Bimbla Khatkato- Bimbul means bilimbi or tree sorrel and khatkato means boiling hence the bimbla khatkato.
Bimbul is tree sorrel or bilimbi is a short, perennial tree,
with a maximum height of 10m, that survives for a long period of time in
numerous types of soil conditions.
Bimbul is a fruit-bearing tree found in backyards of independent houses. Having said that I never had a tree but my grandmother did. The beautiful bimbli trees have almost fluorescent coloured leaves
are lush and green, bearing fruits throughout the year. With one of these trees
to your name, you almost never have to shell out on tamarind or karmbal/star
fruit or ambado/hog plums for your cooking.
In addition to the fundamental essential components namely
carbohydrates, fibers, proteins, these tangy fruits contain profuse amounts of
vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, iron. Apart from the fruits, the seeds and
flowers of the bilimbi tree also possess significant therapeutic values and are
used in the preparation of many different herbal remedies.
Pickles are being made of this bimbul. They are sun dried so
that it can be used when not in season. Generally, the season is from spring to
Summer.
Mamama makes the best dishes of this fruit one of her
signature dishes was bimbla khatkato.
Let’s get making
Ingridients needed:
Tender Bimbul- 1 cup * check notes
Freshly grated coconut /frozen also will do- ½ cup
Red byadgi chillies – 5
Round chillies -3
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Coconut oil – 1.5 tbsp (preferably, if not use the regular oil
you do at your house)
Garlic flakes – 12-15
Method:
Firstly wash the Bimbul remove the top part and pat dry them
with a dry cloth.
Slit the bimbul in 2 pieces as shown below.
Crush the garlic and keep aside for later use
In a pan heat coconut oil add the red chillies (both
variety) fry till crisp and keep aside. In the same pan fry urad dal and keep aside in a separate
plate.
Once you’ve removed the chillies and urad dal aside add in
the crushed garlic and fry till brown, do not burn.
Add in the slit bimbul and fry it well in the same pan for
about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile let’s grind coconut masala
In a mixie jar/blender add in coconut roasted chillies and grind
till a corase paste. Now add the urad dal and grind into a smooth paste using
little water.
By now the bimbul must have been cooked.
Add in salt and cook for a minute more. Add the ground
masala and ¼ th cup of water and allow it to boil for atleast 5-8 minutes.
Check for salt and serve hot with rice.
Aps Notes:
Use tender bimbul for this recipe as shown above the smaller the lesser sour. if using big ones the khatkato will taste more sour and there will be imbalance of flavours.
This recipe is a little tangy.
The amount of chillies I mentioned is according to our spice
level. As the bimbul is a sour fruit it needs a good amount of heat to balance
the flavours. You can add more or less chillies depending on your taste.
This can be made without garlic too. In that case just fry
the bimbul in a tbsp oil and lastly add a tsp of fresh coconut oil and 2
pinches of hing powder or 1/4th tsp of hing water.
Hope you liked this recipe. If you tried it please DM me in
my Instagram account.
Happy Cooking,
Aps
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