Day 8 - The Penultimate stir fry

As the Festival of Navratri goes, this is the big day, the grand finale. Mythologically speaking, this was the day, the lascivious demons, Chanda, Munda & Mahishasura and the worlds first one man clone Raktabhija (from the sanskrit Rakta- blood, bija - seed. Legend has it that when each drop of his blood fell to the ground, an identical clone would rise. The goddess countered that by giving rise to Kali (the terrible one) who literally stuck her tongue out to drink every drop of Raktabija's blood before it hit the earth. Mahishasura put up quite a fight taking multiple forms before his final morph into a buffalo( Mahisha) at which point, the goddess pins him under the lion she is riding on and proceeds to eviscerate him. Who says Mythology is  dull?

The prasad (offering) that I'm posting today is an edamame sundal. Edamame, like fresh green chickpeas has a delicate buttery texture that makes it ideal for South Indian stir fries. Its unlikely that you will easily stumble upon fresh edamame, although I did see some in Union square market two weeks back selling for the price of an arm & a leg. No worries, the ones from the freezer section are perfect for this purpose.

Edamame (Green Soy beans) Sundal

You need:

1 pack (12 oz / 340 gms)  Frozen edamame, thawed

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 serrano chile cut into 3-4 pieces

1 teaspoon finely julienned ginger root

1 sprig curry leaves, torn

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

salt to taste

2 tablespoons fresh shredded coconut

Wedges of lime for drizzling.

Heat the oil in  cast iron skillet and add the cumin once the oil begins to shimmer. when the cumin seeds 'split' add the chiles, ginger and the curry leaves and give the mixture a stir and allow the flavors to bloom. Add the edamame along with the turmeric and salt, stir to combine. Lower the heat, cover and allow to cook for ~ 5 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning and add the shredded coconut. Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm with wedges of lime on the side.

Tomorrow marks the last day of Navratri when all 'weapons' (euphemism that includes the tools of every trade) are laid down to be blessed by Saraswathy, the goddess of knowledge (As kids, this had to be an all time favorite day of the year when parents would not insist that we sit down to study, and in extreme cases actually dissuade us ever so gently!). So, even as I wonder if I should plonk my new set of Weck canning jars from Provisions at Food52, I'll sign off for today with a sneek peek at tomorrow's offerings.. Peanut sundal and an Almond payasam (kheer )

Bon appetit!