Ghantiyan ghassi as the name suggests or if I translate it directly to English it will be like ‘Curry of Knots’’ as Ghanti means Knot in Konkani. Do not worry we are not going to cook any knots here. We will be using our age old leaves which are a favourite among Konkani community the taro leaves/Madantha ela in Malayalam/Arvi leaves/Terya pann. You can even use the normal Colcasia leaves that are grown in your courtyard but I would tell you that Madantha ela will be a better option if you really want to get the taste of the ghassi.
So for the preparation of this ghassi you tie knots with the leaves and then cook and prepare ghassi with it.
We Konkani’s usually choose Madantha ela that are grown in the Monsoon season. During this season you can see plenty of them on the bank of the paddy fields. I usually buy them from the market. I have heard my older generation telling me that one should pick these leaves from the same spot where maximum people come for plucking the leaves. This is because if you keep plucking the leaves from the same place every time the itching sensation given by the leaves will be reduced.
The Madantha ela will give you an itching sensation when you try to remove the veins. So it is better if you wear gloves while removing the veins especially by those who are very sensitive to itching. The courtyard grown Colcasia is comparatively having less irritation than the Madanth ela.
Now do not think that Madantha ela will itch you only on your hands if your cooking is not proper then your throat will also start to itch. So to avoid this itching after cooking we Konkani’s have certain tricks right in our hands. Add sufficient Bilimbi, Star fruit, or tamarind to the leaves, the acid in these fruits will neutralize the itching causing chemical in the terya pan.
The next step is to cook properly.
Another trick is to collect the terya pan during the monsoon season. They say that leaves grown during the monsoon season have fewer itches than those grown in summer. So try to prepare terya pan recipes more during the monsoon season. But I know no Konkani’s can resist the terya pann delicacies whether it is monsoon or summer we will have atleast one dish prepared in our homes with terya pan!!!
Ghantiyan ghassi is usually prepared in Konkani homes during the monsoon because I have already mentioned that the leaves of these season will have lesser itching sensation than those of the summer.
Ingredients
You need
- 25 numbers of Madantha ela (Terya Pann)
- 1 or 2 medium size carmbal (star fruit)
For dhovo masolou
- 4 to 5 tbspn grated coconut
- 4 red chillies (Or as per your spiciness to taste)
- 1/4th tspn turmeric powder
For seasoning
- Coconut oil as required for seasoning
- A small spoon mustard
- A small spoon of fenugreek seeds
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Method
Preparing the terya pann
First and formost remove all the veins of the terya pann. If too many veins especially the mature ones as well as the main veins are present on the leaf then itching sensation will be more.
It is always better to keep the terya pann leaves one day outside before using them for ghanti preparation. This is because if you use fresh leaves then tieing the ghanti will be difficult. You can even keep the leaves outside after removing the veins. Then you have to cover the leaves with a wet cloth and keep it covered.
To prepare ghanti
You can prepare ghanti with big sized leaves of terya pann or even smaller size leaves. I always prefer ghanti be prepared with smaller size leaves. I have used smaller size leaves in my recipe.
After removing the veins then cut it through the center (This is for big sized leaves) as shown in the photo and then make thin and tight rolls by rolling the leaf piece in your hands (If you have experience with making wick used in temples to light lamp then making ghanti is an easy work). If you are not well versed with your hands then roll the leaves as a whole (This is for small sized leaves) by placing them on a hard surface such as a wooden stool and prepare rolls.
Once rolls are ready then just tie normal knots with the leaf as shown in the photo.
Your ghanti is ready keep it aside.
Preparing the ghassi
Transfer the prepared ghanti into a wide mouth hard bottom vessel (Evaporation of water is less when using hard bottom vessel. Since you need more time to cook the ghanti it is better if water remains in the vessel or you will have to keep adding water every now and then and with that cooking will not be proper). Cut and add the carmbal after removing the ridges of the carmbal. Let it cook for sometime.
In the mean time prepare the dhovo masolou grinding coconut gratings, red chillies and turmeric to a smooth paste. Water is to be added to prepare the masolu.
Add the masolu to the half cooked ghanti. Mix gently and also be careful because ghanti will open.
Even if you do not mix it, it will get mixed automatically during cooking.
Now close the vessel and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. The intensity itchiness of a terya pann will vary from place to place. So after the specified time check for itchiness if itchiness persists then cook for some more time.
Your ghantiyan ghassi will have less gravy (It is not dry) and all the masolu you add will be coated to each ghanti.
Once cooked do the seasoning as follows. Heat oil in a kadai or pan add mustard seeds and when they splutter add fenugreek seeds followed by curry leaves. Pour the seasoning over the ghantiyan ghassi and mix gently.
Your ghantiyan ghassi is ready to be served.
Serve hot with rice. If your terya pann is sweet smelling during cooking then you are sure to have the delicious ghassi without accompaniment of rice.
Tips
Chances of breaking of ghanti during cooking is more. So do not keep on stirring the ghassi as that will enhance the chances of breaking the ghanti.
