Thaalis and Platters Roundup

For those uninitiated, a thaali is an elaborate Indian meal that is served on a circular metal platter, which is also coincidentally called a thaali. I was in two minds before deciding to join this 'Thaalis and Platters' themed marathon as I wasn't sure whether I would be able to pull off this stunt, cooking at least ten thaali meals, irrespective of it's size. Doing the prep work, cooking the entire thaali, setting up the platter, clicking and doing the clean up after on my own seemed daunting. I have a back with a slipped disc that starts breaking even when I cook a couple of dishes for the blog and photograph them. This time however the theme got announced way in advance, giving plenty of time to mull over and jump in. Besides, I did not want to miss this themed marathon as I was sure that I would never ever attempt to cook a thaali on my own without the marathon group. 

I decided to try simple stuff first and see how it goes. Add an extra dish to the everyday meal and click, that kind of thing and in between a couple of festivals came and went and so, I had a few thaalis ready. I gained courage then to sign up for this marathon. I stuck to my plan of cooking around only 10 to 12 dishes for regional thaalis which I know pales in compression to the number of dishes served in a restaurant style thaali. I did not rush around this time to cook a complete thaali at one go as I knew that would be bad for my back. If possible, I froze some of the dishes as soon as I cooked, particularly some of my breakfast dishes. I refrigerated some of the dishes by cooking a day ahead when it came to some of the regional thaalis. This worked for me because I never have any power cuts where I live and we are used to freezing food. 

I decided to stick to only Indian themed platters for this marathon and not to deviate from it so that I could cover as many regional cuisines as possible. I covered most of the regions even if I was not able to cook meal platters from each state. Telangana and some of the north eastern regions being the exception. Even those omissions occurred because I had to redo some of my breakfast platters and flatbreads to suit the platter theme. Below is a quick look at my thaalis and platters that were cooked for this blogging marathon. Click on the links below (recipe names) for recipes.

First week - Everyday Meals

I reserved the first week for everyday meals. I cooked 4 Vegetarian Indian Thaalis, picking one each from eastern, northern, southern and western parts of India. These thaalis contain comfy, home style meals.  

A Mini Tamil Nadu Thaali (From South)

A Goan Vegetarian Meal (From West)

A North Indian Mini Thaali ~ Lucknowi Dal

Bengali Niramish Thaali ~ Uchche Bhaja (From East)

Second Week - Breakfast Platters

It was breakfast platters for the second week. I had originally planned to cook breakfast platters from central, eastern, north, north- eastern, southern and western regions. I ended up doing combo dishes instead but at the last moment was able to add three regional platters. Banarasi kachori, dal pakwan. angakar roti, kailoreo were some of the dishes we tried for the first time and enjoyed while the chilka roti has become now a regular breakfast at home.

Banarasi Kachori Aur Subzi (From North)

East Indian Breakfast Platter ~ Veg Momos

Dal Pakwan

West and Central Indian Breakfast Platter

Kerala Breakfast Platter (From South)

South Indian Breakfast Platter

3rd Week - Regional Cuisines

This theme was what I fretted over much, since these meals needed to be region specific and needed to be a thaali, in true sense though less in quantity compared to restaurant styled thaalis. I have two from my native state of Andhra Pradesh including a festive meal and a meal served on a taddinam / death anniversary, one each from eastern, northern, north eastern, and western parts of India.

Andhra 'Dasara' Thaali (South)

Bihari Thaali (East)

Assamese Thaali (North East)

Uttarakhandi Thaali (North)

Andhra Taddinam Vanta (South)

Maharashtrian Festival Thaali (West)

Week 4 - Indian Flatbreads

I posted various Indian flatbreads during the fourth week. Healthy flatbreads, some new and some regular at my home. Most of the flatbread doughs can be prepared and refrigerated for a day or two. Just zap it in the microwave covered, for about 30 to 40 seconds before using it. 

Gahat ka Paratha / Horse Gram Parathas

Tikar Roti

Mandua ki Roti / Ragi Roti

Paneer Paratha

Bajra Aloo Roti / Millet Potato Flatbread

Thalipeeth - Multigrain Flour Flatbread

Week 5 - Platters

I tried to include platters with regional relevance, two each from southern and northern parts of India.

Andhra Sweet and Snack Platter

Idli platter

Mandyali Dham

Dal Baati Churma Platter

Hope you guys enjoyed the round up as much as I had fun cooking them. The recipes can be accessed by clicking on the links.

 

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Maharashtrian Festival Thaali

This is one of those thaali meals that I truly enjoyed without having to do the guesswork while cooking, about how the dishes are going to end up tasting. I have cooked most of these dishes before but not all at once as a meal. I built this simple thaali around a 'Akshaya Tritiya' thaali video I saw last year though I am unable to trace it back now. I added a few more dishes to the thaali including puranpolis and vadas to make it more festive. The thaali was appealing to both our eyes and palates.

The state of Maharashtra lies along the Western coast of India and it's capital city Bombay is the financial hub and the largest city in the country. The city which has been attracting people from all over the country for years now have become synonymous for it's lip-smacking street food. While traditional festive dishes such as modak, pooran poli, basundi, shrikhand, gulachi poli, masale bhath, unerringly point towards the state. 

Thaalipeet, a mixed flour flatbread is one of the popular breakfasts from the state along with sago / sabudana khichdi and poha. Sago / sabudana vadas, bhakarwadi, vada pav, misal pav, kothimbir vadi, are a few among the long list of popular snacks from the region. Most of the staple food in the state is lacto-vegetarian and the home cooked food is usually a complete, balanced meal like any other regional cuisine in India. It includes rice, dal, curry, chutney and a form of bread made from wheat, jowar or sorghum flours. Varan bhaat, aamti, kadhi, jhunka are every day foods. Peanuts and sesame seeds are widely used in the preparation of curries, chutneys and sometimes even in salads. 

I remember that a thaali from Maharasthra always includes varan bhaath, koshimbir, papad, pickle, a sweet dish, a vegetable curry along with a bread. That idea and the video I watched helped me in creating this menu. I did not include any rice dish because I was the only one at home eating lunch that day. My husband was having a lunch with his colleague which I did not realize until after I started cooking the meal. Poor planning, I know. However a masale bhaath would be an apt addition if having company.

My menu

Salad 
Koshimbir - Cucumber salad 

Rice and Breads:
Rice
Poori - Puffy fried breads

Curry and Dal:
Valachi bhirdi usli / Dried field beans curry
Batatyachi bhaji - Potato curry
Phodanicha Varan - Tempered dal (Recipe here.)

Accompaniments
Haldiche lonche / Fresh turmeric pickle
Green coconut chutney

Papad

Snack and Sweets
Sabudana vada - Pan fried tapioca pearl fritters (Recipe for deep fried version is here.)
Shrikhand - Sweetened yogurt, garnished with nuts (Recipe here.)
Puran poli - Sweet, stuffed flatbreads

I am posting the recipe for valachi bhirdi usli which is dried field beans / val beans curry. It is a simple preparation loaded with protein and done in no time since the val beans gets cooked fast. Easy dishes like these are life savers and apt to include in a thaali meal.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
10 curry leaves
1 pinch of asafoetida powder
1 pinch of turmeric
2 handfuls of val beans

Salt to taste

Chili powder to taste

2 to 3 tbsp. shredded fresh coconut
Minced cilantro to garnish

Directions:

1. Rinse the val beans and add them to a pot along with about half a cup of water. Boil them until they are completely cooked. Add a little extra water if needed. They must still hold their shape when they are done but not turn mushy. 
chillu powder

2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, When they start to brown add curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric in quick succession. (The uncooked beans and water can be added and cooked at this point if preferred instead of step 1.)

3. Add the cooked beans, salt, chili powder and coconut and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more and turn off the stove. Garnish with cilantro.
4. Serve it warm as a side dish to rice / rotis.

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Andhra Taddinam Vanta

This meal is neither considered a thaali nor is served in a thaali / plate, to be honest. 'Taddinam' in Telugu means a death anniversary and vanta means cooking. The meal I have presented here is what typically cooked on someone's death anniversary in Andhra Brahmin homes and is different than the usual fare. This post is written just from a culinary point of view and is a lengthy one. 😀  I end up calling my mother every year before cooking this meal to recollect what is allowed and what is not in the menu. The idea has been therefore on my mind for years now to post this particular meal to record for my future references. The details what I have provided here are a general glimpse and the ones followed in my family and my husband's side of the family. I would like to stress that the customs change from family to family and everyone in Andhra may not follow the same. The Brahmins in other south Indian states follow different traditions. 

I wasn't sure whether I could pull off cooking at least four regional thaalis before I signed up for this 'Thaalis and Platters' event since I had initially planned more dishes in each thaali than what I ended up cooking. Dasara thaali was the first one I cooked last November and then came December which marks the death anniversaries of my in-laws. They both had passed away within a gap of thirteen days from each other. The anniversaries are performed following the rituals per tradition in India by my husband's brothers while my husband just does the 'tharpanam' at our home. I cook a traditional meal that day and I happened to take pictures this time in case I could not be able to cook an extra meal for this theme. It is another thing that I ended up cooking over a dozen regional thaalis, big and mini ones included for this event. 😌

Taddinam is performed annually after 12 p.m, on the thidhi (date according to the Hindu calendar) the person passed away. Usually the meal is cooked with 'madi' either by the daughters-in-law of the family or a hired cook if there is a large gathering. Breakfast is usually not prepared on this day since the son(s) who perform the rituals and the women who cook the meals do not eat anything other than drinking one or two cups of coffee before the lunch is being served that day. And the sons who perform the ceremony do not eat rice on that night while the daughter-in-law must eat rice for the dinner.

Lunch that day usually ends being served later than usual because of the rituals that do not start until noon. It is first served to the pandits / brahmans and the sons who conducted the ceremony. The people sit on floor on a peetha / the low wooden seating and the food is served on banana leaves, by the daughters-in-law or the ladies of the house. In our homes, the daughter-in-law removes the leaves after they finish eating and she will bury the leaves which brahmans used in a shallow pit and covers it with the dirt so that the leaves are accidentally not stepped on or touched by any animals. She again needs to take a bath after doing that and again a wear a 'madi' saree before serving others or eating lunch.

The above thaali represents a meal cooked in my father's side of the family where four different kinds of curries and four chutneys are mandatory. My husband's side of the family has a custom of cooking only two of each and so I prepare a few dishes less than what is shown here.  

All the side dishes are eaten one by one mixed with rice and ghee while eating everyday meals. In Andhra, we don't use chutneys and curries to perk up the meal. We eat them as courses instead. The meal begins with a chutney. It is mixed with rice and ghee and eaten. Next the curry and rice are mixed and eaten. Next the dal / sambhar rice, rasam rice (if part of the menu) and finally yogurt is mixed with rice and eaten. However if we have this many items people may chose to eat the side dishes they like, mixing with rice and the rest as accompaniments. The food is expected not to be  wasted. 

My menu was the following served with rice, ghee, salt and water. 

Chutneys
Chintapandu allam pachadi - Tamarind ginger chutney
Nuvvu pachadi - Black sesame seeds chutney
Ava pachadi - Spicy yogurt with mustard powder
Mamidikaya pachadi - Instant mango pickle

Dry Curries
Dosakaya koora / Cucumber curry
Goruchikkudukaya koora / Cluster Beans curry
Bendakaya koora / Okra curry
Aratikaya koora / Plantain curry

Dals
Pesarapappu / Salted moong dal
Mamidikaya otti pulusu / A sour and sweet, green mango preparation

Sweet and Snacks
Garelu / Black gram fritters
Rava laddu / Semolina laddu
Biyyam Payasam / Rice and jaggrey kheer

Below is the description of what is allowed and what is not.
The food cooked on this day needs to follow some rules. Everything is prepped and cooked freshly the day of 'taddinam' and nothing is prepared in advance, not even chopping the vegetables. Nothing is bought from outside. All spices are allowed but we end up not using much other than those used in tadka / seasoning. Here's what typically followed in our family circles and usually in most parts.

Grains
Plain rice is cooked using the local south Indian variety which one is accustomed to in everyday cooking. No Basmati rice or any special variety rice is used. No special, spicy rice dishes are cooked. Breads / rotis are not part of the meal obviously.

Legumes / Pappu
Yellow moong dal / pesara pappu is the only allowed legume on this day and is a must. Pigeon peas or yellow lentils (Kandi pappu / Toor dal) which is cooked on a daily basis is strictly not allowed on this particular day.

The cooked moong dal is seasoned just with salt and no tadka / tempering is done. My sister and I used to hate it with a vengeance while growing up. 😖 It is a 'must' on the menu along with otti pulusu. Otti pulusu / theeya pulusu can be loosely translated as a Andhra style sour - sweet stew prepared without adding any dal. The vegetables that usually go in this preparation are eggplants (vankaya), okra (bendakaya) and dosakaya (cucumber). The moongdal and this pulusu pair well. 

No dals with spice powders / pappu / sambhar / charu (rasam) are prepared that day.

 1. Ginger chutney / Allam Pachadi 2. Pulusu / Stew 3. Mango chutney / Mamidikaya pachadi 4. Moong dal / Pesara pappu 5. Sesame seeds chutney / Nuvvu pachadi 6. Ava Pachadi / Mustard flavored yogurt

Chutney / Pachchadi
It depends on family customs and anywhere between 2 to 4 fresh chutneys are prepared. Two chutneys are prepared in my husband's family, three on my mother's side and four in my father's  family. The common ones are listed below but some families may have a few mandatory ones. Some families prepare spicy powders / podi as well. For example, my mother's side of the family always prepare three dishes under this category - vepa putha pachadi (neem flower chutney), chintapandu pachadi (tamarind one) and karappodi (spice powder from Andhra). People tend to cook quicker ones when they need to make four chutneys.

Perugu pachadi which is equivalent to north Indian raita where a roasted or cooked vegetable is added and is on a spicier side is not usually prepared in my side of the family and that's why ava pachadi is made where no vegetable is added and makes a quick fix chutney. However I heard recently my sister in law mentioning that they had made a snake gourd one. 

Some of the chutney options are
Nuvvu pachadi (Black sesame seeds chutney. Many don't prepare it on regular days.) 
Allam pachadi (Ginger chutney)
Chintapandu pachadi (Tamarind chutney)
Dosakaya pachadi (Cucumber chutney)
Mamidikaya pachadi (Mango chutney / Instant pickle)
Ava pachadi (A simple raita with ground mustard seeds)
Nimmakaya karam (Seasoned and spiced lemon juice)

Vegetable Side Dishes / Kooralu 
The number again depends on family customs as mentioned above and anywhere between 2 to 4 vegetable side dishes are prepared.  For example, my father's side of the family always prepare 4 curries whereas two curries go in my mother's and husband's families.
   
The vegetables are neither fried nor cooked in gravy form. Coconut is not used on this day. The vegetables are plainly boiled, tempered and seasoned but don't assume they taste bad. 😉

What I have noticed is that the vegetables used to cook on this day are usually desi or the ones native to India. One 'gadda koora' / root vegetable is a must from the allowed list. Onions and garlic are strictly prohibited and usually is not a part of everyday lunch as well in most of our families and so no one really misses them. Snake gourd / Potlakaya is one vegetable used in my husband's side of the family but not allowed on my side of the family.

Vegetables that are used:
Bitter gourd / Kakarakaya
Okra / Lady finger / Bendakaya
Broad beans / Chikkudu kaya 
Cluster beans / Goru chikkudu
Colocasia / Taro root / Chama gadda
Cucumber / Dosakaya (Both yellow and eating variety)
Eggplants / Vankaya
Elephant Yam / Kandagadda
Green mango / Mamidikaya
Ivy gourd / Tindora / Dondakaya
Plantain /Aratikaya
Yellow pumpkin / Manchi gummadi

The below is the list of vegetables typically not used in the menu. I don't see any reason other than that most of them are not Indian origin ones. Drum stick is not used maybe because no pulusu / sambhar is made that day.

Vegetables that are not used:
Beetroot
Bottle gourd / Sorakaya
Cabbage
Capsicum
Carrot
Cauliflower
Chayote / Chow Chow / Seemonkaya
Drumsticks / Mullakkada / Munagakaya
Garlic / Vellulli
Genasugadda / Sweet Potato
Green peas / Batani
Greens / Aaku kooralu 
Kohlrabi / Knolkhol
Onion / Erragadda
Potato / Aloo
Ridge gourd / Beerakaya
Tomato
White pumpkin / Boodidha gummadi

Snack:
Uraddal vada / garelu is a must and the only snack prepared in most of the homes. The fritters are made with a  ground batter of soaked black gram adding just salt. Either skinned black gram or the whole black gram are used. It is mostly done in the donut shape, with a hole in the middle, which is mandatory in many homes on that day and some don't prefer the shape on regular days.

Sweets / Sweetener:
Traditionally people used to repeat that sweet every year which was prepared on the 12th day after the person has passed but nowadays people prepare the sweets according to their convenience. Some families may not prepare a sweet dish at all. I had made the easiest ones, biyyapu payasam / rice kheer and semolina laddus. The kheer is not garnished with ghee toasted cashews and raisins. Other sweet dishes made on this day may be arise /athirasalu, appalu and my husband's side of the family even prepare fried kudumulu. The choice of sweetener depends upon family customs. Sugar is not used in my father's side of the family and only jaggery is used.

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Uttarakhand Thaali ~ Palak ka Kaapa

Today, my regional thaali comes from Uttarakhand, a state in the northern parts of India. The region formerly called Uttaranchal is fairly a new state considering that it was carved out from the state of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. 'Uttarakhand' which literally means northern land has been inhibited since prehistoric times. Situated at the foot of the Himalayas, the land is home to some of the most sacred and ancient Hindu temples and pilgrimage sites including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunothri and Gangothri which are collectively called the chota char daam. It is therefore referred to as the 'Devbhoomi' meaning land of gods.

Uttarakhand is divided into two regions, Garhwal and Kumaon, which in fact were two different kingdoms before the British empire. The recipes can also be classified into two because of the regional diversity, Garhwali recipes and Kumaoni recipes. The cuisine of the state is largely affected by the surroundings and climate of the region and the food here needs to be extremely nutritious to suit the high energy requirements due to the cold, hilly terrain. I read somewhere that the cuisine can be considered organic by default where locally grown herbs and ingredients are used in the cooking which impart a freshness to the dishes.

Kumaoni raita (Recipe here.)

Lentils, grains and vegetables play a prominent part in the cooking though there is non vegetarian food as well in the region though they do not tend to be elaborate preparations. The home cooked meals are usually nutritious, filling and flavorful in spite of using minimal spices and simple ingredients. I happened to notice in  a video that meals are also supplemented by the foraged ingredients in the hills such as stinging nettle (which by the way stings and causes itchiness / pain when touched with bare hands that don't go away quickly), fiddlehead ferns, wild figs, a local variety spinach and so on. Outside Uttarakhand, the dried leaves of fiddlehead ferns are hydrrated and used as a stuffing to momos and greens in omelettes.

Buckwheat (kuttu), finger millet (mandua), barnyard millet (jhangora), unpolished red rice are traditional crops. Gehat ke parathe (flatbreads with horse gram filling), mandua ki roti (ragi / finger millet rotis), lesu are some of the commonly made breads in the region. Dals are made with the easily digestible kind of pulses like pigeon peas, masoor, moong in Summers. Heavier ones like black gram, bhatt, (the local black soybean), horse gram (gehat), kidney beans are preferred in Winters for their warming properties. They are used to make dishes which are unique to the region like phanu, chainsoo, bhatwani, etc. Vegetables are used to make subzis, raitas and chutneys. Aloo jhol, aloo ke gutke, kafuli, kandali saag (the one prepared with stinging nettle), kaapa are some of the common preparations. Mustard oil / ghee is the medium of cooking. Ghee is heavily used to combat the freezing temperatures.

What makes the cuisine distinctive is the use of indigenous spices and herbs though ginger, garlic, asafoetida, chillies are used in cooking. Jakhya is an important ingredient used in tempering. This spice which looks like mustard seed is grown in the hilly areas is believed to aid in digestion and used instead of mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Jamboo, a locally grown herb is one more important ingredient. Aloo ke gutke is prepared with a simple tempering of jakhya and jamboo. Interestingly bhang / hemp seeds are used to make chutney and other dishes. Bal mithai, singhori, arsa, roat, gulgule are some of the popular sweets.

My menu is below. I had made this thaali during our winter and most of the dishes here are suitable for the season. Bhatt ki dal which is normally prepared with locally available black soy beans is a winter dish and gehat or the horse gram is used in winters as well. I have made parathas and pakode with it. Palak ka kaapa is a winter dish and I am guessing that sesame seeds chutney is also one. Aloo techauni, where the potatoes are not cut but bashed to use in the recipe is a common vegetable preparation in the state. Jhangore ki kheer / barnyard millet kheer is one of the popular sweet dishes in the region and I included it in the thaali. In fact I cook a payasam / kheer on Fridays for neivedyam and most of my regional thaalis were made on that day and so I ended up making kheers for most of my regional thaalis. 😀  

Accompaniments:
Salted cucumber slices
Til ke chutney - Sesame and cilantro chutney
Kumaoni Raita - Yogurt sauce, lightly spiced 

Rice and Bread:
Gehath ke parathe - Flat breads stuffed with a spicy horse gram filling
Plain rice

Side Dishes
Aloo techauni - A potato based side dish
Palak ka kappa - A spinach preparation
Bhatt ki dal - Mashed soy bean dal (The dish is made with local black soy bean but I used the regular ones.)

Snack and Sweet:
Kulith dal ke Pakode - Horse gram fritters
Jhangore ki kheer - Millet kheer

I am posting the recipe for palak ka kaapa which I found here, cooked by a pahadi woman. Kaapa is a simple spinach gravy that is served with rice. I like the basic gravies made with greens and that's why I chose it to be a part of my thaali. However it is a commonly prepared dish in Kumaon region during winters. This is a no onion-garlic recipe and is a fine example of the simple pahadi cooking. The consistency of the final dish should be like a dal / gravy recipe that is pourable with a ladle but I had cooked it thicker. 

Ingredients:
2 tsp. rice
2 tbsp. mustard oil or oil of your choice
1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds / methi seeds
2 dried red chilies or to tatste
4 cups chopped spinach
1 tsp. coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 pinches of turmeric powder

Directions:
* Soak 2 tsp. rice in water for an hour.
* Heat oil to a smoking point if using mustard oil or else just heat the oil. Add fenugreek seeds and red chilies. Immediately add the chopped spinach, coriander powder, salt, and turmeric. Cover and cook until it is half done.
* Meanwhile grind the rice to a paste adding a little water if needed. Add this ground paste and about 1/2 cup water (or more) to the spinach and cook until the spinach appears completely cooked and the rice paste is not any more. (The original recipe mentions to cook for 30 minutes which is not needed if using gas / electric stoves.)

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A Goan Vegetarian Meal ~ Mangane

Let's move on to the western region of India today, Goa to be specific whose cuisine originated from the Saraswat cuisine. The cuisine belongs to Saraswat brahmins of the Konkan belt which includes the present day districts of Karnataka like Udupi, Uttara and Dakshina Kannada and Goa. The Konkan cuisine is a part of present day Goa, Karnataka and Maharasthrian cuisines since the Konkanis are spread through out the region. Most of the Saraswat brahmins eat fish / sea food similar to Bengali brahmins. 

And also of course the cuisine is influenced by the Portuguese who colonized it for over four centuries. In fact, Portuguese were the ones who introduced items like potatoes, tomatoes, guavas, cashews, pineapples, chili peppers to Goa which consequently  have become an integral part of Indian cooking. The modern Indian cooking would be at loss with out peppers and potatoes for sure. And also there are Catholics whose cuisine is a fusion of both the above mentioned cuisines. 

Use of kokum, a souring agent is a distinct feature of the Konkani cuisine. And of course there is coconut which is widely used in the coastal state where coconut oil is the cooking medium. Most of the Saraswat brahmins eat sea food and they follow a strict vegetarian diet on religious festivals and on certain days, particularly on Mondays. During those days, they have 'shivrak' food when they don't eat even onion or garlic. 

I built my menu around that 'shivrak' aka satvik concept and made a meal without onion and garlic. I made a simple Goan thaali a few months ago including cabbage foogath, a curry usually made with onions. Last week, I added a few dishes more and made another  Goan thaali without adding onion to the curry. Curry made with ridge gourd and the one made with radish and radish leaves seem to be the popular choices on the vegetarian days. I did not have both in my refrigerator and so settled for foogath sans onion instead.  I didn't have kokum or else I would have made some solkadi. The crisply fried potato slices with a semolina coating called batata kapa make a great side dish for any meal and have become recent favorite of ours. Mangane is the Goan version chana dal - sago kheer which is yummy and appears in festive meals and other occasions in Goa. Nevros / Neuroes, the Goan karanji was added to the platter as I had made them for Ganesh chaturthi recently. Yogurt which is a mandatory part in south Indian cuisine is not part of a Goan meal.

My simple vegetarian Goan thaali had these items and I am giving below the recipe for the kheer called mangane.

Plain Rice
Mango Pickle 
Cucumber slices
Cabbage foogath - A lightly seasoned cabbage curry (without onion)
Chanya ros - Dried yellow peas curry in a coconut base. 
Toi - Lightly seasoned lentils
Tomato Saar - Spicy tomato broth
Batata Kapa - Shallow fried potato slices with a semolina / rava coating
Mangane - Split chickpeas and tapioca pearls kheer cooked in coconut milk (Chanadal - Sago payasam)
Nevro / Neuroes - A crescent shaped fried dessert with a sweet coocnut filling

Chana dal payasam aka split chickpeas pudding is a personal favorite of mine and it used to be the most common payasam cooked in my dear mother in law's kitchen on festival days. The traditional dish is made through out south India, cooked either in a base of dairy or coconut milk with the addition of jaggery. It is called madgane (pronounced mud-ga-ne) in Konkani language. The Goan version is called mangane and has an interesting addition of tapioca pearls aka sago to it. 

I have made this kheer two times so far. I pressure cooked chanadal and sago together the first time I made this and then rinsed it with water. Whenever I make sago kheer, I rinse the cooked pearls in a colander thoroughly until all the starch is washed away. However I could feel the subtle sliminess clinging to chana dal while eating even though I could not see it visually and hated that feeling. (It may be just me.) I have now realized that cooking chana dal and sago individually and combining at the end would result in a perfect textured kheer. They are cooked together usually but I am picky that way. 😉 For a vegan version, skip the ghee and add the cashews directly to the kheer when jaggery is added.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chana dal / split chickpeas
1/4 cup sago / tapioca pearls
1/2 cup jaggery
1/4 tsp. cardamom 
1.5 to 2 cups coconut milk (adjust as needed)
1 tbsp. ghee
2 - 3 tbsp. cashew pieces

Directions:
* Rinse and soak chana dal in a bowl of water for about an hour or two. Similarly rinse and soak sago in another bowl of water for about an hour. Drain the water after the soaking period.
* Pressure cook chana dal adding a cup of water. Pressure cook sago adding about 3/4 to 1 cup of water. They can be cooked in two different stackable containers at the same time in a pressure cooker but don't combine them if you are like me.
* The chana dal should be well cooked but still holding shape. Don't drain the chana dal and save if any water present.
* Once the valve pressure is gone, transfer the cooked sago to a colander and rinse with fresh water until all the starch is removed. 
* Transfer the cooked chana dal, sago and jaggery to a non stick or heavy bottomed pan and cook on medium flame until the jaggery melts, stirring in between. The water saved after cooking the dal can be added as well if the mixture appears dry.
*  Add the coconut milk and cook for about 5 minutes on low heat setting. Add cardamom, stir well and turn off the stove. 
* Toast cashews in ghee until golden brown and add it to kheer. Stir and serve it warm.

Notes:
1. The chana dal can be cooked in thin coconut milk (the milk extracted while grinding the coconut the second and third times) instead of water. 
2. The sago can be cooked in stove top in a sauce pan adding enough water instead of a cooker. 
3. Pressure cooker method is the fastest way to cook chana dal but if following the open pot method, soak chana dal overnight or for more than a couple of hours to quicken the cooking process.

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