Coconut-laced curries

The Konkan, a narrow coastal strip across the majestic mountain ranges of the Western Ghats, extends eastwards from its creeks and estuarie...

The Konkan, a narrow coastal strip across the majestic mountain ranges of the Western Ghats, extends eastwards from its creeks and estuaries. Konkan coastal cuisine is primarily the food of Konkani- speaking people. Spoken Konkani is also as diverse as the Konkan cuisine. Different dialects with varied accents make the Konkan belt unique.

Incredible beachside hideaways, where the only sounds are palm leaves and waves on silver sands, add value to the delectable cuisine of this area. Maharashtrian coastal region has coconut, mango, rice, cashew and a variety of lentils as the main crop. Serene and clear watered, the area boasts of the spiciest and most delicious Konkani food.

The ribbon-like coastal Konkan belt is full of coconut plantations and a variety of seafood. Quite predictably, this area has some of the best seafood recipes of India. Tourists who have explored these coastal havens confirm their affinity towards coconut-laced curries with a punch.

Story continues below this ad

The relatively undiscovered palm-fringed beaches are home to many fishing villages. Fish is considered the Fruit of the sea and fishing trawlers can be seen all along the coastline to collect the bounty of the Arabian Sea. The fish which are commonly found are mackerels, sardines, shark fish, king fish, squid, sting ray and many other small fish. Pomfret, though available, is not found in abundance hence the high price at all times. A variety of shell fish includes prawn or shrimp of all sizes, crab, mussel, oyster, lobster and crayfish. However, the Maharashtra coastline catch does not compare with the catch from Gujarat or Kerala in terms of quantity.

The coastal food of Maharashtra is fast becoming popular. The western suburbs of Mumbai, in the recent past, have seen new restaurants like Gajalee and Beverly Hills getting exceedingly popular. Crispy Fried Bombil (Bombay Duck) at Gajalee and Kombdi-Vade at Beverly Hills do justice to the outstanding coastal food of Maharashtra. At Centaur Juhu, we arranged two food festivals — Malvani Food Fiesta and Konkan Kinara. Both festivals received a very good response from diners as well as the press. Exposure of this kind not only made the food popular but also resulted in an increase in the number of tourists visiting places like Sindhudurg, Ganapatipule, Shriwardhan, Murud-Janjira, Chiplun and Ratnagiri. Narrow coastal low land of the Konkan, barely 50-km wide, has plenty of well-watered paddy fields on carefully terraced khuryat lands. The rice, though not long-grained, is just the right one to get the best out of spicy coconut curries. While unpolished rice is popular here, the thick grained rice is ideally suited for poha (pressed rice).

This week, I would like to share a fish recipe with you. Needless to say that the fish you buy should be fresh. Here are some tips for buying fresh fish:

Gills should be bright red and eyes should be clear and intact.

The skin should be shiny and the body firm. When pressed with a finger it should spring back to its normal position and no finger marks should be visible.

Fish should not have a pronounced fishy odour.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor is working as executive chef at Centaur Hotel, Juhu, and also hosts a weekly cookery show, Khana Khazana on Zee TV.