Sunday, September 17, 2023

Sukkale Sungta-Piyava Kismuri (Dried Prawns- Onion Koshimbir)-2.


“Sukkale Sungta-Piyava Kismuri (Dried Prawns- Onion Koshimbir)-2” … this is a salad sort of dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared either with veggie or non- veg. … the taste here lies in the crunch of finely chopped onions and freshly grated coconut along with fried ingredient that's added … tried out with dried prawns/ sukkale sungata with minimum spices … tastes best served with dal- chawal or ukde sheetHa pejja (boiled rice porridge) … Yummilicious …

** Kismuri is a famous Konkani Sarawat dish, let’s say a salad sort of dish that is served as a side dish along with other dishes. I have posted many variations of this awesome, simple dish to which I will be sharing a common link at the bottom of this recipe. As I mentioned often both with addition of masala or prepared simple with just onions and coconut, either way we love this side dish very much.

** I had shared similar kismuri with sun dried prawns before again to which I am sharing link at the bottom of this recipe. Both recipes are similar, yet impart different taste as in my previous recipe which I learnt from a friend I had mixed in chutney podi for spice and here I have kept it simple the traditional way of adding only green chillies. Again, here I have fried the soaked- drained dry prawns in oil.

** Though varieties of dried fishes available, I usually prefer only dried prawns though I do at times buy raja/ suramai/ king fish, but I must say that’s very rare while prawns are stored round the year in glass bottle in my home. I have shared many recipes with addition of them, so do give them a try if like me you too like them, they fall handy especially during monsoon season when fresh ones are limited.

** Without running into details as I have already written all I have to say in my previous posts, let me share the recipe right away. Do try this one out, its simple and easy to prepare with few ingredients that are always available in every kitchen. Remember to clean dried fishes well before using as these are usually sun dried on sand and contain lot of dirt. I have shared tips and notes elsewhere, do browse through.

** Here is my simple method of preparing “Sukkale Sungta-Piyava Kismuri (Dried Prawns- Onion Koshimbir)-2” … my style …

** Ingredients :
Sukkale Sungata (Sun- Dried Prawns/ Yetti) : 1 cup
Onions (Piyavu/ Kanda) : 2-3 large sized finely chopped
Coconut (Soyi/ Nariyal) : ½ cup freshly grated
Green Chilly (Tarni Mirsanga/ Hari Mirchi) : 4-5
Curry Leaves/ Kadipatta/ Karbevu : 5-6
Hing/ Asafoetida Powder : ¼ tsp
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste
Coconut Oil/ Nariyal Tel/ Narlel Tela : 2-3 tblsp


** To prepare the Sukkale Sungata (Sun- Dried Prawns/ Yetti) for the Kismuri : Sieve the dried prawns well to remove dust and sand particles as they are sun dried on mostly on sea sand shores. Remove the head and tail portion and wash them gently under running water. Now put them in a bowl along with hot water, cover and let rest for about 30 minutes. Drain off all water and once again rinse well, drain to remove traces of water you can use a thick kitchen towel if desired and keep it aside ready.

** Note : Do NOT add Boiling water to the dried fish for soaking, the water should be just hot, just a little bit more than lukewarm, that’s all.

** Heat coconut oil in a kadai/ pan and fry the fish just for a few minutes until slightly crisp and done. Do not deep fry or fry it too crisp, the fish should be soft enough to taste good. Now add in the fresh curry leaves, hing powder and fry together for another minute. Remove from fire and add green chillies either cut lengthwise or into pieces. Add salt to taste, mix well and keep it aside to cool down to room temperature.

** When the above ingredients have cooled down add in the finely chopped onions and freshly grated coconut and mix all together lightly. Do not add pressure/ press the ingredients or there are chances of onions leaving out water, so be careful, we need to keep it dry and crisp. Cover and keep just for 2 minutes before serving.


** “Sukkale Sungta-Piyava Kismuri (Dried Prawns- Onion Koshimbir)-2” is done and ready to be served as a side dish along with other dishes as an accompaniment. Tastes best served with dalitoy (spiced tuvar dal) and sheetHa (rice) though one of the best combination is always with rice porridge/ peja/ rice gruel/ ganji/ kanji especially prepared with boiled rice. If you are a non- vegetarian and like dried fish dishes, try this one out for a change during this monsoon, it tastes great.

** Note : You can add in a little bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice to bring in a tangy taste if desired, though traditionally it’s not added, I never add it. Lastly, garnishing with coriander leaves too is optional, as again, traditionally for kismuri we do not add the same, however, sometimes I do add, though this time I have not.

** Note : The mixing of all Ingredients for kismuri should be done just before serving. If done prior and left to rest for more than 2 minutes, it turns limp and loses the crisp texture. In all, the kismuri taste is lost in the process, which is not at all appealing. So remember to mix it just before serving, while rest of the process can be done prior and all ingredients kept ready separately to save time/ last minute hassles.

** Note : Always add freshly grated top white part of the coconut only, it gives best taste unlike if used that which has been stored or frozen. The quantity can be adjusted by using less of coconut if desired, however I suggest that the ratio of onion and coconut should be 3:1 to get best result. That is for 3 parts of finely chopped onions add in 1 part of the freshly grated coconut and again adding only 1 part of deep fried/ roasted of that ingredient which is used. That’s my standard mixing ratio with almost all of the dry kismuri/ salad, however you can make changes to suit taste.

** Note : While you can add on any edible oil to the Kismuri, I suggest you use coconut oil if possible to bring out the best taste in kismuri. We GSB Konkani Saraswats are partial towards coconut oil and use it in many of our dishes as our ancestors always endorsed it healthy. Unfortunately, it was shunned before without any strong basis and it is only now that it is being recognized worldwide for its various health benefits. However, for any reason if you do not want to use coconut oil, you may chose any you want add or if you want to limit the quantity you can air-fry or use microwave method for frying with minimum addition of the same, I have shared a post of the same too.

** Note : The addition on the number of green chillies is as per individual choice and you can increase or decrease as per your preferences or your family requirement. If you have young children at home, it is advisable not to add in much of the green chillies or you can remove and keep some aside and then add on more if necessary while serving, that way it is safer to serve each one as per their requirement.

** Given below common link to "Kismuri" with/ without (dry) masala, please check and go through the recipes to learn about this dish before you try it out. It will not only help you in understanding this Konkani dish that is loved in our community, but will also give you options and an idea as to the various ingredients that can be use.

** Do check out on my previous post of sukkale sungtache kismuri/ dried prawns salad with addition of masala powder … sharing link to it below ….

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