Konkani Randap : Khubbe/Tisre Vade | Clam Vada

In  south western coast of India, also known as the Konkan region, Clams are used to cook curries and side dishes, like Tisaryachi Ekshimpi (which is clams with one shell on), Clam curry in coconut, Clam vada etc. Opening the shell of the Clam and taking out the flesh is one of the toughest task while preparing dishes of Clams. But the final outcome is worth of taking the trouble of opening them. They taste great with onion and coconut combination as vada. Here is the recipe of Clam Vada.

Preparation Time:  30 minutes.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Clams
• 3/4 cup fresh/frozen coconut
• 1 tea spoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 table spoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 table spoon son tamarind extract (or 2 pieces of tamarind)
• 7-8 red chilies
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup rice rava(idli rava)
• Oil
• Salt

Method:

• Open the shell of the Clam and separate the flesh as shown in picture.

• Heat little oil and fry coriander seeds and red chillies.

• Grind coriander seeds, red chillies, coconut, tamarind, turmeric and salt without adding too much water.

• To this paste, add clams and onions.

• Mix all together and make balls.

• Roll the balls in rice rava.

• Slightly press them with hand and Shallow fry on tava as shown in picture.
• Use oil for fryng as per your use.

• Serve with rice as a side dish.

Konkani Randap : Karathya Nonche | Bittergourd Pickle

Bitter gourd is antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizing, stomachic, antibilious and laxative. It helps in healing constipation, piles, blood disorders, respiratory disorders and the list goes on. Because of its medicinal value, every one should try to consume this vegetable at lease once a week. Some people try to avoid bittergourd, because of its  taste. But believe me, here is recipe which you would love to eat every day. Try out this pickle with curd and rice. Its yummy.

Preparation Time: 40 minutes excluding the standing time.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cup finely chopped Bitter Gourd
• 1 and ½ cup grated coconut
• 4-5 red chillies
• 2 table spoon coriander seeds
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 3 Small pieces of tamarind
• ¼ cup jaggary
• A pinch of asafetida
• 2 table spoon oil
• Salt as per taste

 Method:

• Take finely chopped Bitter Gourd in a vessel and add 3 table spoon salt to it. Mix well and keep it aside for an hour.
• Then squeeze out the water from Bitter Gourd and keep it aside. This removes a little bitterness of the Bitter Gourd.

• Fry red chillies, coriander seeds, separately on a tawa for 5 minutes.
• Grind red chillies, coriander seeds, asafoetida, tamarind, jaggary, turmeric powder to get a coarse thick paste, with only 3 to 4 table spoon of water.

• On a non stick tawa, add oil and bitter gourd. Fry for around 10 minutes.
• Add grated coconut and fry another 10 minutes.

• Take out the tawa and let it cool for some time.
• Mix the tawa contents and the ground masala very well with hand.

• Check for salt (bitter gourd retains some salt from first step). If required, add salt.
• A spicy, tangy, tasty pickle is ready for lunch or dinner.

Konkani Randap : Valasangi Upkari | Long Beans Stir Fry Sidedish

Valasangi is very famous vegetable in konkan belt of Karnataka. And Valasangi Upkari is one delicious dish of this vegetable among Konkanis. This vegetable is known as alsande kaayi in kannada and yardlong beans in English. It is very nutritious and the recipe is very tasty.  This Upkari can be served with chapati or roti or as a side dish for white rice.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of Valasangi cut in to very small pieces
• 2 table spoon oil
• A pinch of asafoedita (hing)
• 1 table spoon mustard seeds
• 2 green chillies
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 2 strands of curry leaves
• 4 table spoon grated coconut

Method:

• Cut the Valasangi into very small pieces as shown in picture.

• Heat oil in non stick kadai.
• Add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add asafoetida powder, curry leaves and green chillies one by one.

• Fry for a minute and add turmeric powder and the cut Valasangi beans and sauté for a minute.
• Add sufficient amount of water (about a cup), close lid and let the beans cook for about 5 minutes.
• Now add salt and grated coconut and mix well.

• Cook a low flame for another 2-3 minutes until all the water gets absorbed in the subji.
• Serve hot with chapatti or as a side dish along with white rice.

PS:  Sugar also can be added if one likes the dish little sweet.

Konkani Randap : Bhendya Talasani | Bhindi Ki Subzi | Stir-Fried Okra

Bhindi, also known Okra or Lady's Finger, is a very tasty vegetable when cooked with onion and tomatoes. This recipe is a delicious main course vegetable dish, a perfect treat for lunch or dinner with rice or roti.  Easy to make and very healthy and tasty to eat.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg Lad'y Finger (Bhindi).
• 2 medium size onions, finely chopped
• 2 table spoon red chilly powder
• ½ table spoon turmeric powder
• 1 medium size chopped tomatoes
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Wash the Bhindi nicely and cut it circular as shown in picture. Keep it aside.

• Put oil in a non stick pan (kadhai).
• Add onions and fry till golden brown in color.

• Add red chilly powder and turmeric powder and fry till the raw smell of the powder goes off.
• Add Lad'y Finger (Bhindi) and fry for a minute.
• Don’t add water to the curry, as it makes the bhindi sticky.

• Cover the pan with a plate and add water to 1/4^th of the plate as shown in picture.

• After 5-6 minutes remove the plate and confirm the Bhindi is not cooked fully.
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook till lady's Finger (Bhindi) is done.

• Add salt and mix well.
• Serve hot with chapathi or roti.

PS:  Here I have used dried kokum(bhinda sol in Konkani) which makes the subji unsticky. 

Konkani Randap : Biscuit Ambado | Kannadiga Uddina Vada | Medu Vada | Urad Dal Vada

Biscuit Ambado is one of the favorite konkani snack item. During any rituals or marriages, this delicacy is must. Kids love these vadas.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cup urad dal
• 1/4cup fresh/frozen coconut and few pieces of fresh coconut
• 2 strand curry leaves
• 1 table spoon ginger (cut into tiny pieces or grated)
• 2-3 green chilies(cut into tiny pieces)
• Oil
• Salt 

Method:

• Soak ural dal for 3-4  hours.

• Grind the dal to a thick coarse paste without adding water.

• Add coconut, curry leaves, ginger, green chillies and salt. 

• Mix well.

• Heat oil in a kadhai and make small balls of the batter and deep fry them as shown in picture.

• deep fry dollops of the batter  till golden brown.

• Serve hot with ginger chutney 

PS:  Want a crisypy badas...  add a handful of urad dal with skin in the batter.

Konkani Fish Curry | Mangalorean Aalle Kandya Ambat | Phanna Ambat | Coconut Fish Curry With Onion | Fish Alle Piyava Ghashi

Fish oil is a natural solution to revitalize aging skin, promote more vibrant and youthful skin, prevent eczema and psoriasis. Fish is leaner than meat, that is lower fat, and contains amino acids and minerals that are vital to the body. There is anywhere from 15gm to 30gm of protein in fish depending on the type of fish and how it is cooked. In Konkani Fish curry, the curry  is incomplete without coconut. As explained in teppala ambat recipe, there are few fishes which go well with onion. They are Lady Fish (Nogli in Konkani or Kane in Kannada), Silver Fish( Belanji in Konkani), Shethka and Shawnte jabba(in Konkani, these two are found at the coastal belt, no idea what are they called in English), Shark( Mhori in Konkani) and shellfishes like Prawns( Sungat in Konkani), Crab ( Kurlo in Konkani). This curry has to be little less spicier than the one with teppal. Here I have used Kagalshi(in Konkani, no idea what it is called in English) and Lady Fish.

  

Preparation Time: 60 minutes which includes cleaning and preparing

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• ½ kg Fish
• 2 big onions
• 2 table spoon coriander seeds
• A pinch of turmeric
• 8- 10 long red chillies
• 2 cups of grated coconut
• 1 big piece ginger
• Hand ful dried kokum(bhinda sol in Konkani)
• 4-5 green chillies depending on spice
• 2 table spoon oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash fish, cut into small pieces as shown in figure. Clean the pieces thoroughly and apply salt and keep aside. 

• In a small pan heat ½ table spoon oil fry coriander seeds and red chillies and let it cool for a minute.

• Grind coriander seeds, red chillies, grated coconut, turmeric powder and make a fine paste..

• In a pan heat ½ table spoon oil add finely chopped onions fry till golden brown, add the ground paste and fry until raw smell flies off in the air.

• Once done add water, make it into a semi thick gravy and get a bubble boil.

• Add finely chopped ginger, finely chopped green chillies , dried kokum and salt to taste Then add fish and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

• Close it with a lid and switch off.

Fish Curry

• Serve hot fish curry with white rice. 

 PS:  Do not stir the curry with a spoon as the fish pieces will break. Just give the vessel a twist. The taste of gravy increases once the fish absorbs the gravy. So preferably serve it after 2-3 hours.

Konkani Style Vegetable Fritters Or Phodi | Breadfruit Or Jeev Kadgee Phodi Or Palapanasa Kadagi Phodi | Mulangi Or Raddish Phodi | Raw Banana Phodi

Phodi's can be made with many vegetables like eggplant, potato, okra, yam or suran, cauliflower, raw banana, pumpkin, bitter gourd or karela, mushrooms, pointed gourd or parwar, radish , sweet potato, ripe plantain, jackfruit, bread fruit and many others.There are actually 2 types of phodi we can make. One, where you apply the masala to the vegetable and keep for 20 minutes. Then shallow fry them after dipping in rava or sooji. On the other hand, you just apply salt to the cut vegetable and keep for 20 minutes then dip them in a dry rava and chilli powder masala and shallow fry. Here I have given the first type. In this kind of phodi, breadfruit, raw banana, radish, cauliflower fits the best. Here I have taken breadfruit for the demo.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes excluding the standing time.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 -6 breadfruit pieces
• 3 – 4 table spoon sooji
• ½ table spoon red chilli powder
• 1/3  table spoon turmeric powder
• A pinch of asafoetida powder
• 2 table spoon oil
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Remove the outer skin and pith from the breadfruit.
• Cut it into thick slices as shown in picture.

• Take all the pieces in a bowl and put red chillie powder, turmeric powder , asafoetida powder and salt. Keep them aside for 20 minutes.

• Roll the breadfruit pieces in the sooji and start placing each slice evenly on a hot tawa.
• Drizzle oil around and over each slice and cook same way on both sides till done.

• To check if it is done, insert the steel spatula through the slice. It should be soft and go through easily, should not be tough.
• Serve hot as a side with rice and curry/dal.

PS:  For the raw banana or raddish phodi, the outer skin has to be removed first. Then Cut them into thick pieces like we have done  for breadfruit.