JEEV THORI AMBAT

JEEV THORI AMBAT

Amongst us Konkanis, we make a popular coconut-based mildly-spiced curry called Ambat. Elsewhere in this blog you will find the recipes for Cauliflower Ambat, and Peas & Potatoes Ambat. The distinctive feature of the ambat is the seasoning with onions.

Today's recipe is for an Ambat made using Fresh Pigeon Peas which we call Jeev Thori in Konkani. It is called Thogarikaalu in Kannada and Thuar in Hindi. You can see the Fresh Pigeon Peas in the picture below.

I have used Bilimbi (which we call Bimbul in Konkani) as I had some readily available. This is seasonal and if you don't have it, you could use tamarind instead. The final product is not as spicy as you might think it is. The colour comes from the use of our famous Byadgi Red Chillies.

Adding 1 tsp of raw rice while grinding the coconut gratings etc gives it a better texture.

Ingredients:-

• Jeev Thori ( Fresh Pigeon Peas) , 1 and 1/2 cups
• Medium-sized Potatoes, 2
• Onion, roughly chopped, 1
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 5, or to taste
• Raw Rice, 1 tsp
• Bimbul ( Bilimbi),  cut into slices, 2  or Tamarind, small marble sized
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Onion, finely chopped, 1 for seasoning

Method: 

Peel and cube the potatoes.

In a cooker, pressure cook the thori along with the potatoes and one onion adding adequate water for 2 whistles

When the cooker cools, remove the cooked thori, potatoes and onion and keep aside.

Drain and keep the stock aside for later use

Separately, cook the sliced bimbuls in a little water till they become soft. Take care not to overcook them as they get cooked very fast.
Add the cooked bimbuls to the thori, potato, onion mixture and mix well.

In a mixer, grind together the fresh coconut gratings, roasted red chillies and raw rice adding the required amount of water to a smooth paste. (You could use some of the stock kept aside for this purpose.)

Add this ground paste and salt to the cooked thori mixture and adjust the consistency by using the remaining stock or water.

Bring to a boil and let it simmer for  couple of minutes.

Heat oil in a small pan and when it gets hot add the finely chopped onion. Saute till it turns golden and add the onion seasoning to the ambat
Serve hot