Avarekai - Bottle Gourd Gasi

Avarekai/Field beans - Bottle Gourd Gasi /Thick Curry is one of the side dish you can prepare as a side dish. Gasi means thick curry.
We do not use any dal in Gasi. Here I have used Avarekai - Bottle Gourd and a Sweet potato.

Spices are freshly fried in coconut oil and the aroma is just awesome. This Gasi is One of the Udupi special curry.
Gasi is prepared using some pods/peas/cow peas or whole channa, ( black or Kabooli channa).  Dakshina Kannada , Udupi and Malenadu side this Gasi is well known dish.
I have used fresh fried spices and coconut. The fried ingredients are then grind with fresh grated coconut.
Avarekai is field beans.  It is a seasonal pod which grows well during the month of November to February. It is available plenty in the market since this is the season we get the best Avarekai.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things needed :

To Cook :

Avarekai : 1 Bowl (250 gr).
Bottle Gourd : 1 Bowl ( 1/2 of One medium size bottle gourd).
Sweet Potato : Boiled : 1
To Fry :
Channa dal : 1 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Red chilly : 5 to 6
Coriander seeds : 1 Tablespoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A little
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
To Grind : 
Fried ingredients
Fresh Grated Coconut : 1 Cup
To Add :
Ground coconut mixture
Salt : As required
Tamarind : A small marble size.
Turmeric powder : A pinch.
Seasoning done in coconut oil. (Mustard seeds, ingh, curry leaves).

Method :

1. Wash and peel off bottle gourd outer layer. Cut into small pieces.

2. Wash Avarekai pods and cook with bottle gourd. (Pressure cook). Cook sweet potato and remove its skin.

3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a tsp of coconut oil.
4. Add a tsp of channa dal and urid dal. Fry till they turn golden brown.

 5. Add red chilly and fry. Add coriander seeds fry slightly and put off the fire.

6. Add curry leaves and ingh. Mix all the ingredients well. Let it cool.
7. Grate coconut,  grind with fried ingredients and marble size tamarind. (Soak tamarind in little water so that it gets soft. Use the soaked water to grind). Keep this aside.

8. Keep cooked veggy on the fire. Add salt, turmeric powder and little water.
9. Boil for a minute. Add ground coconut mixture and boil for 3 to 4 minutes.

10 . Cut cooked sweet potato into small pieces. Add the pieces while gasi is boiling.

 11. Add seasoning and serve with any of the main dish.

12. We had Avarekai - bottle gourd Gasi for lunch. It was perfect and yummy.

Note :

Gasi can be prepared with any pods. If you are using dry pods, soak them at night and then cook in the morning. Adding more chilly is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4.

Sweet and Spicy Tamarind Gojju

Sweet and Spicy Gojju is prepared with Huggi. This is one of the traditional dish from Udupi, especially my doddamma's house. Udupi people do not make the Huggi very sweet. It is with mild sweet and Sweet and Spicy Tamarind Gojju is used as side dish and it is one of the must dish done with Huggi.

Huggi is prepared normally during the month of Dhanurmasa. Dhanurmasa starts from December 14 or 15 and ends at Makara Sankranthi. Makara Sankranthi is also known as Uttarayana Punyakala, since The Sun moves towards the north a bit.
December is normally winter season and weather is chill. The body has to be kept warm and this gojju, huggi jaggery helps to keep the body warm and energetic. A little pepper pods are crushed and used and a green chilly. (Optional).
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Tamarind : A big marble size
Jaggery : 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Pepper Pods : 4 to 5
Salt : As required

Seasoning :

Coconut Oil : 1 Tbs
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A little
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
Green chilly : 1

Method :

1. Soak Tamarind in 1/2 cup of hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze out the pulp.

2. Clean jaggery and keep it aside. / Melt jaggery completely and sieve it to a bowl.

3. Now keep a pan on fire and put coconut oil.
4. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add ingh, curry leaves and slit green chilly.
5. Add tamarind pulp and cleaned jaggery to it. Add required salt. Mix it well.
6. Add crushed pepper and a pinch of turmeric powder.

7. Let it boil nicely for 3 to 4 minutes. Let it get bit thick. (Not much).

8. Shift it to a serving dish and serve with Huggi.

Note :

Huggi is mild sweet dish prepared using moong dal, raw rice, little jaggery with fresh coconut.
Huggi and Sweet and Spicy Tamarind Gojju goes well with Huggi. It is not only satisfy your taste, helps in keeping your health in good condition. During the winter eating sweet and spice (Jaggery and pepper) is good to take away the cold from our body. Put some water to jaggery and boil. Let it completely melt. Sieve jaggery  and then use sieved jaggery. (Better to clean the jaggery before using.
Adding more chilly is not necessary.
Time : 20 Minutes
Serves : 2 to 3 .