Uvas Bhagara

Nupur’s A-Z of Vegetables Event is an interesting Event. It turns much more interesting when that week’s alphabet challenges me to find a vegetable/fruit starting with it.

This week’s alphabet is “U”. After searching the internet a lot, I came to know that in Brazilian, Portuguese, Spanish and Mexican languages “Grapes” are called “Uvas”. In Turkish, it is called “Uzum“.

I was so happy. The happiest thing of all was that, I had the photo of a dish made with Grapes. The recipe was an accidental one. I did this recipe to finish the remaining grapes that were sitting in my fridge which otherwise will spoil in day or two. It is the same recipe of “Bhagara Tomato“. I replaced the tomato with Grapes.

The recipe is:

1/2 lb Grapes
1/4 cup Peanuts
1/4 cup Sesame seeds
1/4 cup Dry Coconut ( though it is not much healthy to use dry ones, in this recipe they give a different taste)
1/2 cup chopped Onions
Walnut sized ball of Tamarind
2 teaspoons Red Chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric
1 teaspoon each of Mustard, Fenugreek and Kalonji seeds
10 – 15 Curry leaves
1 teaspoon Oil
3 teaspoons Salt

The Method:

1. Poke the grapes with a metal skewer in two or three places and set aside.
2. Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup of water and set aside.
3. Dry roast the peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut in a pan and grind to a paste with the help of 1/4 cup water.
4. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard, fenugreek and kalonji seeds
5.When they splutter, add the curry leaves and onion.
6.Fry till the onion turns golden brown. Add the ground paste, chilli powder and turmeric powder.
7. Mix well and cook till the paste looses almost all the liquid and oil separates.
8. Crush the tamarind in the soaked water and drain the water in a cup.
9. Discard the left out pulp.
10. Add the tamarind water to the paste and mix well.
11. Add the salt and grapes.
12. Cook until the grapes turn pale in color. Stir carefully, once in a while.
13. Turn off the heat and serve.