Konkani Recipes

Snake gourd sidedish (Padwale Randayi)

padwale-randayi
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.

Preparation time : 25mins
Serves : 4-5

Horsegram curry (Kulitha Saru) with coconut

There are two versions of this dish. This is the one more popular at home. Since horsegram is very good for health, we prepare this very often. Coconut gives thickness to the gravy. It has a very strong aroma of garlic which gives a great taste.

Ingredients:
1 cup kulith(Horsegram)
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tea spn coriander seeds
2 green chillies
4-5 red chillies
1/2 cup onion
1 tea spn garlic
2 inch piece (or 1/4 tea spn extract) tamarind
Oil
Salt

Method:
Cook horsegram in pressure cooker. Heat oil. Fry coriander seeds. Grind with coconut, red chilies, tamarind. Grind cooked horsegram with masala.
Add water to make it thin. Add chopped onion & bring it to boil. Add green chllies and salt. Cook for about 15-20minutes.
Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic. Add this to saru.

Serves : 4-5
Preparation time : 30min

Moringa Leaves Rotti (Maskasangi Palle Rotti)

 

Moringa Leaves Rotti

I grew up playing around moringa(maskasangi) trees. Everyone has atleast one tree in their garden in our place. My parents always told us how maskasangi was full of iron and slightly nudged us to eat it. But I had never tasted the leaves(pallo). Aayi would make phodi (which is still one of my all time favorite dishes) out of the flowers and the pods were used in many dishes. Few years ago, I started reading about leaves being used in many dishes and when I asked aayi, she also confirmed it. So I started buying it here and made up my own recipes. This Moringa leaves rotti is one such dish that I tried and we all enjoyed it very much.

The first time I tried it, I prepared this with only rice flour. But then I started adding the other flours. These days I have started using almond flour a lot in my cooking. So this time, I used it in this rotti. Adding warm milk to the flours cooks them slightly and gives a very soft rotti compared to using normal milk.

Pictorial:






Moringa Leaves Rotti (Maskasangi Palle Rotti)

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups rice flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 cup oats flour
  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • 1 tea spn butter
  • 1 and 1/2 cups hot milk
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
  • 1 cup chopped moginga leaves
  • Ghee/Oil for frying
  • Salt

Instructions
 

  • Heat milk till it is hot (No need to boil it).
  • Take all the flours in a bowl, add butter, then pour the hot milk over it and mix well.
  • Add salt, chopped onions, carrots and chopped leaves (after removing all stems). Mix everything.
  • Heat a cast iron tava (cast iron gives very nice crispiness to rotti).
  • Spread little oil or ghee and then spread a half inch thick layer of the mixture on the tava with your fingers(Dip the fingers in water before handling the mixture to make it easier to spread).
  • Cover the tava and let it cook, after couple of minutes, turn it upside down and cook on other side.
  • For a crispier texture, spread ghee/oil on top while cooking.
  • Serve hot.

Cucumber chutney (Taushe huLel)

 

Taushe Hulel

 

Cucumber is called  “Taushe” in Konkani.  “Taushe hulel” is a side dish which is usually a part of meal that is offered to god during festivals. I saw a similar dish here, the only difference being, we use the cucumbers (used for salads) and everything is used raw.

So this dish can be prepared in just 10mins :).

This dish is a must in Shri Krishna janmashtami festival meal. During this festival, men chant different names of Lord Krishna and offer tulsi leaves to god. After the chanting, which almost goes up to 2-3 hrs, pooja is performed around midnight. During the pooja, a variety of food is offered to god and we used to eat this “prasad”  at midnight.

Pictorial:

Cut cucumber into pieces. Fry mustards seeds and asafoetida in a little oil.


Grind coconut with chillies, tamarind and fried mustards seeds into a chutney consistency.

Mix the chutney into cucumber

Cucumber chutney (Taushe huLel)

A spicy cucumber chutney with a coconut base
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 3 -4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups cucumber pieces
  • 1/2 cup fresh/frozen coconut
  • 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds or a pinch of asafoetida
  • 3 to 4 green chilies
  • A small piece tamarind
  • Salt

Instructions
 

  • Heat a little oil and add mustard seeds.
  • When they start popping, add asafoetida. (Usually either mustard or asafoetida is used. I normally add both)
  • Grind them with coconut, green chilies, tamarind, fried mustard to paste using very little water (like chutney consistency).
  • Add the cucumber pieces, mix well.
  • Serve as a side dish with rice.

 

Jackfruit Seed Vada (Bikna Vade)

 

Bikna Vade

Summer in our region brings a lot of seasonal fruits like mangoes, jackfruits etc. We have few jackfruit trees in our backyard and during season, the trees give so many fruits. Jackfruit is eaten ripe, cooked into curries (both ripe and upripe), chips and lot many dishes.  During season, we take out the seeds, which we call Bikkand in Konkani, dry them and use them in variety of dishes throughout the year.  These Bikna vade are sweetish, spicy vadas that go well as a sidedish with rice and any curry.

Unpeeled and peeled seeds. The wheatish skin is not edible. So peel it off and discard.

Cook the peeled seeds and grind with all other ingredients.

Make small balls, roll them in rava and shallow fry them.

Jackfruit Seed Vada (Bikna Vade)

Spicy, sweetish vadas made from cooked jackfruit seeds.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 7 -8

Ingredients
  

  • 12 jackfruit seeds
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen coconut
  • 5-6 red chillies
  • A small piece of tamarind
  • A tea spn coriander seeds
  • 1 tea spn jaggery
  • Oil
  • Rava/sooji
  • Salt

Instructions
 

  • Cook the seeds with a little water in pressure cooker.
  • Heat a little oil and fry coriander seeds.
  • Grind them with coconut, red chillies, tamarind, jaggery, salt, with very little water.
  • At the end, add jackfruit seeds and grind coarsely.
  • Make small balls out of the mixture.
  • Roll them in rava and fry on hot tava.
  • Slightly press them to make vada shape.
  • Fry both sides on medium-low heat.
  • Serve hot as side dish.

 

 

Kohlrabi sidedish(Navalkola sukke)

Kohlrabi is called as ‘Navalkol’ in Konkani and ‘Navil Kosu’ or ‘kosu gadde’ in Kannada. ‘Sukke’ is usually a side dish prepared with some kind of vegetable or sea food and coconut masala. This dish has a sweetish and spicy taste because of the jaggery and red chilies in it. This is one of my all time favourite dishes.

When I was a kid, I had grown these in my neighbour’s fields. Our neighbour(fondly called as mami) grows lot of different vegetables in their field. As I had the “madness” of growing vegetables for a short period of time, she allowed me to grow all kinds of vegetables along with her in her garden. Ofcourse, she used to nurse my plants. I only watered those plants and claimed they are mine whenever we went to the field :).

Pictorial:
Fry the coriander seeds, urad dal in oil and grind with chillies, coconut.

Fry onions. Add cooked kohlrabi pieces along with jaggery and salt.
 

Add ground paste and cook till it becomes kind of dry.

Kohlrabi sidedish(Navalkola sukke)

A sweetish spicy kohlrabi cooked in a coconut masala.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 3 -4

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups Kohlrabi Navalkolu/navilkosu(cut into small pieces)
  • 1/2 cup onion cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 cup coconut fresh or frozen
  • 4-5 red chilies
  • 1/2 tea spn coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tea spn urad dal
  • 1/2 tea spn tamarind
  • 1/2 tea spn jaggery
  • Oil
  • Salt

Instructions
 

  • Cut Kohlrabi in small pieces. If the skin is thick and hard, peel it, otherwise use with skin.
  • Cook Kohlrabi in cooker.
  • Heat 1/2 tea spn of oil and fry coriander seeds and urad dal.
  • Grind them with coconut, red chillies and tamarind by adding just sufficient water(do not make the masala too watery).
  • Heat remaining oil and fry onion.
  • Add cooked kohlrabi and ground masala, jaggery.
  • Add salt and cook till masala is done and the dish becomes almost dry.
  • Serve as a side dish with rice and dal/gravy or with chapati.

Updated on 9/10/2017 with details and pictures.

 

Rasam with coconut (Devasthana Saru/Rasam)


It was many years ago, we had a function at home in India. The food was a simple Konkani javan(meal). This was the time I had just started my blogging and very much into learning new recipes. The cook was making his signature Devasthana saru/rasam, which was usually served during functions at temple. It had a heady delicious aroma and was spicy, tasty. I requested him for the recipe and he was very generous to share it with me. I have prepared this so many times and every time it brings back memories of home.

Recently, we had some friends home. My friend M, who is also a Konkani, asked me if I knew this Devasthana saru/rasam. I said it is on my blog and next day I had to prepare it myself. The only reason I don’t make this often is, my family forgets how much rice they have consumed with this rasam. I have to make sure to cook some extra. My 7 year old loved it and asked to give it in his lunchbox next day (which he almost never does!). So beware! don’t make it when you are on a diet :).

Pictorial:

Rasam with coconut (Devasthana Saru/rasam)

A sweetish spicy rasam/saru usually prepared in Konkani temples.
4.84 from 6 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 3 -4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbl spns toor dal
  • 2 tbl spns grated coconut
  • 1 to mato
  • 1/2 tea spns cumin seeds Jeera
  • 3-4 cloves Lavang
  • A small piece of asafoetida/hing
  • 1/4 tea spn fenugreek methi seeds
  • 1 tea spn jaggery
  • 3-4 red chillies
  • A pinch turmeric
  • Oil
  • Salt
  • Coriander leaves
  • 1 tea spn Mustard seeds
  • 4-5 curry leaves

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil and fry cumin seeds, cloves,  asafoetida, methi seeds & red chillies.
  • Grind with coconut.
  • Cook toor dal with a pinch of turmeric in pressure cooker.
  • Cook Tomato pieces in water(or add it to dal while cooking it).
  • When cooked, add ground masala, dal, jaggery, salt and cook for some time.
  • Add water to make it thin, of rasam consistency.
  • For seasoning, heat oil and add mustard seeds.
  • When mustard starts popping, add curry leaves and pour this over rasam.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves.
  • Serve hot with rice.

 

Updated the post on 7/25/2017

Spring Onion Vada (Kande Patti Vade)

Green onions or scallions or spring onions or Kande patti is a seasonal and loved delicacy in my hometown. My dad loved it a lot and aayi would make kande tambli whenever we found this in market. Few years back, I sat down with V’s grandmom to collect some of her signature recipes. Kande patti vade was one of the recipes she shared with me. She passed away two years back and I am grateful for the few recipes I saved from her. I loved her enthusiasm in cooking even during the old age when she couldn’t move from her place, let alone cook. I rarely buy kade patti but this dish kept popping in my head and I thought of finally making it. The vadas turned out to be delicious and even 7 year old loved it.

Pictorial:

Soak toor dal and rice in water.

Cut spring onions. Fry coriander seeds and red chillies.

Grind with coconut, dal and rice. Then mix spring onions.

Make small balls and roll in rava.

Shallow fry on a hot tava.

Spring Onion Vada (Kande Patti Vade)

Spicy delicious vadas with a coconut and spring onions.
4.75 from 4 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 -7

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch spring onions kande patti (1 cup chopped approx)
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen coconut
  • 1 tea spn coriandder seeds
  • 3-4 red chillies
  • 1 tbl spn rice
  • 1 tbl spn toor dal
  • A small piece tamarind
  • Oil
  • 1 cup rava/sooji
  • Salt

Instructions
 

  • Chop spring onions into small pieces.
  • Soak rice and toor dal in water for about 30 mins.
  • Heat a little oil and fry coriander seeds, red chillies.
  • Grind them with coconut, tamarind, toor dal, rice without adding too much water. The paste does not have to get very smooth.
  • To the paste, add chopped spring onions, salt and mix.
  • Make small balls, roll them in rava to completely cover it.
  • Heat tava, spread some oil and fry the vadas on a medium low heat.
  • Serve hot.

 

Jackfruit Burfi (Pansa khadi)


Summer is the season for mangoes and jackfruits. We have few trees of jackfruits which bear different varieties of jackfruit(panas). We use the leaves to make khotte, fresh tender unripe jackfruit to make chips, randayi etc. Ripe jackfruit is very sweet and one of the most loved fruits in our family. We have very fond memories of opening up a ripe fruit in the morning, the entire family gathering infront of it to enjoy it. We loved eating it first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. It used to be the most cherished family time. Ripe jackfruit is also used to make a variety of dishes, one of which is bhakri. This jackfruit burfi is prepared with ripe sweet ones and makes great little snacks.

Pictorial:
Take out the jackfruit edible parts and make a paste.

Cook the paste with sugar and then add coconut.

Cut into desired shapes.

Jackfruit Burfi

4.41 from 5 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 12 -15 pieces

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup jackfruit paste
  • 1 cup fresh or dry coconut
  • 2 and 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2-3 tea spns ghee
  • 4-5 cardamom pods

Instructions
 

  • Dry roast the coconut for few mins till it becomes dry.
  • Then roughly grind it (without adding water) to make it into small pieces.
  • Make a paste of jackfruit pieces.
  • In a pan, take jackfruit paste, sugar and cook for few mins.
  • Add coconut, ghee and cook till it becomes thick paste and starts leaving the sides of pan.
  • Take off the heat, mix cardamom powder.
  • Apply ghee to a plate and spread the paste.
  • Cut into desired shaped pieces.
  • Store in airtight container after they are cooled down.

 

Bottlegourd Halwa (Gardudde Halvo)

bottlegourd halwa

Wish you all a very happy and colorful Holi. The festival of color is around the corner and I could not think of a better sweet than this Bottlegourd halwa or gardudde halvo. Aayi prepared this for us during Diwali and it was so delicious.

Bottle gourd was rarely bought at home when we were growing up. I would almost always ask aayi to make burfi(khadi) from it. I could eat it anytime. This is definitely an easier version of the same. Then we started hearing about the health benefits on TV. Ever since then I have been using it regularly. I normally make a quick dal or some spicy dish from it.

For halwa, grated bottlegourd is cooked in milk, which gives a fantastic aroma. Then the nuts and cardamom brings that divine aroma.

Pictorial:

Peel and remove seeds from bottle gourd. Then grate it. bottlegourd halwa1bottlegourd halwa2

Add milk, cashews and cook. When milk is absorbed, add jaggery.
bottlegourd halwa3
bottlegourd halwa5

Cook till all the jaggery is melted and well mixed. Take off heat and add cardamom powder.
bottlegourd halwa6

Bottlegourd Halwa (Gardudde Halvo)

Very aromatic bottlegourd halwa prepared by cooking bottlegourd in milk and sugar.
4.60 from 5 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 -5

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups grated bottle gourd
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 and 1/2 cup jaggery
  • 1 tbl spn cashews optional
  • 1/2 tea spn cardamom powder

Instructions
 

  • Peel, remove seeds and grate bottle gourd.
  • Cook cashews and grated bottle gourd with milk. (It looks like the milk curdled but that is the expected result.)
  • When all the milk is absorbed, add jaggery.
  • Cook till jaggery is all melted. Mix it well.
  • Take off heat, add cardamom powder , mix well.
  • Serve warm or chilled.

 

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