To market, to market - Kairas

Our neighbourhood supermarket can sometimes be a drag to shop in. The produce is maintained in artificial pristine condition, the only sound is of freezers humming and the only smell is that of a freshner. Pretty boring for an Indian used to the methodic chaos of a 'sabji mandi'. Luckily international food markets recreate a bit of that magic here. We visited one over the weekend; a cacophony of languages and accents greeted us as soon as we entered and we felt right at home!

Vegetables were stored in no visible order, just laid in gigantic pyramids so customers could pinch, knock, smell or even taste to their heart's content before they decided to pick something up. The aisles were categorized by country and I took my time strolling through each; passing jars of heady wasabi, spicy habaneros and exotic baharat to get to garam masala. Now this is how shopping should be!

I chanced upon some prized ingredients in this medley - unshelled peanuts and raw mangoes. Once we were back home I decided to use the peanuts first. Kairas is a tangy Konkani dish made with vegetables and peanuts. It is usually part of a religious feast since it doesn't contain onion, ginger or garlic. I made it with bell peppers but you can use anything from cauliflower to potatoes.
Those who are familiar with 'panchamrut' (literally, nectar made with five ingredients) will notice that the base of kairas is the same as panchamrut. The latter is usually a chutney without vegetables.

KAIRAS (Vegetable Peanut Curry)
(serves 2)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp bengal gram (chana dal)
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
1-2 dry red chilli
3-4 tbsp coconut, grated
Roast the seeds, dal and chilli in half a teaspoon of oil. When they brown, remove and roast the coconut. Let cool, then put in a dry blender and grind to a fine powder.

2 green bell peppers, diced (make big pieces)
1 tsp mustard seeds
a handful of peanuts
3 tsp jaggery
a small ball of tamarind dissolved in 2 tbsp of water
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
salt to taste
oil
Heat a tablespoon of oil and when it's hot add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the peppers, peanuts and jaggery. Stir. Add the tamarind water, asafoetida and salt and mix well. Add a little more water for peppers to cook. Cook on low heat until they are almost tender. Finally add the coconut mixture, mix well and remove from heat. Serve hot with rotis or rice.
This curry is sweet and sour in taste. Vary tamarind-jaggery to suit your preference.

Tags: capcisum bell pepper peanut curry