Xperimenting with Xacuti Masala

Xacuti Masala Rice

Xacuti did not get my attention when I first saw the title in a cook book. It was a chicken dish, I read the introduction and left it there. When Nupur announced A-Z event, 'X' entry seemed the difficult one. I tried to think, Google, look thru cook books but there were no X dishes to try except the Xacuti stuff. This blogging thing has made me do things which would have been regarded as obnoxious in my pre -blogging life. I now even go thru recipes of non veg dishes to see if I can fit in 'that' recipe in my veg cooking.
I gathered - xacuti is derived from the word 'sakuti '. Xacuti is a Goan speciality, makes use of 11 types of roasted spices to make an opulent sauce. Like a true Indian, spices are welcome at my home and I thought why not use the spice powder to make two vegetarian dishes with my style and here they are.

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Xacuti Masala Powder

Ingredients for Xacuti masala powder: (Makes about 1 & 1/2 Cups)

Poppy seeds - 3 Tbsp

Peanuts - 2 Tbsp

Dry, grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Coriander seeds - 2 Tbsp

Cloves - 12

One inch Cinnamon pieces - 6

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp

Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 12

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

How I did it:

Dry fry peanuts on low flame till the skins start to turn black. Cool and remove the skins by rubbing between your palms. Keep aside.
Heat a small pan and add the poppy seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, red chillies, fenugreek in that order. Dry roast till the poppy seeds and coriander seeds turn light brown. Or dry roast each ingredient individually. Let them cool.
Grind peanuts, other fried spices along with the coconut in a blender to a fine powder. Use as required.

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Xacuti - Vegetarian Style

Vegetable Xacuti
Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a pan. Add a tsp each of cumin seeds and grated ginger to the oil. When cumin seeds start to turn brown, add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and about 1/2 cup of chopped onion(one big onion or 2 small onions) to it. Fry the onions till they turn light brown and add then add 1/2 cup of chopped tomato(or one big sized tomato) to it. Saute for a couple of minutes. then add 2 cups of chopped, mixed vegetables of your choice and water. I have used potatoes, French beans, Carrot and green peas.
Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook on medium flame.
When vegetables are done, add salt, 2 tbsp of xacuti masala ( & 1/2 tsp of chillie powder if you wish). Adjust the amount of water if needed. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes before turning off the stove.
Serve hot with rotis.

Note: For an authentic version of xacuti, add tamarind juice and garlic to the above recipe.

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Xacuti Masala Rice
The inspiration for this recipe came from my 'Masale bhath' post. If you enjoy spicy rice dishes, here is one more to add to your list. Prepare the powder ahead and you will have a dish ready within no time.

Ingredients:
Rice - one cup
Mixed vegetables, chopped - 2 cups (I have used potatoes, green beans, carrots and green peas)
Salt
Xacuti masala - 4 - 6 Tbsp
Cashews - 1 Tbsp
Oil - 4 Tbsp

Cook the rice according to the directions. I used sona masuri rice and cooked it with less than 2 cups of water.
Heat oil in a wide pan and add cashews. When they start to brown, add chopped veggies and fry them on low flame till they are done. Alternatively, you can steam the veggies and add them to the oil. Add salt and xacuti masala powder to the oil and saute for a minute till the vegetables are nicely coated with the spice powder.
Now add the cooked rice and stir the whole mixture properly till the rice is mixed well with spices and veggies. Turn off the stove.
Serve the spicy rice with some yogurt and chips.

I also tried to X-plore a new veggie and even made yummy parathas using them. Unfortunately, before copying the final pictures, I deleted them from my camera. More about them in future.

This one goes to lovely Nupur of One hot Stove for the "X" dish in the A-Z vegetable series.

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