Konkani Sampradaya/Tradition

Until I completed my 12th grade or 2nd PUC is what it used to be, I grew up in a joint family. A very big and 70 year old house with 14 people living in it is how I remember my childhood. Memories of my maternal grandmother, 3 uncles and their families, then 3rd generation (which I belong to) are a lifetime treasure to me. In the midst of love affection and complexity of living in such a big family I have enjoyed every festival of our community. My grandmother, a woman with such a beautiful heart though not very rigid with tradition, celebrated, rather I would say kept all our tradition/sampradaya alive for many years. Blame it to my childhood, innocence or ignorance I did not record any of what was done at our house. When I got married I stepped into a house, where everyone are equally traditional yet modern people. All the festivals are celebrated with no compulsion. 

Tamarind Gojju

Its been few weeks I posted the recipe for Huggi. Huggi is incomplete without this tamarind gojju. Its very tangy with a touch of jaggery and is a must accompaniment for rice dish like huggi or pongal. Huggi is very similar to pongal and I grew up eating it with sprinkling coconut oil on top and couple of tablespoons of this gojju. We would not eat huggi without this gojju. When I first made this for my husband he loved it. 

Wheat Flour Halwa

Let me warn you this is rich both in ghee and sugar. It is very appetising to me. I have always relished it to the fullest. I have seen people in love with it like myself, my mom and daughter ! You can call it heridity ;) and my husband just not a fan of this halwa. During our recent trip to India I learnt my cousin does not like it either. So there are few who may not like the amount of ghee it calls for.

My aunt is an expert in cooking and this was her go to "instant sweet" when we craved for dessert as kids. I wonder how could she make this as her "go to" dish. May be this is what is passion. According to me this is time consuming and need a lot of patience. I wont deny I have thoroughly enjoyed cooking and eating this. I was always told this sweet dish orginated from a very famous hotel called Taj Mahal in Karkala Town. There are different versions or may be same as this all over India but for me this will always be "karakala halwa".