Upkari is a Konkani stir fry. We make stir fry of many vegetables as well as beans. This is an ideal example of the mixture of both. Somehow the black chickpea – plantain combination is very popular among Konkanis. Another combination of these two is chana ghashi . We also make similar stir fry with only chickpeas or only plantains.
This recipe was sent to me by Gowri . I have tasted this dish many times but I had forgotten completely about it. When Gowri sent the recipe, I tried it again and it brought back many memories.
Ingredients: 2 cups black chickpeas( kala chana ) 1 raw plantain( kele ) 1 tbl spn grated coconut(fresh or frozen) 3-4 green chilies 1-2 red chilies A pinch of asafoetida 5-6 curry leaves 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds 1 tea spn oil Salt
Method: Soak kala chana overnight. Pressure cook them for 2-3 whistles(or till they are cooked completely). Peel plantain and cut them into bite size pieces. Keep the pieces in water (to stop blackening of plantain). Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add curry leaves, asafoetida, red and green chilies. Fry for sometime and add banana pieces(discard the water used to soak plantains). Sprinkle some water if required. When they are almost cooked, add cooked chana and salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add coconut and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 30mins
This is a dish I have grown up eating. Aayi makes this with rice rotti(alayle pita rotti) for breakfast. The cooked masoor and the garam masala gives a very different aroma to this dish. This tastes good when it is made very spicy and goes very well with the bland taste of rotti .
Ingredients: 3/4 cup masoor (whole) 1/2 cup onions(chopped) 1/2 cup potato(chopped) 3/4 cup coconut(fresh or frozen) 3-4 cloves 2″ piece cinnamon 1/2 tea spn coriander seeds 3-4 red chilies 1/2 tea spn tamarind extract (or use 2 small pieces of normal tamarind) 3-4 pepper Oil Salt
Increase the spices if required.
Method: Soak masoor in water for around 1hr (this helps to cook masoor faster). Cook masoor with onion and potato (Just 1-2 whistles if using cooker). Heat a little oil and add cloves, cinnamon, pepper and coriander seeds. Grind them with coconut, red chilies and tamarind. Add this masala to masoor and cook for around 5-10mins. Serve with rice rotti(alayle pita rotti) .
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 30mins
