Gosale-Piyavu- Batate Dali Ambat (Ridge Gourd- Pearl Onion- Potato Curry with Dal).

“Gosale-Piyavu- Batate Dali Ambat (Ridge Gourd- Pearl Onion- Potato Curry with Dal)” … ambat is a medium spiced curry from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with veggies and dal … onion seasoning rules the taste in this curry and served with rice it is scrumptious … Yummilicious …

** Ambat is a medium spiced curry from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with a combo of veggies to which a little bit of cooked tuvar dal and finely ground masala is added on. Usually it is seasoned with evenly browned finely chopped onions. Potatoes are also added to ambat to blend in with other vegetables.

** I love preparing this curry with different veggies and here I have used ridge gourd, potatoes and small whole onions (pearl onion) and it tastes wonderful. Tastes great served with rice though you can serve it with roti/ dosa/idly too. Do try this out and relish it with your family and friends with any accompaniment of your choice.

** Here is my recipe for.... “Gosale-Piyavu- Batate Dali Ambat (Ridge Gourd- Pearl Onion- Potato Curry with Dal)” … My Style ...

** Ingredients :

Tuvar Dal/ Tur Dal/ Tori Dali/ Togari Bele : 1 cup

Gosale/ Ridge Gourd : 500 gms

Potato/ Aloo/ Batato : 2-3 medium sized

Small Onion/ Pearl Onion : 20-25 nos.

Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste

** Masala to be Ground :

Coconut/ Soyi/ Nariyal/ Tengina Kaayi : 1 cup freshly grated

Kashmiri Red Chillies/ Kumte Mirsanga/ Byadgi Mirchi : 8-10 chillies fried in little bit of oil.

Tamarind/ Imly/ Chinchama : one small marble sized ball.

** For Tempering/ Seasoning/ Tadka/ Pannaka :

Oil/ Tel/ Tela : 2-3 tblsp

Onion/ Piyavu/ Kanda : One medium sized.

** Wash, cut off the edges of ridge gourd/ gosale, peel or neatly slice off the ridges slightly retaining the remaining outside skin of the gourd and then cut them into one inch sized cubes. Keep it aside ready soaked in water until needed.

** Peel off the skin and cut potatoes/ aloo/ batato also into one inch sized cubes. Keep it also separately soaked in water until needed.

** Peel off the skin of small whole onions (pearl onions) and keep it ready aside.

** Peel off the outer skin and chop onion finely for tempering the curry.

** For Masala to be Ground : Add grated coconut, fried red chillies (+/- depending upon individual preference), tamarind into a mixer grinder and grind to a very smooth paste with little bit of water. Do not use too much water nor make the ground masala thinner in texture. Remove and keep the prepared masala ready aside.

** Wash tuvar dal, add it in a pressure cooker pan along with 2.5 cups of water and pressure cook on medium heat to 2-3 whistles or until cooked well. Remove and allow the pressure in cooker to drop on its own. When able to open the lid do so carefully and then with a churner/ beater/ potato masher beat dal evenly to a smooth consistency when the dal is still hot. Keep this ready aside while we prepare the vegetables.

** Cook potato pieces in a vessel with 2-3 cups of water until 60% done. Now add ridge gourd pieces, mix well and continue cooking until its 70% done. Finally add the pearl onions and continue cooking until all the veggies are 90% cooked.

** To the above cooked veggies add mashed dal, mix well and bring to a boil, lower the heat, add ground masala, salt to taste and mix well. Check consistency and add in more water if needed and continue cooking until the curry comes to a full boiling point, lower the heat and simmer for 5 more minutes and remove from fire.

** For Seasoning : Heat oil in a small pan, when hot lower the heat, add chopped onions and fry till evenly brown in color. Do not keep the heat too high or leave the seasoning unattended, as the onions may start getting burnt on sides. Keep mixing often to get evenly fried onion. Once browned, remove and pour this over the simmering curry and keep the dish covered aside for the flavors to seep into the curry.

** “Gosale-Piyavu- Batate Dali Ambat (Ridge Gourd- Pearl Onion- Potato Curry with Dal)” is done and ready to be served. This is usually served with red boiled rice (ukde sheetHa) or any plain rice in almost every GSB Konkani Saraswat home as it tastes best served that way. However, you can serve with roti/ parathas/ Idly/ dosa etc. in which case keep curry texture slightly thicker. Do try this dish and relish it with any accompaniment of your choice and enjoy with your family and friends.