Usually the chutney powder with coconut is very popular among Konkanis. It can be either with or without garlic. The one without garlic has a greater shelf life compared to the one with garlic. But both have their own tastes. My brother loved the garlic one, so my mom always makes it for him.
Though this goes well with idlis , dosas , rottis etc, my personal preference is garlic chutney powder with Jolad rotti and curd. This combination tastes heavenly.
Ingredients: Coconut (Preferably use dry coconut) 1 cup Tamarind 1 tea spn Garlic cloves (small ones) 10-12 Chilli powder 2 tea spns Salt
If using the big garlic cloves available in USA, use around 4-5 cloves.
Method: Roast coconut (without oil). Grind it with garlic and tamarind (do not add water). Now add chilli powder and salt, grind again. Store it in airtight container. This remains good for around 1 month.
Preparation time : 15mins
Recently I tried few of the Goan recipes like Prawn Balchuan , Eggless banana cake and absolutely loved them. So when Jay requested a recipe of Chicken Xacuti, I could imagine that it would taste heavenly. Since I have stopped preparing chicken at home, I replaced it with prawns. As expected, the dish was simply superb. So here is the Xacuti recipe as followed in Goa.
Ingredients: Chicken 8-10 small pieces or Prawns ¾ cup Onion(large) 1 Coconut ¾ cup Nutmeg powder ½ tea spn Tamarind ½ tea spn Coriander seeds ¾ tea spn Cumin seeds ½ tea spn Poppy seeds (khus khus) ½ tea spn Fennel seeds (Soamp or saunf) ½ tea spn Dried chillies 3-4 Star anise 3-4 Cloves 2-3 Cinnamon 1†piece Oil 1 tea spn Salt
I did not use star anise when I prepared this dish.
Method: Dry roast (fry without oil) the coconut till it turns slightly brownish. Keep aside. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, start anise and dried chillies (Do not burn them) till nice aroma comes out (roast on a low flame). Grind them with coconut to a smooth paste (do not add too much water. Just add water that is sufficient to make a smooth paste). Heat oil and fry finely chopped onion. When they turn slightly brownish, add the masala and fry till oil separates. Add the chicken/prawn pieces, salt and fry for around 3-4mins. Add 2 cups of water and cook till chicken/prawn is cooked. Now add nutmeg powder, tamarind and cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve hot with Goan bun or rice.
Serves : 3 Preparation time : 30min(prawn) or 40min (chicken)
