Tori ani kooka Ghashi ( pigeon peas cooked with Chinese potato in a coconut-based sauce).

Growing up I just loved beans. Any kind of dried beans would appeal to me! It could be made with coconut-based sauce and with some vegetable called "ghashi" or it could be made soup-style called "saaru-upkari". Sometimes it is made like a stir-fry called "Ussli". I loved them all.. I still like them but I don't make it as often for beans causes bloating in me.:( Funny I cannot remember that happening as a child!!! So now I ration myself to may be once or twice a week and that too small portions! Today I am going to share with you tori Ani kook ghalnu ghashi which means pigeon peas cooked with Chinese potato in a coconut-based sauce. This dish is simple, easy to make and does not have garlic or onion in it. This makes it perfect to be one of the dishes cooked during festivals and auspicious days when only dishes without onion and garlic can be made.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Dry tori ( pigeon peas): 1 cup
Peeled and Chopped kook ( Chinese potato): 1 cup

For grinding: ( for masolu):

Freshly grated coconut: 1 cup
Red chillies( dry): 3-4( depending on the spice level of the chilli used).
Tamarind: marble sized

For the tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 small sprig

Method:

Soak the tori ( pigeon peas) for 8 hours or overnight. Add 3 cups of water and cook it in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes on low flame after the first whistle. Turn off the flame. Do not open until the pressure in the cooker has completely ceased.  Keep aside.

Cook the kook ( Chinese Potato) with one cup water and pinch of salt until tender. Keep aside.

Using a blender,grind together all the ingredients listed under "for grinding" into a smooth paste, adding water as needed.

Take a pot big enough to hold the pigeon peas and Chinese potato. Add both of them to the pot. Keep aside any excess water.

Add the ground paste to the pot and bring it to a boil on low flame. Add the reserved water as per the thickness of the gravy desired by you.

Tempering:
Heat oil in a small frying pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the curry leaves and switch off the flame. Add this to the above pot!

Serve hot with steamed rice  or flat bread.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

This dish can be made with Chana ( chick peas) too and is known as Chana ghashi. It is a speciality of GSB community.

Yam ( suran), regular potato, chayote, cauliflower, tender bamboo shoot, gherkin can all be used as a mix instead of chinese potato for the above dish.

Tip for healthy living:

Using very hot water for bathing can result in drying of the skin. It is best to bathe in lukewarm water. If that is not possible at

least make sure that the last couple of minutes of the bath/ shower is in lukewarm water. This tremendously improves the skin quality.

Food for thought:

Love conquers all. Virgil