Day 16: Cashews for Lunch!

No, these are not snack nuts, this is actually a sabzi called bibbe upkari!

Bibbe are tender, undried cashew nuts. Upkari (pronounced oop-curry) is a very simple, quick-fix type of Konkani and Maharashtrian vegetable preparation. It is basically vegetables tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and chilies, and steamed. Upkari can be made with all kinds of vegetables. And so bibbe upkari is a delightful juxtaposition of the extravagance of cashews with the simplicity of the upkari preparation.

These tender cashew nuts are sold not by weight but by number. My Amamma bought exactly 100 of them today. Bibbe upkari is usually reserved for special banana leaf meals after pujas, festive celebrations and weddings. But day-before-yesterday we treated ourselves to this dish with our regular lunch!

Here’s Ammama’s Recipe:

Ingredients:

100 bibbe – about 1 ¼ cups (undried cashews with skins)

1 ½ tablespoon coconut oil

Half a teaspoon of mustard seeds

4-5 few curry leaves

One dried red chili

A little water

Salt to taste

A little jaggery – less than a teaspoon

1 – 1 ½ tablespoon fresh grated coconut

Method:

Soak the bibbe in water for about half an hour; peel off their bitter outer shell.

Heat the coconut oil till very hot, and add the mustard seeds, let them sputter (add one mustard seed to test - if the oil is hot enough it will bubble and sputter a little). Once sputtering reduces, add curry leaves and red chili. Let it fry for a few seconds, but don’t let it burn.

Add the peeled cashews into the spices and sauté for a few minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water and let it cook in its own steam until the water is completely reduced and the cashews are tender.

Season to taste with the jaggery and salt, sprinkle the grated coconut on top and serve fresh! As simple as that!

Enjoy it along with a meal such as daal-rice.