Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Tendle- Mitta Ghallele Salla Kismuri (Ivy Gourd- Brined Jackfruit Dry Curry).


“Tendle- Mitta Ghallele Salla Kismuri (Ivy Gourd- Brined Jackfruit Dry Curry)” … no wastage of food is always my mantra, I had some slightly pikkile (ripe) Tendle/ Ivy Gourd/ Gherkins/ Tondekayi so, I just cut them and added on these two year old brined jackfruit which also I want to finish off so that at least this year I stock up again … prepared our regular kash kashi kismuri masolu and prepared this delicious side dish which I served with roti/ chapati … tastes awesome, do try it out if you have mitta ghallele saala … Yummilicious …

** I just hate food wastage and though I try my best not to do so, sometimes it happens. As it is difficult to go out for purchases of food grains, veggies, medicines etc. on regular basis, I have once again gone to my old habit of storing. Oh yes, my big dabbas/ storage boxes are beaming in happiness again. I used to buy things in wholesale and store them so that I can live in peace in coming few months. Being busy with my office work, it was really difficult to manage all things on monthly basis, also I had grown up watching Mom do the same and I followed suit which was agreeable to hubby to as they too were used to stocking.

** But, then in the last decade I had stopped this habit of mine as unlike before I had begun to forget what was stocked though I do label them and if stored on top, I then have a stock list in my PC, but then I began to even add in entries, this was a phase in my life when anything and everything would go wrong, so I thought it best to buy minimum which actually turns out costly at times. I used to stock on brine items, some which I myself prepared, while some I purchased from southern stores and then once again brine them. Well, to cut short, the present crisis has made some of go back to old habit to rest assured and live in peace.

** Tendle/ Ivy Gourd/ Gherkins/ Tondekayi in fridge was somehow forgotten and it turned slightly ripe though still firm and good enough to consume. I never waste food, unless inevitable, so I was thinking of preparing gojju out of it. I had already added some brine jackfruit into water previous night to remove excess salt content from it to prepare kismuri a semi dry dish the following day. A thought just came into my mind as to why not add tendle and prepare them together and trust me it was totally scrumptious in taste, I never expected it to be a hit with my family, my hubby enjoyed it with roti/chapati very much.

** Here is my recipe for “Tendle- Mitta Ghallele Salla Kismuri (Ivy Gourd- Brined Jackfruit Dry Curry)” … which is same as the one’s we use for any kismuri …

** Ingredients :
Tendle/ Ivy Gourd/ Gherkins/ Tondekayi : 20-24 large sized.
Mitta ghallele Saala/ Brined Jackfruit : 10-12
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : add only if necessary

** For Masala to be Ground :
Coconut/ Nariyal/ Soyi : 1 heaped cup freshly grated.
Coriander seeds/ Dhania /Kothimbir : 2 tsp
Kashmiri Red Chillies/ Kumte Mirsanga/ Byadgi Mirchi : 8-10
Tamarind/ Chinchama/ Imli : small marble sized.
Jeera/ Cumin Seeds : ½ tsp (Optional)
Methi/ Fenugreek Seeds : ¼ tsp
Oil : 1 tsp

** For Pannaka/ Tempering/ Seasoning :
Oil/ Tel : 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds/ Rai/ Sasam : 1 tsp
Curry leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 8-10

** Rinse well the brined jackfruit pieces and then soak them in water overnight changing it once or twice in between if possible. This will dissolve excess salt and you can dispose off the same as brined items tend to be too salt and the process has to be carried out.

** If you have forgotten or it was not possible to change water do not worry, keep soaking and changing water mixing well every 20-30 minutes a few times and a lot of salt will get washed away. Then cut them also into ½ inch pieces and once again soak in water for 20 minutes.

** Wash well and slice both side edges of Tendle/ Ivy Gourd/ Gherkins/ Tondekayi. Slice it vertically into two pieces and then into 2 or 3 pieces horizontally depending upon the size of the veggie. You should get ½ inch sized cubes, do not cut them into very small pieces.

** In a pressure cooker pan add in the completely drained off brined jackfruit pieces in a layer and then top it with the tondli/ gherkins pieces also laid in an even layer. Now add sufficient water say about just to 2 threads level above the veggie layers, do not add in excess.

** Cover the pressure cooker lid and pressure cook on medium heat to just one whistle. Remove and allow to cool for about 5-7 minutes only, then check and release the pressure if any and then open the lid and leave it uncovered so that it cools down a bit.

** Note : The above pressure cooker method if followed properly gives perfect results, otherwise you can just pressure cook to one whistle the brined jackfruit only and then add in tondli pieces, mix well and cook on fire till done too, if you are worried about it.

** For grinding masala : Heat oil in a small pan, when hot add coriander, jeera, methi and fry for a few mins. Add red chillies and further fry for few seconds. Remove, add into mixer grinder with coconut, tamarind and grind to a semi coarse paste with little water. 

** The masala for kismuri is always semi dry in texture, sort of crumbling texture. So be careful and add water sparingly also do not run the grinder continuously, which may result in a smooth textured ground masala, so take care, when done remove and keep aside ready.

** In a large thick bottomed kadai add in the cooked brined jackfruit and tendle pieces. Add in the ground masala, a little bit of water, say about ½ cup only, the masala should be thick and should just coat the ingredients when done, so do not add in more water.

** Cover and cook on low heat stirring in between to avoid the masala getting burnt at the bottom, if do dry keep sprinkling some water, mix well and continue to cook. Check and add salt if necessary only. When you see bubble on surface it is done.

** For Pannaka/ Tempering : Heat oil in a small pan, when hot add in the mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add in the curry leaves, fry for a few seconds and pour over the kismuri / dry curry. Cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to seep in.

** “Tendle- Mitta Ghallele Salla Kismuri (Ivy Gourd- Brined Jackfruit Dry Curry)” is done and ready to be served. Serve hot with roti/ chapatti, it tastes great, you can also serve as a side dish with Dalitoy and Rice. A delicious dish for those who love brined items. 

** It's the season of jackfruit now and they are easily available in market. You should use the ones used for preparation of chips, the ones that are used are the jackfruit bulbs which are not yet begin to ripen. You can brine them/ preserve in salt water or use directly too.

** We Konkani Saraswats have always been brining items like jackfruit, pachponos, raw mangoes, hogplums, amla, lemons etc. when in season, so that they can be used all round the year or during monsoon season when there is scarcity of veggies. 

** In olden days travelling/ venturing out during monsoon was not possible, so, the ladies prepared a lot of sun dried items, brine etc. so that they could be used during monsoon. Nowadays people who love them often prepare it all year round and enjoy the same.

** You can use the search option for “Kismuri” where you will get many more combination of this dish both with and without masala. Do try them out to relish with your family and friends. Give me a feedback if possible, you can mail me or leave a comment for query if any ….

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