4 Konkan Recipes from Tara Deshpande's 'A Sense for Spice'

-Shivani Mohan
The Imperial Culinary Club is a wonderful initiative to share the finer nuances of what makes ‘The Imperial’ cuisine so sought after! A unique and interactive platform to capture the culinary interest of cooking enthusiasts, it is a fortnightly affair executed with the presentation of culinary treasures in a live cookery show. Each session is full of exciting cuisines made either by the in-house chefs and their Senior Executive VP & GM who started his career as a chef and even a highly skilled guest chefs on special occasions. The Club has arrested the interests of their discerning women guests with cuisines like Thai, Lebanese, Chocolate temptations, European, Kashmiri, Italian, Summer delights, Goan cuisine, Ayurvedic & health food, Continental Brunch etc.

Added to the fun is the participation of celebrity guests and cook book authors from time to time to give a first hand insight into the cuisines they wax eloquent about in their books. They have to display their craft in front of a live audience and let out the trade secrets! One of the best gourmet sessions of the Gourmet Club was one with Tara Deshpande Tennebaum who had launched her book on Konkani cuisine, "A Sense for Spice".  Tara donned chef’s jacket and took the audience through Konkan culture with four of her recipes, capturing the interest of culinary enthusiasts. The recipes were part of her book “A Sense for Spice”- a rich tapestry of recipes and stories that takes the reader from the lush Konkan coast to metropolitan Mumbai.

Tara showing the magical Konkan condiment- Kokum to Delhi ladies

A hands-on chef

Teaching finer nuances of making authentic and traditional Konkani cuisine, Tara presented her favourite recipes such as:

Bangbang Batata- Crispy Potatoes with Chilli and Garlic Kakdi Chi Kochimbri- Cucumber and Peanut Salad

Koliwada Prawns - Crunchy Prawns coated with semolina

Chicken Xacuti- Goan Chicken Curry 

The session reflected the mood of the book which captures the fading way of life of the idiosyncratic Konkan diaspora, a complex of uniquely tolerant cultures with quirky and mysterious histories. The meticulously recorded recipes by her grandmother some dating back to the 1800s but all adapted to modern kitchens bring to life the community and its food.

Here are these 4 lip-smacking recipes from Tara's book, healthy, wholesome and worth trying.

                                                     1.      BANGBANG BATATA

(Crispy Potatoes with Chilly and Garlic)

 

 

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY	UNIT	PREPARATION
Brown Baby Potatoes or medium-sized Potatoes, washed	250	Gms	Scrub the potatoes and steam them till tender but firm. Cool and peel
Salt or to taste	½--1	Tsp	If using baby potatoes, leave them whole; slice larger potatoes into thick wedges. Transfer to a large bowl
A pinch of sugar
Red chili flakes	½	Tsp
Turmeric powder	½	Tsp	Mix the salt, sugar, chili flakes, turmeric powder and semolina in a bowl
Semolina or rava/sooji	1	Tbsp	Sprinkle this over the potatoes and toss, till well coated. Reserve
Ghee or vegetable oil	1½	Tbsp	Put the ghee or oil in a wide  skillet on medium
Green chillies, 1½"- 2" long, finely chopped	2-3	Nos.	Heat and sauté the green chilies and garlic for 10 seconds
Finely chopped garlic	1½	Tbsp	Throw in the spiced potatoes, reduce heat and cook for 6-8 minutes, tossing regularly to ensure even cooking, till the potatoes are browned and the semolina is crisp. Serve hot with lime wedges

 

2.      KAKDI CHI KOCHIMBRI

(Cucumber and Peanut Salad)

 

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY	UNIT	PREPARATION
Puneri or similar mild, tender, 6” long cucumbers	1	Kg	Peel the cucumbers and quarter them lengthwise. Gently scrape off any large seeds.
Powdered sugar (more, if coconut is omitted)	1	Tsp	Dice the cucumbers into 1/5” cubes.
salt or to taste	1	Tsp	Put the diced cucumbers in a colander or sieve placed over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate till ready to serve
			Remove the cucumbers from the refrigerator. Discard any water that may have accumulated in the bowl below the colander or sieve.
Grated fresh; or frozen, defrosted, unsweetened coconut (optional)	½ cup		Toss the cucumbers with coconut and sugar.
Tempering Ghee or vegetable oil	3	Tbsp	Put the oil for tempering in a small skillet or tempering spoon on medium heat.
Black mustard seeds	1¼	Tsp	When hot, add the tempering spices and cook for 30-60 seconds, till they splutter and turn fragrant.
Pinch asafoetida powder			Cool and pour the contents of the pan over the cucumbers.
Indian green chillies, 2”- 2½” long, finely chopped or to taste	3-4	No.	Toss well, till the cucumbers are coated with the tempering.
Crushed, unsalted roasted peanuts	½ cup or more
Juice of  lime	1	No.	Add the lime juice and peanuts and toss again. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately

3.     KOLIWADA PRAWNS

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY	UNIT	PREPARATION
Medium-sized prawns (size: 30-40 prawns/kg) or	15	No.	Shell the prawns, if used, and remove the tail if desired. Devein and wash well
Skinned fish fillets	600	Gms	Cut the fish, if used, into 1” cubes. Wash well
Vegetable oil for frying
Batter Cayenne pepper powder	1	Tsp	Pat the seafood dry with paper towels
Garam masala powder	2	Tbsp
Carom seeds or ajwain	½	Tsp	Mix all the batter ingredients in a bowl. Add the seafood and mix well to coat it evenly
Salt or to taste	2	Tsp	Taste and add more salt if required
Chopped fresh coriander leaves	1	Tbsp
Ginger paste	1	Tbsp
Garlic paste	1	Tsp	Pour oil into a small kadhai or wok and put it on high heat
Red food colouring or tandoori colour	¼	Tsp	Coat and press each seafood piece generously and evenly in the rice flour.
Lime juice	1	No.	Reduce heat to medium and fry 1 piece of seafood for 3-4 minutes, till golden and fully cooked.
			(Fish cubes will take longer to fry than prawns.) Taste to test if the piece is cooked through. Repeat with the remaining seafood.

4.     CHICKEN XACUTI
 (Goan Chicken Curry)

INGREDIENTS	QUANTITY	UNIT	PREPARATION
Skinned Chicken pieces with bone	800-900	Gms	Wash the chicken and set aside to drain
Vegetable oil	4	Tbsp	Put the oil for the spice paste in a small, dry skillet heat on medium heat. Saute the whole spices and onion for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, till golden brown and fragrant.
Dried bay leaves	2	Nos.	Cool and grind coarsely. Add a little water if required again to a fine consistency.
Medium sized red or white Onion, finely chopped	1	Nos.	Add the green chillies, ginger and garlic and grind again to a fine consistency. Reserve
Salt or to taste	2	Tsp	Put the oil for the coconut paste in the skillet on medium heat. When hot, toast the cashewnuts, poppy seeds and coconut, till light golden brown and fragrant
Spice Paste: Vegetable Oil	2	Tbsp	Cool and grind to a fine consistency, adding a little water, if required to facilitate the grinding. Reserve
1” Cinnamon stick	1	No.	Heat 4 tbsp oil in a large pan. Add the bay leaves and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes, till translucent
Cloves	4	Nos.
Black peppercorns	4	Nos.
Coriander Seeds	1	Tsp	Stir on the spice paste and sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium heat, stirring continuously, till the paste thicken and release oil
Cumin Seeds	2	Tsp
Dried red Byadgi or Kashmiri chillies, stalks and seeds removed	5-6	Nos.
Medium sized white onion finely chopped	1	No.	Raise the heat to high. Add the chicken and sear it in the spices for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add 1 cup of water, cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes
1 ½”-2” Long Green chillies, roughly chopped	3	Nos.
3” Fresh ginger root, peeled, roughly chopped
Garlic cloves, roughly chopped	8	Nos.
Coconut Paste: Vegetable oil	2	Tbsp	Stir in the coconut paste and a little water if required. Cook uncovered on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes
Raw, unsalted cashew	¼ cup		Taste for salt. Cool and refrigerate overnight
White poppy seeds or khus-khus	2	Tsp
Grated fresh, or frozen, defrosted, unsweetened coconut	½ cup		Reheat the curry the next day on low heat stirring constantly. Serve hot with flatbreads or plain, boiled white rice