SWEET OR SAVOURY? 3 KOKANI MUSLIM DISHES THAT WILL INTRIGUE YOU

1. SARAVLE
A pasta dish that is laden with eggs but is sweet rather than savoury. Saravle is the name of the sweet dish as well the Kokani Muslim version of handmade, sun-dried, miniature, ring-shaped pastas of refined flour of the same name. In a braiser pan, the saravle are roasted along with a restrained amount of ghee (clarified butter) till they develop a golden-brown hue. After this stage, adequate water is added and the pan is covered with a lid to allow the mixture to simmer on medium heat. This cooking procedure continues till the saravle are tender but the liquid has not completely dried up. Now, sugar, green cardamom powder and pinch of salt are added to the saravle and the mixture is cooked till the water completely vaporizes. Subsequently, whole raw egg is added to the saravle in a manner similar to sunny side up and this is further cooked on a low flame for a few minutes. The ready saravle are then served piping hot garnished with dry fruits and khuskhus (poppy seeds).

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2. GUDH PULAO
This is a gudh or jaggery sweetened main course rice dish. The preparation for this dish begins like that of any other pulao or pilaf. Whole spices like green cardamom, cinnamon sticks and cloves are sautéed in ghee before chopped onions are added. The onions are cooked till they turn pink then rice is added and fried. Water is added and the whole mixture is allowed to simmer. Once half the water is absorbed salt, grated jaggery, coconut milk are added and the rice allowed to cook further until done. The rice is served in the main course along with spicy red chilli-garlic chutney called laal mirchyanchi chutney and roasted urad dal poppadums. 

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3. SASRINGA 
Has a sweetened egg preparation caught your fancy? Then this dish is bound to delight you. Sasringa is prepared only for breakfast and served piping hot with chaawarachi roti (flat breads of rice flour).  The preparation of this sweet is initiated by sautéing of finely sliced onions in ghee (clarified butter) in a sauce pan. Once the onions turn translucent, a mixture of sugar, green cardamom powder and thick coconut milk is added to the onions. The whole mixture is then simmered till the odor of the onions is completely masked. Now, at this stage a pinch of salt is sprinkled into the mixture.  The thickened mixture is then moved around the pan to create two to three indentations in each of which a whole egg is placed. The dish is covered and cooked for few minutes on low heat until the eggs are set and the base is caramelized. Then, the surrounding mixture is topped onto the eggs before serving.

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