Kobba Sukke – Sugarcane Chickpea Dish (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

In our compound, by the side of the house, there is a sizeable clump of sugarcane. Three years ago, my husband got a plant as a gift from one of his friends. Since then, nourished with farmyard manure and watered regularly, the clump has yielded dozens of juicy, sweet sugarcanes.

A clump of organic sugarcane growing in our compound.

When my husband goes out to the village market, he is often greeted with warm smiles from the children of our neighborhood. He knows that it means “sugarcane! sugarcane!”. When he comes back home, he cuts the canes and the children receive their heart’s delight; screaming and dancing off in joy, carrying off prizes more than double their heights in length. This joyous sight brings up a flood of childhood memories. I, with my brothers and cousins, crowding around my father or my uncle, who would peel and cut the canes to chewable pieces for us; the juice running down our little chins, ever thirsty for more! My mother, however, would manage to save a few pieces to make my father’s favorite dish, kobba sukke.

Kobba Sukke

The sweetness of the sugarcane beautifully contrasts and combines with the heat of the chilies, the flavor of the coriander seeds and the fenugreek seeds, the goodness of the coconut and the soft munchiness of the chickpeas to create a delightfully surprising melee of tastes on the tongue – a traditional gourmet dish indeed, most unknown to the newer generation. A must be tried dish, please do cook this recipe and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Kobba Sukke Yum

Hot, sweet and savory sugarcane chickpea stir-fry. A traditional Konkani gourmet recipe.

Cuisine

Indian, Konkani

Prep Time

45 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 100 gm chickpeas (green or brown)
• 500 gm sugarcane (peeled and divested of hard joints) (see cutting method below)
• 125 gm grated coconut
• 10 gm coriander seeds (cilantro seeds)
• 10 gm dry Kashmiri chilies
• 1 gm fenugreek seeds
• 2 gm mustard seeds
• 3 gm tamarind
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 30 ml coconut oil
• 10 gm salt
• 250 ml water

Cuisine Indian, Konkani Prep Time 45 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 100 gm chickpeas (green or brown) 500 gm sugarcane (peeled and divested of hard joints) (see cutting method below) 125 gm grated coconut 10 gm coriander seeds (cilantro seeds) 10 gm dry Kashmiri chilies 1 gm fenugreek seeds 2 gm mustard seeds 3 gm tamarind 1 sprig curry leaves 30 ml coconut oil 10 gm salt 250 ml water

Instructions

To soak the chickpeas:

1. Soak the chickpeas in water overnight.
2. Wash, drain and set aside.

To peel and cut the sugarcane:

1. Sugarcane can be peeled and cut in several ways. I would like to share my easy cutting method with you. All you require is a pair of secateurs (pruning shears / hand pruners), a cutting board and a chef's knife.
2. The outer skin of a sugarcane is quite hard, somewhat like a bamboo. It is difficult to cut with a knife unless one delivers a blow. However, if you use a pair of pruning shears and put the sugarcane between its jaws, rolling it slowly while applying gentle pressure on the handles, it can cut through the skin easily.
3. The joints or knots of the sugarcane are often too hard to be chewed and need to be discarded.
4. So I first make my cuts on either side of the joints and collect the edible cylinders. These I put upright on the cutting board and use my chef's knife to slice off thin strips of the woody skin.
5. Next, I weigh 500 gm. of the peeled sugarcane for the kobba sukke. Each peeled cylinder is again put upright on the cutting board and divided into quarters.
6. Finally, each quarter is chopped lengthwise to roughly 3 cm (1-inch) pieces and set aside.

   

To prepare:

1. Wash and drain the soaked chickpeas. Transfer them to your pressure cooker. Pour in 250 ml. of water and set on high heat.

   
2. As soon as you hear the first whistle, turn down the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally.
3. Set a skillet or small pan on low heat. Pour in 20 ml. of the coconut oil and tip in the coriander seeds. Stir continuously.
4. As it warms up, tip in the dry chilies and stir for a minute. Switch off the heat and set aside.
5. Put the grated coconut into your food processor. Add the tamarind and the contents of the skillet. Grind to coarse paste without adding any water. Take care to stir once or twice in between (switching off the food processor) to grind uniformly. Set aside.

To cook:

1. Open the lid of the pressure cooker (the steam should have subsided by now).
2. Set a thick cast-iron wok (for best taste) on high heat. Pour in the rest (10 ml.) of the coconut oil and tip in the mustard seeds.
3. As soon as the mustard seeds are about to finish spluttering, tip in the fenugreek seeds.
4. Pull the curry leaves off their sprig and throw them in. Stir once and gently pour the contents of the cooker into the wok.
5. Tip in the sugarcane and the salt. Add the ground paste and mix thoroughly.
6. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and cover with a lid. Stir occasionally, letting the sugarcane cook and absorb the flavors for 10 minutes.
7. Now remove the lid and turn up the heat.
8. Stir continuously till the excess water evaporates fully.
9. Your ultra-delicious Kobba Sukke is now ready to serve. Enjoy!