you are set for a cool afternoon siesta. If some remain for the next day, dredge them in some Rava and pan-fry with little oil and they turn into crispy rolls. The Patrode taste even better the next day. :)

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes maximum

Ingredients:

Taro Leaves/ Patrodey Paan/ Tere Paan/ Marvala Paan - 8-15

Red Chillies (Byadgi preferred) - 5-8

Rice (Sona Masoori) - 1/4 cup

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Asafoetida - 1 tiny ball - use the edible gum and not the powdery one
Tamarind/ Bilimbi (any souring agent) - 1/2 tsp

Salt - As per taste

Water - For batter consistency

Coconut oil - For garnishing Patrodo

Contraptions used ~ Idli Steamer/ Pedaavan or Patrodo/ Sanna Steamer

Method:
1. Wash the Taro leaves thoroughly and flip them over on the non-shiny side and remove the veins with a knife. Soaking in water is believed to reduce the effect of Calcium Oxalate crystals which causes the itchiness. Pre-soak rice for 2-3 hours in water. Roast Red Chillies and once they are cooled down, grind to a stiff paste with grated coconut, salt, tamarind, asafoetida and rice. The paste must be stiff and tight, so add very less water while grinding the paste. The stickier the paste the better.
2. Add enough water in a steamer and transfer on stove to boil water with the lid on. Arrange the leaves in order of their size, this helps while choosing the leaves for applying the paste. On a work surface, take one taro leaf with the non-shiny side facing up and the stem side facing you. Smear the paste evenly on the entire leaf, place another leaf covering 3/4 of the previous leaf and smear the paste. Similarly add leaves and smear the paste till all leaves are done. Fold the sides and roll them over to a cylindrical shape, apply paste on all sides and fold the edges in. Once done, you could tie a string to hold them together, make slices of 1/2 a inch and place them in the steamer side by side and stack one upon another when one complete circle is done. Alternately, one could also pick the whole roll (known as Lollo in Konkani) and steam cook it. The steamer water should be boiling hot by now. Cover the steamer with a lid and let it steam on medium-to-high flame for 30-45 minutes.
3. Once done and completely cooked, scoop each of the piece and serve hot with coconut oil. Should they remain for next day, dredge them in rava and pan-fry with little oil and you have Patrodo Rava Fry.

Idlis in Jackfruit Leaves (Khotte/ Hittu/ Kadubu)

Idlis are always a savior when it comes to long trips and heavy duty breakfast required especially during festivals, travels, weddings. I love Idlis and much better if they come in Jack fruit leaves. Nothing to beat the aroma of steamed Idlis in Jack fruit leaves (Pansaa Paan). Initially, in cities when we wanted Jack fruit leaves we used to get shocked looks in return much to the amusement of folks. Well, very few houses had Jack fruit trees and getting the leaves was a big problem. You eat leaves??? Well! Ahem, no! Then we had to explain the whole story and then we got to eat Khotte.
Khotte is a Konkani way of steaming Idlis in Jack fruit leaves containers. These containers are hand made at home. Nowadays you get them ready made in Mangalore stores in Bangalore or even street vendors in Udupi and Mangalore. Mom makes the best looking Khotte containers. She stitches the leaves in a very cute, very less spillage and steams them to the perfect level. I am still on the learning curve but can make decent Khotte containers. 4 Jack fruit leaves (pre-washed and dried) are stitched together with thin Bamboo sticks (which are pre-soaked in water for atleast 1/2 hour). They are stitched together to form a container. One by one fill these containers with Idli batter, steam as usual (20 minutes to 30 minutes). Have some chutney to go along and you are set for a filling, heavy duty Konkani breakfast.

Later, while in Bangalore I came to know that they go by the name of Kadubu. Granny said that olden days families were huge and they did not have massive Idli containers to use. Trees and their leaves were made to good use by ladies and ecologically they were more degradable, healthy and consumed less water for cleaning. How smart?

Preparation time: 30 minutes (steaming Idlis) + 30 minutes (stitching Khotte leaves) = 1 hour

Ingredients:

Idli Batter - 10 cups

Jack fruit leaves - 4 x 10 = 40 leaves

Bamboo sticks or Curry leaves sticks (sun dried) - 10-15

Water - For steaming Idlis

Contraption - Idli steamer : Available in plenty in India at steel and utensil stores

Method:

Make Idli batter using the recipe for Idlis. Take 4 leaves at a time. Stitch them together to form a container. Make 10-15 similar containers. Let the Steamer boil. Place Khotte one by one and cover the lid tightly. Allow to steam for 20 minutes. Remove from heat once completely cooked. Serve with Byadgi Red Chilli chutney.

Suggestions: If the Jackfruit leaves are a big crispy and tight for stitching, soak them in water for some time and then stitch them. That way, it becomes easier. In some Konkani houses, the Khotte is served with a spoon full of Coconut oil and mixed vegetables pickle or any other pickle with broth on the side. This combination tastes very delicious.

Chinese Potato Vegetable Side Dish (Kooka Upkari/ Koorka Upkari/Kookachi Bhaaji)

Kook/ Chinese Potato/ Koorka - One of the very rarely scarcely available vegetables and one of my personal seasonal favorites when it comes to seasonal Konkani preparations. I was unable to find Chinese Potato or Kook in US. Many years later, I found cooked Chinese Potato in the frozen section termed as Chinese Potato. They were nice, quick to cook and tasted good. Chinese Potato or Kook or Koorka as its called in Konkani language is available during particular seasons in coastal regions of Mangalore and Bangalore. Its similar to a root vegetable, blackish like a coal with rootlets and tiny roots attached, needs to be peeled and the black skin has to be removed neatly for the vegetable to be used and cooked.

The cleaning process for the vegetable is very different. The Potatoes are collected in a clean, dry gunny bag/ jute bag and the sides of the bag are enclosed in the hands, you then hit the gunny bag against the floor many a times, till the skin begins coming off on its own. Multiple repetition of this process ensures that the skin comes off; else you rub the jute bag against the surface of the Potato and peel them one by one. So, its quite a painstaking process but quite easy if one is patient enough. Many a times Mom had her entire palm blackened because of peeling requirement. Chinese Potato Upkari is a dish which was cooked and prepared at home from decades since I remember. My Grandmom also called as Ammamma fondly remembers this dish being cooked and prepared at home by her mother and aunts. My Grandma loves Chinese Potato preparations.

Picture of Kook/ Chinese Potato placed on Shiblo - Traditional Eco-friendly Utility Lids made from natural roots, creepers and fibers.


Chinese Potato is extremely good for Diabetes patients and is a also deemed as an important healthy vegetable. It is loved a lot by mom and dad. They love the Upkari version of Kook also called as Kooka Upkari. It is also used at times as an accompanying vegetable for various Ghashi's, Koddel's and Masala based curries. The taste of this vegetable is extremely delicious. It grows underground and requires whole lot of cleaning, peeling and cooking before it can be used. Special thanks to my Mom for providing the recipe and the pictorial. The Chinese Potato or Kook as you see is kept on a popular Konkani household item called Shiblo; Shiblo is a small plate made of natural tree parts, creepers and fibers; It is used for covering dishes and is utilized as a eco-friendly lid in many Konkani homes.

Recipe Source ~ Mom

Preparation time ~ 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Chinese Potato (sliced vertically) - 2 cups

Red Chillies (Byadgi variety preferred) - 3-4

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry Leaves - 6-7 leaves

Urad Dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Oil - For frying

Green Chillies (sliced) - 2

Salt - As per taste

Oil - For seasoning

Water - For boiling the vegetable

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Method:

Clean the Potatoes by taking the help of a rough cloth and peeling the skin of all the Potatoes. Sometimes the skin peeling technique leaves the fingers blackened. You could wear kitchen gloves should the need be. Wash them thoroughly in water and slice them vertically. This is a very common practice followed in all Konkani household where I have tasted and sampled this Upkari.

Heat oil in a saucepan, add mustard seeds and once it begins to pop, add the curry leaves and urad dal and red chillies, preferably broken into two pieces each. Give a gentle stir. Add sliced Potato pieces. Adjust salt as desired. Add enough water to completely immerse atleast 3/4th of the exposed area of the pan filled with the vegetable. Bring to boil and simmer on a low flame. Keep stirring in between. Test for doneness by tasting a small piece of it. If its done the vegetable will get evenly mashed and taste like a cooked potato. Turn off the flame after the water has evaporated and the vegetable is completely cooked.

Garnish with Grated coconut and serve hot alongwith Paej (Brown Soupy Rice). This combination is much appreciated and tried in many of my cousins house.

Raw Jackfruit Fries (Saalla Upkari)

There are some dishes which are very authentic Manglorean Konkani. Saalla Upkari is one such dish which is a luxury for me to eat because many a times they get over much before the stipulated time period of consumption. These Fries are very popular in South Canara cooking and owing to abundance of Jackfruit crop which gets harvested in summer, ladies get plenty of opportunities to store the raw jackfruit which are picked from the choicest of trees, treated with a marinade of salt water and stored for monsoon consumption. This is a family favorite dish. It demands lot of work in terms of getting the right Jackfruit for the Fries. During summer, granny used to pick the most raw and tender Jackfruit kernels and marinade them in salt water with sea stones placed as weight on top of the kernels. These marinated Jackfruit kernels are called as Saal in Konkani. They had to be preserved in the salt water marinade for months together and eaten as a Reserve Food during Monsoon. They were stored in Porcelain Jars called as Bharnee in Konkani. Some of my aunts even now have tall porcelain Bharnee at their homes. My granny still has the tall, gigantic looking porcelain jars which she uses to store Raw Mango, Raw Jackfruit, Raw Paasphanas in salt water.

It takes me back to old stories which Grandma recited wherein during olden days, people did not have enough access to vegetables and groceries during rainy season. The best way to have reserve food and produce was begin the stock in summer. After nearly 3-6 months of marinade, the Jackfruit kernels are ready to be eaten. Mom had a small batch of Saal which she used to make Upkari recently. The kernels have to be evenly coated with red chilli powder. This recipe is not for the faint hearted and can be little bit spicy but very very tasty. I thought of posting them immediately lest they remain to be a royal dish and long forgotten one for the posterity.

Recipe Source ~ Mom

Preparation time ~ 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Raw Jackfruit - 2 cups

Water - 1/2 cup

Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Coconut Oil - For frying

Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Method:

Pick 2 cups of Raw Jackfruit from the stock and wash them thoroughly in water till the salty taste evades completely or is less in the jackfruit kernels. Sometimes, its better to soak them in water for an hour before they are ready to be cooked. Slice them if required or keep them even as they were when they were in the marinade.

Heat oil in a deep dish pan, season with mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the sliced Jackfruit kernels and add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Give a gentle stir, add enough water for cooking purpose (almost 1/2 cup for 2 cups of Jackfruit) and cover with a lid and allow to simmer. Once water evaporates, stir well and serve hot with Rice and Daali Thoi.

Suggestions: If the Jackfruit kernels are on the firmer side, add more water while cooking. If the kernels are soft, then add less water, cooking time is less for these. If they are overcooked they would turn soggy and lose their flavour.

Urad Daal Vadaa (Biskut Aambado)

Biscut Aambado is a popular Konkani snack cum breakfast item. Its is lavishly prepared during weddings, pooja ceremonies, birthdays and marks the sign of celebration in my home. Biscut Aambado is my father's favorite. He can simply give in to multiple helpings of this dish and yet be not too satisfied. It has the shape which is usually round hence Aambado and is crispy like a Biscuit, but its pronounced as Biscut Aambado (Bis-kuut - Aam-bado). Served with chutney, these Vaadas should be consumed hot and straight from the stove. Mom makes amazing Vadaa and I love sitting next to the stove and consuming them one by one. Her crust is very crispy with a crunchy feel to it and the core is extremely soft and well cooked always.

Manglorean Konkani Biscut Aambado is very similar to Uddin Vada or Medu Vada. My Mumbai friend used to call it as Medu Vadaa and my friend from Bangalore and Chennai would address as Uddin Vadai. At one time I got confused with all the fancy nomenclature, later was ushered into the facts by my Mom. Mom's seem to have all the answers, don't they? My Pacchi (aunty in Konkani language) asked me to do it like a doughnut (with a hole in the centre); I was too happy to make it my way because the doughnut shape requires skill and a dextrous hand; leave it if its a doughnutty-shaped or simple round, albeit closer to it, I am happy as long as its good and crispy. Udupi's Mitra Samaj - a nice restaurant based out of Udupi serving authetic Konkani South Canara snacks sells one of the most delicious Aambado's I have ever eaten. I found one nice article on Outlook India describing the tasty treats of Mitra Samaj, please click here to read it. They are also famous for their Goli Bajey - a konkani snack made of refined flour, gram flour and green chillies.

Preparation Time ~ 30 minutes
Serves ~ 20-25 Aambado (small sized)

Ingredients:
Urad Dal (Whole white Urad Daal, without skin) - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 2 (chopped)
Grated coconut - 2-4 teaspoons
Coconut meat pieces (called as Kaatley in Konkani) - 2 teaspoons
Curry leaves (chopped) - 4-6
Ginger (minced) - 1 teaspoon
Salt - As per taste
Oil - For frying

Method:
Soak Urad daal in water after multiple wash for 3-4 hours. Grind to a paste with very less water or no water (as desired). I added few tablespoons of water for grinding consistency. The paste should be thick and not runny. Add minced ginger, coconut both grated and pieces, curry leaves, green chillies and salt.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Check for heat by frying a small ball of dough first. If done, then pour ping-pong ball sized scoops of the mixture one by one. Transfer off heat to a paper towel once they are golden brown and have a crispy shell and a cooked core. Serve with chutney of your choice.