Maskai recipe

Maskai recipe:

 Google  any Indian dish,  and  hundreds of  recipes show up online.

 But when I Googled  Maskai,  I was surprised to see  only two entries come up ! Of the two, one was not even a recipe but  only a mention in Wikipedia under dishes of Karnataka.

Also, I had thought that everyone from Karnataka  knew about  Maskai but it looks like only  the Gowda community   know about Maskai  and not people of other castes & communities. I love this simple dish with a rustic taste …no fancy spices in it…only Dhania powder.

So, I decided  to add to the Maskai recipes online by giving my version of Maskai

Maskai is a type of mashed vegetable-lentil soup  but it’s made without  the ubiquitous sambar powder.

It’s simple and quick to make. 

Main Ingredients: Brinjal, Ridge gourd, Toor dhal(ridge gourd optional)

For taste:  Salt, green chilli, tomato (For the Trimurthi of tastes of “Uppu, khara & huli")

For the seasoning: oil, mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves, onion

For flavour:  coriander leaves, coriander powder.

Method:

Cook toor dhal(Half cup toor dhal in two cups of water) in cooker ; Also cook brinjal, ridge gourd, tomato and green chilli(all these vegetables in one vessal with 2 cups  water).
 I cook toor dhal separate as it needs to  be cooked longer than the vegetables....switch off the stove after four whistles from the cooker  for toor dhal and after one whistle for the vegetables.

When the dhal and vegetables have cooled, mash  both of them manually. (Mashing in mixer is done by some but I think it gets over mashed, even if in mixer for only 5 seconds.)

Heat any cooking oil (about two table spoons)and when it's hot, put in mustard seeds, curry leaves, onions,coriander powder and hing. When the onions turn colour,  pour in the mashed dhal and vegetables. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Add coriander leaves at the end. ( I like the coriander leaves uncooked)

Quantity can vary: I use approximately  one pound of brinjals , two medium size tomatoes, half cup of toor dhal, 10-12 green chilli, one small or half medium size onion cut into lengthy pieces,  one table spoon of coriander powder.  I do not need to give details of the rest such as curry leaves (one sprig or more depending on cost and availability!), coriander leaves, hing.  The thicker the consisteny the tastier it is for me. I also like it hot and sour and so I like to add extra chillis and tomatoes or tamarind.
I recall that around spring time when the tamarind trees had the tender new leaves, my village relatives would add the tender leaves of the tamarind tree  into this dish and it tasted great! I loved the smoky flavour which got into this dish, thanks to the wood burning ovens in the village kitchens.

Maskai goes well with Chapatti and Ragi Mudde. In fact I prefer to eat Maskai with Chapatti or Mudde than with rice.

PS: When I was newly married, my husband always made fun of the names of the dishes made at my parents home(he is a Kannadiga like me but of a different caste and he claims he  has never heard of these dishes in his life!). Maskai is one of the dishes he says he has never heard of. The other dishes he has 'never heard of' include Bus-saru and Huli-soppu.
I prefer tomato to tamarind, ever since a nutritionist said that tamarid use prevents the absorbtion of iron in the body...that many Indians are anemic as  tamarind is used in our dishes and so on. I dont know if it's true but I am avoiding tamarind anyway.