Gauri Pooja/ Vaina Pooja/ Tai - An Essay

We celebrate Gauri Pooja/ Tai/ Vaina Pooja the day before Shukla Chaturthi which falls in Bhadrapad month as per the Hindu calendar. It's a holy and auspicious occassion for married ladies or 'Savashini'. This pooja is performed the day before Ganesh Chaturthi. This pooja honors Gauri also known as Parvati, mother of Lord Ganesh.

The rituals begin the day before where married women get dehusked coconuts and decorate them. During the entire process of pooja, the ladies are advised to follow no garlic - no onion diet. Some do it the previous day for sheer ease or convenience. Coconuts in batches of odd numbers of 3, 5, 7, 11 or 21 are worshipped. Some families who have this as a ritual practice, some families do not have it as a ritual hence do not practice it. The choicest, fresh and large coconuts brimming with water are chosen for the pooja. My grandmon, the pious, strict and precise person that she is, did the decoration the first thing after early morning head-bath without partaking breakfast and with no onion-no garlic diet.

The coconuts symbolic of Gauri devi are de-husked with a sharp sickle (Koita in Konkani) to look completely huskless. Thereafter, the coconuts are washed in Turmeric water (Haldi Udda). Once they are washed, the coconuts are ready for decoration. The three holes in the Coconut symbolise Gauri's face. The eyes are decorated with 'Kajal' the Indian black colored kohl, the mouth is decorated with 'Sindhur', an orange colored vermillion which is usually adorned by married women on their forehead. Even Turmeric (Haladi) is used as a substitute. The forehead is adorned with Sandalwood paste made from fresh ground sandal wood, ground on Saani. The area where the coconut can be exactly halved is covered with a while line usually done with a white chalk. Thereafter the Vaina as they are called, are spread on a huge plantain leaf, each of the Vaina perched on a mound of rice. Neivedyam of choice is offered, some offer Godu Phovu, Karanji, Chane Panchakajjaya, etc. At my native, the lunch components are also offered as part of the Neivedyam. A potrait of Gauri and Mahadev is worshipped along side. The Gauri is adorned with mangalsutra, bangles. Before the traditional Arathi (traditional hymns sung in praise of the lord) and Pooja, the earthen lamps are placed in front of each of the coconuts.

Pooja concludes with the Coconuts offered to every married lady attending and participating in the pooja ceremony. Some even distribute the coconuts/ Vaina after the ceremony is over. These Vaina can be given any time to any married lady, preferably within the period of Bhadrapad or before Anant Chaturdashi, the 14th day before the Shukla period concludes. The traditional food includes Khotto, Patrodo, Phodi, Daalithoi, Upkari, Godshe, Saaru, Modak, Chakuli, Undo, etc. After the Pooja, the food is partaken by all members of the family.

This ritual is also symbolic of the significance of a mother and also celebrates the respect and reverence offered to women in the family. This is the time of the year when I miss my family the most - especially my Mom, Dad and my In-Laws. I believe when you are miles away from your kith and kin, you learn to value and appreciate the importance of family, togetherness and happiness that's come along with it which is often taken for granted. Hence, I celebrate this in my own little way with my family around to relinquish the moments gone by, welcome & appreciate the present and aspire for a bright and prosperous future for my family and friends.

Rotti of Kori Rotti Fame ~ A Manglorean Delight: An Essay

Kori Rotti is a pop Manglorean delicacy which in my opinion is a rockstar dish! Hot, spicy Chicken Curry and Rotti to go along - a lip smacking dish loved by many a folks in my family. The flavour of Kori Rotti can get many a foodie's drooling over the combination. From a culinary standpoint, the Rotti used in Kori Rotti has always caught my attention.

Rotti is a thin, slice of bread which is more often than square shaped. You will find these crispy goodies in local grocery stores in Mangalore and Udupi area. The Rotti is made with a rice paste on a griddle (I have never tried making it but my Mom has) crisped to perfection and then dried off. Today, owing to the invasion of gadgets and easy-lifestyle choices which people are making, many people prefer buying the ready-to-eat Rotti packs which you get in local grocery stores. This is also a very popular dish amongst Tulu (Bunt) communities. This is also a rockstar food for large family dinners, banquets and weddings in Mangalore and Udupi should the menu be non-vegetarian.

Kori is Chicken and Rotti is the thin crispy wafer like bread which is supposed to be partaken with the Chicken dish. The easiest way to eat this dish is grab a handful of Rotti, crush them with your hands, and dunk them and mix them in the chicken curry and enjoy the crunch with the munch! :)

Surprisingly, in my house one Rotti pack gets demolished in a jiffy for dinner or lunch. I prefer dunking the Rotti in hot Sambhar, the spicy hot combination is simply awesome. The shelf life of a Rotti pack runs from a week to two, so you can customise and use this thin bread for your choice of recipes and dishes. The local grocery pack's Rotti quantity is good enough for a banquet. These quintessential regional culinary styles and the way of eating a particular dish simply amaze me.

Manglorean Bafat ~ A Portuguese Inspired Spice Blend

Manglorean Bafat or Bafad spice powder is a commonly used spice blend in Manglorean Catholic and Goan Catholic cuisines. Bafat spice powder is a spice blend of lots of Red Chillies, some Cumin seeds, some Coriander seeds, generous Whole black pepper corns and stub of Turmeric stick if available. Add a touch of Vinegar and you can make the spice powder with the easily available pantry ingredients right within the comfort of your kitchen.

Traditionally, Bafat based curries made liberal use of Bafat spice blend. The explosive heat generated due to the spices and Red Chillies are snapped off by the sublime hint of tangy vinegar flavour in the meat dishes with pepper undertones. Primarily they are used for Pork, Poultry and Meat dishes of choice. Some buy ready made spice powder, some prefer to make it at home. I prefer buying ready made spice powders from local vendors in Mangalore simply because I need not add Vinegar while cooking the meat dishes. The spice powder already has preserves of Vinegar in it which makes a chef's life easy. :)

The curries are very easy and simple to make. More often than not all the ingredients are thrown in the pot, allowed to steam cook, garnished with all the spices and your Bafat is ready. I recall watching a dear Aunty of Catholic heritage, a very close friend of ours who cooked the most amazing Portuguese dishes when I was a tiny tot. She cooked the tastiest Cafreal, Vindaloo, Balchao's. Her Christmas special spread was always bursting with the tangiest dark Guava Cheese, crispy pink Rose cookies, Kul-Kuls, Jujubes, Coconut Bolinhas, Bebincas and Marzipans. Needless to say, I was the proud taste tester in her kitchen. She once asked me if I am interested to watch her cook Pork Bafat and I nonchalantly watched her pouring in all the meat, spices, onions, loads of garlic and steam cooking all of it. I did not pay much attention because I am not much of a Bacon/Pork lover. But the whole process seemed very fascinating to me at that age.

More in details - select your meat of choice, saute large amount of onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies and cook the meat with some whole spices (optional) along with the Bafat spice blend with some water. The steam cooked meat soaks in all the spices and since its cooked on slow flame the dish gets the spicy yet tangy flavour of Bafat Masala. Based on ones preference of meat, one can make Pork Bafat, Chicken Bafat, Prawns Bafat or if you wish a Vegetarian Bafat dish as well. This spice blend primarily discovered to be cooked with Pork, has now been tweaked around to suit various meat and vegetarian preferences. We prefer the masala for fish and egg based recipes. If bursting with sweaty beads is your idea of a perfect meat dish, than Bafat perfectly fits the bill.

Sichuan Pepper (Teppal/ Tirfhal) - An Essay

There are many who love and get mesmerised by the subtle pungent aroma of this herb - Sichuan Pepper or Teppal. The outer black colored pod in the dark black berry fruit is used in ample amount of cooking in Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Tibetan, Nepalese and Korean cooking. The flavour is not pungent but very subtle which leaves a deep numbness on your palate once you eat it (even if by mistake). Every year we get abundant supply of these unique flavoured pods from our native place in Goa, Mumbai and Mangalore.

The younger bunches are plucked from the tree once the fruit is completely formed which is dark greenish in color and then sold in market in bunches of 10's and 20's tied together. I recall visiting my friend's farmhouse in Goa, India during childhood days where we saw plenty of Sichuan Pepper trees ready for harvest. In the local market, you will vendors selling bunches of dark greenish barries tied together and sold for a tiny sum. We get the bunches from the local market and sun-dry them. With gradual exposure to sun for around a week or two, the green berry dries to separate the black outer hard shell, leaving a black berry and over a period of time dropping off the black fruit. The black fruit is discarded and the outer shell is retained for culinary use. Quite amusing but the outer black skin is used for culinary use and the black berry is discarded, which often confuses people on the appropriate use of Sichuan Pepper. In Goan Konkani, this is known as Tirphal or Tirfhal or Tirfala. In Manglorean Konkani, it is known as Teppal.

Sun-dried Sichuan Pepper twigs on a bunch

Mostly the Pepper pods are used for dishes which have fish and coconut as the primary ingredient. These outer pods provide excellent aroma to the curry and should NOT be ground along with the curry else you will feel the numbness on your palate for hours together. These Pepper pods are added as a supplement along with the curries to enhance the flavour. Since I have hardly seen them at stores here in US, I make sure I get my supply from India. Some of my friends have found them in Chinese stores in US and go by the name of Chinese Pepper or Sczhezwan Pepper or Sichuan Pepper. The outer pods which are used for many a Konkani, Marathi and Goan dishes, blend well with Fish curries, Kadhi's and other Coconut based preparations. Few dishes which we make with Sichuan Pepper are - Teppal Kadhi (With Coconut), Koddel (With Teppal), Aambat (With Teppal), Stir Fry (Sukke) etc.

Drumstick (Mashingaa Saang/ Maska Saang/ Shevgyaa chya Shengaa) - An Essay

Drumstick - a delicious vegetable is in season now. The tree belongs to 'Moringa' family. During summer time, the Drumstick flowers are in full bloom and the local markets are adorned with the slender, long stems; some markets even sell the leaves and the edible flowers which can be used for various culinary treats. The Drumstick stem, leaves and flowers are abundatly used in my home for various delicious dishes.

The Drumstick tree grows to a tall 10-15 metre height. The branches of the tree are spread out and the leaves are tiny, greenish with a very strong aroma upon plucking. The tree is primarily well known for the green pods popularly known as Drumstick (English), Shevgyaa chya Shengaa (Marathi), Nuggekayee (Kannada), Maskaa Saang/ Mashingaa Saang (Amchi GSB Konkani).

The tall, slender green pods of the fruit of Drumstick have a soft, slimy pulp which is very tasty. The Drumstick pods taste good when they are tender. The Drumstick can be chopped and used for various curries, sambhar or simply fritters as per choice. The green skin of the drumstick has to be lightly chopped off to expose the light green surface area of the pod. They cook very easily and change color to dark green upon cooking. The leaves are also used for various dishes ranging from Subji's to curries. The flower of the tree (Phool in Konkani) can also be tweaked and used as per taste. Only the white flowers and white buds are used for edible use. The tree is widely cultivated and harvested for edible use in various pockets of Central America, Africa and Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia et al.

The nutrition value of the Drumstick cannot be undermined. The bark, green pods, leaves and flowers have ample curative properties including being rich source of Iron, Potassium, Beta Carotene and Vitamin C. Special mention needs to be given to the Drumstick leaves which is a storehouse of nutrition and is endowed with lot of curative elements.

[Picture courtesy credit - Wikipedia for Drumstick Flower - (as stated in the Creative Commons Contract)]

Breadfruit (Jeev Kadgi/ Neer Phanas) - An Essay

Breadfruit is a green, round species primarily belonging to the Mulberry family. The bark or the surface area of the fruit (Saali in Konkani) has hexagonal like structures. The fruit finds wide prominence and grows in abundance in Tropical region with good amount of rainfall and sunlight.

Breadfruit is known as Jeev Kadgi/ Jee Gujji in Konkani and Neer Phanas in Marathi. The leaves of the tree are wide spread, and grow upto 20-25 metres in height. The fruit of the tree is a most sought after one. The fruit has a starch content and can be roasted, baked, boiled, fried or deep fried depending on preference. The more fresh and young the Breadfruit the better the taste and flavour.


Some of my friends prefer eating the Breadfruit on Mondays and Thursdays when the diet is vegetarian in nature (Shivraag in Konkani). Cutting and chopping the fruit is a little tedious task. The knife needs to be well oiled, some oil applied on the palm before beginning the cutting process. This is to prevent the sticky milk of the fruit (called as Deek in Konkani) clinging to the hands while chopping the fruit. The bark is gently chipped off to find the white, soft meat of the fruit. The central core which is a thin tall membrane (Pith) called as Geeru in Konkani is extracted and discarded. Rest of the fruit is cut into desired shapes and sizes and used as per choice.

My mom makes quite a lot of dishes from Breadfruit. Few which I wish to mention are - Breadfruit Fritters (Jeev Kadgi Phodi), Breadfruit Side Dish (Jeev Kadgi Upkari), Breadfruit Chickpea Curry in Coconut sauce (Jeev Kadgi Chane Soyi Bhajili Ghashi).

Breadfruit if stored, stay good for a week upon refrigeration. The fresher the Breadfruit, the better the taste and flavour. The Breadfruit can be found in huge numbers in tropical areas of Asia and Carribean regions. Couple of my cousins have huge Breadfruit trees in their backyard and I have fond memories of Breadfruit picking activity which we used to participate during summer. The fruit of the tree is an adored one and is a staple food in many a tropical regions across the globe.

Tender Banana Plantain Stem (Gabbo/ Gabbe) - An Essay

Tender Banana Stem (Gabbo or Gabbe)

Banana Plantain is an adored foliage in most of the western and southern parts of India. Every independent house would inevitably have one cosy corner adorned with bounties of Plantain families nestling together. The simple process of planting a Banana Plantain begins with the process of getting a baby sapling (Kele Kurlo) and planting in a marshy region of the backyard. Within few months you would begin to see tender shoots of dark green and light green sprouting out and the tree shooting towards the heaven.

Banana Plantain has many a parts which can be consumed or utilised in the kitchen, home or just for general purpose use. The Banana's can be used in raw or ripe form for edible delights. The leaves of Banana are used as plates while having/serving food especially for religious ceremonies, weddings, mass lunch and dinners. The skin of Banana especially the browned ones are soaked in water and sun-dried. Then they are used as threads to sew flowers (Kele Vaayu). The Banana flower (Kele Bondi) which is a reddish conch shaped element sprouting out along with the Banana bunch is also used to make many a tasty dishes. The most interesting part of Banana is the Tender Banana stem (Gabbo) which is embedded within the trunk of the Banana Plantain. Once the Banana bunch is trimmed from the tree, the Plantain is chopped off from the ground level. The trunk is then chipped off,of the many a layers of skin to find a tube shaped stem found in the core which is edible, rich is fibre and extremely nutritious. In Konkani, its known as Gabbo or Gabbe. The stem has to be scaled off the layers, chopped into slices and used as a complementary vegetable in Konkani dishes like Koddel, Bendi and all Masala based curries.

Banana Bunch on the Plantain

Interestingly, many of them are not aware of the Tender Banana Stem and discard the trunk once the harvest is completed. I have seen the stems being available in local markets in Udupi, Mangalore and some areas of Bombay markets as well. My parents source the Stems from local farmers who own large farms with arrays of Plantain. The Stem has many a curative powers especially for kidney related ailments and urinary disorders. Owing to the high fibre content, the fibrous cellulose content of the Stem acts as a cleanser and keeps the kidney in good shape. It also acts as a roughage when introduced in curries and gravies due to the high fibre content. Its an astonishing fact to learn that nature can endow a single plant form with so many utilities.

Udupi Mattu Gulla or Udupi Brinjal - An Essay

The story of Udupi Brinjal or Gulla begins with a key figure, a saint named Swami Vaadiraja. In Udupi, a special variety of Brinjal is known as Mattu Gulla or Matti Gulla. This is a heirloom variety of seed with a 100+ year old legacy and age; grows only in the land of Udupi at a small village named Mattu, located near Udayavar. This story was narrated to me by my mother. Swami Vaadiraja used to offer a delicacy prasad named Hayagreeva Maddi to Lord Hayagreeva, a white horse lord. Hayagreeva Maddi is a sweet delicacy made of Bengal Gram, Jaggery, Ghee and Grated Coconut. Incidentally, this is my mothers favorite sweet as well. Vaadiraja used to offer the offering everyday to Lord Hayagreeva. This Maddi was kept on his head and the horse-shaped lord would partake some portion of it and leave some for Vaadiraja.

Some devotees who did not get to eat the Maddi plotted a plan and mixed poison in one such preparation. As usual, Vaadiraaja offered the offering to Lord Hayagreeva and no sooner he had a portion of it, he turned blue. Lord Hayagreeva did not leave any morsel for Vaadiraaja and cleaned the bowl. Incidentally, the Udupi Krishna idol turned blue. The same night around, Vaadiraaja had a dream that few seeds of a brinjal ought to be given to Udupi village farmers hailing from a place named Mattu. They would be required to harvest a crop and offer the Mattu Gulla or Brinjal to Lord Krishna. The Brinjal would serve as a remedy for extracting the poison off the lord. Promptly, the farmers sowed the seeds, harvested the crop and offered the Gulla to Lord Krishna and thereby the poison removed. This is the famous folklore associated with the origin of Mattu Gulla.

This Brinjal came to be known as the famous Mattu Gulla or Matti Gulla. This Brinjal is green in colors opposed to conventional blue Brinjals. The crown of the Brinjal has thorns on it and this Brinjal grows only in the land of Udupi. The Brinjal has a spherical, oblong apperance with a light and dark green hue as shown in the picture. The other picture is a successful attempt to harvest a Mattu Brinjal grown at a friends place in Udupi in the nascent stage. Even to this date, the villagers come from Mattu to Udupi Krishna Math before sowing the seeds. Once the crop is done and the harvest is ready, the first harvest is offered to Udupi Krishna Math, Udupi and then sold in markets and commercial areas. The Gulla once immersed in water oozes a blackish liquid and hence the water turns black.

Recently, the Udupi Brinjal was in news for lot of reasons. Apparently, the genetic modification of the crop would result in loss of the original composition and makeup of the the famous Brinjal. I was sad to note this as I have been eating the delicious, rare, green Brinjals ever since I was a kid. Hope the centre takes a firm decision to abhor and stop the practice thereby giving the Brinjals their unique identity and status for which they are well known for.

We make lot of delicacies of Brinjal like Stuffed Brinjal (Gulla Puddi Sagley), Gulla Fritters (Gulla Bajey), Gulla Sambhar (Gulla Kolmbo). My granny awaits the Gulla season to arrive so that the enture family can sample a piece of this tradition which has a rich legacy and saga associated with it. She has one old lady Farmer who supplies us with Gulla straight from farm since last 25 years; every year when the harvest season completes, she first comes to our place because she knows half of her supply would dwindle in a minute. I hope and pray that the genetic modification battle ends on its own without hampering the originality and the genetic makeup of this great vegetable which we all adore in my family.

Update - [Further to this post getting published, a good samaritan send me a link on the whole debate of genetic modification of Matti Gulla. The need for Mattu Gulla to attain a GI Status, Geographical Indication is the crux of the debate. The sad part is the Brinjal would lose its essence should the GI status be opted for, owing to further propagation of the modified form of Brinjal which leads me to believe that the original taste and flavour of the Brinjal would be compromised for. I know that having eaten vegetables for ages this need not be a big issue but considering the various marvels of technology and the bane it brings along, this is just the beginning. The day is not far when most of the vegetables which we consume are genetically modified and revolutionised to a great degree beyond recognition. The taste would be a far cry from what you consumed as a child. My empathy goes to the hard working Farmers who would lose out a great share of the productivity pie if the move gets replicated to other vegetables leave alone the good old Brinjal. The article and subject matter details can be found on this article]

Farmers Market: At Broadway - New York

I have always had an ongoing fascination with the Farmers Market here in US. Some months ago during our trip to New York, I was wandering around the town exploring the local scene, trying to capture the glitz and glamorous spirit and much talked about diversity of the most beautiful city in the world - New York. Lucky me, I found the pictures as well in my folder. The city has something special I must say!

This Market place caught my fascination - the Farmers Market located near Broadway and Wall Street. Its a tiny strip perched right opposite to famous Broadway Cube. You would spot lot of folks selling their local produce straight from the Farm. I love to shop for groceries and vegetables from the Farmers market. There is one near our house where I shop from, for the most sturdy Zucchini, the cutest chubby Banana Pepper, the freshest crunchiest Lettuce. You can spot some cute salad items, fruits of many many varieties and freshest of Radishes and Celery.

Ahhh! The sight, smell, sounds take me back to the much hyped and famous Mapusa Friday Market of Mapusa, Goa. Mapusa Market is held every Friday from morning 10:00 a.m onwards. I used to always go shopping for clothes, junk jewellery and other knick-knacks on Friday because the catch is quite a big one! You will find the most authetic stuff be it Leather jackets, Earthenware diyas, pots, pans, anklets. Fish and Seafood of different sizes and shapes, local Pao, Kaaknaa (a bread with the shape of a Bangle, kaakan is Goan konkani term for Bangle), Polee or Pui (a bread with an oval shape) and Katree (a type of Pao which has the shape of Scissors hence called Katree in Goan Konkani). I found a wonderful narrative on Mapusa Friday Market on Soul Cocina's blog. The pictures are a sheer treat for the eyes. In Goan Konkani, its known as Baazaar, a place where folks come to trade, sell and buy different goods and produce.

I shopped for some vegetables (Can you believe now how excited I was??). I bought 1 pound of Farm Red Onions, 1 Beets on the leaves, 2 Pears and 2 Sansa Red Apples. All for.....guess the price? A motley sum of $5.00! If only I stayed closer to NY or in NY, I would have shopped for days together at the Farmers Market. Economical, Closer to Organic fresh variety and its delight to see the smile on the faces of the Farmers selling their wares. Reminds me of Citibank Credit card ad. Priceless!