Colocassia Stems Koshimbir

When I was a kid, I would hate it if anyone made use of things like vegetable peels, stems etc. to create a new dish. To the point that I would avoid it and call the person miserly and turn my nose on it.

There was this aunt of mine who did it often. She used peels stems and everything to create yummy stuff. That's what I think now. Back then she was hated for being disciplinarian and making me eat those scraps of waste!

You will appreciate her ingenuity now. Whenever she made Alu vadi she also made this koshimbir. She would say when leaves are loved  why not the stalks. She taught me as a kid to peel the stalks of colocassia  with skill as she would sit me next to her as she slathered the Alu leaves with the sourish besan paste on the leaves. She would to engage me put a little of that paste on my lil palm and ask, does it taste good? Is the salt right? It made one feel so important. You were the one that could make or break the dish with your verdict! I would nod my head with all air of authority and tell her perfect as I make a circle with my thumb and fore finger. Else would say add more tamarind or spice. You know how lil connoisseur's are ;)

Meanwhile my smart aunt would have got done the peeling of the stalks by me. She would instruct. Hold the stalk, section it halfway thru its thickness and peel of the skin with the sections. The skin is waxy and when removed leaves behind a spongy stalk. The stalk when soaked in the curd is delicious.

Ingredients

1/2 peeled colocassia stalks sectioned into small bits
1 cup curd
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon oil

Heat oil in a small vessel. Splutter mustard and asafoetida in the hot oil. Add the sectioned colocassia stalks in it. Cook till done. The stalks look pale once done. Add curd to it.

Let the flavours steep for 10 mins before you serve. 

Steamed Gajar Koshimbir

Sindhi Koki with Steamed Gajar Koshimbir and Mango pickle

I love this Koshimbir, you may call it raita. Whatever! it tastes good and makes you feel equally good about eating healthy and in the end that's what matters right? When it's a light lunch we eat it plenty just like a bhaaji. When in a thali it is served, a spoonful. Who said a koshimbir cannot elevate to a higher position when it is so good. On this day that's what we did. You might have your favorite koshimbirs but I bet you will include this one instantly to that list, once you taste it.

So hereis what you got to do.

Ingredients  

4 medium carrots

1 cup curd

salt and sugar to taste

1 green chili

handful of cilantro

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

1 teaspoon oil

Shave the carrots clean, wash and then grate them. In a small box pack the grated carrot and steam. Do not add any water to the carrots. This steaming can be done along with other things in a pressure cooker like when you are cooking dal and rice.

After steaming let the cooker cool. Remove the steamed carrot box and keep aside.

Heat oil in a smal kadhai or handi. Splutter mustard seeds, add the asafoetida, green chopped chili and cilantro in that order. Add the salt and sugar. Mix well then cream it up along with curd. Putting in your little finger, check if it is good. You will agree with me instantly, it is. Serve it with a choice of parathas, we had ours with Sindhi Koki . A guilt free meal.

Kakdichi Koshimbir

In the days of yore when a full meal was a daily affair. The balanced Marathi Taat always had a spoonful of salad, ofcourse I'm talking abut the Koshimbir. This version in made with cucumber which we call Kakdi in Marathi.

As far as I remember to make a delicate Koshimbir one always peeled the skins. We would use the white / light green skinned cucumber for our daily dose of Koshimbir. If we did get the dark green skinned one which we called gavathi or country cucumber, we kept the skin on.

There is a science for preparing the cucumber for use in cooking. Before even peeling we'd wash it cut the two ends and chip of the ends and taste. If it was not bitter then it was meant for consumption. Then we took the cut off ends and rubbed the cucumber ends to get rid of any excess latex. We did not want it forming little lumps in the dish or to find coating our tongue. Our family had a way of finding out if we didn't do this little task. At the first morsel itself, they'd asked "Who cut/ grated the cucumber?"

Most times the assignment of cutting or grating cucumber was given to a kid or a husband who was plonked in front of the TV. Koshimbir got made just before serving the meal so it was a lady's way of telling the husband she had enough with the cooking and now he better help instead of just watching TV. This was especially true in the evenings.

The other ingredient is the danya cha koot which is stocked in a jar. It is the groundnut powder made after roasting and deskinning. This danya cha koot is use to make the Koshimbir khamang or as a thickner for curries.

So here is one more variety of Koshimbir from the pantry staples.

Ingredients

1 cucumber

1 cup curd 

1 tablespoon groundnut powder

salt to taste

sugar to taste

Wash peel or keep the peel of cucumber as you wish. Grate or chop fine as per your style. Put it in a large bowl.  Mix in curd, groundnut powder, salt and sugar.

Serve as accompaniment with any type of paratha or enjoy a bowlful as it is. To go all traditional make it with all your full meals on weekends and festivals.

Posting this for all the bachelor boys who love koshimbir but never ever tried making it. Make it your self and eat as much as you want. Moms no more say "Koshimbir thodi khavi, tondi lavana aahe te". See the change the humble Marathi salad has evolved from being an item for changing the taste to an item of importance in a meal and can be eaten a lot.