Menaskai s - Bitter Gourd Menaskai.

 Menaskai s - Bitter Gourd Menaskai.

Several types of ‘Menaskai’ are a common delicacy prepared in most Udupi vegetarians’ homes as well as during marriages and other functions. It is a sweet, sour, bitter and slightly spicy dish with a distinctive flavour.  The distinctive flavour is due to the added roasted sesame seeds to an otherwise standard sambar masala. Menaskai..s can also be made using some other vegetables or fruits like Pineapple, raw green Tomato, Capsicum or some root vegetables like Suvarna Gedde. 

Ingredients.
 1) Same masala items like for a sambar like mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, jeera, coriander seeds – all these about 1 tsps, red chillies – Byadgi or Ghattada Menasu 2-3, Coconut gratings or pieces about 1 tablespoon, ¼ tsp Turmeric powder, ½ tsp asafoetida powder etc. 2) White til (black ones also ok)/or Sesame seeds – one tsp.  3) Tamarind about the size of 1 large lime. 4) Jaggery – about 1 ½ times amount as tamarind. 5) For seasoning – mustard, red chilli, curry leaves. 6) About ¾ cup of Bitter gourd pieces.* 7) Salt to taste. 8) Coconut oil or other cooking oil 3-4 tsp for cooking and seasoning. 9) Green chillies -2.

* Bitter gourd from the market is sprayed with solution containing diluted vinegar and cooking salt and after 10 minutes rubbed with the hand and thoroughly washed under tap water. This is to get rid of all pesticides. It is then deseeded only if seeds are firm and ripe, cut into suitable sizes. In a bowl, add turmeric powder and table salt to the vegetable pieces and mix well. After about 15-20 minutes or longer, squeeze out and discard the bitter liquid from the vegetable and keep it stored in a plastic box. This can be kept in the freezer for a long time. Before finally using part of it, take and keep it out and remove portion of it needed for the day. Rest of it can be put back in the freezer. If you expose the frozen vegetable to microwave, it is not advisable to refreeze it, say the pundits.  

       

Ingredients: Top Left: Red chii, Jeera, Chana dal, Urad dal, Methi, Mustard, Coconut & Coriander seeds. Sesame seeds in the spoon.

           Top right: Tamarind, Bitter gourd, Tadka items, Jaggery & Green Chillies.   

Method.

 1) Roast Sesame seeds in a small container in medium flame for about a minute or less till it starts spluttering and aroma comes and keep at aside to cool. Don’t over roast. 

2) In a tawa using about 1 ½ tsp of oil, roast all masala items as in ingredient 1) above including coconut. Cool this also. Both these two items including sesame seeds are to be ground into a fine paste in a mixie, adding some water as needed.  

 3)  Soak the tamarind in water for about 10 minutes, squeeze out and strain the tamarind juice repeatedly into a tawa - totally to about a cup of dilute tamarind juice. Add jaggery also to it and dissolve it. Boil this liquid for about a minute till ‘the raw smell goes’, as they say. 

 4) Then add the bitter gourd pieces and salt as needed and cook for a few minutes covering with a lid, till cooked and soft, about 5 minutes. Now add the masala paste, obliquely cut green chillies**, mix well and boil in low flame for 2-3 minutes. Test taste and add more salt and/or jaggery as per your preference. It should be slightly sweetish.

 ** Generally obliquely cutting green chillies is a better option than slitting. It exposes the spiciness of the chilli better and the user can squeeze it further or even eat the pieces if one desires the dish to be spicier or discard the pieces if one chooses.

                                                                                     

                    

                     Masala items and green chillies added.              Final Menaskai after the tadka.

 5) Transfer it to a serving dish with cover (so that extra part can be saved for 7-10 days), sprinkle some asafoetida powder and put seasoning with mustard, red chillies and curry leaves in coconut oil.

The Menaskai is now ready to serve.

This Menaskai can be eaten with hot white rice, curd rice, Rice Idli, Udupi kadubu,  Rice Semiya, Bread, any Roti or just lick it up and enjoy!

Preparation time: about 30 minutes.
Serves 5 -8 persons at one meal. But part can be used as needed and rest preserved in the fridge for 7 – 10 days.