"Kooka- Kajjubi Ghalnu Songa/ Chinese Potato- Cashew Nut Spicy Curry" ... songa is a spicy dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine usually prepared with addition of onions, however this time I prepared the same with just fresh tori and kooka both of which are in season now … do try this out, tastes great served with dalitoy- rice or with roti/ dosa too … Yummilicious …
** All those who follow my simple home cooked food blog are aware that “Songa” is a spicy GSB Konkani Saraswat dish that I have posted many times in various combos before and that it is prepared both in Veg and Non.Veg. ways. This is a dish with little masala that is spicy and can be prepared both with addition of ground masala or using just powders. I have always added in a little bit of freshly grated coconut while grinding the masala to get a better and thicker consistency to the masala and it tastes delicious too and that is exactly the way it is preferred in my home. Addition of tartness/ tangy taste is necessary to the dish and the traditional dish is always prepared adding tamarind while grinding the masala. But then any veggie with tartness imparts that taste can be substituted and added on to the curry. I will not repeat about the Songa recipe again here, however, you can check out more details about it via the link given at the bottom of this recipe.
** This time I have prepared Songa in combination of Chinese Potato/ Kooka as called in Konkani which is in season now along with cashew nuts/ kajjubi/ kaaju and onions/ piyavu. Chinese Potato/ Kooka is slightly a tedious time consuming tuber as it is muddy and the skin has to be removed with scrapper and is a pain to do so with small sized ones. In olden days the whole lot used to be put in gunny bags and the same used to bit hit / banged on a stone or rough surface which actually loosened the skin and made it easily to wash it off. But now neither do we have access much to gunny bags nor to we have large stoneware at home so we have to do with scrapper, which is messy as the hands too get darkened. The best way out is to soak in plenty of water for any hour which loosen the mud that has stuck to it. You can put on gloves and then rub them well, some get peeled easily when doing so, while for some the mud get loosened out but will have to be peeled off with a potato scraper, but the taste of the delicious dish is worth the effort.
** Bibbo are tender cashew nuts or dried once with skin that are soaked, skinned and used and are used extensively in GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine. If it is available to you, do add it on, I have stopped storing them as I have no one who will courier the same to me from Mangalore where in it is abundantly available during summer months. My father used to buy them in bulk and my mother used to dry them again in sunlight and store them in huge 15 Kg. dabbas/ boxes. That way we used to get to relish the same all year round. After marriage too, my father saw to it that he parceled the same to us every year. After his death, the habit got stopped, I used to purchase from Mangalore stores in Mumbai, but somehow he too has stopped bringing them and it was then my dear friend who is unfortunately no more told me to use cashew nuts as there was hardly any difference in the same. Also being a caterer she knew better and told me most of the caterers did the same now as soaking and then peeling off the skin needed laborers which was hard to find.
** I was so happy with the suggestion as not only was my task of peeling the outer skin done with, the relief that cashew nuts were available in plenty made it that much more easier to prepare dishes. After that there was simply no looking back and I prepared every dish that needed bibbo (tender cashew –dried) with cashew nuts and they taste awesome. No regrets whatsoever of not being able to get the stock. Songa as by now you all know is a spicy thick side dish that is very common in GSB Konkani Saraswat houses. This dish goes very well served with Dal- Chawal, Roti, Parotta, Pulav, Khichidi etc. Potato and Onion Song is the most common and traditional one. Now-a-days with varying tastes many a combinations are prepared in similar lines. I have already posted potato version. Here I have used kooka/ cashew nuts and onions and it was a hit combination with all my friends, so please do try this variation and enjoy with your family. This is a spicy dish, however you can adjust the spice level to suit your family requirements.
** Here is the link to the simple method for preparation of "Kooka- Kajjubi Ghalnu Songa/ Chinese Potato- Cashew Nut Spicy Curry" … My Style ….
** Ingredients :
Kooka/ Chinese Potato : 25-30 large sized ones
Cashew Nuts/ Kajjubi/ Kaaju : 1 cup
Onions/ Piyavu/ Kanda : 2 large sized
Coconut/ Soyi/ Nariyal : ½ cup freshly grated.
Kashmiri Red Chillies/ Kumte Mirsanga/ Byadgi Mirchi : 15-20.
Coriander/ Kothimbir/ Dhania Seeds : 2 tsp.
Tamarind/ Imli/ Chinchama : small lemon sized ball.
Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder : 1 tsp. (Optional)
Mustard Seeds/ Rai/ Sasam : 1 tsp
Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 10-12 fresh ones.
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste.
Oil/ Tel/ Tela : 4-5 tblsp.
** Soak cashew nuts in warm water, just enough to soak for 3-4 hours. This step is optional, and you can also pressure cook the same directly. But by soaking cashews absorb water and it turns more softer and tastier closer to bibbo texture.
** Note : If using tender cashews or sun dried ones with skin, then soak them in hot water for a few hours and when the skin is loosened peel it off, wash well and then use the same. However you can use the cashew nuts skinned and easily available in stores too, just soak them in hot water for 2 hours and add them in pressure cooker along with the water and with other ingredients to cook.
** For removing the outer skin of the Chinese Potato / Kooka …..
** One way of peeling the outer skin is, You can either just use the potato peeler and peel the kookas using it or as below ....
** The Traditional Method : The other traditional way is to put the amount of kooka needed for peeling of in a gunny bag (Ghoni) and tightly packing it and then banging it on to a stone firmly while rotating the bag all round as you go through the method. This loosen the skin and most of it comes off. Just scrub it with both hands retaining it within the gunny bag to loosen it more. This method is not used much now as it is difficult to access for gunny bag. Even rice have been started to come in plastic type bags. If you have one, you can sure try this out. My mother used to make it this way and during childhood we used to loved doing it for her. We really did enjoying banging around the gunny bag to loosen the outer skin of kooka.
** My Method : I soak the required amount of kooka in plenty of water for about 5-10 mins. This loosens the dry mud that is sticking to the kooka. The I try loosening off the mud right there in the water by rubbing them between finger. Some kooka are well behaved and peel off easily, while some are stubborn and just don't listen making it difficult. So use the potato peeler and zap it comes out faster than when you run it on the drier one mentioned first.
** Important step of soaking in water once its peeled. : It is very important to drop the skin peeled kooka / chinese potato into water to prevent it being discolored. So keep a bowl with plenty of water ready and drop the peeled kookas into them. Once done, wash them in plenty of water, rinsing many times in fresh water.
** Cut kooka/ chinese potato into 2-3 pieces say about size of an inch cubes. Add them into the bowl of water as you cut them. Wash well 2-3 times again with fresh water changing the water all time. This helps in removing the excess starch and the dirt to if stuck to it as there is definitely going to be a lot of it.
** Add in the kooka cubes and the soaked cashew nuts into the pressure cooker along with the same water in which the cashew nut were soaked. Add in more water if necessary. The level of water should be just a little bit above the level of the ingredients in the pressure cooker. Do not add in more water or else the ingredients will get overcooked. Cook on medium flame to one whistle and remove from fire. Let the pressure fall on it own on cooling down. Remove the lid, gently open and Keep it aside ready.
** Peel of the outer skin and cut the onions into cubes, say of about 1 inch in size. Keep this aside ready.
** For the Masala : Grind to a fine paste grated coconut with red kashmiri chillies (Plus or minus as per individual taste), tamarind and coriander seeds (fried in oil to light red color) with as little water as possible and keep it ready aside.
** Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai/ pan, add mustard seeds, when they crackle add curry leaves, stir for a second and then add in kashmiri red chilly powder, stir for a second and then immediately add the onion pieces and fry for a minute or two on high heat, then lower the heat, cover and let cook for 2-3 minutes only. Be careful and do not let it burn, if necessary sprinkle some water to avoid being burnt.
** When onions are slightly cooked add ground masala, mix well, fry for a minute or two and then add in the pressure cooked kooka- kajjubi along with the water cooked in, salt to taste and mix well. Check and add more water only if necessary, as this is a thick consistency side dish, so be careful as we have already added cooked water.
** Note : Addition of chilly powder/ mirchi powder can be skipped out as the traditional recipes do not call for it. But adding kashmiri red chilly powder in oil always imparts a lovely color to the dish, so I make it a point to add it on. You may leave out the step if you do not like or need it as per your choice.
** Cover with a tight lid and cook on slow heat until its cooked well and done. Keep stirring in between for even cooking and to avoid it getting burnt. If you still find the gravy too thick for your liking you can add some water and mix well. However, do remember that this is a thick gravy curry, and taste best when done so. When thoroughly cooked and done remove and keep it aside for 15 minutes for flavors to be infused well.
** "Kooka- Kajjubi Ghalnu Songa/ Chinese Potato- Cashew Nut Spicy Curry" is done and ready to be served. Check the consistency of the curry before serving, if you find that it is too thick in consistency, you can add some hot water and mix well before serving as this curry tends to thicken quite a bit on settling. Serve the curry hot as side dish with Rice- Dalitoy along with other dishes during meals.
** You can also serve this dish with dosa/ panpole/ parathas or roti too which tastes awesome. Goes very well with shevai/ string hoppers too. In my home, whenever we prepare shevai we always prepare songa as it is one of our favorite combo dish. Do try out this awesome recipe and enjoy with your family and friends. Do leave a comment below, It really helps in knowing if you have liked the same and will also inspire me to do more.
** Note : Hogplums (Ambado) /Star Fruit (Karmbala) /Tree Sorrel (Bimbul) can be substituted instead of tamarind to the curry if they are available in your vicinity. Again, You have a choice of adding on tomatoes too if you like them. Both ripe or raw tomatoes can be added on to the curry. You just need to chop them to medium sized cubes and add them on once the onions are fried and let cook till 75% done before you add in the cooked veggies. Rest recipe remains same, just see to it that if you add any tart veggie to decrease the amount of tamarind too otherwise the dish will be too sour.
** Sharing a common link to all “Songa” dishes shared in the Blog ….
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