Amba Dal

Amba dal is made from mashed channa dal mixed with raw, grated mango and fresh coconut tempered with mustard and green chillies. Amba dal is also known as Ambe dal or Ambyachi dal in Marathi. This is a very popular dal especially made with raw mangoes which has an amazing sour taste that complements well with the dal.

Amba dal is traditionally prepared during the ‘Chaitra Mahina’ and served accompanied with a delicious sweet and sour Indian beverage namely ‘Panha’ made with raw mangoes and sweetened with sugar. This tangy dal is specially made during the hot summer days when green Mangoes or Kairee are abundant. Making the Amba dal and Panha is super quick and easy as it requires just few easily available ingredients.

The Amba dal is extremely luscious to eat especially for all those who are mango maniac. Made with coarsely ground soaked channa dal (split Bengal gram) and grated raw mango are mixed and flavoured with a spicy tadka or tempering of mustard seeds, green chillies, hing (asafoetida), turmeric and curry leaves. This tempering is added to the dal and mango mixture and seasoned with some fresh ground coconut and garnished with coriander leaves. This dish is a perfect blend of fresh aromatic herbs that gives incredible flavour to the dal.

Tartness of the mangoes, sweetness from the coconut, nuttiness from channa dal and spiciness from green chillies is an excellent medley of gusto to the palate. This dal tastes extremely well with rice, roti or any type of bhakri. Traditionally this cool, tangy and spicy Amba dal is served on a banana leaf along with Aam Panha.  This dish is traditionally prepared during the Gudipadava festival which is the New Year or first month of Marathi calendar called as ‘Chaitra’. Maharashtrian women from all walks of life celebrate this festival with lots of fun and frolic making different types of snacks, prepare the Amba Dal or Kairichi dal and Panha (sweet and sour raw mango juice). This festival signifies the spring celebration as spring is a magical season offering hope and beauty.

Indian food has a rich gamut of green mango delicacies. There are umpteen recipes that can be made with green mango such as chutneys, murabbas (preserves), dals (lentil stews), raitas and in chaats. Another important recipe is the Mango pickle which is a very popular south Indian pickle from the cuisine of Andhra Pradesh. Some of my eminent recipes made with green mangoes are Green Mango Chutney, Mango Rice (Mamidikaya Pulihora), Mango pickle, Green Mango salad, Goan Prawn curry with Mangoes, Mango rasam, etc. Depending on the region, there are a variety of Indian recipes that have the green mango as a star ingredient. Green Mango is extensively used in the cuisine of Maharashtra.

There are many variations of making Mango Dal which includes the Amba Dal or Ambyachi Dal popular in the Maharashtrian cuisine is made with Bengal gram and mango. The dish is a rich source of protein and due to its low glycemix index is an excellent food for those on sugar restricted diet. Another variation is the Aamer dal or Mango dhal that is popular in most Bengali families which is made with green mangoes and tur dal cooked together with some herbs and spices. The green mango dal is a must have in most Bengali families during the summer time. Green mango has some very good health benefits too. The raw mango contains more Vitamin C than the half-ripe or ripe mangoes. It also contains a good amount of Vitamin B1 and B2. In Andhra Pradesh, Mango dal is popularly known as Mamidikaya pappu. This dal is also eaten in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Toor dal is mostly used for the dish. Mango Dal of Andhra Pradesh has a tangy and sweet taste with soup-like consistency.

For preparing this wonderful Amba Dal, firstly take Channa dal and soak in water for few hours and later grind it to a coarse paste. Heat oil in a pan and when the oil gets hot, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start crackling, add pinch of hing, turmeric, curry leaves and crushed green chillies. Add 1 cup coarsely ground channa dal and mix well. Add salt, pinch of sugar and mix well. Add grated raw mango and fresh coconut grated and mix all the ingredients well. As soon as you add grated mango and coconut, switch off the flame and sauté well. Sprinkle finely chopped coriander leaves. A prefect side dish with roti or bhakri drizzled with ghee.

Tip: The less ripe mangoes lend a tangy flavour to the dish whereas a ripe mango imparts a sweet flavour.

Amba Dal is a very easy recipe and does not require too much time to put together. The daal is tangy and spicy and it can be changed according to one’s taste. Do try this dish as it is extremely healthy and delightful to taste. If you are really looking for some traditional and unique recipe with some very simple culinary joy, then go ahead and click on the below link to view the making of Amba Dal:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/AMBA+DAL:7826

Enjoy Cooking!

Valachi Usal

Valachi usal is a simple yet delicious curry prepared with “Vaal”, pulses or commonly known as the Broad Bean/Fava Bean/Field Bean cooked in spicy Malvani style masala gravy. This is a very popular Malvani dish cooked by most vegetarians in the state of Maharashtra.

Usal is a spicy curry generally made with sprouted beans which include matki, green moong, red chavli, vatana, black eye peas, whole green or white peas etc. These beans are soaked in water overnight sprouted before they are cooked and then added to spicy and delectable thick gravy. It’s an amazing dish, very simple to cook and a very wholesome food which can be delicious and addictive. Usal is a typical Maharashtrian standard style of bhaaji.

Vaal is dried beans and called by various names such as Field beans, Lima beans or Butter beans. When cooked, it is starchy and has a buttery texture. Vaal has very delicate flavours and complements a variety of dishes. The dried beans are available in various shapes and sizes. They are generally oval shaped, creamish in colour. It is a very versatile ingredient and popularly used in Maharashtrian, Gujarati and Parsi cuisines. Some of the appetizing and yummy dishes made with Vaal or field beans are Vaal Ni Dal No Pulav, Vala chi Birda, Padval Dalimbi baaji, Dalimbi Bhaat, Doodhi Valachi baaji and many more.

Vaal is widely used in East Indian cooking. The vaal on cooking, acquires a strong, nutty aroma and the taste becomes creamy and smooth. Traditionally vaal is sprouted and cooked which enhances the flavour and makes the skin soft as the outer skin is usually thick and chewy. Sprouted beans/ Vaal are an incredible and nourishing addition to soups and salads. Vaal is low in calories and fat. It has a rich source of dietary fibres, phosphorous, potassium, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin B1 and Iron. It also has high concentrations of an amino acid known as L-dopa (dopamine), which works as a neurotransmitter in the brain.

Malvani Masala is a popular spice mix powder from the Malvani cuisine that is added in most of their vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Malvani masala owes its origin from the Malvan Region in Maharashtrian. These masalas are widely used for the proportion of the non-veg dishes and also for coconut based dishes. This spice mix is aromatic and imparts an alluring colour and luscious taste to the dish.  Malvani masala is generally made with an amazing list of wonderful spices which includes the Chillies, Coriander seeds, Cassia, Black Pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Black Cardamom, Stone-flower, Mace, Nagkeshar, Triphala, Star Anise, Aniseeds, Mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds, and Salt.

Fresh Coconut and peanuts are the other two vital ingredients from the Maharashtrian cuisine that are extensively used in cooking and as an embellishment. Tamarind or Kokum and Jaggery are also used in most vegetables or lentils that help in acquiring a sweet and sour flavour while the Malvani masala or Goda masala (special mixture of spices) is added to make the food spicy. All vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes or curries of Maharashtra cuisine are eaten with boiled rice, bhakris or soft rotis either made of rice or whole wheat flour.

For preparing the Valachi Usal, firstly overnight soak the vaal or field beans in water. Next day, drain the water and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and when it gets hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, sliced onions and salt. Add hing, crushed green chillies, garlic, turmeric, red chilli powder and Malvani masala powder. Add vaal or field beans (soaked overnight in water) and mix thoroughly. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for around 15 minutes on slow flame or until the vaal is tender and soft. Once the vaal is tender, add finely grated coconut and mix well. Sprinkle coriander leaves on the top and switch off the flame. Serve hot with roti, chapatti or bhakri.

Tip: Generally the dried beans are germinated by soaking them for about 12 hours in water and then wrapping them up in a moist muslin cloth till they sprout. The sprouted beans are then shelled and cooked in a spicy curry.

Do try this recipe and enjoy its flavours and nutritional benefits. Click on the below link to view the making of this wonderful and delicious recipe:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/VALACHI+USAL:7825

Valachi Usal is also known as Dalimbi Usal in some parts of Maharashtra. Val beans have exceptional nutritional values. They are highly recommended as they are rich in nutrients like proteins and fibre that help aid in digestion and prevent from dreadful diseases like diabetes and heart diseases. To sum this up, sprouted beans is stomach filling and a healthy and nutritious dish that can be added to your diet in every day meal.

Enjoy Cooking!

Ambat Batata

Ambat Batata is a typical and popular dish from the Malwan region; is well known for its sour and tangy savour yet very delicious to taste. This dish is a very simple and easy to cook dish. ‘Ambat’ in Marathi means sour and ‘Batata’ means potato, hence the name Ambat Batata which clearly states that this is a sour potato curry.

Ambat Batata taste good when served with hot rice, chapatti, roti or bhakri. Small evenly sized pieces of potatoes are nicely cooked in a tangy and delectable masala made with dry red chillies, few sticks of cinnamon, cloves, black pepper corns, cumin seeds, freshly ground coconut and onions which are lightly fried in very little oil until it gives a wonderful aroma and then ground into coarse paste. This is very refreshing and comforting dish that sparks your taste buds with a medley of flavours.

The cuisine of Malvani is the standard cuisine of the Konkan region of Maharashtra and Goa and some northern parts of West Karnataka. Malvan being a coastal area in the Konkan region has its own distinct way of cooking food. Malvani cuisine uses coconut liberally in various forms such as grated, dry, fried, coconut paste and coconut milk. Many other masala and spices such as dried red chillies, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, cardamom, ginger, and garlic are widely used in their recipes. Some dishes also use kokum, dried kokum (amsul), tamarind or raw mango to give that superfluous tanginess to the dish.

However not all the food from this cuisine is hot and spicy, generally it’s the seafood curries or the non-vegetarian dishes that dominate in spiciness. Some of the popular dishes from this cuisine are Malvani Chicken (a delicious chicken curry cooked with authentic Malvani spices), Malvani Bomblachi Kalvan (fresh Bombay duck fish cooked in a spicy and tangy sauce using authentic Malvani spices), Malvani fish curry, Kekda Masala (Crab Masala), Valachi Usal (“Val”, pulses or more generally known as the Broad Bean/Fava Bean/Field Bean cooked in spicy Malvani style masala gravy), Padval Dalimbi baaji (Snake gourd and Dalimbi or field beans cooked in a spicy curry), Sagoti Chicken Malvani, Kumbdi Vade, and many more.

Another very incredible and popular dish is the Sol Kadhi which is an amazing pink coloured flavoured appetizer drink made from kokum fruit and coconut milk usually taken after eating a scrumptious hot and spicy Konkani or Malvani meal.

Potatoes are a pretty versatile vegetable and can be cooked in many ways. They are extensively used in the state of Maharashtra. Batata is the word for potato in some languages, for example, Portuguese, Marathi, Konkani and some Arabic variants. The English word “potato” itself is derived from the Taíno batata, borrowed via Spanish patata. Generally Malvani dishes have a tangy flavour in their dishes generally coming from the feathery touch of tamarind, mango or kokum. It is also further balanced by adding jaggery to create a little harmony in your taste buds.

Kokum is a gentle souring agent that adds a background tang, but never drowns out the main taste. Hence, often added in making fish dishes as it is very much appreciated for its subtler tastes and texture and acts as a neutralizer for masalas giving a unique taste to the dish.

Kokum or Garcinia Indica is a deep purple colour fruit where the natural outer cover of the fruit is dried and used as a spice. It gives out a tangy gusto as it contains citric acid, acetic acid, hydroxycitric acid, ascorbic acid, malic acid and garcinol. Hence it needs to be used carefully. Juice from Kokum is widely used in various curries and also used in making sherbets. These sherbets are especially served during hot summer; it is delicious and has cooling effect, refreshing drink, not only quenches the thirst but also helps prevents dehydration and sunstrokes.

Kokum’s tanginess can be enjoyed by itself too. There’s a candied version called kokum khajur which is very nice to eat. The fresh juice is concentrated with salt to make kokum agal, which when diluted tastes like fruity salt lassi. The sweet form is kokum sherbet flavoured with a sprinkle of jeera powder gives a warm spiciness. It’s a natural version of fresh Indian beverage.

For preparing this mouth-watering and tangy Ambat Batata, firstly add little oil in a pan and fry dry red chilli, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper corns, cumin seeds, freshly ground coconut, and onions. Sauté until slightly golden in colour and blend in a blender to a coarse paste. Heat oil in a pan and when it gets hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, crushed garlic, pinch of hing, turmeric, garam masala and red chilli powder. Mix all the spices well. Add the ambati masala (ground paste) and mix well. Cook this for a minute and then add potato pieces and sauté until they are nicely coated with the masala. Add water, cover the pan with a lid and cook on a slow flame until the potatoes are nicely cooked. Soak little kokum in water and add in the potato mixture and mix well. Cook this for few minutes and finally sprinkle some coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

Serve with roti, chapatti or bhakri.

Tip: Little bit of tamarind extract or lemon juice can be substituted for kokum. Adjust the sourness as per your taste.

Apart from potato, Kokum also has several and incredible health benefits. Kokum is vastly used in traditional Ayurvedic medicines to treat skin ailments such as allergies, rashes, burns etc. Kokum fruit is rich in antioxidant and aids weight loss. It can relieve you from gastric problems like acidity, flatulence, constipation and indigestion.  It is low in calories and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol and is rich in dietary fibre. Fresh kokum fruit is a rich source of B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, niacin and folates.

Do try this wonderful, tangy, spicy dish from the cuisine of Malvan. Click on the link below to view the making of this recipe:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/AMBAT+BATATA:7824

Enjoy Cooking!

Doodhi Valachi Baaji

Doodhi Valachi Baaji is a delicious Maharashtrian vegetarian dish made with bottle gourd, field beans and jackfruit seeds cooked in spicy and tangy gravy. This curry is a semi solid gravy curry that goes well with roti, chapatti, bhakri or rice.

Medium sized pieces of doodhi or lauki is cooked with spices and then boiled with jackfruit seeds added to this curry giving a yummy and nutty flavour. Finally once the lauki pieces are cooked, boiled field beans are added to this curry enhancing the nutritional value of this dish. This curry has a blend of flavours from fresh ground coconut (helps in thickening the curry also), garam masala powder, green chillies, and ginger garlic paste. Doodhi Valachi baaji is a very comforting dish packed with lots of nutrients and vitamins.

Bottle gourd is a simple and popular vegetable that is extensively used all over India. It is yellowish green having the shape of a bottle and has white pulp with white seeds embedded in the spongy flesh. It is a very versatile vegetable that can be used in varied Indian savoury and sweet delicacies. Some of the popular recipes are Bottle gourd kofta curry (is a healthy version of kofta curry made with lauki that can be served as a snack or side dish for any rice varieties), Sorakaya Pulusu (is a delicious tamarind based gravy that tastes little sweet and tangy), Sorakaya Roti, Bottle gourd with Prawns (Kokan dhudhi delight), Anapaya Aava Koora,  Bottle gourd doodhi halwa (cooked with sugar, ghee and spices flavoured with cardamom to create a tasty and exotic sweet delicacy), Bottle gourd payasam, Kaddu Kheer using Custard powder and many more.            

As Bottle gourd has high water content, it gets cooked easily and is cooling, calming, diuretic and easy to digest. It is also effective against constipation and other digestive disorders. The bottle gourd is low in fat and cholesterol yet high in dietary fibres. This dish is amazingly a low calorie dish, light and delicious to eat.

Jackfruit seed is another excellent ingredient added in this dish. In southern India, jackfruit seeds the added in sambar dishes. Jackfruit seeds are a rich source of proteins and carbohydrates. Its seeds are like Chestnuts and are consumed by people. You can roast them or boil them and can sprinkle some salt on them for taste. The seeds of the jackfruit are slightly knobby and can be boiled, eaten, roasted or fried.  Jackfruit is used in both savoury and sweet dishes. It can be dried or fried to produce something similar to potato chips, and when cooked unripen, it can substitute for plantain. Boiled jackfruit and milk also make a popular sweet custard dish that tastes like an orange. Wonderful recipes like chutneys, jams, jellies, fruit smoothies and ice creams can be prepared from Sweet jackfruit.

Field beans are the dried bean variety used in this recipe which is extensively used in western Maharashtra, especially Konkan region and they are popularly known as Vaal or surti beans. They are added to a variety of other vegetables and made with delicious curries or salads. The field beans is a traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known vegetable has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable land care.

For preparing this delicious and appetizing curry, firstly soak field beans overnight in water and boil the next day and keep aside. Heat oil in a hot pan, add mustard seeds and they crackle add cumin seeds, chopped onions, curry leaves, chopped green chillies, chopped garlic and salt. Cook the onions till they turn slightly golden in colour. Add hing, turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Mix the spices well.

Add bottle gourd, cut into small pieces, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the bottle gourd are soft and tender. Add chopped tomatoes, seeds of ripe jackfruit cut into pieces, simmer and cook for a minute. Add little sugar, freshly ground coconut paste and the boiled field beans. Mix well, simmer for few seconds and switch off the flame. Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot. Serve with rice, roti or bhakri.

Do try this recipe and I am sure will enjoy its taste, flavour and nutritional benefits. Watch the making of this recipe by clicking on the below link:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/DOODHI+VALACHI+BAAJI:7835

Enjoy Cooking!