Donnemirsanga- Batate Sukke (Capsicum- Potato Semi-Dry Curry).

“Donnemirsanga- Batate Sukke (Capsicum- Potato Semi-Dry Curry)” … a simple semi-dry dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine served as side dish during meals with dal/ saar- chawal … the unique taste of capsicum blends well with potatoes making the curry that much more delicious … do try it and enjoy with your family, tastes great served with roti/ parathas too … Yummilicious …

** Sukke is a traditional semi dry masala side dish prepared in almost every GSB Konkani Saraswats home to be served during meals with either Dalitoy or Tomato Saaru along with Rice. If you do not prefer rice do not worry it tastes equally great served with chapathi, roti, parathas, dosa etc. too. I will be sharing plenty of combo’s of sukke in future so please do subscribe or follow my Blog for more recipes.

** I must mention here that though the method and masala remains the same with different combinations you will realize that each one tastes slightly different in its own way and the reason is veggies. The veggie used imparts its own flavor to dishes making them differ in taste and here the inclusion of plenty of capsicum/ donnemirsanga/ simla mirchi brings out a unique taste to the dish blending well with potato.

** Again, inclusion of tart flavoured veggies like bimbul (tree sorrel fruit), ambado (hogplum) etc. will bring in their own flavors. You will find plenty of such combos in my Blog, however, for this recipe I have not added any tart veggie as I did not have any, so just included tamarind (chinchama/ imly) while grinding the masala, which is how most of the dishes from GSB Konkanir Saraswat Cuisine are prepared.

** Do try out this veggie combination, it tastes awesome and to the best of my knowledge both capsicum and potatoes are easily available almost in every vicinity round the world. I am also sharing a common link at the bottom of this recipe for all sukke recipe shared in my Blog before and in future and you may browse through the same for more options in combos of veggies to prepare in your home to your liking.

** If you are unaware or have not relished GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine until now, then I request you try out some of our simple traditional dishes. They are easy to prepare, nutritious, good for health and will definitely not upset your stomach or make you uneasy in any way. So go ahead try them in your home and enjoy with your family and friends the way you prefer to have them, after all home cooked food is the best.

** Here is my recipe for “Donnemirsanga- Batate Sukke (Capsicum- Potato Semi-Dry Curry)” ... which I learnt from my Amma ….

** Ingredients :

Donnemirsanga/ Simla Mirchi/ Capsicum : 4-5 large sized

Batato/ Potato/ Aloo : 2-3 medium sized.

Jaggery/ Goda/ Gud : 20-25 gms grated (Optional, I have not added)

Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste

** Masala to be Ground :

Coconut/ Soyi/ Nariyal : 1 heaped cup freshly grated.

Kashmiri Dry Red Chillies/ Byadgi Mirchi / Kumte Mirsanga: 8-10

Tamarind/ Imly/ Chinchama : one small marble sized say about 1 tsp

Urad dal/ Black Gram Dal : 2 tsp

Coriander Seeds/ Kothimbir/ Dhania : 3-4 tsp

Oil/ Tel/ Tela : 1-2 tsp

** For Tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka :

Coconut Oil/ Nariyal Tel/ Narlel Tela : 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds/ Sasam/ Rai : 1 tsp

Curry leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 10-12 fresh ones.

** Wash, wipe dry and cut the capsicums into one inch sized cubes discarding the stalk and inner seeds. Put them in a colander and rinse well under running water, keep it aside ready for the excess water drain off completely.

** Peel off the outer skin of the potato with peeler and then cut them into 1- 1.5 inch sized cubes. Add them into a bowl with plenty of water and keep it aside for a few minutes for the starch to be released, rinse well and its ready.

** Masala to be Ground : Heat oil in a small kadai/ pan and when hot add urad dal and fry until the colour changes slightly reddish, then add coriander seeds, mix well and continue to fry for a minute or two. Lastly add Red chillies, fry for a minute, remove and let cool a bit. Add in a mixer grinder along with freshly grated coconut, tamarind and grind to thick consistency paste adding just a little bit of water.

** Note : The paste should not be ground to a very fine/ nor too coarse paste, however all ingredients should be well ground. You can use the veggies cooked water for grinding which is what most of my community people do.

** Add the cut potato into a thick bottomed kadai/ pan along with some water, say about 1 cup and bring to a boil on medium heat. When you see bubbles appearing, lower the heat, mix well, cover and cook on low heat until 70% done.

** Now add the capsicum pieces, mix well, cover and further cook until both potato and capsicum are 90% done. Add ground masala and water to bring to thick gravy consistency, mix well and cook on medium heat covered.

** Heat the curry well on medium flame, stirring often until bubbles appear on the surface of the curry. Add salt to taste, grated jaggery (Optional, I have not added), mix well and let cook covered on low heat while we prepare tempering.

** For Tempering/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat coconut oil in a small pan, when hot add mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add curry leaves and fry just a few seconds. Now pour it over the simmering curry, mix well, cover and continue to cook on low heat for another 5-7 minutes mixing well in between a few times to avoid the curry being burnt. If you find the curry too thick you can add some water

** When the curry has been thoroughly cooked and done remove from fire and keep it aside covered to rest for a good 20-30 minutes as this helps the flavors to seep in and turn the curry that much more aromatic, If need be you can add some hot water to the curry before serving, do check in salt and add if required too.

** Note : Coconut is extensively used in southern parts of the country be it the flesh portion, the oil or dried/ desiccated too. It is a followed practice in GSB Konkani Saraswat homes to use Coconut Oil while tempering as we consider it not only healthy but aromatic too. In my opinion over the years it has been unnecessarily branded as the culprit for rising of cholesterol levels or unhealthy for consumption, but we Amchies have continued doing so and fortunately are still a healthy community. However, if still for any reason you do not wish to use it, you can use any edible oil you prefer.

** “Donnemirsanga- Batate Sukke (Capsicum- Potato Semi-Dry Curry)” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best served as side dish during meals along with Dalitoy (Dal) or Tomato Saar with Rice and other dishes as accompaniments. In case you do not prefer rice, you can serve it with roti/ chapati/ parathas or dosas too it tastes wonderful. Do remember to keep the consistency of the curry slightly thicker for best of taste. A delicious side dish that is sure to be loved by your family, so do give it a try.

** Note : Addition of jaggery is a matter of choice, though a small amount is added on by many in GSB Konkani Saraswat community. I have not added jaggery as we do not like the sweetish tinge and prefer spicier version. My Amma never added and after marriage my hubby too does not like it, so I prefer to cook it without the same, you can leave it out if in your home sweetness in curries is not preferred.

** Note : Do temper the curry, half way through the dish getting cooked after adding in the masala, it makes this particular curry more flavorful than if tempered initially or later on. Many temper first and then add veggies and cook them, while some add on once the curry is completed. However, I have found that once the masala is added and it is heat well, halfway through if you temper it turns out more delicious.

** Note : On resting the curry dries up, if too dry, you can sprinkle some hot water and mix it up well before serving. The texture usually is as that you see in the picture posted, but at times in many homes they prefer to have a little bit of thick gravy for sukke in which case you can keep it slightly thicker too, it’s individual choice.

** Do try out this delicious dish and relish the same with your family and friends. Sharing below a common link to "Sukke" items posted in the blog, you can check out for the same and prepare this dish in various other veggie combinations too.

https://gayathrifoodbytes.blogspot.com/search?q=Sukke