Kirlayile Mugga Ambat

I had planned on posting all these konkani recipes when the RCI Konkani food was on. I was tied up with many things and didn't get around to blogging much. So, while it seems like all I've been cooking is coconut + tamarind + red chillies with a combination of other stuff, that is not the case. I wouldn't dream of cooking so much coconut at one go. And no, it is not because I think coconut is bad for health or any such thing. It is just that I bring back a limited supply of scraped coconut from a visit to Amma and I'm not scheduled to go and see her for the next 6-8 months and her trip to Gurgaon is now postponed to sometime next year. So, I have to s-t-r-e-t-c-h my stock to the extent possible.

This recipe, I am told, is made for shraadhs/devasams. So, while I've eaten this at my uncle's place, I can't remember eating this at home. I made it as it is a change from the tori/tinda/lauki routine. Moreover, I tend to do nothing with sprouts except eat them as such in a salad. This was one way of breaking out of my comfort zone.

1 cup sprouted Green Gram (Moong), cooked (until mushy)

2 tbsp Coconut, scraped

1 tbsp Tamarind Paste

2-3 Red Chillies

1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds

¼ tsp Oil

Salt to taste

For Tempering:

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

7-8 Curry Leaves

Heat the quarter teaspoon of oil and fry the fenugreek seeds for a minute or two. Grind the coconut, tamarind, red chillies and the fenugreek seeds to a fine paste.

Mix this paste with the cooked sprouts and add salt and a little water. Bring this to a boil.

In a frying ladle, heat the oil and add the mustard. When the mustard splutters, add the asafoetida and turn off the flame. Add the curry leaves. Fry for a minute and add this to the boiling mixture. Serve hot with rice.

My ambat didn't turn out the way it usually does and I think that's because I didn't cook the beans until completely mushy. This is usually intended to be eaten with rice and I made it to go with chapatis.

Off this goes to my dear friend, Sra, as she hosts this month's edition of My Legume Love Affair, Susan's initiative.