Konkan recipes: Bangbang Batata, Koliwada Prawns

Konkan recipes: Bangbang Batata, Koliwada Prawns 

We bring you a few hand-picked recipes from actress turned author and cook Tara Deshpande's latest book 'A Sense for Spice'.

The recipes are extremely close to her heart as that was the way they were made and served in her grandmom's kitchen in their ancestral home.

'A Sense for Spice' is Tara's second book after Fifty and Done (1999), where she looks most fascinated and inspired in her grandmother's kitchen in their ancestral home in Belgaum, a mid-size city on the border of Karnataka and Maharashtra. As kids Tara and her sister woke up to the sweet fragrance of her grandma's jasmine hair oil, the tinkle of cups and saucers, the gurgle of milk, the slurring of tea leaves against a sieve in the kitchen.

Married to a Jew who is a vegetarian, Tara finds herself doing a lot of veggies in her menu, which again is abundant in Konkan cuisine. What's her second favourite cuisine then? Says she, "Italian! My husband loves the cuisine because it allows you to use a lot of vegetables, though he enjoys my native cuisine too quite a lot." But what stresses her most is the fact that women are slowly moving away from the kitchens and letting their cooks take over. "Women should cook even if they have busy schedules, you create a legacy by cooking, and that's a magical way to make your family happy and show them you care. But yes, they should encourage men too to enter the kitchen every once in a while." She retorts.

You would be cooking Bangbang Batata which is crispy potatoes with chilli and garlic, and Koliwada Prawns, a fried prawn specialty laced with generous dose of spices. To cook these you need to stock up on fresh greens from the local market and a whole array of spices, some of which are common to Indian kitchens. Plan this feast for an occasion, or simply to try your hand at something that's outside your comfort zone.

Bangbang Batata (crispy potatoes with chilly and garlic)
Ingredients:
Brown baby potatoes or medium-sized potatoes, washed 250gm
Salt or to taste ½ to 1 tsp
A pinch of sugar
Red chilli flakes ½ tsp
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Semolina or rava/sooji 1 tsp
Ghee or vegetable oil 1 ½ tbsp
Green chillies, 1½"-2" long, finely chopped 2-3
Finely chopped garlic 2-3 cloves

Method:
- Scrub the potatoes and steam them till tender but firm. Cool and peel.
- If using baby potatoes, leave them whole; slice larger potatoes into thick wedges. Transfer to a large bowl
- Mix the salt, sugar, chilli flakes, turmeric powder and semolina in a bowl
- Sprinkle this over the potatoes and toss, till well coated. Reserve
- Put the ghee or oil in a wide skillet on medium
- Heat and saute the green chillies and garlic for 10 seconds
- Throw in the spiced potatoes, reduce heat and cook for 6-8 minutes, tossing regularly to ensure even cooking, till the potatoes are browned and the semolina is crisp. Serve hot with lime wedges

Koliwada Prawns
Ingredients:
Medium-sized prawns (size: 30-40prawns/kg) or skinned fish fillets 15 no.
Vegetable oil for frying 600 gm
Batter:
Cayenne pepper powder 1tsp
Garam masala powder 2 tbsp
Carom seeds or ajwain ½ tsp
Salt or to taste 2 tsp
Chopped fresh coriander leaves 1 tbsp
Ginger paste 1 tbsp
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Red food colouring or tandoori colour ¼ tsp
Lime juice 1 no.

Method:
- Shell the prawns, if used, and remove the tail if desired. De-vein and wash well
- Cut the fish, if used, into 1" cubes. Wash well
- Pat the seafood dry with paper towels
- Mix all the batter ingredients in a bowl. Add the seafood and mix well to coat it evenly
- Taste and add more salt if required
- Pour oil into a small kadai or wok and put it on high heat
- Coat and press each seafood piece generously and evenly in the rice-flour.
- Reduce heat to medium and fry 1 piece of seafood for 3-4 minutes, till golden and fully cooked.
- Fish cubes will take longer to fry than prawns. Taste to test if the piece is cooked through. Repeat with the remaining seafood.

You might find some of the recipes pretty elaborate, but what's a Sunday meal without an extensive prep!

(Venue courtesy: Daniell's Tavern, The Imperial, New Delhi. The cook-in session was organised by The Imperial Culinary Club in association with celebrity chef and author Tara Deshpande Tennebaum who launched her book 'A Sense for Spice'
)