Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle | Corn Flour ka Achar

It's that time of the year again when we koknis are busy making and preserving delicacies out of mangoes. Pickles, marmalades, chutney, khatayi (amchur), pulp and squash are the popular mango preparations across the Kokan coast. There are so many varieties of pickles though but the cracked mustard tarka achar is quite popular and considered traditional but during last few years this sweet and sour mango pickle has took over it for its comparatively less oil content and more flavours. Plus this one is easier to prepare, takes less time as you don't have to keep mango pieces in salt for hours and hours plus there's no need to prepare any special masala as almost the powdered spices used are already found in the pantry. So here goes the recipe

Instant Raw Mango Pickle

Kokan is the home to alphonso mangoes, everyone knows that. Plus, we have many different varieties that are not found anywhere else in the world. Kokan mangoes are rich in flavours and have distinctly different colours and they smell really good. So, undoubtedly we have the best quality of mangoes in the whole world. *feeling proud and blessed, alhamdulillah* 😇
Anyway, as it's the mango season and we have them in abundance, alhamdulillah, so not a single day goes without some instant mango preparation. Whether it's a pickle or chutney or some mango coolant like mango Panna or sometimes mango coconut curry etc. So here I am sharing one such recipe that is loved by all at home. I supposed to take photos after the sugar has melted completely but then I knew that I won't get a chance for photo session once the pickle is ready as nobody would wait till I get a perfect shot lol. But I hope this pic is tempting enough to make you drool ;)
This pickle is made with raw alphonso but if you don't have alphonso you can make with any of the varieties you have. And it's called "kaach" in local kokni lingo. If you are avoiding sugar you can replace it with jaggery but sugar is best for this recipe. We have some other recipes with jaggery and for spicy pickles without any sweetener.

Instant Mango Pickle Recipe

Ingredients:

1 big raw mango
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 teaspoon refined oil

Method:

1. Wash and peel the mango and chop it finely.
2. In a bowl, crush garlic cloves and adde chopped mango. Add salt, sugar and red chili powder. Finally add oil and mix everything well.
3. Wait till sugar melts completely and the lip-smacking, juicy mango pickle is ready in no time! Enjoy!

Oil Free Lemon Pickle Recipe | 3-Ingredient Lemon Pickle Recipe

We all like pickles but most of such stuff is packed with oil and excess calories so eventually becomes a no-no among health freaks. But our grandmas were really smart then to produce pickles which is not only oil but has ingredients like lemon and turmeric that can help you control the hunger and are good for your overall health. And the icing on the cake is the recipe is really easy, no cooking or any extra skills needed. Do here is a recipe you have for a fat free, low calorie, least spicy and very tangy and tempting Lemon Pickle

Oil Free Lemon Pickle Recipe:

Ingredients:

12 lemons
2 teaspoon turmeric powder
4-5 teaspoon salt (or as per taste)

Method:

1. Wash, pat dry and cut lemons into 8 pieces each.
2. Apply salt and turmeric to cut lemons.
3. Take a clean and dry wide mouth, screw capped glass bottle and fill the lemon prices in this bottle.
4. Place the bottle under direct sunlight for 15 days. Shake the bottle well every day so that juices coming out will get well incorporated uniformly. The pickle will be ready to use on 15th day. Enjoy!

Pomfret Head Curry

We koknis love seafood. Whether it is fresh or dried it has to be on our dining table at least twice a week. (In villages we eat fresh fish and prawns everyday.. yeah literally everyday!) Though we like all type of fish but for some reasons pomfret and few other types and more favourite. There are several traditional ways to cook fish and this is one of those authentic Kokni recipes. Pomfret heads cooked in coconut milk based curry. This might sound bland at first or by looks but it actually tastes so good that you will definitely love it (iff you like fish). You can use of the pomfret or any part but we prefer heads for this curry and other half of the fish goes either for frying or  for red spicy tomato based fish gravy.

Pomfret Head Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

4 pomfret heads
1 medium sized onion
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/8th teaspoon turmeric powder
2 pieces of kokum OR a piece of khatai
A sprig of curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
3 cloves of garlic
1 green chili
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup thick coconut milk +1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Take finely sliced onion in a pot add coriander powder, salt, oil and mix well then add some water and let it cook for sometime on high flame and add washed pomfret pieces ( preferably heads for this curry). Add a piece of khatai or kokam and cook covered till its almost dry.

2. When it's a bit cooled down add coconut milk and bring to a boil.
3. Then give tadka. Heat oil in tadka pan and add curry leaves, zeera, rai, garlic and green chili (optional).
4. Serve with boiled rice with a side fried fish, fried papad and spicy lemon pickle.

Mutton Akhni Pulav | Kokni Style Mutton Pulav

If you enter a kokni muslim household on Fridays between 11 am to 2 pm, I bet you'll get a severe hunger attack due the tempting aroma of traditional Friday lunches being prepared and served. Though biryani is a popular go to Friday meal nowadays, there are many other traditional dishes like dal gosht, masacha saalna, sukka mutton and of course Pulav, that have been relished for decades and still haven't lost their charm. In fact, Kokni Akhni Pulav is so much popular that you can find this as main course in wedding feats, paired with papads and kachumber and spicy lemon pickle! Oops! I am drooling already! 😋😋😋

Yakhni is pronounced Akhni in kokni dialect and it means the broth or stock. As the meat is first cooked with ginger garlic paste with enough water to later cook the rice in that same broth or mutton stock hence the Pulav is called Akhni Pulav or simply Akhni.

Fine kolam rice is an ideal choice for making Akhni but if you cannot get kolam rice you can use regular basmati rice as well. Meat has to be tender and juicy with minimum bones. Mutton leg or shoulder is recommended but

Puri Bhaji Recipe | Bhaji Puri Recipe | Poori Bhaji Recipe

Puri Bhaji with chutney and lemon

High carbs alert! 😅

Who can resist this sinfully yummy, calorie packed breakfast? No one! Yes you can be a dieting ninja but I bet you just can't resist a plate of spicy dry potato bhaji and scrumptious pooris when served as breakfast or even as dinner. I know it will give you a tough time at the gym while burning those extra calories but it's worth it, to be honest! Lol

This popular breakfast is typically served with a side of coconut based chutney (that's usually white but I like green colour so I add some greens), pickle, watery pea curry (Usal) and lemon with raw onions but you can never find any bits of raw onion in my plate, I just don't like that smell. I couldn't make usal or pea curry or channe ka salan whatever you may call it as it was not a planned meal and i had no soaked or tinned chickpeas or peas so I served the simple puri bhaji with chutney and lemon.

Puri Bhaji Recipe

How to make pooris:
I followed this recipe How to make perfect Pooris and the result was amazingly perfect puffy pooris.

For making Potato Bhaji you will need

Ingredients:

2 Large Boiled Potatoes
3-4 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Chopped Ginger
10-12 Fresh Curry Leaves
1/2 Cup Fresh Coriander Leaves
3-4 Green Chilies
1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/4th Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 Teaspoon or as per taste Salt
2 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
1 Chopped Onion (optional)

Method:

1. Peel and chop boil potatoes. Peel and crush  the garlic cloves. Finely chop green chilies and coriander leaves and ginger.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves once they start to splutter add crushed garlic (and chopped onion, if using). When garlic turns golden add ginger, chilies and coriander and saute it well on low flame till nice aroma arises then add salt and turmeric powder and stir well. finally add chopped potatoes, mix well and cook cover till potatoes absorb all the flavours.
3. Always serve it hot with puris, lemon and chutney.

For Making Chutney:

Finely slice 1 cup fresh coconut and grind it to a fine paste along with 2-3 cloves of garlic. add salt to it and give tadka of mustard seeds. you can add green or red chilies and a few coriander leaves while grinding the chutney. Use very little water while making the chutney.

Fried Prawns Recipe | Jhinga Fry Recipe

Because we koknis LOVE seafood!! 😍😋😋
We have seafood at least five times a week here in kokan. Most of the time seafood is fresh straight from the sea to your doorsteps that too variety of seafood like many varieties of fish, oysters, prawns, crabs, bombay duck etc. But there are days when the fishermen are not so lucky to catch fish (for example stormy rainy days) and that time we have to go for dried seafood (surat, bombil, sore etc.) that we have already stocked up during summers. So basically we live on seafood lol. Anyway, I was talking about this dish - Jhinga Fry. This spicy and simple prawns preparation is one of the dishes that are frequently cooked at my home and I loved Jhinga Fry since my childhood. Sabzi, roti and Jhinga Fry would make a perfect dinner that you can even serve to your guests with a side of omelette and mango pickle.

Fried Prawns Recipe

Ingredients:

300 gm prawns
1 large onion
1 medium sized tomato
2 teaspoons red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder (optional)
A piece of dried raw mango OR 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp OR 2-3 dried kokum fruits
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Shell, devein and wash prawns and place in colander so that all the water is removed completely.
2. Finely slice the onions and fry in 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Once the onions have turned golden pink add chopped tomato and stir fry till tomato turns pulpy. Now add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder and salt and mix well.
3. Once the rawness smell of masala goes, add prawns and mix well. Keep the flame lowest and let the prawns cook covered for 4-5 minutes then add dried mango/tamarind/kokum and again cook covered till prawns are done.
4. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves while serving.