Brilliantly smashing

Writing a recipe isn’t my thing. My husband relishes my cooking and whenever he tastes something that turns out extra ordinarily delicious he would request me to write the recipe down so I can make it exactly like that the next time. Alas! It’s too late by then because I never measure my ingredients but just eyeball them. This habit also puts me in uncomfortable situations when friends ask me for recipes. Most of my steps include the phrase “andaze se” (that’s Hindi for eyeballing), they might think I am not sharing!! Another person I know who can relate to this is my dear mum-in-law. As I posted elsewhere also, she is a fabulous cook but in situations where she is asked the recipe, which are many, she starts laughing! Once on my trip to India, we both were in the kitchen together making brunch for a family who came down to meet us. After tasting the food cooked with team effort, the visitors got interested and started asking questions that could reveal the quantity that lead to that particular taste she was enjoying. Both of us dumb founded, kept on looking at each other and were feeling like two frauds in a bollywood movie that were pretending to be chefs. Thankfully, she was right there when we were cooking or we would have been declared a team of mountebanks!
Though writing a recipe isn’t my thing yet but if I am given one I follow it well, tweaking here and there of course! Few days back I found a recipe in the blogosphere (Meera’s Enjoy Indian Food) that reminded me of my mum-in-law. The main ingredient in that was Kundru or Tendli as its called in some regions of India. I was introduced to this vegetable by my ma-in-law and right away fell in love with it. I am writing it down as a salute to her, the brialliant chef who never hesitated to share any of her kitchen secrets with me. Mamma, this one is for you. Konkani style kundru, The Smashing Kundrus! I have omitted the garlic because my ma literally hates them.


Ingredients
1. Kundru – About 250 gms
2. Tamarind paste – 1 and half cups
3. Red Chili Powder – 2 teaspoons
4. Salt – as per your taste J
5. Oil – One tablespoon
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Don’t grab that knife because this recipe calls for smashing them with a pestle or rolling pin! Don’t attempt this if you are angry with someone or your whole kitchen will be a victim with seeds flying everywhere. Once you are done having smashing fun, heat oil in a wok, throw in the smashed up kundrus and in few minutes put in the tamarind paste along with red chili powder. Now, cover it and let it cook for good 20-25 minutes at low heat while stirring few times in between. At the end, put the salt in as per your taste. And there you have the smashed up smashing kundrus which are bursting with flavor. This can be eaten on the side with dal rice, kichadi or like a pickle or when ever you fancy it! I hope you like it.