Stir fried fresh prawns
I was born into a Koli joint family, fishing business, 20 odd members and 25 staff members (they too were part of our family that's how the fishing business is run) et al. Majority of us turned vegetarian later. So for the last 20 years I've been a veggie. However I have seen friends devouring the koli cuisine we made for them at our home. Non- veg cooking happened in our backgarden. We being new converts to vegetarianism maintained separate vessels and stove for non-veg cooking to show our veggie snobbishness ;). However due to its distinct nature once in a while will share some Koli recipes here. Now you will say it is prawns which is Kolbi but why am I calling it Sode. So here is some gyan on Koli dailect Kolbi (prawns) and kolbi once deshelled in called Sode and Vale means fresh/wet.
Ingredients
1 cup minced kolbi (deshelled prawns)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
2-3 kokum (Garcinia indica)
1 teaspoon Koli masala OR (1/2 teaspoon garam masala+1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder)
1 green chilli coarse chopped
1 table spoon oil
salt to taste
This is a devils recipe if you eat it just once with the authentic taste you will put it in 'to die for foods list'. Another thing is this dish has to be really hot and your nose should water while eating else it's not the real stuff. Alright some of you may just go up in fire so tone it down to your capacity.
To begin with this is a tava dish preferably iron tava as it gives the extra burnished color to the dish. So put the tava on the gas and heat oil. Add the onions fry them still golden brown. Then add the minced kolbi stir fry for just 5 mins. Then add the cilantro, chillies, masala and kokum. Do not add water to this dish the ingredients taste good when cooked in its own juices and do not need to cook them too long. Add salt and mix properly just before removing from the gas. Total cooking time must not exceed 10 mins if preparation is done in advance this is important else sode becomes rubbery.
This goes well with rice and roti both. It is so versatile that I have used it as stuffing for samosas, parathas or even sandwiches. My friends have enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy it too!
Funny thing is I have never tasted my own Non-veg cooking as I started it only after I turned veggie. But what I cooked was from those wonderful memories of Tallele sode and Tandalachi roti in Alibag my native place where I enjoyed eating Non-Veg as a kid. I do not enjoy it any more though but want you people to get the experience of ethnic cuisine.
Anjali,
ReplyDeleteLove your recipe. At 'Ghazalee', VileParle, they serve a Koliwada shrimp. Would you have a recipe for that. Also what is 'Koli masala', could you post a recipe. Thank-you.
Aisari wish I knew the secret recipe. Its been handed over from one generation to another and I have not recieved it yet.
ReplyDeleteYou are the first Kolin that I have heard of who does not eat fish! That's just not possible! Jokes aside, what made you make the switch?
ReplyDeleteOmg Anjali, will you believe it if i tell you that when i was around 12, we went to Alibag and ate prawns masala with chapaties made by a kolin on the beach. To this date i never found that taste anywhere else. I even asked my Dad to go there again and get the recipe but that didn't happen either. Well today i made your recipe and even though its not masala, the prawns had the same taste. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe. Pls if ou know the masala recipe which looked brown, not red and had same taste as this, pls post it. Or i will try adding whole shrimp nstead of mince next time and may be a little bit of kokam water to make a little gravy and eat it with chpaties :)
ReplyDeletePriti I can feel the pulse :) The masala recipe is something of a family secret that my aunts seem to make it difficult me to extract. The tangy kokum gravy will be die for you bet, go ahead do your thing and enjoy!
DeleteI am so going to make this, this week, Hope alone as Hans is gone for a concert trip for a week, i don't have kokum but i have those kerala thing( don't know the englsih name ) which we add when we make fish dishes for sourness, will google to know if they are the same taste.
ReplyDeleteFinla the souring agent you mention is Kadampulli or Kudampulli or gamboge. It is different in the flavor, more sour than kokum. In coastal Maharashtra we prefer Kokum, skip it while cooking and give a squeeze of lime on the serving instead.
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