Oops! I was lost....

Dear Friends,
Sorry for disappearing suddenly off blogosphere !!
Have been travelling & then sick since last 2 weeks. To top it our container arrived & i have been busy going to port off & on to get it released & clear customs etc.. finally done with everything.. Phew!!!! What a relief.

Will be back to blogging next week...... I Promise!
See u all soon.....

Charmurya Upkari (Snack out of puffed rice)

Puffed rice or "Charmuro" as called in Konkani is a anytime munchy crunchy snack. With kids having summer hols & asking for snacks or "something to eat" as they often put it, this works out great. A healthy snack with less oil & easy to make too.

Ingredients:

Puffed rice - 6-7 cups

Dalia (Pottu Kadalai)- 1/2 cup

Peanuts - 1/2 cup

Oil - 2 tbsps

Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 10 no

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt - to taste

Method:

1. In a pan add oil & fry the Dalia till it slightly changes colour. Drain & set aside. Then fry the Peanuts till golden brown & set aside.

2. Now in ramaining oil, add mustard seds & once it splutters add jeera, red chillies, curry leaves & turmeric powder. Mix all well.Turn off the gas.

3. Now add the puffed rice, dalia, peanuts & required salt & mix everything well.

If you want you can add sev too & all dry fruits too, but traditionally its made very simple & uses only everyday ingredients that you have in your kitchen.

Serve anytime, a delicious, healthy & jhatpat tasty snack to munch on is ready!!

Mixed Vegetable Khola Nonche (Pickle)

Khola Nonche - A konkani term for pickle with gravy & that too made without any oil. My Mom used to make great Cauliflower pickles - the most amazing ones i've ever had & many of her friends & our Relatives still say mom's was THE BEST!! I tried my hands on it, my very first attempt & not bad, it turned out good, but not as Good as Mom's!

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - a small piece ( i used 3-4 florets)

Carrots - 1

Tindora - 6-7 no

Raw Mango - small piece

Lemon - 1

Mustard seeds - 2 tbspns

Red Chillies - 25 no ( Acc to your spice level)

Salt

Method:

Day 1: Boil 8 cups of water with 4 tbspns of salt & set aside. Cover & bring it to room temp. Leave it overnight preferrably.

Day 2 : Wash, dry & then cut all the veg into small pieces (bite size) . Then add them to the salt water mixture & leave it to soak over night.

Day 3: Using a clean strainer remove veg from the salted water & put in a clean & dry vessel. DO NOT THOW AWAY THE SALTED WATER.

Now take the red chillies & mustard seeds & powder to a coarse paste in a blender. Then add little of the salted water & grind to a smooth paste. Do not make the Gravy very thin, use as less water as poosible. Now transfer the ground Paste or "Kholu" as we call in Konkani onto the veg & mix well. Taste & see & add salt only if you want. Remember you used salted wated so salt will be there already, plus veg soaked in it so they will be slightly salty too.

Mix well & store in a glass bottle in the refrigerator & let all the veg soak for 3-4 days before you start eating it... Once the lemon & mango leaves its sourness & veg soak in the spicy Kholu, spicy & delicious pickle is ready!

Thali Jovan - 2

Hi Friends,

I am back after a break....Relocatted & settled down quite well. Will visit all your blogs soon!! Thanks for all your wishes during our move.

Well today's Konkani Jovan is - Rice, Alsanda Bea (Blackeyed bean) Koddel, Dudhi upkari & Karatha(Bitter Gourd) Chips.

Alsanda Bea (Black Eyed Bean) Koddel:

Ingredients:

Black eyed bean - 1 cup
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Red Chillies - 3
Bedgayi Chillies - 2
Tamarind - a small piece
Oil - 2 tsps
Garlic - 2 pods
Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Soak the bean over night & pressure cook till soft .

2. Roast the red chillies in a little oil & grind it together with coconut & tamarind to a fine paste. Add water as required while grinding. This is called Masol.

3. Now add the Masol to the cooked Bean & add salt & bring to a good boil.

4. Season with oil & sliced garlic fried till slightly brown.

This seasoning is absolutely aromatic & brings out a different flavour & taste to this curry. Any coconut based curry with garlic seasoning is called a Koddel in Konkani Cuisine.

Dudhi Upkari:

Ingredients:

Dudhi(Orange Pumpkin) - 1 medium slice
G.Chillies - 4
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Udad Dhal - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Cut the dudhi into length wise pieces along with the skin.

2. In a pan add oil & season with mustard seeds, Udad dhal & Green chillies. Then add the Dudhi pieces & salt & mix everything well

3. Add little water & bring cook till done.

This is a simple upkari but has a great taste & goes really well with the spicy koddel. It will have a slightly sweet taste as the Dudhi has its own sweetness.. if you like it, you will surely like this upkari.

Karathe( Bitter gord chjips) was store bought. Its great & goes well with simple dhal chawal or curd rice too!! Hope you liked my todays jovan!