“Vali- Kubbe Ambat/ Malabar Spinach- Clams Onion Seasoned Curry” … a delicious shellfish curry from Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with vali/ spinach/ basale … tastes awesome served with Ukde SheetHa (Red Boiled Rice)/ steamed rice or even roti/ chapathi …. Yummilicious …..
** Ambata is usually a reference to curry prepared with onion seasoning/ piyavu panna either with Veggies or Non.Veg in Konkani Saraswat Cuisine. This one is a lovely semi spicy curry that can be enjoyed by both young and old alike when served with rice or roti. The addition of Kubbo/ Shell fish/ Clams along with spinach gives the pleasure of digging into the fleshy part of the clams while the flavor is also imparted to the gravy that adds on to the taste. Though this curry is prepared with Malabar Spinach a few years back I did try it out with red amaranth/ tambdi bhajji/ laal matti and shared in the blog too and it tasted lovely. You can try with either as they both taste equally good, will be sharing link to that recipe at the bottom of this recipe, you may browse through the same.
** Here is the traditional Konkani Saraswat Recipe for “Vali- Kubbe Ambat/ Malabar Spinach- Clams Onion Seasoned Curry” …. Try it, tastes awesome ….
** I have used about 40-50 Clams/ Kubbe/ Shell Fish/ Marvai and about 5 cups of finely chopped Vali/ Malabar Spinach/ Basale/ Malyalu for this curry. You can use red amaranth or palak in place of malabar spinach too.
** For cleaning of Shell fish after opening : Soak the clams in plenty of water for about 30 minutes, then put it in colander and rinse it well under running water to wash away the sand particles in them properly. There is lot of sand in the shell fish, it has to be rinsed properly after opening also to remove any dirt and sand particles from inside the shells of the shell fish. So clean the shell fishes properly .
** Now for opening of clams : Opening clams is slightly tricky and there are 3 methods that I know of which can be followed to open them up easily, which I am sharing below, you may chose any convenient to you.
** Method 1 : After washing the clams with a sharp knife open up the shell fish from center and remove that side of the chip that is empty and discard it. Retain the one with the flesh part of shell. You can also keep it as it is (I have done the same here) after opening it wide. Once again rinse in plenty of water and its ready.
** Method 2 : After washing the clams put it in a plastic cover with zip locker or stainless steel box and keep it in freezer overnight. The freezer impact on the shells are such that they crack up open and half the work is done. Remove, soak in water for 30 minutes and then rinse under plenty of water in colander and its ready.
** Method 3: Wash and rinse the shell fish in plenty of water and put it in a flat vessel with some water. Put the vessel on heat and bring to boil on medium heat. Within a few minute the shell cracks open. Remove, let cool, rinse in plenty of water and its ready. Do not throw away the cooked water, strain in through muslin cloth to remove sand particles if any and use for grinding the masala, which is what I do.
** Wash and finely chop the leaves of Vali/ Malabar Spinach/ Basale, you can use the stems too by cutting them into one inch sized pieces. I have cooked the clams using the Method 3, strained the cooked water and used the same for cooking of spinach in a vessel. Once it is ¾ cooked add in the cooked clams and mix well.
** For Masala to be ground : Grind to a fine paste 1 heaped cup of freshly grated coconut (soyi/ nariyal) along with 8-10 kashmiri red chilly (kumte mirsanga/ byadgi sooki mirchi) and small marble sized piece of tamarind (Imly/ chinchama). The masala should ground to a very fine paste with minimum water. You can use the cooked water for grinding which is what I usually do for all my curries.
** Add ground masala to the cooked spinach and clams in the vessel along with salt (namak/ meeta) to taste, ¼ cup of finely chopped raw onions (piyavu/ kanda) and mix well. Addition of raw onions is optional and is individual choice, I have added. Add in water to bring the curry to a thick textured gravy consistency. Let the curry come to a boil on medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
** For Tempering/ Seasoning/ Pannaka: Heat 3-4 tsp oil (tel/ tela) in a small pan. Add 1 medium sized onion (piyavu/ kanda) finely chopped and fry on medium heat stirring often till evenly browned. Remove, pour over the simmering curry, remove from heat and keep it aside covered for about 30 minutes for flavors to get infused well. Check thickness of curry and add in hot water if required just before serving.
** “Vali- Kubbe Ambat/ Malabar Spinach- Clams Onion Seasoned Curry” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best with ukde sheetHa (red boiled rice)/ steamed rice along with some bhaji for accompaniment. In Saraswat homes we always prefer rice for lunch however you can serve it with roti/ chapati/ parathas too in which case remember to keep the curry slightly thicker in texture and it tastes great.
** Fish is a good source of protein and shellfish is good source of lean protein. This protein is easy to digest when compared to other foods not to mention the other health benefits like omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, copper, iron and vitamin B12, besides plenty of other nutrients. It is believed to help support a healthy immune system, off course if you are having any health ailments then it is best to consult your Doctor/ Nutritionist/ Dietitian if it is safe to consume if you are trying them out for the first time.
** For “Red Amaranth- Shellfish Curry” Recipe, Please follow the link given below, the recipe is the same as this one except for the veggie …
** There are plenty of “Fish” recipes from GSB/ Konkani Saraswat Cuisine included in the blog, that are all simple, healthy and tasty. I am sharing a common link to the same below, do try them out in leisure …..
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