Sunday, March 6, 2016

CAULIFLOWER AMBAT

CAULIFLOWER AMBAT

In our Konkani style cuisine, "Ambats" are a popular coconut-based curry, which can be made with or without dal. They have a distinctive flavour of a seasoning of onion. There are various types of ambats. You could have ambat made with Valli (spinach), Peas & Potatoes, Ivy Gourd etc.

Today's recipe is for Ambat made with Cauliflower and Potatoes. This used to be one of my Amma's specialties!



Ingredients:
  • Cauliflower, medium-sized, 1
  • Turmeric powder, (Haldi), a large pinch.
  • Toor Dal, 1/2 cup
  • Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
  • Roasted Red Byadgi Chillies, 5
  • Tamarind, seed -sized ball
  • Rice, 1 tsp  (optional)
  • Potatoes, medium-sized, 2
  • Onion, small- sized, chopped, 1, (for seasoning)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Oil, 1 tbsp
Method:  

Wash the cauliflower and break off the florets
Add turmeric powder and salt to the water and soak the cauliflower florets in this for about 10- 15 minutes and then drain the water
In a vessel, cook the cauliflower florets in water, add salt and cook till the cauliflower florets are almost done.
Wash and cook the toor dal and the potatoes in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles or till done. Once it cools, remove the cooked dal, mash it well and keep aside.
Peel and cube the boiled potatoes and keep aside.
In a mixer, grind together coconut gratings, roasted red chillies and tamarind, adding the required amount of water, to a smooth paste
In a vessel, to the cooked and mashed toor dal, add the ground paste, add salt to taste, and bring to a boil after adjusting the consistency by adding water as required
Now add the cooked cauliflower florets and the boiled and cubed potatoes, mix well and once again bring to a boil
To season the ambat, heat oil in a small pan and when it gets hot, add the chopped onions and fry till they turn golden
Pour this onion seasoning on to the ambat and serve hot

# Tip: I always add a teaspoon of raw rice while grinding the coconut gratings etc to make the masala (ground paste) for the ambat. This improves the consistency of the ground paste.
# Tip: Generally, vegetables are cooked along with the dal but since cauliflower gets cooked very fast, it is better to cook it separately.
# Tip: Add salt while cooking the cauliflower florets. This helps the cauliflower to better absorb the salt and adds to the taste of the dish.



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