Black Grapes Gojju (Sauce)

DEE paavali…days are round the corner. Time to brush up some easy, breezy recipes to help our loved ones cook up a smile in admiration of our creation! While a sweety, soury saucy side dish is cooking up in my mind, let me share a short story.

How about recalling “Grapes Tales”? Oh no….not the bedtime moral kind. That sounds sleepy n soury. Prefer something sweet n nice that makes the story spicy. How about a fairy story that starts like this….Grapevine has it that….Oh so juicy! Let me resume…

Imagine you n I are dreaming of returning home with a Queen! Right in the middle of a warm, sheltered sunny site, we find a bunch of berries, deep bluish black in colour, called “Queen of Fruits”. Try tasting one of them. It is unique in its taste n flavour. Let’s savour. A board up there reads “Pluck them please, your appetite, they shall appease”. Wow, hurry…let’s waste no time. Each one pluck one, fist size bunch will do….All of Queens, mind you! Oh my…can’t believe, our dream has turned so sweet n true! Off now tothe recipe below for a spicy Black Grapes Gojju recipe. Thanks a bunch to my dear octagenarian sodaratthe Smt. Ahalya Bai for sharing this splendid saucy delicacy.

Dish type: South Indian Side Dish

Time required: 10 min

Ingredients

For boiling:

Black grapes             100 gms (seedless variety and sweet to taste)

Tamarind                  1 piece (small gooseberry size ball)

Chilli powder            2 tsps

Salt to taste              1 tsp approx.

Jaggery                     3 tbsps approx. (powdered)

For seasoning:

Oil                            2 tsps

Mustard seeds          1 tsp

Cumin seeds             1 tsp

Asafoetida                A pinch

Turmeric                   A pinch

Curry leaves             Few (optional)

Directions

Soak tamarind in a small cup of water for 10 to 15 min. Squeeze thoroughly and sieve the juice.

Heat a kadai with a tsp of oil. Put the ingredients mentioned under “for seasoning” in the same order as listed. Stir them. Put thoroughly washed black seedless sweet grapes. Keep stirring for a few seconds. Now add dilute tamarind juice, salt, chilli powder and jaggery. Stir and let it boil for a few min. till they all merge together. Switch off the flame. When it cools, you can see this Gojju looking jam-like.

Black Grapes Gojju is now ready.

Tete a Tete

Important: Precise quantity of tamarind and jaggery to be used depends on the taste of grapes and also one’s individual preference.

Tamarind paste may also be used instead of soaking tamarind pods in water. Add water to the paste and mix thoroughly to get diluted tamarind juice.

Black grapes are supposed to be the best bet for eyesight. They also lengthen, strengthen and straighten our hair, good for indigestion, help maintain a healthy glowing skin, help battle tussles with our tresses by keeping them long and healthy.

Recipe contributor: My dear octogenarian aunt and expert cook, Smt. Ahalya Bai.

Other Gojju (Sauce) recipes:
Beetroot Gojju
Heralekaayi Gojju (Citron Lime Sauce)
Recipes viewed here are a part of  "Mangala's Potluck" section in this blog