Sunday, February 7, 2021

Jeevi Tori-Kooka Koddel/ Fresh Pigeon Peas- Chinese Potato Curry.


“Jeevi Tori-Kooka Koddel/ Fresh Pigeon Peas- Chinese Potato Curry” … a traditional delicious dish from Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared when both fresh pigeon peas and kooka are in season, that’s in winter … tastes awesome served with red boiled rice/ ukde sheetHa or Roti/ Parathas … Yummilicious …

** Koddel is a delicious garlic flavored dish from Konkani Saraswat cuisine that I never tire of preparing nor sharing when I prepare them in different combos. This dish has been posted end number of times as its one of my favourite dishes that goes well with red ukda rice / red boiled rice. The recipe remains the same as for all koddel’s posted earlier and here these posts are really made again and again on various mix and match combos as many of my friends here keep asking me in with which other these can be prepares. Well, again, on search option too only key/ correct words when use only give results, so it becomes that much more meaningful to share them when selected on veggie names.

** Koddel as you all know by now is a dish that is seasoned with garlic by and large and it imparts lovely garlic flavour to the dish which gives it a distinctive taste. However, if you wish to avoid garlic the same can be prepared with mustard and curry leaves seasoning which we call gashi and is done on festive occasions when we avoid onions and garlic. Again, you can prepare it the humman or ambat style were in the first is seasoned with hing while the later with onions. These are all included plenty of times in the blog and all you need to do is search dishes using key words and you will find them all. Fresh pigeon peas and kooka re both available now in winter, so go ahead and try them out.

** Here is my traditional Konkani Saraswat recipe for “Jeevi Tori-Kooka Koddel/ Fresh Pigeon Peas- Chinese Potato Curry” … tastes great with Red Boiled Rice/ Ukde SheetHa or Normal Rice or even roti/ parathas ….

** Shell and keep ready about 3 cups of jeevi tori/ fresh green Pigeon Peas. The fresh pigeon peas are available in plenty during winter season in India and I have used the same here. This does not require soaking, as they are fresh veggies. Sun-dried white, black, green one’s are also available throughout the year in stores though sometimes they are scare. You can use them too for this curry, In case of dried one’s, soak them overnight in plenty of water or atleast for 8-10 hours, rinse well and then proceed in similar pattern.

** Peel off the outer muddy skin of 12-15 medium sized Kooka/ Chinese Potato either with a potato scraper or you can also do so using the traditional method of adding them into gunny bag and hitting on a rough floor/ stone, this loosen off the outer skin. Wash in plenty of water to remove all the dirt and cut them into ½ inch sized pieces and keep them ready aside immersed in water. Never cut the kook and keep it as it is it gets discolored, you should always soak them immersed in water till it’s time for preparation of the curry.


** Wash, strain and add the fresh pigeon peas in pressure cooker evenly on a layer and then top it with the cut and kept ready kooka/ Chinese potato pieces also in an even layer. Add in enough water, say about an inch above the layered ingredients. Pressure cook on medium heat to 1 whistle, lower the heat for 5 minutes let cook and then remove from fire. Since both the veggies are fresh here too much of pressure cooking will turn them mushy, so be careful while cooking and check out the same and cook as necessary.

** Note : In case you are using the sun-dried one then first add in only the pigeon peas and pressure cook to to 2-3 whistles. Let cool a bit when able to open the lid, do so and add in the kooka/ Chinese potato, cover and once again pressure cook to one whistle and it is done. This procedure coz. sun-dried pulses take more time to cook than the fresh ones and if cooked along with kooka the same will get over cooked and mushy which is not at all pleasant to relish. Kooka get cooked in one whistle only.

** Masala to be ground : Grind to a very fine paste 2 heaped cup of freshly grated coconut with 10-12 kashmiri red chillies and a small marble sized tamarind with as little water as possible. Remove and add the masala to the cooked fresh pigeon peas and kooka in a stainless steel vessel and mix well adding just enough water that is needed to bring it to the right consistency. Bring to a boil, stirring often on medium heat till it comes to boiling point, lower the heat, add salt to taste and simmer for a good 5-8 minutes.

** For Seasoning/ Tempering : Heat 1tblsp oil in a small kadai/ pan add in about 10-12 garlic with skin on mashed lightly with a heavy stone. Fry them on medium heat till they turn slightly brown in colour, then remove and pour over the simmering curry. Remove the curry from fire and keep it aside covered with a tight lid and leave it aside for atleast 30 minutes for the flavors to get infused into the curry and that makes it tastier.

** Note : Addition of Garlic with skin peeled or unpeeled is a matter of choice. You can do either way depending upon your family preference. I do both ways, but usually add them with skin on as it imparts more flavor as the outer skin is very aromatic too, though the picture collage shows without as I had forgotten to click. 

** “Jeevi Tori-Kooka Koddel/ Fresh Pigeon Peas- Chinese Potato Curry” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best when served with ukde sheetHa/ red boiled rice the pattern in which it is served in southern parts of India. However, do not be upset if you do not like rice or do not have boiled rice, you can serve with plain normal rice or even mildly spiced pulav etc. too. Again, if you are roti/ paratha eater, to you will love this dish, but in that case do not thin out the curry much, keep it slightly thicker in consistency.

** For those who love the aromatic taste of garlic this is a must curry with any combination of pulses and veggie of your choice. I have shared below a link to the sundried black colored tori cooked along with kooka/ Chinese potato were in too I seasoned with garlic. The recipe is the same, however, you may check it out for knowledge or to get a jest of the same too. There are many more options of koddel with and without addition of pulses or with veggies only, sharing a common link below, do check out and try them out, they all taste wonderful and if you liked them do give me a feedback. Thank You ….

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks.