The gravy and the koftas are unique in this recipe. The kofta, for its part, uses a rare combination of vegetables like eggplant and cabbage; while the gravy uses an even more extraordinary combination of tamarind water and gram flour spiced with a dry masala. As a finishing touch the arrangement is laced with cream, and you have a wondrous dish on the table!
A delicacy from Konkan cuisine, Gajbaje is a dish of mixed vegetables in a spicy coconut curry. The dish is quite easy to prepare – veggies are cooked till soft and then flavoured with a peppy coconut paste and finally topped with a traditional tempering, which instantly boosts the flavour and aroma of the dish.
The coconut paste has a self-contained flavour, with the spiciness of red chillies and the tanginess of tamarind. Together with the tempering, this paste gives the assortment of veggies a totally fabulous taste! Some communities of the Konkan belt make this traditional delicacy on Aashad Ekadasi day, using a unique mix of veggies like amaranth stem, taro leaves, bamboo shoots and jackfruit seeds.
It is believed that during their sojourn in the forest, one of the Pandavas, Bheema made this dish on Ekadasi day using the ingredients available in the wilderness they were residing in. Nevertheless, you can feel free to just open your fridge and use whatever veggies you find in it!
Vellari means ‘cucumber’, and as the name suggests this is a reddish hued curry. However, the redness actually stems due to the combination of several spices and not necessarily due to an overdose of chillies. So, fear not this recipe, and feel free to moderate the spiciness according to your taste.