Bunt Style Magge Gashi With Bikkand And Bimbul.

Bunt Style Magge Gashi With Bikkand And Bimbul …. An awesome dish that is prepared with South Indian Cucumber (Magge) with jackfruit seeds (Bikkand) and Bimbul (Sour fruit) …. goes very well with rice or even with roti ........

When my friend Sushma posted this dish I was longing to prepare the same as my family simply loves Magge / South Indian Cucumber also know as Southekai in kannada. I prepared the dish with a slight variation by adding in some bikkand / jackfruit seeds and bimbul / bimbli / bilimbi (a sour fruit available in plenty in southern parts of India) to the curry. Somehow from childhood I have seen Mom prepare dishes with Magge always accompanied with bikkand / jackfruit seeds. So I always feel they compliment each other well. I make it a point to store them in freezer so that I can include them when they are not in season. As of now they are in season. 

As for addition of bimbul, I do like a little bit of sourness in my masala curries, usually tamarind is added while grinding, but I have still some bimbul in my freezer that I brought from Managlore and I love them in my dishes. The rest of the recipe remains same. This is dish famous in southern parts of India prepared by the famous Bunt Community. Slight variations from our very own Saraswat Magge Koddel. A delicious dish on the whole that can be relished with rice or roti. Thanks to Sushma Mallya who has a blog of her own “Authentic Food Delights” for this awesome recipe. 

Ingredients :

Magge / South Indian Cucumber / Southekai : 1 medium sized.

Onions : 2 medium sized

Jackfruit Seeds / Bikkand : 8-10

Bimbul / Bilimbi : 4 medium sized

Curry Leaves : 8-10

Jaggery / Gud : Lemon sized piece, grated.

Coconut : 1 heaped cup freshly grated

Kashmiri Red Chillies : 8-10 (or as per individual taste)

Coriander Seeds : 1 tsp

Jeera / Cumin Seeds : ½ tsp

Methi / Fenugreek Seeds : ½ tsp

Mustard Seeds (Rai) : ½ tsp 

Turmeric / Haldi Powder : ½ tsp

Salt to taste.

Coconut Oil : 1 tblsp

For Tempering :

Garlic cloves : 10-15

Mustard Seeds (Rai) : 1 tsp 

Curry Leaves : 8-10

Oil : 1 tblsp 

Cut the magge / south Indian cucumber / Southekai by discarding the inner seeds into medium sized pieces.  Keep this ready aside.

Crush or mash the Bikkand / Jackfruit Seeds with a heavy weight / stone and peel off the outer white skin. You can retain them crushed whole or cut them into halves.  Keep this ready aside.

Peel off the skin of the onions and cut them into medium sized cubes.  Keep this ready aside.

Wash and cut the bimbul into two pieces.

** Rinse and add in the magge, bikkand into the pressure cooker. Add in the cut onions, curry leaves, pinch of salt along with a cup of water and pressure cook to one whistle. Do not pressure cook to more whistle as the magge may get overcooked. Once the pressure drops put it in a wide vessel along with the cooked water, the bimbul pieces and jaggery and mix well. 

** In a pan heat the coconut oil and add in the mustard, jeera, methi, coriander and fry for a few minutes. Now add in the red chillies and haldi powder and fry for another minute. Finally add in the coconut, mix well and fry till it turns slightly brown. Remove from fire and grind this to a very fine paste with just about need water. Add this ground masala to the cooked ingredients. Add salt to taste, remember you have already added a pinch while cooking the veggies so check before you add in the same. Now mix well and bring to a boil on medium heat. Lower the heat to minimum and let simmer for a few minutes. 

For Tempering : Heat the oil, when hot lower the heat to medium and add in the mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter, add in the garlic cloves and fry till evenly browned. Then add in the curry leaves, fry for a few seconds and pour it over the simmering curry. 

** Remove the curry, cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes for the flavors to seep in properly. Bunt Style Magge Gashi with Bikkand and Bimbul is done. Serve this dish hot with rice or roti along with some papad and salad as accompaniments. Tastes awesome.