Prawns Cake or Sungtache Daangar & a BIG Thank You

I have known numerous people through blogging, I have made a few good friends too. One such kind friend has sent me a packet full of goodies and a note. It is Meera of "Enjoy Indian Food". She has been so kind and generous that she has sent me "Goda Masala", Kolhapuri Masala and Malvani masala. Also a bigg bar of Hershey's Almond chocolate ( This is one of my favorite chocolate). Thanks You Meera for these masala. I cant wait to cook these masalas, I am off to grocery shop to buy the ingredients. Btw Meera todays recipe is especially for you, a very yummy and very goan recipe.


I have meaning to post this recipe from the day I started blogging but somehow I never posted it. Like many regional favourites which go on to become everyones fav, this is one such recipe. Sungata are prawns in kokani. They are integral part of goan food, every household has a dish cooked with prawns in it atleast once a week. be it curry, Tava fry or sukke. Our food basically includes a lot of side dishes to go with rice and fish curries. This is one such dish.
Prawns cake or daangar are very easy to cook. They taste the best when you use smallest sized prawns. Actually we get really really tiny prawns which by the way take a lot of time in cleaning but taste sooo good that you wouldn't mind the hard work. These are mixed with onions and chillies, masala etc and shallow fried. The outer coating is really crisp since these are rolled in bread crumbs or rawa. If you have read my blog posts earlier, I hardly ever deep fry that is because goans NEVER deep fry fish, prawns etc. we feel the overpowering it with oil ruins the taste. If you have never tried a shallow fried non-veg cutlet then try it once, I am sure you will be hooked on to the taste. These savoury cakes are flavourful since onions, ginger, garlic and chillies lend it fresh flavours. Like all our food this too has a generous amount of coconut in it. If you aren't a coconut fan then you can skip and still enjoy daangar.


Ingredients
1 cup small prawns cleaned, de-veined ( if you cannot find small sized prawns then just chop the bigger ones in very small pieces)
1 fistful fresh shredded coconut
3/4 cup onion
1-2 tbl spn chopped tomato ( optional)
1 tbl spn paste ginger-garlic and green chillies
1/2 t spn turmeric powder
1 t spn red chilli powder
1/2 cup besan
3 tbl spn rava
1/2 tbl spn garam masala
chopped coriander leaves
salt as per taste
2 tbl spn oil for frying

Method:
Add about 2 tbl spn of salt to cleaned prawns and keep aside for about 5-10 mins. In the mean time Mix all the ingredients except oil & rava. Add prawns and mix well. Now heat Tava and add about 1 tbl spn of oil and move the tava so that it coats the entire tava. Take the prepared mixture in hand and shape it like a cutlet. roll it in rava & fry it on hot tava till done.

Serve as a side dish with steamed rice, fish/ prawns curry.

you may be interested in:
Prawns sukka Masala
Prawns Pulao Prawns
Sungtache Hooman - Goan Prawn or Shrimp Curry

Chivda, when hunger pangs

Chivda is crunchy, crispy snacks made out of pressed rice flakes. Back home this was one of the most commonly home-made snacks we ate. This is an easy to make snack. I never tried making chivda till I came to US, I wouldn’t have dared to if I had found some tasty and a li'll fresher snack pack. Once I found this really horrible, smelly stinky pack of chivda and chakali ( Murrukku) and I swore I would never buy these from now onwards and make these at home. I haven’t tried my hand at chakali since I don’t have a chakali maker, But I have made chivda Numerous times now.
Chivda is made from Poha/ pressed rice. These are easily available in any of the Indian grocery stores. These are available in two forms, Thick and Thin/Nylon Poha. This poha is seasoned with cumin seeds, curry leaves, chilies and turmeric. A dash of sugar adds the li'll sweet-ish after taste. To get the crunchy , nutty taste addition of peanuts, cashew if you like and some roasted dal adds the required flavor. This snack can also be made with thick Poha, but it has to be deep fried. Its not healthy and its mess to make it too that is why I stay with thin/nylon poha.
Let’s check the recipe.

Chivda/ Chivdo ( in konkani)

Ingredients:
4 cups Thin Poha
1.5 Tbl spn jeera
1 cup mixed nuts
1/2 cup daalia or phutaNe
1.5 t spn turmeric powder
7-10 chilies ( adjust as per your taste)
a few curry leaves
2 tbl spn sugar
salt as per taste
7 tbl spns of oil

Method:
Heat oil in a Kadhai. Add the poha and stir it in for about 4 mins, keep aside. In the same kadhai add a tbl spn of oil and fry peanuts and cashews. Keep along with the toasted poha. Add the remaining oil in the kadhai, when it is hot add cumin seeds, asafoedita, curry leaves, chilies and turmeric. Now add the fried nuts, and stir well. Add in the poha and stir till poha is well coated with the tempering. Add salt and sugar and stir but NOT very hard or vigorously.
Let this cool, then store it in a Jar.

Tip:

When served with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro leaves and lemon juice tastes the best.

For variation you could add about 2 spoons of saunf /fennel seeds ( just before adding poha). This lends an excellent flavour.

Some more tea time snacks

Mathari

Corn Puff