Month: December 2021

Ambate /Hog Plum pickle :

December 20, 2021

We call Hog plum “Amtekai” in Kannada and “ambate” in our local language. In our region, you will find two varieties of hog plums. One is Wild variety, also known as Indian sour hog plum, and the other is grafted or Kashi Amtekai/ hog plum.  Grafted variety is nothing but Hog plums which we usually find in South America or Southeast Asia. Also known as Ambarella or Golden apple, which belongs to Spondias Dulcis.

The wild variety, Spondias pinnata, is commonly known as Amtekai/ Amra/Amda/Hog Plum/Junglee Aam in India. Because of its sour taste, it is usually used in pickle making or as a souring agent in some traditional curries. When it matures, a seed becomes woody, and skin becomes thin.

After a long time, I found these beauties in the Mangalore store, which I frequently visited. A lot of preparation goes behind the making of a pickle. I observed that the recipe flowed down from generation to generation. A spoonful of this pickle, which is spicy and tangy, is enough to perk up a bland meal, or as a south Indian, it is a divine combo with thick curd rice.

Ingredients:

Hog plum – 500 gms

Salt – 2 cups

Water – 2 cups

For the pickle Masala:

Dried Red chillies – 100 grams ( I have taken ½  of Byadagi and  ½ of Guntur to balance the heat)

Mustard – 25 grams

Methi – 1 tbl spoon

Hing – ½ tsp

Turmeric – 2 tsp

Method:

-Wash, drain the hog plums. Put it under the sunlight for 2 hours.

-Now, crush and separate the skin from the inner hard seed. Keeping under the sun would help loosen up the skin from the core.

-Now, prepare saltwater. Take 2 cups of salt, 2 cups of water and boil nicely.

-Switch off the gas, add the hog plum pieces, inner core and leave it to cool. In this way, hog plum would soften quick and absorb the salt properly.

To make Pickle Masala:

-Dry Roast Methi seeds until dark brown, then mustard seeds until it pops, then hing, turmeric.

-Put 1 tsp of oil and roast chillies until it puffs and becomes crisp. Cool everything and make powder.

-Add this powder to a cooled hogplum added salt solution, and mix properly. Store it in a dry glass bottle, leave it aside for a couple of days to mature and absorb all the flavours.

-Then, store it in a refrigerator to extend its shelf life. When it is ready, enjoy it with curd rice.

Carrot Kosambari :

December 14, 2021

Kosambari is a South Indian style vegetable salad, an integral part of any festival South Indian menu. It can be made with or without the tempering, which has significantly less oil, with all sorts of fresh flavours, such as grated veggies, raw legumes, raw mango or lemon,  coconut oil and hing.

Here, what I am sharing is our family favourite, Carrot corn salad. That is how my family identify this salad and demands it. Here, one can add or delete or increase or reduce the quantity of any ingredients without any compromise on taste.

Ingredients:

Grated carrot – 1 or 2

Boiled corn – 1 small cup

Sprouted Moong/green gram – 1 small cup ( optional)

Pomegranate kernels – as needed

Grated Raw mango/lemon juice – as needed

Salt

Chopped coriander – 1 – 2 tbl spoons

Fresh Coconut – 1 to 2 tbl spoons

Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 tsp, Mustard – 1 tsp, Hing – ¼ tsp

Green chilli – 1 or 2 (chopped), Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

-Take one bowl, mix in Grated carrot, boiled and cooled corn, Pomegranate kernels, Sprouted moong, Grated raw mango, Salt, chopped coriander, fresh Coconut and mix everything.

-Do the seasoning by heating coconut oil, splutter Mustard, add hing, chopped green chilli roast a bit. Add Curry leaves and put them over the salad.

-Mix everything, enjoy as a filler, healthy appetiser or as a side dish or as an evening snack.

Kudane gojji/ Turkey Berry gojju :

December 7, 2021

Kudane, Thai brinjal, is widely used in our coastal region. We use it in its fresh, raw form, not dried. Earlier, it grew as a wild plant, and people never cultivated it. When my mother in law offered a sapling, I was excited and took the plant with me. Now, it is a part of my terrace garden and yields well.

Solanum torvum is its Scientific name. It also has many other names such as wild eggplant, baby brinjal, Devil’s fig, sundakai in Tamil and Usthi kai in Telugu.

 It is not only a nutritional powerhouse; it can heal our gut ( various intestinal issues ) and increase haemoglobin levels. It is one more locally-grown veggie, much neglected by us.

The taste of the turkey berry is more on a bitter side. Berry has to be processed in a particular way to eradicate its bitterness and to enhance the flavour. There are two ways to process.

The cleaning process is simple. The first one is to remove the stalk, crush it gently, and immerse it in water until you are done crushing every berry. Now, just before cooking, wash it a couple of times; in this way, most of the woody seeds settle at the bottom. Collect those cleaned berries, and proceed to cook according to the recipe, the recipe is HERE. 

If you opt for the second process, you need to fry those berries after washing them with Ghee or Oil. Then, mash a little and proceed to cook.

Now, let us know the recipe of Gojji / gojju. It is raw curry, no cooking recipe. If you are a person who is fond of sweet-sour-hot curry, this is for you.

Ingredients:

Fresh Turkey berries – 15 – 20

Ghee or coconut oil – 1 tsp.

Tamarind – small gooseberry size.

Onion – ½ (chopped)

Green chillies – 2 Or Bird eye chillies – 4 -6

Jaggery – grated

Salt – to taste

Seasoning: Coconut oil – 1 tsp, mustard – ½ tsp, crushed garlic – 6 – 8, curry leaves – 1 spring.

Method:

-Soak tamarind in ¼ cup of water.

 

-Remove stalks from the berries, wash properly.

-Take one small Kadai, put ghee or Oil, fry those berries until it turns light/ pale and starts bursting. Switch off the flame.

-Take one spoon, mash a little by using the back of the spoon.

-Now, extract tamarind juice, add it to the crushed berries. Add in salt, jaggery, chopped onions, crush the green chillies and check the taste and adjust.

-Now, heat oil, splutter mustard, fry garlic until it is brown. Add curry leaves and pour over the gojju. Serve with plain rice or with curd rice.