Thursday 25 June 2015

Kataachi Amti

"Such awesome climate", "Such a romantic weather", "It's raining", "It's cloudy", "Oh, there are cold winds" , "All i need is kandaa bhaji, bhutta and chai" or "A cup of coffee and a book"!! Yes people! It's Monsoon!!! The season has arrived. A lot of people hate this season for the mud, dirt and traffic jams. Yes, for the restaurants, events and fashionistas, rains surely play a spoilsport. But there are people like us, who love to get wet, get the clothes dirty and hands muddy. There is a different form of energy and newness everywhere in the season. Maybe because rains give a life. A life to a plant to form a tree. A life to a seed to grow into a fruit or a flower. Rains, i feel, connects us back to our roots.

Happy Monsoon!!!

There is a very beautiful article i came across recently which talks about "Dirt not being dirty". I could completely relate to the writer and am of the opinion that throwing ourselves in mother nature only develops our immune system and makes us strong. So, we should come out of the fears of "You will catch cold if you get wet in the rain", "Wash hands or change clothes as soon as you get them dirty" or " Use sanitizer even for popping a chocolate in the mouth". In fact we should be friends with the germs, so they can help us survive in any possible conditions. Read this article here . So all i can say is Let go... get dirty... be free... Just like them :))



Talking about connecting to the roots, there are some things, incidents, or words that bring the memoirs of our roots and instantly connects with us. Food does so too. Even though we are living in the fast food era of pav bhajis and pizza's, there are some dishes that connect us back to our roots. I am not only talking about the ancestral recipes here but regional dishes too. Like a simple daal has so many names and versions of dhal, curry, bele, paripu, varan or amti. The recipe i am posting today connects me to my roots. Its a typical Maharashtrian delicacy served with Puran poli. I have only made Puran poli twice and fortunately they have come out well! It is said that Puran poli is most difficult to make, and the one who is able to make it successfully is called a "Sugran" (a competent housewife). 



Puran poli and kataachi amti is a terrific sweet-spicy-tangy combination. This amti is made from the reserved water after boiling and draining the chana daal when making puran. Usually it is made in the same pan, and a little cooked daal (gram) is added for the taste but by nature, this amti is very thin like a soup consistency.



Ingredients:

Leftover water after pressure cooking 1 cup of chana daal ( bengal gram ) in about 2 and half cups of water for 3-4 whistles.
Cooked bengal gram - 4-5 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp - 1 n half tbsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Goda masala - 1/2 - 3/4 tsp
Grated jaggery - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Coconut - 2-3 tbsp (Tastes great with fresh grated coconut but i didn't have it handy, so used dry coconut (kopra))
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 2 small
Cloves - 2-3
Bay leaf - 1
Curry leaves - 5-6


Recipe:


The leftover water after cooking the chana daal would come around 1 and half to 2 cups. Add about 2 cups of water to it and keep aside.

Try making the amti in the same pan in which puran is made. If not, use a fresh pan/kadhai. 

Scrape the puran from the sides and bottom of the pan and mix it with the gram water kept aside.

Note: I had forgotten to keep 4-5 tbsp of chana daal aside for the amti. So i boiled it again in another bowl. But you can keep some aside before making the puran.

Dry roast the coconut and cumin till golden brown and grind it together into a powder.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Add bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves. When it starts leaving aroma, add in curry leaves. Now add about 1 cup of the gram water to it. It will splutter, so make sure the flame is low. Add in the tamarind pulp.

Stir and bring to a boil. Now add salt, chilli powder, goda masala and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the jaggery (can also be replaced with salt), and the remaining gram water.



Let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the coconut-cumin powder and mix well.( If adding fresh coconut, add cumin seeds in the tadka and coconut in the end as garnish )

Tastes best when served either hot or cold with puran poli or steamed rice.

NOTE: If you are not making Puran or Puran Poli and just want to make Kataachi amti, then you can pressure cook or boil some chana daal on stove top for approx. 40 minutes till the daal is tender. Drain and use the water for kataachi amti and use the chana daal to make something else.



Happy Cooking :)






22 comments:

  1. oh yes i too feel like getting dirty sometimes...playing and jumping and just enjoying :)
    recipe looks yummmmmmm :)

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    1. It's so much fun, isn't it? :) Thanks Shweta :)

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  2. Yeah! We are having heavy rains here too. Although, It rains here whole year, so that's not fun! ;(But I love the word 'Monsoon'. :) Rain or no rain, I would sure love to have that 'Kataachi Amti'. Looks so inviting! :)

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    1. Oh, rainy season whole year? Wow! But i agree, if it is all year long, you lose the newness to it :) Glad you liked the amti :)

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  3. Oh goodness, Gauri, this recipe brings back so many many memories of childhood and my long time nanny Suman, who made this dish really well...love (and I mean really love!) puran poli and amti is an excellent accompaniment to it. Thanks for the recipe:)

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    1. Oh am so glad to hear this Peri. Happy that i could bring back your memories :)

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  4. Never heard about this combo gauri.But i am sure you guys have enjoyed it with the pouring rain.

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    1. Oh, this is a Maharashtrian delicacy Sathya. Yes, rains surely get us groovin :)

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  5. Yum to the delicious gravy.

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  6. Lovely recipe gauri and what gorgeous clicks.. loved going through the post

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    1. Thanks a ton Shubha, so happy that you loved reading it :)

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  7. wow gauri.. this recipe looks really awesome

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  8. Awesome post Gauri and beautiful clicks too. Super delicious recipe. Love it :)

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    1. Thanks Ritu for your encouraging words always :)

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  9. Great post Gauri, luv the poli... combo is new to me but a delicious one though! Clicks on let get dirty is awesome!

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    1. Haha! Thanks dear :) Its a typical maharashtrian combo :)

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  10. So right Gauri... I really love this season too. But, but this year its been such a weird monsoon season :(
    Loved the recipe too. Have never tried it before, but the pics and the recipe made me drool!! :)

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    1. Thanks Kimberly. Nice to know we share the same passion for the season! Do try this amti sometime :)

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  11. I too love rain...last week it was pouring and not so hot:)..Loved the delicious curry dear...Puran poli combo is totally new to me..Got to try out!!

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    1. Yes Padma, do give it a try and let me know your feedback :)

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Appreciate your comments, Thank you so much for for dropping by :)!!!