Katol - a fantastic Gujrati bean curry

Katol

1 Cup black eyes bean- Soak overnight and cook in a pressure cooker
2 Medium sized tomatoes- Chopped into small pieces.
1/2 inch ball of tamrind or 1 tespoon tamrind concentrate
4 green chilies slit
1 teaspoon coriander seed (Dhaniya) powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin (Jeera) powder
1/2 teaspoon haldi
1/2 teaspoon hing powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 inch piece jaggery
Few curry leaves.

For the phaaN (baghaar/tempering)
2 tsp oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 red chilli

In a pan add the soaked and boiled beans.Add the tomatoes, green chilies, haldi, dhaniya powder, jeera powder, garam masala, hing, chili powder,. Boil. Add salt. Add the tamrind concentrate or soaked tamrind ball. Continue simmering. Add the jaggery. In a small pan heat the oil. add the hing, the kadipatta,mustard, chilli and after 2 minutes and some spluttering pour over the simmering beans. cover and let simmer for a few minutes. Add chopped coriander ;leaves as a garnish.

Kairas - Peanut and Capsicum curry Saraswat style

This is a fantastic Masol(Coconut gravy based) curry traditional cooked by Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins (Bhanaps).

Its mildly sweet and savoury tasteis kind of like a thai curry but with a very Indian flavour.

Masala to grind:
1/2 Coconut
1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
1/3 teaspoon Methi (Fenugrek) seeds
1 Pinch mustard seeds
3/4 Teaspoon Hing(Asofoetida)
3/4 Tablespoon Chanadaal
3/4 Tablespoon Til(Sesame)
8 red chilies Dried (Bedgi Variety if poosible)
1/2 Inch ball of Tamarind or 1 teaspoon of readymade tamarind syrup
1 small 1/2 inch size piece of Jaggery or Molasses or 2/3 teaspoon of brown sugar
2/3 cup Peanuts-Soak for 8 hours in water and cook (In a pressure cooker if possible) until tender.
3 Medium sized capsicum diced into 1 inch size pieces
Temper (Phann)with 1 tsp Mustard;1/4 teaspoon Hing;Kadipatta(curry leaves)and 1 red chili in 2 tablespoons of hot oil.
Grind the paste. Add the peanuts and Capsicum, let cook for a few minutes(Not too long or the capsicum gets squishy). Temper with the oil and the above ingredients and add salt to taste.
Really tastes fantastic hot with steamed rice....

Dalitoy - a fantastic accompaniment to steamed rice- Konkani style lentil curry.

Dalitoy and Xit (Sheath)- Rice and Dal
The perfect couple.

Most Konkanis would have dalitoy xit as their basic meal with accompaniments such as a cocount based curry.

Dal is lentil, usually toor dal and certainly toor or tori dali for dalitoy and toy or rather tauy is from the sanskrit word for water i.e. toyam. Therefore dalitoy is basically a thin dal soup. Most saraswats, especially gowd saraswats or dorkas (Because they follow the vaishnavite tradition or the dwarka tradition) would never eat patal or dilute dalitoy. They would rather enjoy a daat dalitoy or thick dalitoy= DDT !!!

Tori dal, Tuvar Dal- Soak in water for at tleast 2 hours.
Oil 2 tablespoons
Kadi pata/ curry leaves fresh a few.
Hing/ asofoetida powder 2 pinches.
Mustard seeds
Green chilies a few
Red chilies a few
Salt to taste

Method

Boil the tori dal. Some prefer to pressure cook it until it is a good mash.
Add the green chilies after they are split into half.
Add the salt.
Some people also add a bit of turmeric powder for some colour (Or the Dalitoy looks anemic!)
Heat the oil in a small vessel, add the mustard seeds, the asofoetida, the redchillies and the kadi patta to the hot oil.
Temper the boiling dal with this sputtering oil and spice mix (the tempering is Called Phann in Konkani)
Add salt to taste
Stir well and serve with Hot steamed rice.

Many Konkanis like to eat this with a spoonfull of warm ghee. Well - ghee is full of saturates so I wouldnt recommend it though it does add to the flavour.

Batata Humman- A potato Curry Konkani style Recipe

Use Small New potatoes or dice potatoes into one inch cubes.
Fresh Coconut- grated
Tamarind paste
Red chili- Kashmiri and regular
Hing (Asofoetida)
Oil to temper.
Salt

The grated coconut, red chilies and tamarind paste may br ground to a pulp using a food processor.
Boil this paste.
Cook the potatoes until properly done (Boil or microwave)
Add the potatoes to the coconut chili tamarind paste
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the asoefoetida(Only a pinch)
Let it heat for 2 minutes and add this hot oil to the potato curry.
Add salt and allow to simmer for a few minutes

Batata humman

Hyderabadi Baghara Baingan - recipe

The Charminar

A very very good recipe from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad....

1kg brinjal( small Aubergines/egg plants)
Tamrind about 2 oz by weight
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons Til (Sesame) seeds
2 Tablespoons coconut
2 Tablespoons Raw Peanuts
1 teaspoon puree of ginger
1 teaspoon puree of garlic
1 onion
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon Chili powder (Cayenne)
1/4 teaspoon onion seeds (kalaunji/nigella)
1/4 teaspoon methi (Fenugreek)
1 teaspoon ground dhaniya (coriander seeds)
1 teaspoon ground Jeera (cumin)
1/4 teasppon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 stems of fresh Kadi patta (curry leaves)
3 green chilis
Green coriander one cup

Soak the tamarind in 3/4 cup warm water(Or use readly available tamarind paste juice appropriately) Roast the sesame seeds, coconut,peanuts and finely chopped onion, until brown but not too dark-stirring contantly to avoid burning.
Grind in a blender with some water and leave aside-(Masala Paste)
Slice the eggplants lengthwise and again side wise to for a cruciate cut about 2/3 rd the length of the eggplant.
Heat the oil in a pan, toss in the mustard seeds, fenugreek, nigella and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the egg plants to this and saute for a couple of minutes and save the oil.
Add the turmeric, chilli powder, curry leaves, ginger, garlic and salt to the previously ground masala paste. Slowly saute the masala in the oil over a medium heat until the uncooked smell goes away. Add the tamarind water,egg plant, sliced green chillies and a fistful of coriander leaves and simmer slowly. Coriander to garnish on the top.