Untold stories of SKP cuisine

Stuffed Pomfret / पुरणाचे पापलेट I have no clue how many times  I have edited my first line. It is so difficult to express our love for fish. Fish is one of our staple food. SKP's are well known for their own fish recipes.  Seafood is a coastal treat for us, there  are a variety of fishes with various recipes. Today we are going to write on a very famous fish which is cherished by everyone, non-other than pomfret.   Here are some interesting facts about Pomfret. This fish belonging to the family  Bramidae . The family currently includes 20 species across the globe.  The earlier form of the pomfret's name was pamphlet a word which probably ultimately comes from  Portuguese pampo .  They are found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. This fish is introduced by foreigners in India Let's begin with the recipe crusty stuffed pomfret. Many other communities do prepare stuffed pomfret. We are sharing SKP's style stuffed pomfret /  ...

SKP’s have a bunch of hidden recipes. Today we are going to share one of the secret recipe which is usually prepared in summer, Pineapple Curry (अननसा ची आमटी). Pineapple curry is a summer meal. As Pineapple is considered as a summer fruit, it contains hydrating elements along with bromelain which helps in good digestion. But it doesn’t stop here. Pineapple is accompanied by coconut, a vital ingredient of SKP cookbook that makes this recipe healthier. When it comes to spend summer holidays together with a big fat family, all start hunting for fish, but this versatile fruit is a trending substitute for fish. Pineapple curry is prepared in all the corners of India, there are many versions of it in curry. Let's see our SKP 's style pineapple curry.   Ingredients: Chopped Pineapple (ripe)  -  1/2 cup small chunks  1/2 cup finely chopped Cashew nuts - 1/4th Cup (split in 2 half) Green chilies - 2 Mustered seeds - 1 tsp Pinch of Asafoetida ( हिंग) Cumins see...

 Narali Pak / Olya Naralachi vadi - नारळी पाक / ओल्या नारळाची वडी  Coconut has a great influence on SKP food. This is because of the geographical location of the inhabitants and the proximity to the sea.  I grew up under the shadows of coconut trees. My entire summer holidays went around coconut trees and coconuts related dishes made by my grandmother, mother, and aunties. The aroma of food made in our house, hold a special place in our hearts, now when I recreate my grandmother's recipe, the aroma makes me nostalgic. We SKP's are true coconut lovers. Coconut is present is our starters, main course, dessert, and in what not. Today I will talk about coconut confectionery which is Narali pak or Olya naralichi vadi नारळी पाक / ओल्या नारळाची वडी with a small twist.    Procedure: Ingredients: Fresh Coconut (large) - 1 grated  Sugar - 3/4th cup Coconutmilk - 1/4th cup Green Cardamom Powder: 1/4th tsp Clarified butter/ Ghee - 2 tsp Rose syrup(...

Bitter Field Beans Pulav / कडव्या वालाची खिचडी  While the White pulav, Veg pulav have been the front runners when it comes to Indian vegetarian meal but given a chance to design a full course SKP vegetarian meal, then with no doubt in our mind the rice position will be awarded to our very favorite "वालाची खिचडी" (Valachi khichdi) Bitter beans come from the family of field beans, mostly grown in the Konkan belt of Maharashtra, India. They are sown in rice fields post reaping of rice. This happens approximately around month October-November whereas the final product is available around the Month of May. There are a variety of dishes prepared from Val/वाल like Valache birde /  वालाचे बिरडं , Valacha dalichi bhaji/ वालाची  डाळीची भाजी, Valachi ampty/वालाची आमटी,Val shiralachi bhaji / वाल शिराळची भाजी also it is used in Popati/ पोपटी  (it's a traditional barbeque).  वालाचे बिरडं has prime importance in gods offering plate ( नैवेद्य) .  So indeed i...

Ravali (रावळी) / Rice Cake: The first rice cakes were developed in Southeast Asia and there are a variety of rice cakes around the world.  But today I am going to walk through to authentic rice cake of the Somvanshi Kshatriya Pathare's (Panchkalshi) cuisine which is our  Ravali (रवळी). Ravali is a traditional recipe, especially prepared and enjoyed on the first day of Diwali by SKP's. It has major ingredients rice semolina and coconut, these major players of the recipe most of the time came from there own farm. Rice semolina is made with rice, where rice is thoroughly washed, dried, dry roasted and roughly grind into granules. If at all you try to sneak into homes of any SKP family on the first day of  Diwali you would be greeted with Rawali and the other Diwali snacks. That's her day and she rules the faral फराळ like a queen. I have been eating this traditional delight since my childhood, which was mostly prepared by mother, aunties, and grandmothe...

Samphire Curry /  " माचोळ ची आमटी " :  A popular sea vegetable mostly used in western cooking especially in fish Salads. It is also known as Sea asparagus, Marsh Samphire, Glassworts, and  Zeekral.  It is rich in minerals like Magnesium and Manganese.  Well, I am writing this blog not to explain how to cook Samphire salad, as there is a lot of stuff available on the internet and there are great chefs around. So let's spin the globe a bit and zoom into Mumbai and its neighboring districts. Samphire is known as  Machol  ( माचोळ )  in Marathi.  " माचोळ ची आमटी " / Samphire curry is one of  the delicacies prepared by people of SKP community i.e, Somavanshiya Kshatriya Pathare ( सोमावशीय क्षत्रिय पाठारे) .  Samphire supplemented with prawns creates an exotic delight. Below is the procedure of how the SKP's cook their Samphire Curry. * Ingredients : Samphire /  Machol  ( माचोळ )  : 100 gms SKP masala / Re...