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....

Ganapati

The Gowd Saraswat Brahmin Ganeshutsav in Mumbai is a mega event for the konkani community in Mumbai.





The huge pandal has a humungous murti of Ganpati and there are million Pujas and archanas going on. There is also a stall wherein Batata wadas, Biscut ambado , bajos and other modern stuff such as spring rolls are sold. Many come for the food :)