Chane randayi is a very popular Konkani sidedish from North Kanara. It is slightly different from the Chane Ghashi which has slightly different spices, so the taste of the dish changes based on these few spices.
Chne randayi is prepared with either black or the kabuli chana. A vegetable like banana(cooking kind), suran etc are added along with it to give a nice taste. This was a regular on the menu at my home.
Ingredients: 1 cup chickpeas 1 cup banana or suran(elephant yam) cut into pieces 1/2 cup fresh/frozen coconut 1 tea spn coriander seeds 4-5 red chillies 1 tea spn mustard seeds 1/4 tea spn asafoetida(hing) 4-5 curry leaves 4-5 pieces kokum or 1 tea spn thick tamarind extract Oil Salt
Method: Soak chana in water for 7-8 hrs. Pressure cook chana with banana or yam for about 3-4 whistles. (If the chana used is old, it will take more whistles). Heat a little oil, add coriander seeds. Grind with coconut, red chillies. Add the ground masala to the cooked chana, add kokum or tamarind, salt. Cook till it starts boiling. In a small pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds. When it starts popping, add hing, curry leaves. Add this seasoning to chana.
Shilpa had posted this recipe on Sailu’s blog along with an introduction to Konkani cuisine. This must be one of her favorite dishes, so she asked me to post this again here, so that we can have it in this blog’s collection as well.
I was not surprised when she had picked this dish while writing about Konkani cuisine. She has always loved this. My aayi (Shilpa’s grandma) used to search for snake gourd (padwale/paddale) and make this for her. We miss her every time we cook this dish. Though we make few different dishes with snake gourd, this is the one that always gets cooked when she is at home.
Randayi is a side dish prepared by Konkanis, which has a coconut base. Randayis usually have watery coconut base but are served as side dish. Like many other randayis, this too is a mixture of vegetable and dried beans. We usually don’t mix teppal with seasoning, since this randayi has teppal, we don’t add extra seasoning(of mustard, curry leaves) to it.
Ingredients: 1 cup snake gourd pieces 1 cup black eyed peas(alsande) 1 cup fresh/frozen coconut 5 red chillies 4-5 teppal 2 kokum pieces 1 tea spn jaggery(optional) Salt
Method: Cook snake gourd and black eyed peas. The peas should not get mushy. Grind coconut along with red chillies to a smooth paste. Add the paste to cooked snake gourd and black eyed pieces. Add kokum, salt, jaggery. Slightly crush teppal in 1 tbl spn water (do not make a paste. It is crushed just to bring out the aroma). Add it along (along with the water) to the dish. Cook for 5-6 mins. The dish should not become too dry or too watery.
We have few jackfruit trees in our garden. During the season, we make many dishes from the raw fruit. This is one such dish which happens to be very popular among Konkanis. Some call it Chakko chane ghashi, we call it chakko chane randayi (In our Konkani, randayi is any side dish which is watery in consistency).
At my home, we usually like to make jackfruit-dal randayi which gets its aroma from teppal. Chakko-chane randayi is a nice variety with simple ingredients that are easily available everywhere.
Ingredients: 2 cups raw jackfruit pieces 1 cup chana (chickpeas) soaked overnight 1 cup coconut 4 – 5 red chillies 1/2 tea spn fenugreek seeds 2-3 kokum pieces or use tamarind Salt Oil 1 tea spn mustard seeds 5-6 curry leaves 6-7 drumstick(maskasangi/mashinga sangi) pieces (optional )
Method: Cook chana and jackfruit pieces separately in a pressure cooker. Cook drumstick (if using). Heat oil and fry fenugreek seeds. Grind them with coconut, red chillies. Add the masala to the chana jackfruit mixture and cook. Add kokum and salt. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Heat oil and add mustard. After they start popping, add curry leaves. Add it to the randayi and serve with rice or chapati.
As I mentioned here, we could not find the English name for Neerpanas. So I am using the Konkani name as it is. Read more about Neerpanas here.
We have a Neerpanasa kadgi(A tender jackfruit is called kadgi. This applies to all the different varieties of jackfruit) tree in our garden. It gives fruits twice a year. The tree looks like a bread fruit tree. Both kadgis are different in their outlook. This variety is not known to many people.
We like this Neerpanas as it has got some different taste. Moreover it does not produce gas in the digestive track like some other varieties of jackfruit. Neerpanasa kadgi cannot be used for randayi(a sidedish with coconut base) or phodi(tava fries) when it is fully mature and ripe. It becomes too soft.
When it is very tender, the seeds can also be used in the dish as they are. When they are little mature, the seeds get a little hard cover. So you need to cut them open and discard the outer hard skin.
Please note again, Neerpanas and paachpanas (second picture) are not same. We don’t know if paachpanas can be used for this dish. If you cannot find Neerpanas, it can be replaced by tender jackfruit.
Ingredients: 2 cup Neerpanasa kadgi pieces 3/4 cup grated coconut 1/2 cup toordal or vatana 4-5 red chillies 5-6 teppal 2-3 piece kokum A pinch turmeric Salt
Method: Apply some oil to palms and the knife to avoid the sticky gum. Cut the kadgi into two pieces. Discard the green outer skin and the white part in the center. If the seeds are hard, peel them. Add the pieces to water. Discard the water (water turns black sometimes due to the gum). Cook toordal( or vatana ) and kadgi pieces separately in a cooker.
Grind coconut,red chillies and turmeric. Add the masala to already cooked kadgi and dal. (or vatana). Heat it and add crushed teppal, kokum pieces and salt. Cook for about 3 minutes. Serve as a side dish with hot rice or chapatis.
We get two types of edible Amaranth – red ones called as ‘tambdi bhajji’ and green one(we call it white) called as dhavi(white) bhajji. Any greens are called bhajji in Konkani and stems are called as dento/dente. These greens are full of iron. Moreover all parts – stem and leaves of it are delicious especially when it is tender. We prepare sukke, saasam and raandayi using this bhajji dento. Both of these varieties are very popular here. The amaranth that we get here have thick stems unlike the ones that are commonly available in Bangalore. Any kind of green amaranth can be used for this dish.
Peel the thick stems and cut them into pieces. Thick roots can also be used after washing.
Ingredients: 3/4 cup black eyes beans(alsande) or dried peas(vatana) or green moong 2 cups amarath(bhajji dente) about 4 – 5 cms length pieces with leaves 1/4 cup baamboo shoot(keerlu) pieces (optional ) 7–8 jackfruit seeds(bikkand) crushed (optional ) 1 cup grated Coconut 5–6 red chillies 5–6 Teppal 2–3 Kokum pieces 1 tea spn Jaggery Salt
Method: Cook black eyed beans, amaranth pieces/leaves with bamboo shoot pieces and jackfruit seeds in cooker. Grind coconut with red chillies. Add the paste to the cooked mixture and heat. Add kokum pieces (or tamarind water),salt, jaggery and teppal crushed lightly.Cook for about 4 – 5 minutes. Serve as a side dish with rice or chapati.
Randayi is a Konkani sidedish which has juicy coconut paste. Different vegetables, lentils are used to make randayis. Pineapple and peas is a very unique combination which tastes great.
When I got married in 1974 and moved to my new home, my husband told me about this recipe. He narrated a story that took place in 1972 at his sister’s wedding. His elder brother, who was a great food lover, was taking the lead and discussing the plan with the cooks while chalking out the menu. He asked them to prepare a side dish consisting of pineapple and peas. The cooks laughed and told him that the item would not be liked by any, as the sweetness of pineapple would spoil the taste of the side dish. He told them this was requested by the grooms side (which was a lie). The cooks had no alternative but to prepare the dish as per his instructions. The preparation went on to be applauded by both the parties and everyone at the wedding. At our place everybody talks about this incident even today and they have a hearty laugh.
I started preparing this after a while. Everybody at home love it. I prepare this atleast once a year during pineapple season. Sometimes when pineapple is sour in taste, instead of mixing sugar with the pieces or discarding them, you can use them for this preparation.
Ingredients: 1 cup dried peas(vatane) 1-2 cups pineapple pieces 1 cup fresh/frozen grated coconut 4-5 red chillies Salt Oil 1 tea spn mustard seeds 5-6 curry leaves
Method: Soak peas overnight in water. Cook peas and pineapple separately (cook peas in cooker to save time). If the pineapple is too sour, discard the water in which it is cooked. Grind red chillies and coconut to a smooth paste. Add the paste to cooked peas and pineapple along with salt. Boil for 5-6mins. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add curry leaves. Add this seasoning to the dish.
As I had explained in one of my old posts, the next day after Janmashtami is also very special for us. One of the special dishes offered to god on this day is this colocasia-chana cooked in coconut base. VenTi or aLva panna is the stem of colocasia. Some of the leaves are tied into knots and added to the dish. Others are chopped and added. When these leaves and chana are cooked, it gives and amazing taste and a unique aroma. Whenever I eat this dish, the picture of aayi cutting these leaves comes to my mind.
Almost all the festival foods are somehow associated with seasonal vegetables that are available at that time. Janmashtami comes in rainy season, when the colocasia leaves grow in abundance. So that might be one of the reasons for this dish being offered to god on this festival. In our Indian store here, we are finding colocasia leaves a lot these days. But for the first time, I saw some really tender parrot green leaves – which are assumed to be non-itchy. So I made this dish and once again, fell in love with it.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup black chana 2-3 tender colocasia leaves with stems 3/4 cup fresh/frozen coconut 1/2 tea spn coriander seeds 1/4 tea spn tamarind extract 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds 4-5 curry leaves 4-5 red chilies A pinch asafoetida Oil Salt
Method: Soak chana in water overnight. Tie 4-5 long pieces of leaves into knots(I have no idea what these signifies). Cut all remaining leaves into pieces. Chop the tender stems into pieces (like you do with green beans, cut a small pieces and pull it down to remove the outer skin as much as possible).
Cook chana and leaves-stems separately in cooker. In cooker, use lowest vessel for chana and upper most one for the leaves & stems. Heat a little oil and fry coriander seeds. Grind these with coconut, red chilies, tamarind into a paste. Mix together chana, leaves-stems, paste and salt. Cook for about 7-8mins till the dish boils well. Heat a little oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add asafoetida, curry leaves. Pour this seasoning over the ready dish. Serve as a side dish with rice. This goes very well with cheppi kheeri(sugerless rice pudding).
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 30mins
Updated: Read more about colocasia leaves at Jugalbandi.
Raw jackfruit is called kadgi in Konkani. This is as popular as the ripe jackfruit. This is used as a vegetable in many dishes. Some people can give anything to eat this vegetable. Though I absolutely loved the ripe jackfruit, I never liked the raw one. Whenever aayi cooked something with it, I would refuse to eat it. But now that I am here in US and it is hard to find it, I wanted to eat it. I searched every possible place for at least frozen version of this with no luck. But last week when I went to Indian store, I saw this and picked one. I didn’t know how much it costed till the time came to pay. Well, my husband was not at all happy with the amount I was paying for this vegetable. When I came home and tried cutting it, all my excitement was gone for toss. It was very hard and after some time I gave up on it and asked my husband to help me cut it. He was not at all happy with the amount of money and effort we were putting into this jackfruit, he strictly ordered me not to buy this again. So I had to cook something absolutely yummy with this to avoid further comments. I chose this randayi-side dish with coconut sauce. One bite into this dish and he forgot all his anger :).
Back at my native, we have many jackfruit trees in our yard. During season, these trees had loads of jackfruits which were treat to the eyes. Aayi prepares many dishes with it, but this one is everybody’s favorite (as I said, I never liked it while growing up). She used to make this very often but somehow I never developed a taste for it. But when I found the jackfruit here, suddenly I started missing this dish. This time, I loved it too much.
Cutting jackfruit is a big task. I am posting a picture for the newbies. Make sure to use a very sharp knife. Better yet, use a addoli or advali or mettugathito cut it. Use a bowl of water to put the pieces in after cutting. Preferably cut them on a paper to avoid the gum dropping on the floor and making a mess. Before touching it, apply some oil to hands to avoid sticking.
Cut the hard inside part and discard. Cut the thick skin. If the seeds are grown and are too hard, peel them and then use. Make small pieces.
Ingredients: 2 cups jackfruit pieces 3/4 cup fresh/frozen coconut 4-5 red chilies 3-4 teppal/sichuan pepper 2-3 pieces kokum 1/2 cup toor dal A pinch turmeric Salt
Method: Cook dal and jackfruit with a turmeric. (Preferably use two cooker vessels. In one, put jackfruit and in the other, put dal). Grind coconut and red chilies to a very smooth paste. When done, put the teppal in same masala and slightly crush it(grind for a second. Make sure not to grind the teppal for long, it creates a very bad if it becomes paste). Take the dal, jackfruit and masala in a pan and cook. Add salt, kokum, mix well and cook for 7-8mins. Serve hot with rice.
But today’s post is about a special Mooga moLe randayi made at the Shri Lakshmi Narayana Mahamaya Temple, Ankola. Every Konkani follows a family god which is called as Kuldev apart from all other gods. This god is the family/ancestral god. The families who follow a Kuldev are called Kulavis. One such popular Kuldev is Mahamaya of Shri Lakshmi Narayana Mahamaya, Ankola or popularly called as Hanumatta, which my family follows. We belong to one of the main devotees(Kulavis) – “Baleri”, of this god.
Once in a year, on Ashwin Vadhya Panchami(according to Hindu calender)- a panchami which comes after full moon day(Punav) of Dasara, is celebrated as ‘Panchami devkarya‘(Devkarya – Pooja) or ‘Vade panchami‘(the name comes from the main naivedyam – a special kind of vada). This day hundreds of devotees of this god gather at this temple and a pooja is performed. After Pooja, a delicious lunch is served on banana leaves at around 4.30. People wait for this lunch and a group of volunteers serve the food.
According to my opinion, the best dish served on this day is Mooga moLe randayi. I have not seen this dish served in any other place. My brother and I used to ask my Aayi to prepare this dish at home. From the taste of the dish, she came up with this recipe. This is one of the favorite dishes at my home now. Though I feel this dish tastes amazing, I still crave for that temple lunch :).
Ingredients: 2 cups sprouted moong 1 cup raw banana(plantain) pieces 1 cup coconut 1/4 tea spn tamarind extract 1/2 tea spn pepper(miryakan) 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds 4-5 curry leaves A pinch asafoetida Oil Salt
Method: Wash the moong to remove as much skin as possible. Cook moong with plantain pieces. Grind coconut with pepper and tamarind. Add this paste to cooked moong, add salt. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Add this seasoning to the dish, Serve hot.
Randayis(Konkani)are watery side dishes(almost of gravy consistency) with coconut masala. Depending on the vegetables used in this, the taste differs. I have posted most of these. I grew up eating these dishes. They go very well with rice congee(rice cooked in lot of water called as ‘pej‘ in Konkani or ‘ganji‘ in Kannada) or simple rice and daal. I usually make this dish with different vegetables every now and then to include the peas and other kind of dried beans and vegetables in my meal.
One of my reader had asked for these recipes. So here is another popular randayi with green beans and dried green peas(otane).
Ingredients: 1/2 cup green peas/batani/otane (soaked overnight) 3/4 cup green beans 3/4 cup grated coconut(fresh or frozen) 4-5 red chillies 3-4 Sichuan pepper/Teppal 2-3 pieces kokum Salt
If Kokum is not available, use 1/4 tea spn tamarind. Teppal increases the taste. But if it is not available, ignore it.
Method: Cook peas and beans for around 4 wistles. (or till the peas are cooked). Grind red chillies and coconut into a very smooth paste. (the smoother the paste, the better for this dish). Add the masala to cooked beans-peas mixture and heat. Add kokum (or tamarind water) and teppal crushed lightly in a half tea spn of water. Add salt. Cook for around 10min. The masala should become a bit thicker (but this dish is watery). Serve as a side dish with rice.
