Konkan being a coastal area, it has its own distinct way of cooking food. The Konkani cuisine uses Coconut liberally in various forms such as grated, dry grated, fried, coconut paste and coconut milk.
A lot of Masalas are used which have dry Red Chilies and other spices like coriander seeds, Peppercorns, Cumin, Cardamom, Ginger, Garlic etc. Some dishes also use Kokum, dried Kokam (Amsul), Tamarind, and Raw Mango (Kairi).
However not all of the Konkani Cusine is Hot and Spicy, The 'Konkanastha Brahmin' style of food is quiet bland yet very tasty and vegetarian too.
Mainly Fish dishes dominate the Konkani / Malvani cuisine. The fiery seafood curries may be a bit too spicy for some people but you will definitely like the taste. You would find a lot of similarity between the Konkani / Malvani cusine and Goan or Coastal South Indian Cusine.
As far as eating out goes, Most of the small towns have 'Khanavals' or small basic dining hotels instead of fancy restaurants. By and large, they are clean and you can be assured of a hearty meal at these places. But in most of the places you would get a choice of Reasonably priced Veg / Chicken / Mutton or Fish Thali (Curry, Dry Dish, Chapati / Bhakari and Rice) instead of separate dishes in their menu.
Don't forget to include Sol Kadhi before, during or after your meals, Sol Kadhi is a pink colored appetizer drink made from the kokam fruit and Coconut Milk. It's also good for your stomach after a Hot and Spicy Konkani / Malvani meal.
We are giving a few of the famous and tantalizing Konkani / Malvani Recipes for you to try out.
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1 tsp. red chili powder 7-8 garlic flakes coarsely grounded 2 onions sliced finely 1 cup grated coconut 1 tsp. Malvani Fish Masala (Available at local grocery stores) or any other Fish masala ( You can use any mutton / chicken / garam masala as a last resort if fish masala is not available) Salt to taste Preparation: 1) Clean the Fish, Apply a little salt and turmeric and keep aside. 2) In three tbsp Oil fry Onion, Dry chilies, Turmeric and Coriander seeds till the Onions turn light brown. 3) Grind the grated coconut with above ingredients to a paste. 4) Apply the ground paste to the fish and keep aside to marinate for 15 min. 5) Fry the Garlic flakes in 5 tbsp oil, add red chili powder and Fish Masala. 6) Add the fish pieces with the marinade and add 2 cup water, simmer on low heat till the fish is cooked. 7) Serve with Chapatti and or Hot Rice. |
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½ tsp cumin seeds (Jira) Preparation: |
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1 cup Rice flour mixed
with 2-3 tsp of Rawa Preparation: |
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1 tsp Turmeric powder Preparation: |
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6-7 green chilies Preparation: |
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7-8 garlic flakes Preparation: |
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Method : 1) Soak 5-6 dry kokam in ½ cup warm water for 10 min's for making Kokum water. 2) Grind 2-3 kokam, grated coconut, garlic and green chilies to a paste adding water. Extract Coconut milk from this paste, add 2 cup water and again extract milk from this paste, add 2cup water and again extract milk. 3) Add the kokam water to coconut milk and add salt to taste. 4) Refrigerate for 15 min's and Serve with chopped coriander leaves on top. |
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1 teaspoon ghee 1/2 teaspoon oil a pinch of salt. Preparation: 1) For the filling, mix and cook coconut & Sugar / Jaggery together on a medium flame. Stir continuously until they are mixed properly. 2) Add cardamom powder, roasted poppy seeds & 1 teaspoon rice flour to it. & cook for some more time. Keep aside and allow it to cool. 4) Boil 1 cup of water. Add ghee, salt, oil & rice flour. Stir well & cover in between. Remove from heat and keep aside 5) Take all the mixture in a flat plate to soft dough. 6) Divide this dough into small balls fitting into your palm. 7) Roll each ball into a small circle then while holding it in a hand make a small bowl of it. Put some coconut filling into this bowl shaped dough. 8) Dip fingers your in the oil & bring the sides together to form a peak. Prepare remaining modak's in similar manner. 9) Spread a damp cotton cloth onto a flat round bowl and arrange all the modak's onto it. Place the sifter in a steamer with lid and Steam for about 15 to 20 min's. 10) Serve with pouring ghee on tops. |
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