Mergole - Sweet Potato Paaysu

“Mergole” is the Konkani name for this sweet dish made from the tuber Kananga (Konkani), Ratallu (Marathi) or Sweet Potato (English). This is typically a Manglorean or coastal Karnataka dish.  I wanted to make this simple long forgotten paayasu and hence I had kept a small piece aside (after preparing the “Kananga Daaddau”), so that I can share this simple and tasty and easy to prepare dish.

I have used here the coconut milk pack (less work for the lazy me!) instead of the usual coconut gratings wherein you need to grind it with a little water and then strain the juice to make coconut milk. I do admit though that the fresh coconut milk does make a difference to the taste of the dish especially if one is of the “Jibbe Ruchi”  type of person (generally all Amchis are !).

Ingredients

Sweet Potato (small)	1
Coconut milk	150 ml (11/2 cup)
Jaggery (molasses) powder	3 tbsps  or as per taste
Salt	A pinch
Cardamom powder	1 tsp
Cashews (halved & roasted in ghee)-optional	6 (whole)
Raisins (roasted in ghee) - optional	8-10

Method:

1. Wash and skin the sweet potato. Cut it onto small cubes.
2. Steam the cubed bits in a steamer or boil them in a little water till soft. This should take about 20 mins.
3. Add salt, jaggery powder and the coconut milk to the boiled sweet potato bits and bring it to a boil.
4. Finally add the roasted cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix well and remove from flame.
5. Serve hot.

Serves: 2

Sweet Potato - Raw

Sweet Potato - cut into cubes

    

         Note:

• This dish can be served hot or cold. The choice is yours.
• Traditionally the sweet potato is cut into cubes (you may grate it if you wish) and the skin is not removed. Here, I removed it as the skin had lot of blemishes.
• It is advisable to dissolve the powdered jaggery in water and strain it so as to remove any insoluble impurities.

Cookaa (Chinese Potato) Humman - Konkani Dish

Coook (in Konkani language) is a potato like vegetable, slightly smaller in size, dark brown colour on the outside has a distinct flavour and unlike potato its skin can be peeled off by applying a little pressure of the thumb and index finger. Caution : it leaves black stain mark on your fingers.

The skin of Coook is generally peeled by putting them in a gunny /jute bag and rubbing vigorously back and forth on the ground. This process though laborious removes the skin of the Coook all at one go ! If any stubborn peels are still left, it has to be peeled individually by hand. As soon as it is peeled, it should be immersed in water to prevent it from changing colour.

Peeled and washed Coook

But believe me, for some of the Konkanis this task is worth all the trouble as the “jibbe ruchi” (taste) overtakes all hard ships!!

Coook (Konkani) or Coork (Malayalam) or Sambrani (Kannada) or Chinese Potato (English) is available in Karnataka & Kerala States and, in some other states mostly in Mangalore stores.

During our recent Katapady trip,I bought some Coook as, it's ages since I last had them and as I said earlier, it is worth a little trouble !!

Cookaa Humman

Ingredients :

Coook	250 gms
Coconut (grated)	1 cup
Dry red chilies	4 /5
Tamarind	A small lump (size of a marble)
Asafoetida	¼ tsp
Water	2 cups or as required
Salt	as per taste
Oil	1-2 tsps

Method :

• Peel and wash the Coook (whole) in water and then boil till tender. Add Salt.
• Grind coconut, dry red chilies, tamarind, asafoetida with a little water to a smooth paste.
• Add the ground paste into the boiled coook and mix well. Add water if required.
• Bring to boil again and remove from flame.
• Add the raw oil on top. Serve hot.

Serves: 4

Note:

Coook if large,can be halved. The gravy should not be watery. Traditionally coconut oil is used. But any other oil tastes just fine. This curry tastes good with rice or chappatis.

Potato Humman and Jackfruit seed (Bikkand in Konkani language) Humman is prepared in the same way, with the exception, that in the case of potatoes, they need to be cut into quarters and peeling of the skin can be omitted. In the case of “Bikkand”, they need to be cut lengthwise and the skin removed. The rest of the method remains the same.

Potato "Vaag" (Tiger)

“Vaag” literary means tiger in Konkani. This is a mangalorean Konkani dish. It is a dry curry. It is red in color, very spicy and looks very dangerous and hence the name !! But believe me, it is very tasty too and a big hit at parties.

This dish is prepared in different ways. But according to the feedback from my friends and relatives, I have come to the conclusion that this method which I have now perfected (after several attempts) tastes the best.

I still remember sometime back when I had made this dish (along with other dishes), one of our friends came to me and secretly told me that I better keep aside a small quantity of the “Vaag” for myself before it vanishes from the bowl !!

This is my mummy’s recipe. I have tried to make it exactly the way she prepares.

View of the Tiger in Wok !

View of the Tiger in the serving dish!

Ingredients

Potatoes (small)	10
Tomatoes	2
Garlic	10 pods
Red chilly powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Oil	1 tbsp
Salt	to taste
Chopped coriander leaves	1 tbsp

Method :

• Wash and peel the potatoes. Prick each one of them with a fork. Sprinkle salt over it and keep aside.
• Wash and chop tomatoes. Peel garlic.
• Heat a non-stick kadai, (wok) and in it add oil. When hot, add the peeled garlic. when the garlic browns, add the tomatoes.
• When the tomatoes soften, add the turmeric and red chilly powder. Stir. Always maintain a very low flame.
• Now add the pricked and salted potatoes. Mix well and cover the wok and cook it for about 30 mins or till done.Stir the potatoes every now and then so as not to get burnt.) If it sticks at the bottom, you may sprinkle a little water.
• Finally garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

Note :

Tomato puree or tamarind extract can also be used instead of tomatoes.

Potatoes should be preferably small (1-1½ ”) in diameter). Large potatoes can also be used but you may have to cut into quarters as it may take a long time to cook plus the appearance of the dish will also change.

Palak "Patradau" (Spinach Rolls)

This is a typical Mangalorean (Konkani) dish – something to die for (at least for some)!! It is generally made out of colocasia leaves. Some of these leaves, even after cooking, leave an itchy sensation in the throat after consuming it.

My problem was that no matter how good the leaves were, my husband always felt that it is irritating his throat - with the result, I had almost stopped making this dish. Then one fine day, when he brought fresh Palak (spinach) from the market, (the leaves were huge) and my husband just jokingly said maybe you should try making pathradau out of palak rather than colocasia leaves.

Since then, I have been making this dish out of palak.

Ingredients:

Palak (spinach) leaves	40
Green gram whole	1 cup
Raw rice	¼ cup
Grated Coconut	1 cup
Dry Red chillies	3-4
Tamarind pellet	the size of a bean
Asafoetida	¼ tsp
Salt	to taste

Method :

• Wash and soak the green gram for about two hours.
• Pick and wash only the large size leaves (cut off the stem) and dry them on a towel.
• Grind the soaked green gram along with raw rice, grated coconut, dry red chilies,
• tamarind pellet, asafoetida and salt using least amount of water to a smooth paste.
• On the chopping board, place a spinach leaf with its backside up and the stalk end
• towards you. Smear the ground paste evenly all over the surface. Then place
• another leaf over it and repeat the smearing process till 7-8 leaves. Then fold the
• sides inwards and smear the paste on the fold. Then roll gently but firmly from the
• stalk end to the tip in the form of a cylinder.
• When the rolls are done, place them on a greased plate and steam them for about 25-30 mins or till done.
• When cooled, cut it into thick slices and serve immediately.

Note :

From 40 leaves, I made 5 rolls (each containing 8 leaves)

These can be eaten as it is or to make it tastier, it can be rolled in semolina and shallow fried in a pan on both sides till golden brown.