BEANS BATATE SUKKE

 BEANS BATATE SUKKE

Today's dish is from Konkani cuisine and is a medium spiced semi-dry side dish made with two commonly available vegetables : French Beans and Potato. 

Apart from being available virtually all through the year, French Beans also have numerous health benefits. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for other dishes using French Beans such as:- 

• Farasbi chi Sabzi, from Maharashtra
• Beans Talasani, from our Konkani cuisine 
• French Beans & Moong Dal Stir Fry from Tamilnadu

Beans Batate Sukke is easy to make and doesn't take much time to prepare. People also make this on days when they don't wish to use onion and garlic. 

It is served as a side dish with the main meal of rice and dal.

Ingredients:-

• French Beans, 250 grams
• Medium-sized Potato, 1
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 3/4 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 5
• Tamarind, small marble-sized ball, 1
• Coriander Seeds, 1 tsp
• Urad Dal, (Black Gram Dal), 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, 6-8
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Method:-

Wash the French Beans. Snip off the two ends of the beans, de-string them and cut them into roundels 

Wash, peel and cube the potato. 

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadhai and roast the coriander seeds and urad dal till they change colour and become slightly golden
In a mixer jar, grind together the coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, coriander seeds, urad dal together with the tamarind to a coarse paste using just the required amount of water. Keep aside

Heat 2 tsp of oil in the same kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

To this add the beans and potato
Mix well and add 3/4 to 1 cup of water

Cover and cook on medium heat till the beans and potato gets cooked

Now add the ground paste, and salt to taste, and mix well
Cook till the excess water evaporates leaving a semi dry sukke
Transfer to serving bowl and serve Beans Batate Sukke with rice and dal

BATATE BIKKANDA HUMMAN

BATATE BIKKANDA HUMMAN

Jackfruit is called Ponasu in my mother tongue, Konkani. It is called Halasinu Hannu in Kannada, Phanas in Hindi & Marathi and Chakka in Malayalam. 

We in the Konkani GSB community love jackfruits! Once we get our hands on them, we use them to the full! Let me explain what I mean. We use raw jackfruit  which we call Kadgi ( Kathal in Hindi, and Halasinakkai in Kannada) to make a side dish called Kadgi Chakko. 

The ripe jackfruits are used to make several dishes including dosas, which we call Ponsa Polo, and Appe which we call Ponsa Appo. The seeds of the jackfruit are removed and kept aside. They are washed and dried, for future use. We then cook and use them to make several different dishes. 

 

Today's recipe is for a side dish -made with jackfruit seeds (Bikkand) along with potatoes (Batata) - called Batate Bikkanda Humman. This is a popular dish in most Konkani homes. 

Since it does not call for the use of onion or garlic, this Humman is often made on the days when we wish to avoid using these ingredients. 

Here's how I make this! I always associate this dish with the aroma of asafoetida and the coconut oil added to enhance its taste. 

Ingredients:-

• Batato (Potatoes), medium-sized, 3
• Bikkand ( Jackfruit Seeds ) 1 cup or about 20 
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 6
• Tamarind, size of small marble
• Raw Rice, 1 tsp ( optional) 
• Asafoetida/Hing, 1/4 tsp 
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut Oil, 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Method:- 

Wash and peel the potatoes, and cut them into bite-sized pieces 

Dissolve 1/4 tsp of asafoetida in 1 tbsp of water. Mix well and keep aside.

Remove the outer white skin of the bikkand

Lightly smash the bikkands with a rolling pin to crack them  

Place the potatoes and the bikkand in a vessel in adequate water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook them for 2 whistles

When the cooker cools, remove the vessel and keep aside

In a mixer jar grind together the coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, tamarind and raw rice to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water 

Add the ground paste and salt to taste to the cooked potatoes and bikkand 

Mix well, adjust the consistency to make it gravy-like by adding water (only if required) and bring to a boil 

Then lower the flame and let it simmer for 5 minutes 

Switch off the gas

Now add the dissolved asafoetida in water and the coconut oil and mix well

Keep it covered for a few minutes to enhance the flavors in the dish

Transfer the Humman to a serving bowl

Serve the Batate Bikkanda Humman as a side dish with the main meal

Tip: the addition of Raw Rice gives the ground masala a better texture

TENDLE BIBBE UPKARI

TENDLE BIBBE UPKARI

I have used this blog as a platform to share many dishes popular amongst us Konkanis. In fact, there is a section in this blog titled, "Recipes for Lunch/Dinner: Amchi Konkani." Today's recipe is one of the most popular in Konkani cuisine. It gets its name for the two main ingredients namely Ivy Gourd (which we call "Tendle" in Konkani, my mother tongue), and "Bibbo", which is what we call Tender Cashews in Konkani. Ivy Gourd, as you know, is called, "Thondekayi" in Kannada and "Tindora" in Hindi.

This is a kind of stir fry and is usually made during festivals like Ugadi, and on special occasions like marriages and the like.

Ingredients:-

• Tendle ( Ivy Gourd), 250 grams
• Bibbo ( Tender Cashews), peeled and halved, 1 heaped cup
• Mustard, 3/4 tsp
• Hing, (Asafoetida), 1/4 tsp
• Slit Green Chillies, 2
• Dry Red Chilli, broken into two, 1
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 2-3 tbsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Soak the bibbe ( tender cashews) in hot water for a few hours. Peel and halve the tender cashews and keep aside

Wash the tendle (ivy gourds) and snip off the two ends of each of them

Cut the tendle vertically into pieces

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and when it gets hot, reduce the heat and add the mustard seeds

When the mustard seeds splutter, add the asafoetida, followed by the slit green chillies and the broken red chilli, and the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Now add the tendle pieces and 1/4 cup of water and cook covered on medium/low flame for about 5 minutes or till the tendle get half cooked

Add the bibbe and salt, mix well and cook covered on medium flame till both the tendle and the bibbe get fully cooked

Finally add freshly grated coconut
Serve as a side dish with the main meal or with puris.

CABBAGE SUKKE

CABBAGE SUKKE


This is a typical Konkani side dish made of cabbage and coconut-based masala. We call this a "sukke" in Konkani as it is in a semi-solid form. This side dish goes well in a meal where the main course is rice and dal. It goes well too as an accompaniment for rotis.

Remember that cabbage looks more voluminous when cut but shrinks when cooked, so add salt with care.

In the final stage of the cooking, I add cooked toor dal as I find that this enhances the taste.

Ingredients:

• Cabbage, medium sized, 1
• Onions, medium-sized, 2
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Potatoes, 1-2
• Coriander seeds (roasted), 1 tsp
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 4
• Salt, to taste 
• Tamarind, a small gooseberry size ball
• Mustard seeds, 1 tsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Cooked Toor Dal, 1/4 cup
  

 Method:
Wash and cut the cabbage without making it so fine that it becomes mushy when cooked
Wash, peel and cut the potato into small cubes
Chop the onions
Roast the coriander seeds and red chillies separately in a little oil, and keep aside
In a kadhai, add some oil and on medium heat add the mustard seeds.
When they splutter, add onions and saute it
Add the chopped cabbage and potato. Add a little water and stir.
Add the salt and keep it covered, on medium/low flame, for the cabbage and potato to get done
Grind together in a mixer the coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, tamarind, and roasted coriander seeds to a paste/masala, adding water as necessary
When the cabbage is nearly cooked, add the above ground masala and mix well
Add the cooked toor dal and keep stirring until the water evaporates to give you a semi-solid consistency
Serve hot