If you ask me what is my comfort food, Dali Ambat is one of the dishes that comes to my mind. Dali ambat is a simple delicious gravy with vegetable and coconut. Paired with hot rice, this makes a great comforting meal. The aroma that comes out of it while its cooking is very intoxicating.
I have prepared this dish for many of my non-Konkani friends and this has become a regular in their homes too.
Ingredients: 1 cup Toor dal 1/2 cup fresh/frozen coconut A pinch asafoetida 1 tea spn coriander seeds 5-6 red chillies 1/4 tea spn tamarind extract or 1-2 pieces of tamarind Salt 5-6 Curry leaves 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds Oil 1 cup of any one of the following vegetables – Potato – Tendli (ivy gourd) – Brinjal(Egg plant) – Seeme badane ( chyote squash) – Phagla (Indian gourd/kantola) – Lauki ( Gardudde /bottle gourd)
Method: Cook toor dal with turmeric. Cook vegetables. Heat oil and fry coriander seeds. Grind with coconut, red chilies, tamarind. Add to cooked dal & vegetables. Bring it to boil. Take off the heat. Heat oil. Add mustard. When they start popping, add curry leaves & asafoetida. Add this seasoning to the gravy and close the lid. Serve hot with rice.
Serves : 4-5 Preparation time : 20min
PS: When ivy gourd( tendli ) is used, add few cashews with them while cooking. It gives a great taste.
Green peas were/are seasonal at my native. When I was a kid, we used to bring it from Belgaum once or twice in large batches. Shelling these peas was a big job then. Aayi had few staple dishes that she would prepare every time peas were bought. Among them, my most favorite dish is this kurma . She serves this with hot puris . Now I make this often with chapathis also. I use the frozen peas here, which are always available in my freezer.
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh/frozen green peas 1/4 cup potato pieces 7-8 pieces cauliflower pieces 1/2 cup onion pieces 1 cup fresh/frozen coconut 3-4 pepper 1/4 cup tomato cut into big pieces 4-5 cloves 1″ piece cinnamon 1 tea spn coriander seeds 1 tea spn fennel seeds( Soamp / badishepi / saunf ) 4-5 red chillies Oil Salt
Method: Heat a little oil and fry coriander seeds, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, red chillies, fennel seeds. Grind with coconut. Cook peas, onion pieces, potato pieces, cauliflower, tomato pieces together in a vessel with enough water. When almost cooked, add ground masala and salt. Bring it to boil. Serve with puri or chapathi .
Serves : 5 Preparation time : 20min
