Alvathi

This dish is normally prepared  on the occasion of Janmashtami.  Generally Konkanis don’t eat onion and garlic on the fasting days, so this curry is prepared with ginger and green chilly for flavour.   This is prepared with Colacasia leaves, but we can prepare it with any leaf vegetable like palak, cheera, etc.

Ingredients

Leaf vegetable         -- 1 bunch roughly chopped

Stem of colacasia    --  2 to 3

Hog plums                --  2 (if not available we can use ½ a lemon size tamarind ball)

Grated coconut       --  ½ cup

Green chilly              --  4 to 5

Ginger                        --   1 inch

Red chilly                   --  5 to 6

Mustard                    --   ½ tsp

Curry leaves             --    few

 

Salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook roughly chopped veg leaves, green chilly, hog plums, chopped garlic and salt for 1 or 2 whistle. 

For masala

Grind grated coconut and red chilly (if using tamarind instead of hog plums grind it along with this) to paste.

Add this masala to the cooked leaves mix and boil it for 5 to 10 minutes.  Pour oil in seasoning pan, add mustard and curry leaves, when it pops up pour this into the boiling curry.  Alvathi is ready to serve.