Potato Saung (Batate Saung/ Batate Song)

Potato Saung is a popular Konkani dish and has a great spicy kick to it. Yes, that's the actual name of a dish. But certainly a song of a different kind. The nomenclature of the dish never fails to amuse me.

Growing up, we had 5-6 Konkani families as friends and all of us loved to head out on Sundays for family picnics. Together, we explored all the lakes, beaches, temples, creeks, mountains, hills and brooks you could think of. That also explains my love for nature clad, scenic places especially the silent, calming solitude found on a seashore. The best part is since the decision of Picnic was always last minute, the food was prepared either the previous day or early morning on Sunday. Ma was responsible for one dish - Potato Saung which was typically paired with Shevai - Konkani Rice Noodles, served with a splash of coconut oil. Soon, she became an expert and I've never tasted a better one. The plain taste of Shevai goes well with the spicy fiery hot flavor of Potato Saung. The secret of a great tasting Potato Saung is in the usage of Coconut oil.

I like to pair Potato Song with Chapati/ Roti/ Paratha. The base of the Song Masala can be used to make other varieties like Chinese Potato Saung (Kooka Song), Mushroom Saung, etc. Beware, this dish has a fiery edge to it and is certainly not meant for the faint hearted. A day old Saung tastes even better.

~ Potato Saung ~

Preparation time: 30 minutes (includes pressure cooking for Potatoes)

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Potatoes (peeled, boiled and cubed) - 4 cups

Onions (peeled and quartered) - 2 cups
Coconut oil
Salt

For Saung/ Song Masala -

Red Chillies (Byadgi variety [6] + Harekala [2] variety) - 8

Coriander seeds -  1 tbsp.

Chana Dal (optional) - 1 tsp.

Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp.

Tamarind - 1 tsp.

Method:

Boil Potatoes in the pressure cooker and peel, cube them and set aside. In a frying pan, heat a teaspoon of coconut oil and roast Red chillies along with Coriander seeds and Chana Dal. Dry roast for couple of minutes and allow to cool. Grind to a paste with little water, tamarind and coconut. 

In a deep bottomed dish, heat coconut oil and fry onions till they are translucent and lightly brown. Once the onions are cooked and browned, add the boiled potatoes and the ground masala, adjust salt as per taste, add water for more gravy and cook on medium flame for few minutes. Let it simmer for 5-8 minutes till the raw aroma goes off. Once cooked completely, turn off the flame and serve hot. This dish goes well with Roti or Rice-Dalithoi. 

Note - Coconut is added for consistency alone. Do not add a lot of it. Brown the onions lightly, this is a crucial step to get the right taste for the dish.

Raw Green Plantain Side Dish (Randayi Kele Talasaani)

Talasaani is a popular Konkani style of making side dish by searing vegetables. The method is just like Batate Talasaani/ Batate Bhajjunu Upkari but tasty nevertheless. On a rare day, I had two Raw Green Plantains (Randayi Kele in Konkani) which needed my attention. I made Randayi Kele Talasaani, the taste was delicious. This can also be a good substitute if you like deep fried/ shallow fried version of a vegetable. This preparation takes less oil, you could roast and add more oil to make it more tasty.

If you further conscious, use squirts of Pam Cooking spray instead of adding oil with a spoon. In last few years, my parents have made lot of changes to their diet and I have begun right away. Replacing regular flour with whole, adding salad/ fibre component to diet, eating fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible instead of binge eating, portion control, checking on meat consumption, lots of water intake and including some form of exercise in your daily routine and last but not the least positive thinking rewards lot of benefits. Believe me, in the long run it does make a difference to your overall health and well being. I like to pair this dish with Dalithoi and cooked rice. 

~ Randayi Kele Talasaani ~

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Raw Green Plantain (cut into 1/4" strips) - 2 cups

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.

Salt

Coconut Oil

For Seasoning -

Red Chillies (Byadgi) - 2

Garlic Jumbo pods (crushed lightly) - 2

Method:

Wash and rinse the raw green plantain and peel off the skin (just one layer). Cut them into thin strips of 1" size and keep aside. In a frying pan, heat at least 3 tbsp. of oil and season with crushed garlic. Once garlic turns light brown, add the red chillies split into two. Lower the flame and add the plantain strips, add turmeric and red chilli powder. Increase the flame to medium now and roast the vegetable. Add little oil if the vegetables are going dry. Sprinkle water couple of times, the vegetables cook quickly (I sprinkled two times with a gap of 5 minutes). Toward the end once the vegetable is cooked, add little oil and roast well. Turn off flame. Serve with warm cooked rice and Dalithoi.

Note - Chop the vegetables into 1/4" narrow strips, so that they cook faster and evenly. For best results, use Coconut oil.
 

Peach Cobbler with Whipped Vanilla Cream

I like the sound of few words, for instance - Peaches. 

Weekend groceries got a pound and more of Peaches home. Soon after I bought them, I realized that they would turn gooey ripe soon. Fruits of haphazard groceries, sigh! I wanted to make Poached Peaches paired with ice-cream. I also found a bag of old fashioned Oats which needed to be used. Peach Cobbler was my answer.

Apple Pie was my first trial on American classics and I was pleased. I like Peach Cobbler because the dish requires less labor unlike Apple Pie which wipes me out completely. The other reason is the history behind Peach Cobbler which is quite fascinating. The dish gets its name from the cobbled streets which is one of my favorite texture to walk upon. If you have not walked on cobbled streets, I am telling you it's a different feeling. After baking, the crust of a Cobbler takes the shape of a cobbled street, a bit wobbly and lumpy to form a brilliant design that looks like piece of art. My Cobbler crust looked like earthquake struck cobbled street, but the taste was fab. In hindsight, I think the brown sugar rendered to the crust looking brown and a bit cracked up. I found several recipes online and finally settled on the one below.

While serving, a Cobbler form is more free style so it can be just picked with a ladle and dropped into a dessert bowl like Lasagna (well almost). Cobbler is one dish where the fruit goes in baking dish first and then the crust follows suit. My crust is very light and not very cake like. Best part, you can make a cobbler out of any favorite fruit that bakes well. Peaches, Green Apples are some I've tried so far with satisfactory results. I substituted white sugar with brown sugar for smoky, brown texture and rustic taste. I also added Oats for texture and in hindsight was a brilliant decision because the Cobbler ended up having coarse but soft pudding like texture. I made a small batch, you could double it for a large crowd.

~ Peach Cobbler with Whipped Vanilla Cream ~

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

For Dressing Peaches -

Peaches (peeled, pitted and sliced) - 4

White Sugar  - 1/4 cup

Cinnamon - 1/3 tsp.

Lime juice - 1 tsp.

All Purpose Flour (Alternately, Cornstarch is a better option) - 1 tbsp.

For Cobbler crust -

Old fashioned Oats (powdered) - 1/4 cup

All Purpose Flour - 1/4 cup

Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup 

Baking powder - 1 tsp. 

Unsalted Butter (cold stick, cubed and added to mixture) - 4 tbsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp.

Vanilla Cream -

Cream - 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 4 tsp.

For Garnish - 

Brown Sugar (to be sprinkled before baking) - 1 tbsp.

Contraption needed - 

8" Baking dish

Pastry Blender (optional)

Method:

1. Dressing the Peaches - Rinse and pat dry the Peaches. Peel with a vegetable peeler and remove the pit. Slice into wedges. In a mixing bowl add the sliced Peaches, white sugar, cinnamon and lime juice. Give a good toss. Leave aside for 5 minutes. Once the juices ooze out, add APF and toss to coat all the slices.

2. Cobbler Crust - In another mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients first. Once done, add the cubed cold butter and blend the mixture to form a crumbly consistency. Use a pastry blender or your finger tips just the way I did.

3. Whipped Vanilla Cream - In a small mixing bowl, whisk cream with sugar and vanilla essence for at least 10 minutes till you get stiff peaks. It takes time but hand whisker also gives the same result. Use a stand mixer if you have one and whisk till you get stiff peaks. 

4. Assembly - Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a 8" metal cake dish, add the dressed Peaches to form an even layer. Add little water to the Cobbler crust mix to form a gooey paste. Spoon each dollop at a time to form a cob like structure over the Peaches. Finally, sprinkle Brown sugar over it and cover with a foil. Bake for 20 minutes with the foil covered and for 10 minutes toward the end without foil for crust formation. Allow to cool. Serve warm in a dessert bowl with whipped vanilla cream dunked on top. The crust would appear like cobbled streets, uneven and lumpy. Add assorted nuts and dry fruits of choice for accent (I used dried Cranberries). Refrigerate and reheat the next day before use.

Note: If you use brown sugar, your crust will be brown to dark brown. Do not use ripe Peaches, it will spoil the dish. Use the ones which are non-ripe and firm in texture. For dressing Peaches, I used APF since I did not have Cornstarch. If you have Cornstarch, use it instead of APF to thicken the sauce.

 

Rosematta Rice Dosa (Ukhdo Tandla Bhakri)

After contemplating for several months, I finally bought a 20 lbs. bag of Rosematta rice last year. Rosematta Rice also known as Kerala Red Rice/ Matta Rice/ Palakkadan Rice is easily available in few Indian groceries and is very nutritious as compared to its counterpart, Basmati or Sona Masoori Rice which is a part of our regular diet. Eating it frequently needs a certain acquired taste which comes with time. Since the bag is huge in quantity I wanted to be completely sure before I buy it. For so long, my Red Rice stash from India came to my rescue and it dwindled very fast. I like Soupy Red Rice (Ukhde Paej) and Cooked Red Rice (Ukhde Sheet).

Ma also made this tasty, crispy Bhakri out of Red Rice for breakfast. Do not mix this with its familiar counterpart - Akki Roti or Tandla chi Bhakri, both are different from this Bhakri. At one point as a kid, I went through a phase of only-Bhakri-for-breakfast, so much to my Ma's chagrin that she had to pull all the stops to make me eat something else. In my home, both of us like the taste of this Dosa - its soft, has the nutty taste of Rosematta rice and is very filling for breakfast. Best part the whole process is fermentation free. My Dad loves eating the Bhakri with fresh home churned butter, Loni which Ma makes everyday without fail. On few days, he also prefers honey and he promptly tells me his sugar level is low. Dad still loves the Bhakri with a dollop of butter dunked on top. Come to think of it, my late Grandma often told me that her MIL never made Chutney and the entire family had Dosa paired with Honey or Butter. A very odd combination for me but I certainly see why they like it. The diffident me stays away from butter and enjoys plain Bhakri paired with spicy Pitti Chutney powder.

~ Ukhdo Tandla Bhakri ~

Preparation time: 8-10 hours

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Yield: 12-15

Ingredients:

Rosematta Red Rice - 1 cup

Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - little less than 1/2 cup

Salt

Oil/ Ghee for frying

Contraption: Cast Iron Pan if possible

Method:

1. Wash and rinse the rice in multiple changes of water to get rid of grime and dirt. Once the water is clear enough, soak the rice in 3 times the quantity of water overnight.

2. Next day, blend the rice along with grated coconut to a stiff paste with little water which is thick and non-runny but easily spreadable. Adjust salt as required.

3. Heat a cast iron pan. Ladle a tablespoon of the batter (just to the size of a pancake) and drizzle oil/ghee on the sides. Flip them after 5 minutes and fry on the other side. Once crisp and light brown on surface, serve hot with a dollop of butter or with Pitti Chutney powder.

Note - The balance of grated coconut and rice is crucial for Dosa. If coconut is more, the dosa would be crumbly and fall apart, if coconut is less, the dosa sticks and is difficult to flip over. The shelf life of batter is only 2 days since coconut is added. Use cast iron pan for best results.

Bhadang ~ A savory Marathi snack

Bhadang - a savory snack is a dry, crunchy concoction made of Puffed Rice, Peanuts and Spices. It is a common one made in Marathi/ Maharashtrian homes. Bhadang is quick-to-fix and once done, if stored in air tight containers come handy to satiate mid-day hunger growls. The husband likes Bhadang a lot, so is regular in my home.

I distinctly remember that Bhadang was a must-have during Kojagiri Purnima/ Sharad Purnima. It is a harvest festival marking the end of monsoon and is part of the lunar cycle of the hindu month of Ashvin. It is a popular belief that Lakshmi, the hindu goddess of wealth hops from one house to another asking people if there are awake and she ushers happily in homes where the folks are awake. Boiling milk on this day is an age old tradition and few recipes were common in my home - Masaale Doodh, Vada Pav and Bhadang. It is also considered auspicious to have the milk dessert blessed under the moonlight before enjoying it.

It is a commonly observed festive practise on this day to stay awake till midnight and enjoy dinner as post-midnight food. All our friends and their families gathered during the potluck and we played games till midnight. Some also sang songs ushering goddess Lakshmi. If the weather permitted, we indulged in midnight trekking under the moonlight - we called it Moonlight Picnic. There was a small temple on a hill near my home with lush greenery and we kids loved to run and play games in the open. We left our homes munching on light snacks, each of us carried our own dinner box and we trekked a steep hill which was at 60 degrees incline. The hardest task was locating the Moon, the kids were assigned with the responsibility of informing the elders once the pristine white mass rose in the sky. The joyous part of the festival was locating the Moon and beginning our dinner which always happened around midnight. Even if we had to beat the hunger pangs, every year all of us waited for our Moonlight Picnic which sounded very exciting and still does!

~ Bhadang ~

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Puffed Rice (fresh, crispy) - 4 cups

Peanuts (toasted and cooled) - 3/4 cup

Garlic pods (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp

Green Chillies (split into two) - 2

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp.

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.

Asafoetida - 1/3 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Oil

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - Just a pinch

Method:

Toast the Peanuts in microwave for 2 minutes. Allow to cool and keep aside. In a large mouthed Kadai, heat few spoons of oil and once the oil is sizzling hot, temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Once they begin to splutter, add curry leaves followed by chopped garlic and reduce the flame to medium. Add the toasted peanuts and all spice powders now. Toss gently and adjust salt and sugar.  Add the puffed rice now and toss well for couple of minutes. Taste test for flavor and crispness. Turn off the flame, allow to cool and store in air tight container. Serve as a snack or during tea time.

Note - Garlic if fried for long turns bitter. Once brown enough, reduce the flame.

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.

Mushroom Chilli

Sunday, May 13th was Mother's Day. I prayed for my Mother's well being and good health. I also wish all the Mom's around the world good health, peace and happiness.

My Ma is the wind beneath my wings. She is the reason I began this blog, thinking of which fills me with pure, undiluted, nostalgia. She is a short, petite, fair lady who has a unique sense of humor and an inspirational way of looking at life. She likes Roses in particular. Freshly brewed filter coffee,  Paej (soupy Rosematta rice) and deep fried Pumpkin Buds (Dudya Kalo) are her favorite foods. Ma keeps giving me gyaan on the phone and I miss her a lot as she is thousand miles away from me. She tells me to use more of my heart and less of my head because she feels the world needs more compassion and kindness which is depleting nowadays. She advises me to offer hope to the less fortunate, share as much as I can and be kind with words and actions. I try to assimilate as much as I can and challenge her with few theories and beliefs which I don't accept, some which she agrees with a firm nod. So, in essence we have a unique, symbiotic, enriching friendship and a deep fulfilling bond. Best of all, she accepts me the way I am.

Ma keeps herself busy with social work, helping women and children in need, care for senior citizens, providing aid for widows in distress, community work projects, etc. In hindsight, she has brought a big difference to many people and their lives, few of them are extremely grateful to her for changing their lives. But she rarely talks about her social work and her accomplishments. For me, that's a big lesson in humility. While in India, I often take my parents out on short holidays and trips. On few special days, I cook for my parents and get their favorite movie DVD and we enjoy pop-corn, hors d'oeuvre and funny jabber with each other. My home in India has a very open, democratic culture. We are together yet are our own individual selves. Of the few dishes which I've cooked for her, she likes Mushroom Chilli a lot. Ironically, my Ma likes Indian Chinese but my Dad prefers Konkani food 24/7 and I enjoy anything cooked by Ma. She likes her food spicy, Dad also likes spicy food and I like mine super spicy, so you get the drift. In the end, we enjoy each others company a lot. Coming to the recipe - this is a simple, quick-to-cook Indian Chinese and is special to me because my Ma likes this a lot.

~ Mushroom Chilli ~

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Baby Bella Mushrooms (cleaned, rinsed and pat dried) - 8 oz. ~ around 12 mushrooms

Spring Onions (onion bulb and greens separately chopped) - 1/2 cup and 1 tbsp  greens for garnish

Salad Oil

Green Chillies (thinly sliced) - 3

Soy Sauce (light with low sodium) - 2 tsp

Chilli Sauce (green) - 1 tsp

Pepper powder (coarsely ground) - 1/2 tsp

Garlic (finely chopped) - 3 jumbo flakes

Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp

Salt

For Garnish -

Coriander leaves (chopped) - 1 tbsp

Spring Onion Greens (chopped) - 1 tbsp

Contraption needed - Wok

Method:

1. Rinse, wash and pat dry the mushrooms. Pluck out the stem and halve them. I do this because mushrooms in US are bigger. The Indian ones are smaller in size so you can leave them whole. In a hot wok, heat salad oil and add the sliced green chillies first. Once they are part fried, add ginger paste and garlic. Saute well till they wilt. This takes around 3 minutes. Keep the flame on medium.

2. Add the chopped onions now and saute till they caramelize. Add the chopped mushroom stem, pepper powder, add soya sauce and chilli sauce. Adjust salt as required. Do not add any water.This should take about 5 minutes.

3. Add the halved mushrooms now and toss them on high heat. Mushrooms release water upon cooking and this creates a flavored sauce. Cook for about 2 minutes and stop at this stage if you are pairing the Mushroom Chilli with Noodles and need extra gravy.

4. Cook on high heat. The water released from Mushroom creates a self-saucing stock which thickens with high heat. This process  is called reduction in culinary art and it intensifies the flavor of the sauce. The stock evaporates and high heat thereby softening the mushrooms. Once the sauce is thickly coated on all the mushrooms, turn off the heat. Transfer to serving plate and garnish with coriander leaves and greens of spring onions. Serve hot or warm. Pair with Chinese Noodles or on its own.

Note - I strictly avoid MSG (Aginomoto) in my cooking, you could add it while adding salt, in which case reduce the quantity of salt added. Soya Sauce has high sodium so be careful while adding extra salt. In US, I prefer BabyBella mushrooms (baby Portobello Mushrooms). They hold their shape  and are firm for Indian-Chinese cooking. Salad oil tastes better, else use any neutral flavored cooking oil.