Sol Kadi with Ajwain (Owya chi Sol Kadi/ Ove Sol Kadi)

I relish Sol Kadi and enjoy the soothing beverage during warm summer days.

I like adding Ajwain in my daily cooking, so more often than not, it gets limited to Pakoras which I don't make very often. Ajwain is known as Bishop's weed or Carom seeds. It is known as Owa in Marathi and Ovo in GSB Konkani. Recently, I was on a pantry clean-up spree and I found a jar of Ajwain lying in the far dark corner of my kitchen shelf. I knew I had to use it immediately and found this recipe scribbled in my recipe journal.

I made this Sol Kadi with Ajwain and Pepper Corns, it turned out delicious. My Ma makes this on days when she observes special diet for e.g no onions and garlic or a fast for Sankashti/ Vinayaki. One of my Pachi (Aunt) who hails from Goa also makes this version at home. My Ma learned the approach from her. I enjoy this Kadi for the tangy flavor rendered by Kokum shells which mingles beautifully with mildly pungent taste of Ajwain. In GSB Konkani, Ajwain is known as Ovo, hence Ove Sol Kadi.

Carom Seeds | Ajwain

Ajwain/ Carom seeds/ Bishop's weed packs quite a lot of health benefits:

- Ajwain is effective due to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-spasmodic properties.

- It is effective for stomach infection, stomach ache and flatulence (gas).

- It is helpful for tooth ache, ear ache and relaxes muscle pain.

- It is effective for stomach pain when eaten with a little salt. 

~ Ove Sol Kadi ~

Preparation time: 60 minutes (includes soaking time)

Processing time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

Kokum Shells - 5-8

Thick Coconut Milk (Canned or freshly extracted) - 1 cup

Green Chillies (slit lengthwise) - 2

Salt

Ground to a fine paste -

Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 2 tbsp.

Green Chilli (seared in oil) - 1

Ajwain (Carom seeds) - 1/2 tsp

Whole Black Pepper Corns - 5-7

For Garnish (optional) - freshly chopped Coriander leaves bits - 1 tsp.

Method:

1. Soak Kokum shells in approx. 3/4 cup of cool water along with two slit green chillies.

2. In a small frying pan, sear a green chilli in very little oil. Be careful as the chilli bursts due to pressure with seeds flying in all directions. Allow to cool.

3. Grind the seared green chilli, ajwain and whole black pepper corns to a paste along with fresh grated coconut. Add little water just enough to get a smooth paste.

3. Extract thick coconut milk out of one fresh coconut (approx. one cup). One can substitute with canned Coconut Milk. Add this to the Kokum water along withe ground paste. Adjust salt as per taste. Mix well. Discard or retain  green chillies and Kokum as per choice. Serve with warm rice.

Seared Baby Brinjal (Vaangi Talaasana)

Vaangi or Vaingana is Brinjal/ Eggplant in Marathi and Konkani respectivey. Growing up, we preferred soupy parboiled rice few days in a week for dinner, it is also called as Paej or Ganji Utaa. I love to combine Paej with Vegetable side dish of different sorts.

When I was a yuppy fussy teeny bopper, Mom delegated the task of preparing and planning dinner side dish to me. I discovered cooking wasn't that difficult if one had the relentless pursuit pepped with creativity to keep trying. It was much of a training period for me in disguise. As much as I vehemently protested, spending time in the kitchen discovering the otherwise alien sort of spices and vegetables certainly pleased my senses!

I also began to respect the effort which every individual puts in the meal preparation process be it for family dinners, lunches or large gatherings for that matter. I learned to perfect this recipe and over a period of time everybody used to relish this preparation, especially my Daddy. For best results, use tender Brinjal. I used Kokum, the tangy sour konkan fruit to neutralize and balance the spicy flavour.

~ Vaangi Talaasana ~

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:
Brinjal/ Eggplant (diced into 1/4" pieces) - 2 cups
Garlic (crushed) - 2-3 jumbo pods
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Green Chilli (optional) - 1
Kokum (wet) - 2 shells
Salt
Oil/Ghee

Method:
Wash the Brinjal and dice them into thin 1/4" slices. In a deep dish pan, heat few spons of oil, temper with crushed garlic and green chillies. Saute till they are seared. Add the diced Brinjal pieces now. Add the spice powders, salt and stir for couple of minutes. All the Brinjal pieces should get an even coating of spice powder. Add the Kokum shell now and stir. Sprikle handful of water and cover with a lid and simmer on low flame. Brinjal steam cooks in it own juices. Cook till completely done. The pieces wilt and reduce in size upon cooking. Remove Kokum shells while servings if required. Serve warm as a side dish.