One of the finest of ripe mango curries is the Konkani ambya umman / humman. Since time immemorial, huge mango trees have been growing all over the plains, foothills and plateaus of India. In summer, these trees produce luscious mangoes in great abundance, shedding the ripe fruit every day on the ground. The birds, squirrels…
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Clove Beans Saglea – A thick, spicy Konkani curry (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Just recently, I discovered that clove beans make an excellent ingredient to create the delicious Konkani saglea. Saglea is a highly favored and flavored side dish of the Konkani people. A thick, fragrant, hot and spicy curry, it is generally made using either okra (ladies’ finger) or brinjal (aubergine or eggplants). The other vegetables that go in…
Tori Bendi – Pigeon pea chili curry (Vegan + Gluten Free)
For me, tori bendi is an irresistible traditional Konkani curry which is associated with many sweet, unforgettable memories, some of which, I must share with you today. I was just 19 when I got married, and was quite thin at that time. At my husband’s ancestral home, I was received with great affection by my…
Odi – Spicy Crisp Rice Fries (Vegan + Gluten Free)
For most Konkani people among the Brahmin community, no meal feels complete without a handful or two of freshly deep-fried, crisp, spicy, yummy odis. In fact, odi is so delicious that you can enjoy a pile of rice and dali toye with no other accompaniment but just some onion odis (piyyava odi in Konkani) or garlic odis…
Avara Songe – A traditional Konkani side dish (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Sometimes, simple, homely meals can be far more satisfying than elaborate gourmet dinners. One such meal that I can never forget is also my childhood favorite. At lunchtime, mother would serve us a plate of hot rice with fragrant, hot dali toye poured over it, topped with buttermilk, and accompanied by delicious, hot and savory…
Masala Curd Vada – A delicious deep-fried black gram snack (Gluten Free)
My dear friends, I apologize for not having been able to post new recipes for you, these last few weeks. It was pepper season here and I had to do my part in picking, threshing, drying and cleaning our organic black pepper. I love the work, and this is the only black pepper I use…
Dalimba Solla Khadi – Pomegranate Peel Curry (Gluten Free)
It happened many many years ago. I was a sixth-grade schoolgirl, and it was a sweltering hot summer day. I had taken some street-food the previous day. Mid-morning found me writhing in pain in my abdomen and running to the toilet, only to pass loose motions with phlegm and blood. This was repeated twice more and…
Green Mint Chutney (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Everyone in my family loves mint chutney. So we grow organic spearmint (pudina) plants round the year. A hardy, creeping shrub, mint is easy to grow in composted, well-drained soils in full sunlight, or in the partial shade. However, they have a tendency to rot in the excessive rains of the monsoon season. so…
Pongal – A South-Indian Pressure Cooker Recipe (Gluten Free)
Years ago, while we were staying at Thalassery, one of our neighbors was an old couple living in their ancestral home. Adjacent to our property with a five-foot laterite wall in between, we would spend some time every day talking across the wall. As the lady was having cardiac trouble and her husband had a partial renal…
Roasted Chickpea Coconut Chutney (Vegan + Gluten Free)
In Tamil Nadu, pottu kadalai or roasted brown chickpea lentils are ground with grated coconuts to a fine paste to make a melt-in-the-mouth chutney. It is served with pongal, idli, vada and with all sorts of dosas. A breakfast dish without chutney and sambar is considered incomplete. In Kerala and Karnataka however, delicious chutney is usually…