"Kali Tori (Black Pigeon Peas) Garlic seasoned Saaru (Saar)" ... a simple- delicious saaru/ saar from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with pigeon peas cooked water with garlic seasoning to be served with rice during meals ... tastes fantastic served topped with a generous blob of fresh homemade loni/ butter ... you can also sip it on steaming hot as a appetizer ... Yummilicious ...
** Kali Tori/ Black Pigeon Peas are available almost everywhere in southern stores. We get them even in slightly reddish tinge and white ones too. The black ones are tastiest and used the most in GSB Konkani Saraswat Community. These are sun dried peas and need to be soaked before cooking into dishes. Again, since they are slightly sweeter in taste by nature they have a tendency of being spoilt soon, so be careful on purchase and storing them. In Mumbai we get it in Mangalore Stores and I always purchase them and prepare these dishes as they taste simply awesome.
** I have posted this saar before in a few different varieties as the peas cooked water is always used in my home in preparing these delicious saars. You can even sip it on steaming hot as soup. This saar tastes best when seasoned/tempered with garlic however you can do so with curry leaves, chillies and asafoetida/ hing too, in my home however it is always garlic based as the aroma is simply irresistible. Kali Tori saaru saar posted earlier was either with kokum, tomato or kudampuli etc. to add in tartness.
** This saar is traditionally prepared as it is, similar to kulith saar with seasoning of just garlic and red chillies just the way my Amma prepared. However, hubby loves a little bit of tartness to dishes, so I add them on. Today, somehow when I was boiling the saaru, nostalgic memories of childhood came rushing by of how we relished it with rice topped with a blob of homemade fresh white butter and I simply wanted to turn back the clock and relish the saar in this simple manner, so for today I have kept it very simple the way it is done for decades in our community, my Amma's way, always yummy.
** Do try out this delicious saar, it goes very well with rice and if you are not fond of rice meals, then don't worry you can sip it on steaming hot as an appetizer or enjoy it as a soup for dinner. There are a few variations shared in the Blog, which you can check out on the common link shared at the bottom of this recipe for the same and try out that which appeals to you. I will be sharing more as and when I prepare, until then try this one out. and please keep a watch out for more recipes in my Blog. Life is all about enjoying good- healthy- traditional dishes, so go ahead and enjoy them.
** Here is my simple recipe for "Kali Tori (Black Pigeon Peas) Garlic seasoned Saaru (Saar)" … traditional GSB Konkani Saraswat Style …
** Pick, wash and soak 2 cups of Kali Tori/ Black Pigeon Peas in plenty of water overnight or for about 6- 8 hours. Discard the water and rinse the peas well under running water and add them in a pressure cooker pan along with water say about an inch above the level of peas. Pressure cook to 1 whistle on medium heat, then lower the heat to minimum, cook for another 5 minutes, then again raise the heat to medium and pressure cook to 2 more whistles, remove from flame and keep it aside.
** Let the pressure in the cooker fall by itself and once you are able to open the lid do so carefully. To the pressure cooked kali tori add 2-3 cups of water, mix well, cover and keep it aside to settle for about 30 minutes, this helps the cooked water to thicken and absorb more flavour from the kali tori. Now gently tilt and drain off the cooked water into another vessel, this will be used in preparation of saar/ saaru.
** Note : The pressure cooked kali tori/ black pigeon peas is to be prepared separately either as seasoned bhaji or with masala as a curry, it's individual choice. Any dish prepared with these peas turn out excellent in taste and I have shared a common link to recipes with black pigeon peas at the bottom of this recipe which you can check out in leisure and prepare that which appeals to you and your family.
** To prepare the Kali Tori Saaru/ Black Pigeon Peas Saar : Add the obtained cooked water in a thick bottomed stainless steel vessel and bring to a boil on medium heat. You can check and add more water to bring to desired consistency. However, do not thin out the saar too much lest it loses out on taste. When the saar comes to a rolling boil, add in salt (namak/ meeta) to taste, mix well and then lower the heat and continue to simmer on low heat while we prepare the seasoning/ pannna/ tadka.
** For Seasoning/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat 1 tblsp of coconut oil (nariyal tel/ narlel tela) in a small seasoning pan, when hot add in 6-7 crushed garlic (losun/ lehsun) with skin on and fry for a few minutes until the color changes lightly brown. Now add in 3-4 dry red chillies/ lal sukki mirchi/ sukkali mirsanga cut into small pieces, fry for a few seconds and then pour it over the simmering saar and mix well. Raise the heat and boil the saar for another 2- 3 minutes only. Now remove and keep it aside covered for 10-15 minutes for the flavours to be infused well into the saaru.
** Note : I always follow/ suggest to follow the method of resting dishes for sometime which allows the aroma of seasoning to be infused into the dishes. However, if desired you can serve immediately too as is the practice in some homes.
** "Kali Tori (Black Pigeon Peas) Garlic seasoned Saaru (Saar)" is done and ready to be served. For best of taste, always serve saaru steaming hot on rice topped with a blob of fresh homemade butter (optional) along with other side dishes. If you are not a rice eater or avoid eating rice but would love to try this recipe, do not be disheartened, you can relish it steaming hot as an appetizer/ soup and it tastes equally good. My hubby is always game to sipping hot saaru anytime of the day though he loves it as a part of his dinner. The next time you cooked any legumes, do not discard the cooked water, try out this simple saar/ saaru and enjoy it steaming hot with your family and friends. Traditional dishes should always be continued in our diet lest they lose out to fad diets.
** I am sharing a common link below which includes all dishes prepared using “Kali Tori/ Black Pigeon Peas”, you can browse through them and prepare that which appeals to you, but do try them out, your family will love it for sure …
** The are many more “Saar/ Saaru” Recipes in my Blog, do go through the common link shared below and try out that which you would like to relish with your family and friends …
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Thanks.