Khatkhate is a signature dish of Goa. It is a coming together of various seasonal and local vegetables. However, some constants in Khatkhate are gourds, tubers, drumsticks, elephant foot yam, pumpkin, radish and hog plumps. Khatkhate also includes sweet potatoes, air potatoes, stems of red amaranth, pumpkin vine, and even bamboo shoots. These days, it is not uncommon to find versions that include carrot, corn, and French beans.
The dish gets its distinct flavor from a local spice known as Teppal (Zanthoxylum rhetsa), a cousin of the Sichuan pepper.
Unlike most Indian dishes, oil and onions are absent in the preparation of khatkate. Instead, the vegetables are boiled, and cooked in their juices with coconut, lentils, and spices. Best eaten with steamed rice.
Goan Khatkhate
Course: Main Course, VegCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium4
servings15
minutes15
minutes30
minutesIngredients
(These ingredients are traditionally added to Khatkhate in Goa. One can prefer to add vegetables of their choice avoiding vegetables that give out slippery juices, and if still added make sure they are not overcooked, preferably they must be half cooked)
2 tbsp pigeon peas (Toor dal), soaked overnight
2 tbsp white peas, soaked overnight
2 tbsp groundnut, soaked overnight
½ ridge gourd
½ cucumber
2 ladies’ finger
1 carrot
A handful of French beans, cut to medium sizes
1 radish
1 sweet corn (boiled) Or 3 -4 baby corns, half cut sizes
4 drumsticks
4-5 ivy gourds
2 sweet potatoes
¼ ash gourd
¼ pumpkin
¼ elephant foot yam
½ tender breadfruit (Neerpanas, if in season)
4-5 hog plumps
½ green papaya
1 tbsp jaggery
15 pods of teppal (outer covering of the seed)
Salt to taste
For masala
10 dried red chilies
1 cup freshly grated coconut
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 small ball size tamarind
Directions
- Grind the dried red chilies with turmeric, followed by the grated coconut and tamarind, until it forms a coarse paste.
- Wash and boil toor dal, groundnuts and white peas in a large pot with just enough water to cover the vegetables.
- Cut the vegetables into big chunks of roughly the same size.
- When the dal is cooked, start adding the vegetables one at a time, starting with the ones that take time to cook.
- Hog plumps must be added last followed by bhindi, if preferred to add to Khatkhate.
- Add salt to taste.
- Finally, add the ground masala, teppal and jaggery.
- Mix all well and cook for 10 minutes. Make sure that khatkhate tastes sweetish sour and teppal flavor taste.
- Serve hot with steamed rice.
