Ambe-Avnaasa Saasam, PA Juice, Raw Mango Pickle, Fruit Basket , Ladoos -I HATE!!

'Saasam' is a term in Konkani for Mustard seeds or Rai. The dish is a curried side dish- its very popular in marriages , made of fresh fruits, in a way curried fruit salad! The main ingredient here is mango and pineapple ( ambe, avnaas respectively in Konkani) many add black grapes and green grapes as well to make it look more colorful and the curry has some saasam in it.
Am not too sure whether Saasam name has been derived from Rai or in other Konkani dialect it means 'mixture' !

My Amma prepares it this way, there are many variations to it as well.

Ambe Avnaasa Saasam -->>

Ingredients :
1/2 cup chopped mangoes (ripe, alphonso)
1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple pieces
3/4 th cup coconut (fresh / dessicated)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds toasted
Tamarind (half-a-marble sized)
Hing a tiny pinch
2 tsp jaggery
3-4 red chillies (more if u prefer spicy)
Salt

Tadka : 1 tsp - Coconut oil, 1 tsp - rai, 2-3 sprigs - curry leaves


Method :





Place the chopped fresh fruits (mango , pineapple) in a big serving bowl. Grind to fine paste - coconut, chillies, tamarind, jaggery, toasted rai, hing with water enough to give it porridge consistency, add salt to taste , add water to obtain sauce consistency, pour over fruits. Mix well.
Heat oil in a small pan, crackle the rai, add the curry leaves, pour atop the curried mango-pineapple mix. Cover and allow the flavours to gel.
Have it as a side dish or just like a dessert .

Update : 15th June 2008:

This goes to Sig's @ Live to Eat -Tamarind Event!
(Tks Sig, its got a eeny weeny bit of tamarind though!)

Summer --- beat it with Fresh Pineapple Juice

In a blender, blend one cup cubed fresh pineapple pieces, add a pinch of black salt, a pinch of pepper, a pinch of cardamom powder, two tsp sugar (the pineapple was on sweeter side) a dash of lemon juice, add two cups of cold water, blend, strain, serve!! INDULGE!

Kairi Pickle-Cooked Version -- This appeals to all those who have tastebuds which drizzle saliva at the mention of sour-sweet-spice! I am one of this troop!! :D
The below measure yields a bowl full of pickle, has to be consumed in a week's time.
Adjust jaggery, chili powder and salt as per your personal preference.



Ingredients :
2 grated kairi/raw mangoes
6-7 tbspn crumpled jaggery
1/2 tsp rai
1/2 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
1/4 tsp methi seeds
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Black salt
1/2 tsp red chili powder
Oil -cooking oil/vegetable oil

Method :
Cook down the kairi with jaggery, once all the liquid has evaporated, mix in the black salt and red chili powder. Take 1/2 tsp oil in small tadka pan, heat the oil, crackle rai, add saunf and methi seeds. Pour this tempering over the kairi-jaggery mixture. Mix well, add the elaichi powder.
Have this with chapatis and Droooooooooooooooolllllllll !


Last week I prepared the following from blogs -- they were :


Meera, a dear blogger and friend to me , posted longggggggggg back a yummy
Lemon Yoghurt Cake, which finally saw light of the day in my kitchen --

Meera, this cake was too yummy thanks for sharing and describing it so well, got over same day!
Also her lovely dish Masoor Tikhale, a family recipe, is now a weekly addition with the lovely aromas of day to day ingredients put together, a dish polished off in one meal with no leftovers!!
Thanks yet again dear!!


Mansi of Fun and Food, posted a gorgeous finger food, Vegetable Bread Baskets which called for shaping the slices (fresh bread will need to be flattened a bit with rolling pin prior to baking to avoid crumpling) of bread n baking them, (170C for 12-15 mins until toasted) which appealed to me a great deal..so thought why not try, but I tweaked the filling recipe to suit my pantry...turned these basket shaped toasts to fruit basket with just chopped cherries and mangoes, seasoned with little chat masala, base of basket was a tsp of Gulkhand (jam can be used-get as creative as you can) with this fresh fruit filling topped with mozzarella cheese shreds, baked 170C for 7 mins until the topping just melts, these were finished off as evening snack on a weekend!

Fruit Basket - Bread n Fruits --






Try these to satisfy yourself of a crispy-fruity combo! Thanks Mansi!!!


Trupti of Recipe Center made these lovely Sabudana Ladoos and ever since it stayed at the back of my mind, trying to find some time to make these...and while making realised that it didn't take time at all!! They were so delicious I gobbled off many of the 14 ladoos and my kiddos n hub followed suit!
(Two notes - 1. The sabudana needs to be fried until brown. 2. Sabudana powder has to be sieved.)

When I went over to her space to comment on these, I was pleasantly surprised to find her tag me. Its a simple tag, hence I took it up...




10 Things I hate( not ate!!) MeMe
1. Superficial attitude.
2. Double standards.
3. Inhuman Nature - Be it for Elders, Peers or for Animals
4. Vulgarity
5. Blood shed/Wars
6. Corruption
7. Anger- Its Destructive
8. Ego- Its even more destructive
9. Alcohol Tobacco etc n way they r Glamorised
10. Infidelity- Hate activities meant 4 animals followed by some mortals!


Passing this on, rather tagging my dear fellow bloggers with no compulsion to take up -- do it only if time permits! :D :D

Meera - EIF

Maya - AAK

Priyanka - Asankhana

Deeba - PAB


And if you are wondering how many sweets have I posted, its over a period of one week..but today is special...how .....read below --


A VERY VERY HAPPY *35TH* ANNIVERSARY TO MY AMMA-AANNA (MOM-DAD)!!!




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Two "I's" - Breakfast , A Meal and Subzi - A Sheet Cake Too!! :D

Two I's- Hmm.. here they go, one for Ishtu one for Idiyappam!

This is again a filling brunch, Kerala-special, Konkani-special has a variation-Shevai, would not digress and post the Konkani version someday.
Idiyappam is the name of rice noodles steamed on a Idli mould and served with either Ishtu, a nice accompaniment or with 'Sweet Coconut Milk' for kids and makes for a filling breakfast.
Idiyappam/Nool Puttu
Ingredients :
1 cup Rice flour
1 cup water
Salt to taste

Method :
Boil water and keep aside. In a wide bowl combine the salt with rice flour. Make a well in the flour, add little warm water at a time knead with spoon or fingers into a smooth dough.
Keep a chakli press, the small plate with tiny -perforations and the idli mould greased with 'coconut oil' .

Divide the dough in two parts. Push the plate with perforations facing ungreased side at bottom, dump the dough in it, close the press. Pipe the dough sometimes baking interferes! :D Press the dough in circular motion on each of the greased dent, steam for 10 minutes.

(My way - Pressure cooker steaming - Add two cups of water, put on high flame, place the idli stand in, cover the lid minus whistle/weight, watch the steady steam come out, lower the flame, watch time, 10 mins, after which put off the flame- allow a minute, then open the lid, carefully without touching or getting touched by cooker, take the hot nool puttus / idiyappams out- same way for idlis too.)

Now place these in a serving plate, add dessicated or fresh coconut over each, little sugar if you prefer sweet.

Serve it with Ishtu or Sweet Coconut Milk!

Sweet Coconut Milk

Half cup thick coconut milk mix with 2-3 tbspn chopped jaggery/ sugar, flavoured with a pinch of cardamom powder. Pour over idiyappams and enjoy!

Potato Ishtu

This is the simplest yet flavorsome curry. Stewed veggies and no oil! Mine is a only 'Potato' version-

Ingredients :

5 medium sized potatoes skinned -cubed
1 medium onion -sliced
1 inch ginger - julienned
2-3 green chilies-slitted
2 sprig fresh curry leaves
1 cup thin coconut milk* 1 cup thick coconut milk
Salt

(* I have used ready powder- Maggi Coconut Powder, directions 4 thick n thin milk behind the pack- Use fresh coconut milk if you can easily extract it for richest flavor))

Method :
Place a kadhai on low flame, pour the thin milk, add in succession- onions, green chilies, ginger, potato cubes, mix well, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring it in between. Once the potatoes are cooked, (shd hold shape -not go mushy) add salt, curry leaves. Add the thick or first milk of coconut, mix well and remove from heat source to prevent curdling.

Serve hot with Idiyappams!!

** I have no authority over authenticity of dishes, I cook and post what suits my family and pantry.

The above I watched my Mil's Mother make. My hubby and kids enjoyed it, so did I, when would *U*? :D

There are few more dishes -

Gatte Ki Subzi - Vee's Past,Present N Me- Veg Dish!
Channe ke aatey ka gatta, flavoured with curried curds!
Vee thanks for this simple tasty subzi, loved your directions to make it!


Sunita's Oilfree Chicken Curry was a hit with rice and chapatis, kids too liked it. Thanks Sunita!












Divya's - Soi Bhajjil Masolu in Chanya Gashi

Divya- tks for the 'masolu' n this recipe, made with kabooli channa- enjoyed the flavour! Made our Meal!!

This is my Whanni's (SIL's) fave - For u, dear!!

And wrap it up with this yummy TEXAN SHEET CAKE from Asha!

Asha said in her post, add some color, when I checked with my daughter, *PINK* she said!

This is the first time I made a cake, which called for cooking up the butter and water then mixing the ingredients - Interesting Isn't it?

The sponge is something to DIE FOR!!

Its moist and melt-in-the-mouth types !!

Can be had on its own!

Here a glance at the steps --

Baked @170C for 30 mins and inverted on another tray.

Iced Pinkyyyy with chopped almonds,cashews and pista in it!

(Kids do not like Walnuts hence substituted them with the nuts)








The cake cut to pieces half an hour past icing....





PLEASE HAVE A - WHITE ERR..PINK TEXAS SHEET CAKE WITH ME!!!

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Karela (Bitter Gourd) Subzi / Karatya Upkari/ Kaippakka Upperi

Beginning the last month of the year with much nutritious vegetable which tastes bitter to the tongue but is a boon to our good health. This is a dry subzi common at my in-laws place, and is taught to me by my father-in-law! He is extremely good at non-veg and few vegan dishes.

This subzi least lastes bitter and has simple list of ingredients. My daughter who is 3, eats this ever since it was introduced to her. I also made a karela-nastik family friend eat and like this too!

Karatey is a Konkani name for it, where as Kaipakka is the Malayalam name.

Ingredients :
4 medium sized karelas
3 green chillies
4 tbspn coconut oil
Salt

Method :
Wash the karelas and pat them dry with a towel. Chop off the head and tail part. If using very tender ones, there won't be seeds inside them. If not very tender, make a long slit lengthwise from the head to the tail on one side, using forefinger, scoop out the seeds from them.
Now slice it very thinly in round shape.



Take a heavy bottomed pan, add one table spoon of coconut oil, add the slit green chillies.






Once they splutter add the sliced karela pieces and stir until the are uniformly coated with the oil and leave on a medium flame for 5 minutes , uncovered. Once you hear a bit of sizzle, stir it again and drizzle a little of coconut oil in a circular motion on it. Continue for 15 mins , stirring every 5 mins and drizzling a little oil. Add salt at this stage and mix in well. Stir and leave for another 5-10 minutes. The final karela will shrink and look shallow fried. Like in the main picture.


Serve as accompaniment hot along with rice and daal / sambhaar.

*The above measure serves two adults and a child. I make it for one time as it tastes good when hot..even re-heated looses the taste.
*Do-not cover at any stage -while and after cooking.




This is another form of sundried karela-here
the raw karelas have been sliced, salted and then dried out in the sun till they shrink in size, change their colour to golden brown and make a clinking sound.They can be stored in an airtight container and stays intact throughout the year and used when needed!

They need to be deep fried to be consumed and loved by all in my family. We usually eat it as is-ie fried, or serve it with rice porridge (Kanji Rice/Peza).

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