Konkani recipes from the 1950s

‘The Classic Konkan Cookbook’ is a renewed version of Narayani Nayak’s book from 70 years ago, which has been tested multiple times and now incorporates more seafood recipes

There weren’t too many cookbooks listing out Konkani recipes before the 1950s and unsurprisingly, Narayani Nayak’s ‘Cookery Craft’ became a guide for homemakers who wanted to make these dishes at home. In fact, almost every new Konkani bride had a copy of the book at home.

Narayani eventually updated the book and came up with a new edition called ‘500 Easy Recipes’ which also became a must-have in every household.

Now, Pune-based food writer and filmmaker Jyotsna Shahane has revised and rewritten the book, under the name ‘The Classic Konkan Cookbook’.

Jyotsna tried out every recipe from Narayani’s book and modified them slightly to suit the needs of the women of today.

She tells Metrolife, “The first modifications were in the weights and measures. From lumps and pellets to grams, katoras to cups, seers and pounds to metric units, everything had to be standardised. The second change was in the amount of green and red chillies used in the old version; it was excessive. Thirdly, alternative ingredients have been suggested to those which aren’t easily available.”

The blogger noted down every ingredient she used and the amount of time each of them took to give the final result. “The original recipes never mentioned this crucial bit of information,” Jyotsna adds.

Jyotsna’s first introduction to the cuisine was in the 1970s at her friends’ Nalini Karnad’s house. The lunchtime meal was created by her 99-year-old mother and herself.

“A few characteristics that struck me were the freshness and simplicity of the food. Then there was the use of all kinds of vegetables, some quite unknown to me at the time. Stalks, leaves and peels of vegetables or fruits were used to great effect in curries, chutneys, and pickles,” Jyotsna says in her book.

The Konkan coast has an abundance of seafood, which she has included in the cookbook. Recipes like ‘Curry in a dry hot coconut masala’, ‘Shark curry’ and ‘Chilli tamarind dried prawns’ are some that are included.

While it may not be a surprise that coconut is used profusely in almost every recipe but it has to be noted that cashew nuts, greens and pulses to play a prominent part in the cuisine. Black pepper, Szechuan pepper and red chillies are also commonly used in the dishes.

A host of souring agents, such as tamarind and bilimbi, and spices like fenugreek and asafoetida are other key ingredients that lend Konkani cuisine a uniqueness.

Kundapur Chicken Gravy (Kori Gassi)

Ingredients

Chicken pieces, washed 1 kg

Masala

Coconut, grated ¾

Red Byedgi chillies, broken into bits, 2-6

Cinnamon, broken 2-inch piece Cloves 6

Peppercorns 8

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Coriander seeds 2 tsp

Garlic, peeled (optional) 5 cloves Water 1 cup

Sesame oil 2 tsp

Curry leaves 2 sprigs (about 30)

Onions, finely chopped,

2 Tomatoes, chopped

Salt 1 tsp

Method

Roast the masala ingredients one by one, separately, till light brown.

Grind the roasted masala in a blender till smooth, adding 1 cup of water to make a fine paste.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the cumin seeds and curry leaves. As they splutter, add the chopped onion and sauté till soft and translucent.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes become a paste and the oil separates from the mixture.

In a separate pan, heat 12 teaspoons of oil and when smoking put in the chicken pieces. Stir over high heat till the pieces change colour. Add to the tomato-onion mixture.

Now add the coconut masala paste and sauté, stirring constantly till the colour changes. This takes about 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup of water and the salt and cover tightly.

Cook for 25 minutes till the chicken is done. Serve hot with rice.

Tips by Jyotsna Shahane

When you are cooking vegetables or meat in their own juices, cover the pan with a high rimmed lid or thali.

Pour a quarter-inch of water into the thali and cook over a low flame. This prevents the vegetables or meat from being charred.

Add ¾ inch piece of tamarind or jaggery to coconut oil to prevent it from becoming rancid.

Plantains, jackfruit, green mangoes and limes can be kept for a couple of days without refrigerating if immersed in water.

If preparations are not brought to the boil after the addition of the masala, use boiled and then cooled water to grind the masala.

Smear your hand with a bit of oil before handling chillies. This prevents a burning sensation later.

Red Lentils and Garlic dal (Masoor Saar)

Ingredients

Masoor dal (whole red lentils), ½ cup

Boiling water, 6 cups

Two handfuls of green coriander leaves, finely chopped

Tamarind, 1marble-sized piece

Sugar, ¼ tsp

Salt, ½ tsp

For seasoning

Vegetable oil, 2tsp

Mustard seeds, ½ tsp

Garlic, skinned and crushed

1 pod or 20 cloves

Dried red chillies, broken into bits 3-5

A big pinch of asafoetida(hing) powder

Method

- Wash the dal and cook in water for an hour, until it softens and the skins split.

- Strain through a fine wire strainer and discard the skins.

- Soak the tamarind in 2tbsp of hot water.

- Strain the pulp and mix into the dal. Simmer on low heat.

- Add the coriander, sugar and salt. Mix well and keep cooking the dal. Add sufficient water so it measures 4 cups of dal.

- Heat the oil in a pan and add the seasoning ingredients in the order listed: mustard seeds, garlic cloves, red chillies and asafoetida. As the spices, crackle and pop, pour the seasoning over the cooked dal.

- Serve hot with rice or chapatis. (This dal stays for several days.)