Khatta Meetha Teekha Sweet Potato Rings/ Kananga Godi Upkari.

"Khatta Meetha Teekha Sweet Potato Rings/ Kananga Godi Upkari" .... here is a sweet spicy tikshe- amshe- godshe dish prepared with Kananga/ Ratalu/ Genasu ... cooked in Jaggery Syrup/ Godda Ravo that can be relished on Upvas/ Fasting days or offered as Naivedyam too ... During childhood Amma prepared it often, but just in jaggery syrup, however, I tweaked it a little bit and made it tangy- sweet- spicy as per our liking at home ... tastes excellent relished as it is, but in my home we love it served with Oondi/ Panpolo (neer dosa), it tastes fantastic giving you the additional benefits of munching on the sweet potato in between dosa chunks, try it, both children and elders are sure to love it ... Yummilicious ...

** Sweet Potato or Kananga as called in Konkani is a tuber vegetable available all round the globe. It is called as Ratalu in Marathi and Genasu in Kannada and sometimes also sihi alugadde. This tuber veggie is most popular as a vegetable extensively used during fasting / upavas. Well it has high starch content but includes also other healthier properties which makes dishes prepared out of it that much more popular. 

** Come fasting days and we see loads of them in the Market. Huge heaps of this vegetable are put up for sale and people flock to buy them the previous day of fasting. There as many dishes that can be prepared with it, and I have posted quite a few of them before too. You can also replace them instead of potato in many dishes like vada’s/ tikkies. Do check the blog for the same too, I posted sabudana with sweet potato vada a few days back.

** My Mom used to cook sweet potato cut into large chunks in jaggery syrup till it got thickened and we relished this when we came back from school. I like this very much, though I do not prepare it often as my hubby does not like much of sweet dishes. However, today being Ekadashi, Lord Vishnu’s Day I thought of preparing this as Naivedyam as I had many of them at home and they have tendency of being spoilt fast. 

** Somehow they have worms in them if you do not check them while buying. There should be not holes in them while you purchase, which means worms have made their way through it and are living happily within. But since hubby does not like sweet dishes much, thought why not make it spicy- tangy- sweet which I know he likes. I prepare jaggery syrup/ godda ravo for Oondi/ panpolo too in similar way which I have posted earlier.

** Also as I crossed a mark of 1500 blog posts, I wanted to prepare something and share with my friends here. Without Lord Ganesha's Blessings and your constant support this would never have been possible. I thank each one of you for consistently supporting me by sending in queries and messages and also requests for certain dishes. 

** It does keep me motivated and want me to make that much more. There are so many more recipes that I have come across throughout my growing years and I am trying to recollect them and will post them as and when I remember. If you feel you can give me any advice or tips please do message me. If I know the dish, I will surely prepare and post the same.

** Here is my own recipe for "Khatta Meetha Teekha Sweet Potato Rings/ Kananga Godi Upkari" ... my style, try it, tastes awesome ....

** Ingredients :

Sweet Potato/ Ratalu/ Kananga/ Genasu : One large sized about 300 gms.

Jaggery/ Goda/ Bella : 200 gms.

Cardamom/ Ellaichi/ Yella Powder : a large pinch

Dry Ginger/ Sooka Adrak/ Shoonti Powder : a large pinch.

Tamarind/ Chinchama/ Imly : A small marble sized.

Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : a pinch.

** For Tempering/ Seasoning/ Pannaka/ Tadka :

Ghee/ Toop : 2 tsp

Jeera/ Cumin Seeds : 2 tsp

Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder/ Mirsange Pitti/ Mirchi Powder : 1 tsp

** To prepare the Sweet Potato Slices : Scrub and wash sweet potato/ kananga well under running water. There should be no mud stuck to it whatsoever. If it is difficult to scrub soak it in plenty of water for 5 minutes and then scrub it off. The mud will have softened and you will be able to clean it properly. 

**  Slice off the edges and Cut them into thick rings. See to it that there are no worms or spoil portion in the sweet potato, if so slice off those portions and discard the same. Soak them in water so that they do not discolor. This is very important as they have a tendency of blackening. Keep this aside.

** Soak the tamarind in ¼ cup of warm water for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze out the juice. Strain and keep this aside ready.

** Preparing of the dish : Grate or cut the jaggery/ goda into small pieces and put it in the vessel / pan along with 2 glasses of water and bring to boil, keep stirring and let boil, till the jaggery melts. Now simmer it on low heat.

** For Tempering/ Seasoning/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat the ghee, when hot add in the jeera and let it fry for a few seconds, then add in the kashmiri red chilly powder and stir for a second. Pour this over the simmering jaggery syrup.

** Note : Please use only ghee and not oil. Also I suggest you add kashmiri red chilly powder as it imparts a lovely color to the dish and is less spicier.

** Add in the salt and tamarind syrup to the simmering jaggery syrup and mix well. Gently add in the sweet potato rings into the syrup spreading it out evenly all round the pan for cooking evenly. Bring to a boil, let boil for 3-4 minutes, then cook on medium heat till the sweet potato gets cooked and the jaggery syrup thickens a little bit.

** Note : You should NOT add too much water for jaggery while cooking nor too little as less water will bring the jaggery to thick consistency fast and more will overcook the sweet potato before the syrup thickens. Also the syrup should thicken only after the sweet potatoes are cooked and not prior to it. So be careful. Keep things ready in hand before you begin the process of cooking for rapid cooking.

** Once the sweet potatoes are cooked and syrup has thickened remove from fire and keep it aside to cool. Once it has cooled add in the cardamom powder and the dry ginger powder and mix well. Keep this covered aside for all the flavors to seep in properly.

** "Khatta Meetha Teekha Sweet Potato Rings/ Kananga Godi Upkari" is done and ready to be served. This can be offered as Naivedyam to God on auspicious or fasting days or savored as it is during fasting days. This dish can be served both at room temperature or a little bit cold too. However,  do not serve it chilled as the taste differs. 

** The same tastes awesome served with Oondi (rice dumplings) or panpolo (neer dosa), which is what I did the following day for breakfast. it tastes fantastic by giving you the additional benefits of munching on the sweet potato in between dosa chunks, try it, children and elders are sure to love it, you can check out for the Oondi and panpolo recipes shared in the Blog using search options. 

** You can use the search option for "Sweet Potato or Kananga" where you will get many more dishes prepared using it. Do try out various types of dishes to relish with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.