Sol Kadhi / Kokam Curry

Kokam is the dried skin of a fruit related to mangosteens.The outer cover of fruit is dried in the sun to get Aamsul or Kokam/Kokum. It is used as a slightly sour spice in recipes that yields peculiar taste and dark red colour. It is a preferred substitute for tamarind in curries and other dishes from Kokan. It is very abundant in the west coast region of India and hence an integral part of Konkani cuisine.

Ingredients :

•  4-5 kokum peels
• ½ coconut shredded (to extract coconut milk)/coconut milk
• 3 cups water
• 2-3 garlic pods
• 2 green chillies (increase if you like it spicy)
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Ghee / purified butter
• 2 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• salt

Method :

Boil the kokum peels with half the water for about 5 minutes. Remove the peels and keep the juice aside. To make the coconut milk, blend together the coconut, garlic pods and green chillies along with water and make a thick paste. Pass this through the sieve and save the extracted milk. Note: you can use readily available coconut milk instead of this.
Now in a deep vessel heat ghee and make a tadka of  mustard seeds, asafoetida,.Then add coconut milk and kokam juice and sugar.  Warm it up a bit but do not boil. Put off the heat. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and Serve hot or cold. Note :This dish is never boiled as the sour kokum separates the coconut milk into globules which look unappetizing.

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Ambat Varan / Sweet & Sour Dal

Ingredients :

• 1 cupToor / Tuar dal  ( Split pigeon peas )                                                          

• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder                                               

• 2 cupswater                                                                      

• Pinch of Hing - Asafoetida
• 1 tsp Sugar   
• 2 tsp tamarind pulp                                                               

• 1/2 tsp coriander powder                                             

• 1/2 tsp cumin powder                                                     

• Salt to taste

For Tadka

• 1 tbsp Ghee                                                                        

• 5-6 curry leaves                                                         

• 1/2 tsp cumin               
• 1-2 chopped garlic                                                       

• 2-3 Dried Red Chillied     

                                                                 
For Garnish

• 1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped                 

• 1 tbsp grated coconut                                                    

Method :

Wash tuar dal and add turmeric powder , hing, water and pressure cook.When dal is cooked add cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, sugar and tamarind pulp to it. Let it boil.For tadka heat ghee and add cumin seeds. Let it splutter and then add curry leaves, chopped garlic and chillies.Pour this tadka on Dal

Garnish with chopped coriander and grated coconut. Enjoy it with steamed rice.

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Palak Moongdal Curry

Ingredient :

• 250gms Palak (clean wash and chop) -Spinach
• 1/2 cup moong dal (Split and Husked GreenGram)
• 2 to 3 green chillies
• few curry leaves
• 5 garlic pods mashed
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 red chillies
• 1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder (haldi )
• 1/4 tea spoon Asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tsp Mustard ( Rai )
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds ( Jeera )
• 1 tsp urad dal ( spilt black gram )
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp oil or ghee ( clarified butter )
  

Method :
Fry moong dal in a kadai / pan without oil in a medium flame until golden brown.  Add 2 cups of water to it and boil.When the dal is half cooked add chopped onions, green chillies, chopped spinach, salt and turmeric powder.Mix well and close the lid.  Cook for 8 to 10 mins in a medium flame until the curry is done.  Heat a table spoon of oil/ ghee in a pan.  Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and split black gram.  When mustard seeds starts spluttering add curry leaves, Asafoetida, mashed garlic and red chillies.  Fry for few sec. and add the thadka to the curry.  Mix well and serve hot wtih rice or rotis.

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