Chavli Amti

This is the 7th edition of Blogging Marathon, organized by Srivalli. For the past few editions, every  month, the marathoners are grouped into two. I chose to join the Group 2. As usual, we were given a set of themes to choose and blog for the 7 days. My choice was Regional Specials and its Maharashtrian cuisine.  I wanted to try recipes that is generally cooked in a Maharastrian home. Also, these may not feature in a restaurant menu. I am taking this opportunity to explore more of the cuisine and I'm sure I can only touch upon few of the recipes here as part of the marathon. 

For a comprehensive read on Maharashtra cuisine, check the guest posts by Meera (Sweets and Snacks, Veg and Non-Veg Thali)  and Nupur's Summer Meal at Sailus Food..  And both Meera's and Nupur's blog are  a treasure trove of Maharashtrian cuisine.

To begin with, I chose Chavli Amti from Nupur's blog. The ingredients in the masala paste resembled that of the Arachuvitta Sambhar of Palakkad Iyer cuisine. The similarity ends there and the resulting dish is entirely different. I decided to stick to the recipe and did not tweak it in anyway since I wanted it to be authentic. I halved the recipe to serve two for a single meal.

Here it is 

You need

• Chavli/Black eyed beans - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1 no, sliced
• Tomato - 1 no, finely chopped
• Kitchen King masala - 1 tpsn
• Salt to taste
• Sugar - 1/2 tspn

To Roast and grind

• Oil - 2 tspn
• Chana dal - 1/2 tspn
• Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
• Cumin seeds -1/2 tspn
• Coriander seeds -1/2 tspn
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tspn
• Red chilly - 2 nos
• Onion - 1 
• Grated coconut - 2 tblspn

To temper

• Oil - 2 tspn
• Mustard seeds - 1 tspn
• Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
• Hing - few shakes
• Curry leaves - few

Method

Soak the chavli for 4-5 hours or overnight. If you don't have time to spare for soaking, soak it in hot water for an hour. Pressure cook till tender. 

Roast the ingredients under masala paste in 2 teaspoon of oil. Cool and grind to a smooth paste. 

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves, turmeric and hing. Add sliced onions and saute till its almost brown. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook till it turns pulpy. Add the ground masala, kitchen king masala, salt and sugar. Fry the mix for a minute or two. Finally add the cooked chavli along with the water, used to cook it. Adjust the consistency. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes and the gravy will thicken. 

It was welcome change from the usual sambhar or other tamarind based gravies which is a regular fare at my home.

Do check the BM page to find out the themes and other marathoners