Red Amaranth Leaves And Shell Fish Curry.

Yummy Kubbe / Marwai / Clams / Shell Fish Curry ........ Usually this curry is made with Vali / Malbar Spinach, but as it was not available I made these using tambdi bhajji ....... So here is ........ "Tambdi Bhajji Ani Kubbo Ghalnu Ambata / Red Amaranth Leaves And Shell Fish Curry" .......

Again this ambata is similar to the one posted before in my Blog, the one with fresh prawns. Amabats can be prepared in any veggies combination the only common ingredient being the masala and addition of tuvar dal and off course seasoning with onion. However, when it comes to preparing Ambats with addition of any Non Veg. item then dal is not added to the same. This one is a lovely semi spicy curry that can be enjoyed by both young and old. The addition of Kubbo / Shell fish along with single chip gives the pleasure of digging into the fleshy part along with the gravy and also relishing the same. So go ahead and prepare this if you eat Shell Fish and enjoy it with hot steaming rice or phulkas / roties.

There are three simple methods of opening the tightly closed shell fishes. You can use any one of the three given below convenient to you. For this curry you need about 25-30 shell fishes. 

Method 1 : Wash the shell fish in plenty of water. With a sharp knife open up the shell fish and remove that side of the chip that is empty and discard it. Retain the one with the flesh part of shell. You can also keep it as it is (I have done the same here) after opening it wide. Rinse in plenty of water.

Method 2 : Wash the shell fish in plenty of water. Put it in a thick plastic cover with zip locker or close it up well and put it in the freezer overnight. The freezer impact on the shells are such that they burst open in the freezer. Do not worry, they just crack up and half your work is done by the freezer. Remove and soak in water for an hour and rinse properly.

Method 3: Wash the shell fish in plenty of water and put it in a flat vessel with some water. Put the vessel on heat and bring to boil. The shell crack open. Remove and let cool. Rinse in plenty of water. 

For cleaning of Shell fish after opening : Wash / rinse the shell fishes (after opneing them) in plenty of water. There is lot of sand in the shell fish, it has to be rinsed properly after opening to remove any dirt and sand particles from inside the shells of the shell fish. So clean the shell fishes properly and keep them aside.

Tambdi Baji / Red Amaranth leaves are tender leaves with stems available in bunches. Chop 1-2 bunches of Tambdi baji finely along with the tender stems. Discard the thicker stems and the roots. You should get about 5-6 cups of the chopped baji. Wash in plenty of water and squeeze off the excess water. In a pressure cooker add in the tambdi baji / amaranth leaves and the cleaned kubbo / shell fishes. Add 2 cups of water or so and mix well. Pressure cook to 2 whistles. When the pressure drops pour it into a vessel and keep aside. 

Masala to be ground : Grind to a fine paste 2 cups of freshly grated coconut, 8-10 kashmiri red chilly and small marble sized tamarind. Do not add much water. The masala should however, be very fine paste. Add masala to the tambdi bajii - kubbo mixture, add salt to taste, half cup of finely chopped raw onions and mix well. Add water only if necessary to bring it to a thick curry consistency. Bring to a boil and lower heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

For Tempering: Heat 3-4 tsp oil in a small pan. Add 1 small onion finely chopped and fry till brown.

Pour over the curry. Cover and keep it for some time for the flavours to seep in before serving. Serve hot with red boiled rice / plain rice or roti.