Khatkhatem
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A thick stew of many vegetables and lentils in a coconut and tirphal masala, cooked in Goan Hindu homes for Ganesh Chaturthi.
Region: GoaOccasion: Ganesh Chaturthi and other festival mealsTime: 1 hrServes: 6Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ½ cup toor dal, washed
- 4 cups mixed vegetables in large pieces: pumpkin, raw banana, sweet potato, drumsticks, yam, cucumber, corn on the cob, colocasia
- 1 cup grated coconut
- 5–6 dried red chillies
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 8–10 tirphal (Sichuan-pepper-like berries), seeds removed, lightly crushed
- 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 1 tbsp grated jaggery
- Salt to taste
Method
- Cook the toor dal until soft and mash lightly.
- Boil the harder vegetables (yam, corn, drumstick, sweet potato) in salted water first, then add the softer ones and cook until just tender.
- Grind the coconut, red chillies, coriander and turmeric to a smooth paste.
- Add the dal and the masala paste to the vegetables with water as needed, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the tamarind, jaggery and salt, then the crushed tirphal, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice.
History
Khatkhatem uses the vegetables of the monsoon and early autumn. Tirphal, a fragrant berry from the Western Ghats, gives it its special aroma.
Significance
No Ganesh Chaturthi feast in a Goan Hindu home is complete without khatkhatem; it is served with rice, dal and many other dishes on a banana leaf.