Dali Ambat (Konkani Coconut daal)

Daal is an important part of our everyday meal. Any one type of daal is a regular, be it daali thoy, daal tadka, rasam or sambhar etc and our meal is not complete without it. Now these are all non-coconut, daal rich dishes which does not require grinding. However on occasion I make coconut based daal like Kootu or this Konkani daal curry called Daali Ambat which definitely requires grinding a masala.  Ambat in Konkani refers to a coconut curry in which the seasoning is made of onions. Daali Ambat is daal based coconut curry in which has seasoning of…

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Tangy Coconut Yogurt Curry with Greens (Majjige Huli)

A mildly flavored coconut curry cooked with sour yogurt to give it a mild tangy taste; this is called as Majjige Huli in Kannada, Majjige Pulusu in Telegu and Mor Kozhambu in Tamil. In Karnataka this dish is prepared during festivals and on other auspicious occasions. The presence of yogurt has a cooling effect on the body. You can add any veggies of choice like potato, okra, ash gourd, bottle gourd, raw mango etc and skip the greens. I love the addition of greens along with squash in this dish. Ingredients: 2-3 cups packed chopped Amaranth greens ( you can…

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Baingan Masala/ Eggplant Dry Curry

Brinjal is a frequently used vegetable in our house maybe after okra, potato, tindora.Another plus is that it is available in the Indian stores throughout the year and so I cook with it often.  Baingan Masala is one dish I learnt few months ago and I have tried it many times since.  There are so many variations of this classic dish; some are prepared with the typical north Indian flavor, others use many spices stuff  it in the brinjal and make it the  bharwan way. Anyway this is my version of Baingan masala which has a touch of Konkani flavor…

Drumstick Sambhar

Sambar is one of the most loved lentil based dish in the South Indian cuisine. This versatile recipe of sambhar is  mom’s  and is one of her well loved recipes. This sambhar does not use the store bought powder instead the masala is made from scratch. Lentils, spices etc are roasted and then ground along with coconut and tamarind. Drumstick is the main vegetable in this, but you can substitute with other vegetables like brinjal, radish, carrots, beans etc.  Serves well with plain rice, idli, dosas or vadas.  Ingredients:  1 cup Tur dal 2-3 medium drumsticks ( cleaned and cut…

Kairi ani Chana Gashi/ Raw Mango and Kabuli Chana Coconut Curry

This coconut curry a Konkani dish is a delightful combination of spicy, sweet and sour. In Konkani cuisine, it is quite common to find a seasoned coconut curry with the combination of bean/legume and or vegetable. The ground coconut paste is called ‘Maasolu’ and depending on the type of seasoning that is done (mustard, garlic, onion), the curry is referred to as that (Ambat/koddel/ghashi). This is similar to the classic Udid Methi recipe that I have posted earlier. However there are some changes to the masala and also the addition of Kabuli Chana/ Chickpeas. You can substitute any other type…

Cabbage Coconut Curry/ Cabbage Kootu

I vaguely remember eating this daal curry at a friend’s place years ago. Her mom had made this for lunch, and she had served it very lovingly. This recipe was new to me then and I recall having taken generous serving of this yummy curry. In Konkani cuisine we have quite a few varieties of daal curries, but they use red chillies for making the coconut masala while this uses green. I had made a mental note of the recipe and now I make it often though substituting cabbage with vegetable I have on hand.  This recipe well suits our…

Kulith Kadgi Ambat/ Horse Gram raw Jackfruit coconut curry

For folks here in the United States hope you had a wonderful Thanks Giving weekend. We had a relaxing time where in we spent most of the time indoors along with family and friends, thanks in part to the weather. The weather has now changed and we are inching closer to those dreaded cold snowy, winter days.  Like I said we spent most of the days at home, cooking some feel good food, comforting food, apt for cold weather. Luckily we get most (if not all) ingredients that we grew up eating and it is not difficult to re-create the…