We had a friend over for dinner last night so I had to break my own rules and make two dishes instead of one. The cabbage stir-fry goes very well with this tomato & coconut gamba dish.
Tomato & Coconut is a combination that is used quite commonly in the South Indian state of Kerala. In fact, if you ever go to God Own's Country (that's what its called), you will get to eat a lot of coconut-based savoury and sweet dishes. Goa and Karnataka are two other states that use a lot of coconut in their food. I am a huge fan of coconut and I love how it totally transforms the taste of a dish. My mother, aunts and grandmoms used coconut in almost every thing they made. Be it curries like this one, chutneys or even sweets!
Coconut is used in many forms. Some dishes make use of the milk, some use the water, some use the tender flesh, some use the hard flesh, some use the cream, some use the dried flakes and then some use desiccated coconut that's grated! Whew! Every dish tastes different based on what's used. Today, we are using fresh grated coconut.
Note - You can use desiccated grated coconut if you can't find fresh but the taste will be slightly different. If you are using desiccated coconut, you need to add some hot water (1 teacup) after you fry the paste and before you add the gambas.
Ingredients
20 gambas (cleaned and deveined). I like to put slits in them for maximum flavour absorption.
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon black gram/ urad dal ( yet another favourite in our house. Follow the link for more recipes )
6-7 curry leaves
4 mid sized tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
2 green chilies finely chopped. If you can handle extra pungent, go with 3.
1 dried red chili (I use Kashmiri Chili for colour. It's slightly mild, not as hot)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp soaked in 4 tablespoons water
1 big red onion diced
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon coconut oil. My grandmom swore by it :)
Method
Grind the coconut, dried red chili & tomatoes and keep aside. *If you don't have dried red chili use 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder in step 6.
In a deep bottomed vessel, heat the coconut oil on low.
Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, black gram and curry leaves.
Stir-fry well.
Add the tomato, red-chili and coconut mix.
Add the turmeric, *chili powder (only if you don't have a dried red chili), green chilies and coriander powder.
Mix well and stir fry for about 10 -15 minutes on low.
Add the diced red onion and mix well. Keep stir frying for about 7-10 minutes.
Next, introduce the gambas and a little bit of salt.
Add the tamarind pulp soaked in water and mix well.
Cover and allow to cook for 15 minutes on low heat.
Mine generally take 17 minutes to cook perfectly. Make sure you cook on low heat throughout.
Serve hot with rice and a side dish like the cabbage stir-fry or even a salad.
Enjoy!
Coconut is used in many forms. Some dishes make use of the milk, some use the water, some use the tender flesh, some use the hard flesh, some use the cream, some use the dried flakes and then some use desiccated coconut that's grated! Whew! Every dish tastes different based on what's used. Today, we are using fresh grated coconut.
Note - You can use desiccated grated coconut if you can't find fresh but the taste will be slightly different. If you are using desiccated coconut, you need to add some hot water (1 teacup) after you fry the paste and before you add the gambas.
Ingredients
20 gambas (cleaned and deveined). I like to put slits in them for maximum flavour absorption.
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon black gram/ urad dal ( yet another favourite in our house. Follow the link for more recipes )
6-7 curry leaves
4 mid sized tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
2 green chilies finely chopped. If you can handle extra pungent, go with 3.
1 dried red chili (I use Kashmiri Chili for colour. It's slightly mild, not as hot)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp soaked in 4 tablespoons water
1 big red onion diced
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon coconut oil. My grandmom swore by it :)
Method
Grind the coconut, dried red chili & tomatoes and keep aside. *If you don't have dried red chili use 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder in step 6.
In a deep bottomed vessel, heat the coconut oil on low.
Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, black gram and curry leaves.
Add the tomato, red-chili and coconut mix.
Add the turmeric, *chili powder (only if you don't have a dried red chili), green chilies and coriander powder.
Mix well and stir fry for about 10 -15 minutes on low.
Add the diced red onion and mix well. Keep stir frying for about 7-10 minutes.
Add the tamarind pulp soaked in water and mix well.
Cover and allow to cook for 15 minutes on low heat.
Enjoy!
I thought coconut and tomato was an unusual combination but having tried many recipes from your website before (and very happy with the results), I gave this a try not quite knowing what to expect. OMG!! The flavours were so good and now, this is my recipe when I am expecting guests because it's restaurant quality food made by me!Thank you aaji. I really appreciate the step-by-step instructions and pictures because otherwise it is always a little bit intimidating trying out new ingredients and new cuisines.
ReplyDeleteGreetings
Anastasia
Hello Anastasia
ReplyDeleteI am happy to read that you are trying out new flavours and enjoying them. Thank you for your kind words. I am glad that you are enjoying and also entertaining guests with your cooking.
I hope I will continue to inspire and encourage your culinary interest in the future.
Regards
Aajisthaali