Monthly Archives: October 2020

Valchi Bhaji Tel Piyav


Valchi Bhaji Tel Piyav

Valchi Bhaji (Malabar Spinach or Buffalo Spinach)

Always a delight to lay hands on fresh and tender valchi bhaji in this part of the world. In India it is grown in home gardens and easily available. A very simple and easy way to cook is just steaming it with oil, garlic, chillies and onion and garnished with fresh coconut and hence referred to as “Tel Piyav”. Other variations of cooking this spinach is a curry with shrimp or with tur dal or black-eyed beans for a vegetarian version.

Thoroughly enjoyed the vegetable with a meal of steamed rice, raw mango curry and lady fish fry!!

Ingredients

  • 1 Large Bunch Valchi Bhaji about 1 kg.
  • 1 Onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 green chillies
  • ¼ cup fresh coconut
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil

Method

  1. Clean the valchi bhaji.  Separate the leaves from the thick stems, the tender stems keep with the leaves.
  2. Cut stems into large pieces, keep the leaves whole  and soak in salted water for 10 minutes to loosen dirt & kill insects if any. 
  3. Drain, rinse in clean water and drain again. 
  4. Chop the thick stems, tender stems and leaves into 1” pieces. 
  5. Transfer the vegetable to a cooking pot.
  6. Slice the onion, slit the green chillies and crush the garlic and add to the vegetable alongwith the salt and oil. 
  7. Keep on medium flame and cook 10 minutes until stems are tender.
  8. Not necessary to add water as the vegetable will leave water while cooking. 
  9. Add the fresh coconut and cook 3 to 5 minutes. 
  10. Serve hot. 
  11. Makes a very healthy and satisfying addition to any main meal.
Valchi Bhaji Tel Piyav

Mutton Polov


Mutton Polov

This is a traditional Mangalorean dish typically served at Roce ceremonies.  The Lunch or dinner at Roce ceremonies is either fish curry or mutton polov alongwith the other main items of the menu like chone tendli sukhe, sannas, vorn etc.

In Mangalore in old times, “Korpo” was used for this preparation i.e. fresh coconut and sliced onion would be put out to dry in the sun and used with the spices for the masala paste.  I am sure this is still being done when cooking is done on a large scale for weddings, etc. For home cooking, we would go with the quicker method of roasting the coconut and onion on a pan!

Mutton Polov

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 kg. mutton
  • ½ kg. Ash Gourd (Kuwalo) (Winter Melon)
  • 2 medium onions
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • 1 tsp. salt or to taste
  • 2 to 3 tbsp. coconut

Roast and grind to a paste

  • 1 cup heaped fresh coconut
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 6 red Kashmiri chillies
  • 1 tbs. coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp.cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp. mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp. raw rice
  • 1” cinnamon
  • 4 cloves
  • 3 cardamoms

Method

  1. Clean and cut mutton into cubes, wash and drain well. 
  2. Clean the ash gourd, cut into wedges, remove the seeds, peel and cut into ½” cubes.  Wash and drain.
  3. Slice one onion and fry in a little oil to light brown
  4. Add the mutton pieces and cook till they change color and most of the water that is released evaporates. 
  5. Add sufficient hot water to the mutton, bring to a boil and cook for about 60 minutes.  If using a cooker, it will be quicker.
  6. Stir in between and add salt half way through cooking. 
  7. When the mutton is tender remove to another dish and set aside. 
  8. In the same vessel add a cup of water, the ash pumpkin cubes, 3 bay leaves, 1 tsp. salt (or to taste) and cook the vegetable adding a cup of thin coconut milk. 
  9. When half done, add the cooked mutton alongwith the stock. 
  10. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. 
  11. Then add the ground masala paste, adjust the curry by adding the masala water. 
  12. Cook on medium till oil surfaces. 
  13. Test seasoning and add salt if required. 
  14. Meanwhile, take a frying pan add a tbsp. of coconut oil and fry the sliced onion till golden brown. 
  15. Garnish the curry and serve hot with rice or sannas, etc.

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