Typical Konkani cuisine involves lots of coconut in everyday cooking. It is not uncommon to see 2 coconuts being used the same day even for regular cooking. Thick chutney for morning breakfast of idli/dosa, coconut based curry for afternoon lunch, along with lavish sprinkle of shredded coconut on salads (kosambaris), side dish and dry curry (playa). Suffice to day coconuts are exhausted in no time. Of course, I also have to mention that this is for a regular family of 5-8 people.
But now with so much talk going on about the content of its saturated fat, I have seen many people use coconut with caution. But after having grown up eating coconut dishes for years, it is difficult to give them up. So at home I use coconut for cooking sparingly and believe that moderation is the key to everything.
I had a feast when I was in India and gorged on so many wonderful coconut dishes. Even adding little shredded coconut to cooked dishes made a whole lot of difference to the taste and its flavor. The first thing I craved for after we got back home from India, with effects of jet lag still on hand was spicy and tangy coconut curry over hot rice. That ‘kick’ would have been enough to overpower my fatigue and pangs of separation.
‘Mirsang Ambat’: In Konkani ‘Mirsang’ refers to Chillies, a generic term and that could be either red or green. In most cases the coconut masala called “maasolu” is usually made by grind coconut, red chillies and tamarind.
This is a easy recipe to make. I made this differently by using green chillies, coconut and then using raw mango to add for the tangy taste. Any vegetable of choice can be used for this recipe. An important note, this curry has a wonderful aroma and that comes only if strong asafetida (hing) and fresh curry leaves are added while making the tadka(seasoning). If these 2 ingredients are not fresh and strong then the curry will not be flavorful as such.
Ingredients
- ½ cup grated coconut
- 1/2 cup of chopped vegetable (I used squash, use beans, cauliflower, raw banana)
- ½ cup of raw mango ( use 1 tbsp tamarind paste if this is not available)
- Curry leaves 1 sprig
- 2-3 green chillies (as per taste)
- Mustard seeds
- asafetida
- Salt to taste
- Oil
- Chopped coriander for garnishing
Method
- Boil water in a vessel and then add the chopped vegetables and the raw mango. Make sure that the vegetables get cooked. Do not discard the water.
- In the meanwhile make the coconut masala by grinding coconut, green chillies and salt with enough water. (Use tamarind if raw mango is not available). Make sure that the paste is very fine.
- Add this coconut paste to the boiled vegetables and the water and continue to boil. Check for seasonings and add salt, chillies if required.
- Make a tadka(seasoning) of oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida and add it to the boiled coconut masala. Close with lid immediately and switch off the stove. (Note: If curry leaves and asafetida are not fresh and strong then the curry will not be flavorful and may taste bland.)
- Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Goes well with rice or with Rotis/phulkas.
My MIL uses a lot of coconut too so when I sprinkle just a bit when making dry curries, my husband is quite disappointed… So, I also include it but reduce the quantities just a bit. I hear that as long as it’s uncooked, it’s not all that unhealthy.
This curry looks great… must be so tangy and tasty.
Anything coconut my family is ready for… Probably we should love this coconuty tangy dish!
Mango and coconut gravy what not to love, looks delish.
Hmmm… Lovely dish. Delicious!
I totally agree that coconut really ups the flavor in just about any dish. Of course, my konkani genes may also have something to do with it 🙂
This mirsang ambat looks lovely and sounds delicious. I have got to try this soon. Any thoughts on whether I can substitute canned coconut milk? I don’t easily find fresh coconut here: just the packaged, grated variety.
My paternal grandparents own and live in coconut and sugarcane farm. As you can imagine fresh coconut right out of the tree is used everyday! They are all healthy as a horse! They say Fish and Chips in UK is bad for you but I have heard that some people have been eating that fish and chips everyday for 36yrs!! 😀
Ambat looks great, I will try. My Shiva Ratri thali includes one whole coconut too, just made it today. I will post next week. Usually, I use 1/4 cup of coconut for any gravy about 3 times a week here, I don’t get fresh coconut often.
Enjoy the weekend, don’t miss my Haryanvi thali at FH, check it out! :))
Raw mango & coconut what a combination RC… Ambat looks very delicious
It looks too delicious and mouth watering!!
I still have my doubts about the negative effects of coconut. but I have learnt to use them cautiously. Love the addition of green mangoes and nothing like a soothing curry to take away the home sickness.
You are so right about coconut in India mom would cook a lot with coconut, over here we moderate it and i love any dish that has coconut. Love this simple curry.
wow.. the sound of this dish makes my mouth water.. so yummy. will try this.
Looks mouthwatering. I could try a vegan avial on these lines! I haven’t had avial since the shift. Thanks for the idea.
RC agree wth you costal belt cant make any dish without hvng a coconut flavour in it. this is a new recipe. nice ones.
Hey Can you give me alasande(maida and green chilli mix deep fried in oil) recipe
Coconuts are such an important part of our daily cooking.. Love this dish.. completely new to me..Got to try it soon
Wow! I didn’t even know this dish existed! Love the name 🙂
2 coconuts per day….sounds too much for me 🙂
I feel so much short of ideas when i need to incorporate coconut in our daily food.Honestly every coconut we get in prasadam,either ends in coconut chutney with idly or dosa,or i have it raw with few crystals of sugar.
Heard a lot about coconut gravies but somehow never dared to try it out.A look at this curry ,and i feel like,i need to give up my conservative approach at using coconuts
Hey
You are back … Hope you had a great time in bangalore .. thatz a yummy recipe
mmm..looks delicious..love nething with coconut-mango combination!
I love coconut.. & cannot think of any fat when I am cooking with it. Actually i just eat raw;-)
That is a very new dish supriya, looks like i could just have it like a flavorful bowl of soup
Mirsaangi aambat mast avadta makka Supriya! Your pic is very good! Good to see you back and nice to read you had a great time back home!
This looks delicious,wud love to give it a try.:)
That looks really good! I would enjoy this one a lot 🙂
Anything with coconut and I am game. And a tangy cocnut gravy is right up my alley! Never heard of this before but I know I will love it!
Thank you all very much.
Sushma, I am not exactly sure of the recipe but I will try and get that for you.