Kavacandī Mixed Fry
बदराकारकान् खण्डान् पूर्ववच्चूर्णमिश्रितान् । आर्द्रकांस्तत्प्रमाणांश्च पक्वतैले विपाचयेत् ॥ ५३ ॥ वार्ताकशकलांश्चैव मूलकस्य च खण्डकान् । पलाण्ड्वार्द्रकसम्भूतान् मुद्गाङ्कुरविनिर्मितान् ॥ ५४ ॥ वटकान् निक्षिपेत्तत्र मेषकस्य च चूर्णकम् । कासमर्देन संयुक्तं पलान्यन्यानि कानिचित् ॥ ५५ ॥ सुसिद्धं वासयेद्धूपैर्नानारसविमिश्रितम् । नानाद्रव्यसमेता सा कवचन्दी भवेच्छुभा ॥ ५६ ॥
Pieces of meat shaped like jujubes, mixed with the powders as before, and pieces of fresh ginger of that same measure: these he should cook through in well-heated oil. And slices of eggplant, and pieces of radish, and — made up of onion and fresh ginger, formed out of mung sprouts — vaṭakas: these he should put in there, and fenugreek powder, combined with coffee senna, and some other meats. When it is well cooked and mixed with the various juices, he should perfume it with aromatic smokes. Endowed with many substances, that kavacandī will be excellent.
Ingredients
- 400 g boneless lamb, pork, or goat, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 150 g eggplant, cut into 2 cm slices
- 150 g daikon radish, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 25 g fresh ginger, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 30 ml oil
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground dried ginger
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
- ½ tsp ground fenugreek
- 1½ tsp salt
- 15 g tamarind concentrate, 40 ml pomegranate juice, and 60 ml water, mixed together
- Small handful of bitter greens — fenugreek or mustard leaves — shredded
- Optional: 150 g of a second meat or offal, cut to the same size
For the vaṭakas
- 150 g sprouted mung beans
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 15 g fresh ginger, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- Oil for shallow-frying
Method
- For the vaṭakas, blitz the sprouted mung with the onion, ginger, and salt to a thick, coarse paste, adding no water. Drop heaped teaspoons into 1 cm of hot oil and fry until browned on both sides, then drain. Ready-made moong dal vada can stand in.
- Toss the meat with the turmeric, cumin, coriander, pepper, dried ginger, and asafoetida until evenly coated.
- Heat the 30 ml of oil in a wide pan until it shimmers. Fry the meat with the 2 cm ginger pieces over high heat until browned all over.
- Add the radish, eggplant, fenugreek powder, shredded greens, and salt all together. Keep the heat high and toss frequently — the pan stays uncovered throughout — until the vegetables are tender and everything is well cooked, susiddham.
- Stir in the vaṭakas along with the tamarind, pomegranate juice, and water mixture, and toss until warmed through and coated. The dish should stay moist without pooling liquid.
Notes
- Coffee senna (Senna occidentalis, also called kasondi) is a bitter pot-herb eaten in South India. It isn’t sold outside India, so I’ve suggested substituting either mustard or fenugreek leaves instead.