Chawlichi Amti

My love for amti has been much discussed in these posts - Kaatachi amti, Chincha goola chi amti, Ruchira' recipe for Amti - so you would definitely know how much I love this simple Maharashtrian based dish which has so many variations. This post is about yet another version of amti - but different from the others in the sense that it uses legumes instead of lentils and also that it has a very nice coconut based masala used in it.

The original recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor used sprouted black chickpeas (kala watana) - I am a bit puzzled about where I got this recipe from since it is in my book of handwritten recipes whereas I own most of SK's books. Maybe the Konkani cuisine cookbook he wrote (which I didn't buy because I though - and still do - that his forte lies in North Indian cuisine) has this recipe which I picked up from some magazine?

I adapted this recipe by using blackeyed peas to make it and we loved it the first time I made it - so I have continued doing this and it's become a regular part of our menu now. I alternate this recipe between the Punjabi lobia rassa and the Tamil Karamani kozhambu so that we don't get bored of having this bean. The use of fresh and dried coconut really differentiates this curry while garlic and tamarind round off the wonderful combination of flavours.

Sending this lovely bowl of goodness to this month's edition of My Legume Love Affair - the Twelfth Helping of the food event which is being hosted by Annarasa and was originally conceived by Susan - The Well Seasoned Cook.

Chawlichi Amti
(adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe for Kale Watanyachi Amti)

Cooked Black eyed peas (Chawli/lobia/karamani)- 1.5 cups
Masala
1 Onion - peeled and sliced
Copra (grated dry coconut) - 1/4 cup
Garlic - 5 cloves

Freshly grated coconut - 1/2 cup, ground to a paste
2 onions, finely chopped
Asafoetida (hing) - pinch
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind - marble sized, soaked in 1/2 cup water and pulp extracted
Garam masala powder - 1 /2 tsp
salt to taste
jaggery - 2 tsp grated (optional)
coriander leaves - 1/4 cup, chopped

1. Heat 1 tsp oil, saute sliced onions till translucent (about 3-4 minutes), add the copra and garlic cloves and saute another 3-4 minutes. Cool and grind to a fine paste.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add the finely chopped onions and hing and saute on high heat till the onions are golden.
3. Add the masala powders (except the garam masala powder) and the cooked black eyed beans and mix well.
4. Pour in some hot water to cover, add salt and bring to boil. Cover and cook on a low flame for about 8 minutes.
5. Add the copra onion paste, tamarind pulp,jaggery and the fresh coconut paste; cook another 5 minutes.
6. Add the garam masala powder, coriander leaves and serve with rice or rotis.