Bimbla Gojju.

"Thikshe ~ Midshe' ~ Amshe' ~ Godshe' Bimbla Gojju" .... This is a Khatta ~ Meettha ~ Teekha ~ Namkeen …. This is a Chutney sort of side dish that can be relished with roti or dal - chawal ...... Yummy .....

Bimbul / bimbli / bimbula ... is a sour edible fruit similar to star fruit. We GSB's ~ Konkani Saraswats use this in abundance be it in preparing pickle or in curries. It grows in medium sized trees in bunches and has very little shelf life. It is used in place of tamarind / hogplums etc. to add sourness to the curry. It has a distinct flavour of its own which is loved by many. I have added in a picture below of the fruit for proper understanding. Preparation of Gulla Bajji (Baingan bharta) is one of the most famous dish prepared using bimbul in Mangalorean side which i have already posted long back. During my recent trip to Mangalore, I brought in lots of bimbul from my relatives house which had huge tree with bunches of bimbul hanging on to it. Now I am on a bimbul dish spree and you will get to see many recipes with the addition of the same. Without wasting much of precious times let’s move on to the recipe that is simply mouthwatering. I have to mention here that the Recipe Credit goes to my sister Gayathri Kudva a culinary expert from whom I have still a lot to learn ..... I just tweaked a little bit by adding fresh green chilly instead of red ones she used.

Wash and trim off the edges of 6-8 large sized bimbul. Cut them into rings of 1 inch thickness and keep them ready aside.

To Be Ground : In a mixer grinder add in one cup of freshly grated coconut along with the chopped bimbul and 4-5 green chillies, also cut into pieces. Grind to a smooth paste without adding much of water. The bimbul itself gives away water while grinding, so be careful while adding in water. Now add in half a cup of grated jaggery and 2 tblsp of prepared hing water (Check picture attached at the bottom of the recipe) and further grind till smooth. If you do not have access to asafoetida / gum hing you can add in the hing powder in which case add it while seasoning and not grinding. Remove the gojju in a bowl. Add salt to taste and mix well. Add water if necessary only. 

For Tempering : Heat 1 tblsp coconut oil (any edible oil will do), when hot add in 1 tsp of mustard seeds, while they begin to crackle add in 1 tsp of hing powder if adding powder, if you have added prepared hing water leave out the hing powder. Add in 7-8 fresh curry leaves and fry for a minute. Remove and pour over the gojju. 

Bimbla Gojju is ready to be served. Serve the gojju immediately during lunch / dinner time as a side dish along with Dal-Chawal-Bhaji. You can also serve the same with roti or dosa too. This is a lipsmacking khatta meeta teekha namkeen dish. Adjust the spice level to your liking by increasing or decreasing the number of green chillies. So also the bimbuls, if you like you dish less sour then cut down the number of bimbul while grinding. However, I recommend you try this dish as it is and enjoy with family and friends. This dish is prepared with bimbul and if it is not available in your vicinity you can try the same with starfruit too. 

** Prepared Hing Water : Hing water is prepared by putting a small marble sized gummy hing (available in South Indian Stores) into a glass bottle and adding about a small cup of boiled and cooled water to it. Within a few hours the hing will slowly melt and you will get a thick whitish liquid. This is hing water. You can keep this in the fridge and use sparingly as and when needed. We GSB / Saraswat Konkani people usually prepare the same and keep it in the fridge always and use the same for dal, patrado or any other humman etc.