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This is a traditional Konkani dish and is a regular fare at Konkani weddings. Like all Konkani dishes, we use coconut, red chilli and tamarind here. We cook a lot of different pulses in Konkani cooking but somehow the masala remains the same and yet every curry tastes different. So sometime back I started grinding together this masala to suffice a weeks cooking and storing it in the fridge and using small portions every day. This reduced cooking time drastically.

Method
  1. Soak 1 ½ cup of black chickpeas (kala chana) overnight
  2. Next day pressure cook it till  tender but not completely soft.
  3. For the masala, dry roast 1 tsp of coriander seeds, 3-4 dry red chillies and grind together with ½ cup of freshly grated coconut and 1 small marble sized ball of tamarind to a fine paste. Dont add too much water while grinding
  4. Now pour the masala and the cooked chana in a pan. You can add the water used to boil the chana too. Add 1 potato cut into cubes/  or raw banana cut into cubes or 1 cup yam cut into cubes
  5. Add salt according to taste and cook till gravy boils and the potatoes are cooked. Turn off the gas.
  6. Give a chaunk/seasoning with oil,1 tsp mustard seeds, pinch of asafoetida, 5-6 curry leaves. Cover the dish and let the gravy absorb the flavours of the seasoning
  7. Serve with rice
I have used raw jackfruit (kathal in hindi) in the above picture instead of potatoes.

Kothamir Wadi


This is one of my favorite snacks. A very popular dish in Maharshtra.
 Method
  1. Chop 2 bunches of coriander leaves
  2. In a mixing bowl, take 1 cup of Besan (Gram flour), ¼ cup wheat flour, 2 tbsp rice flour and mix
  3. Add 2 green chillies finely chopped, 1tbsp Ginger and garlic paste
  4. Add ½ cup of jiggery, 1 tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, juice of 1 lemon
  5. Add a generous pinch of asafoetida, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder and salt to taste
  6. Add 1 pinch of cooking soda and coriander. Add enough water to give it a paste like consistency. Adjust the salt and sweetness.
  7. Take a steel plate (around 1/2 inch in depth) and coat it with oil. Pour the above mixture to form a ½ inch layer. If you have more batter make a second batch. Sprinkle white till seeds on top
  8. Steam for 20-25 mins in a steamer.
  9. The wadis are done when a fork stuck to the batter comes out clean.
  10. Remove the wadis from plate and cut them into squares. You can serve this dish just like this as its healthier this way.
  11. You can also shallow fry with a little oil on tawa or deep fry in oil to crispy brown and serve.

Konkani style dal ( Dalitoy )



Dal is one of the essentials of Indian cooking. However every different state has their own Dal version. Dalitoy is Konkani dal recipe and is a must in every Kokani festival or wedding menu. It is a quick non fussy recipe.
Method
  1. Cook 1 cup Toor Dal with a pinch of turmeric, 2 green chillies (slit along the middle) and 1 inch ginger piece and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker
  2. Once the Dal is cooked, heat it on medium flame. Add salt to taste and mash the Dal.
  3. In a Chaunk/seasoning  pan add 1 tbsp ghee, Add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter, add  2-3 red chillies broken into 2 at the centre, a pinch of asafoetida and around 10 curry leaves.
  4. Pour this on the Dal and cover with a lid. Serve hot with rice
  5.  Garnish with Coriander leaves and serve
My mom also adds one tomato finely chopped in Step 2 and let it cook with the Dal and serves it with coriander garnishing. You can also add garlic to the seasoning.

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