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Ruchik Randhap

Food & Memories of Mangalore

Nivole (Aromatic Coconut & Carom Seeds (Ajwain) Curry) ~ Mangalorean Post Natal Recipe #2

Hello my lovelies! I’m back after a much needed break a.k.a sick leave as I was a bit under the weather and busy too with everything and nothing. While I am glad that I’ve been able to get back to blogging after such a long time, I feel sad that I missed publishing a post on the 2nd blogversary of my blog. Yess! 21st of April was the birthday of my blog – so while I did wish Ruchik Randhap a very happy birthday, I was sad that I couldn’t manage to write a special post to commemorate 2 years of the existence of a blog that is dedicated to my favourite cuisine of all time – Mangalorean food!
Although I wanted to bake a nice cake, I thought i’d leave it for later when I am completely able to enjoy every bite of it – and since it was Lent at that time I was abstaining from a few luxuries (baking included – cuz it invokes a lot of tempations and gluttony – my weakest points). So here’s a simple post of one of the most simple ‘broths’ or ‘kadi’s’ as they are called in Konkani – The Nivole – Granma’s own magic potion to drive away a bad cold or the devil himself. Although many households make it by skipping the key ingredient – the Vovo (nasally pronounced as Vonvon – except that the ‘n’ is silent) also known as ‘Oma’ in Kannada, ‘Owa’ in Marathi, ‘Ajwain’ in Hindi and ‘Carom Seeds’ in English.
Ajwain (pronounced uj-wine) is rich in Calcium and Iron and almost smells exactly like Thyme as it contains ‘Thymol’ but is more aromatic and less subtle in taste. It is slightly bitter and pungent than Thyme or Caraway seeds. A few grains of Ajwain will dominate the flavour of a dish and is quite unpalatable if you pop in a few seeds into your mouth.

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My earliest association with Ajwain has been in the form of ‘Oma water’ which was stocked up in every home and given to children from time to time to tackle basic stomach ailments. The Oma Water is a traditional concoction of Ajwain and water brewed together & bottled with a shelf life of like forever (we used to always have a bottle or two safely stowed away in the kitchen cabinet). Mum used to buy two or three bottles at a time from a door to door salesman selling homemade Oma Water. I swear by this magic potion even today as I purchase a branded one from Konkan Traders, during every trip to Mangalore. It’s called the ‘Omam Water’ marketed by ‘Western Ghats Pharmaceuticals’ – the makers of Cinth (the wonder oil for aches & pains), Cons and Cold Drops (their most famous products).

The Omam Water was omni present during my childhood although I didn’t take too well to its strong taste. But now my little one loves it although the taste is a little pungent – it can purge your tummy problems in no time. Why I thought of posting the recipe of the Nivole was because not only is it quintessentially Mangalorean in nature, it was also a staple on Good Fridays at my mum’s place. Mum used to make Nivole and a vegetable on a Good Friday as it was a day of penance and prayer and abstaining from eating meat.

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Nivole was also given to me in plenty after I delivered my son obviously for it’s medicinal benefits and to speed up my recovery. It’s best eaten with steaming rice or if you wish, just sip a bowlful of piping hot ‘Nivole’ complete with Ajwain, Peppercorns and Red Chillies ground to perfection. Yum! – enough to banish your ailments and bring you back on your feet in no time!

Nivole was a forgotten recipe for a few years till I got married and my hubby’s friend, a non Mangalorean, who couldn’t remember its pronounciation used to call it New-Old. So I guess this is it – I’m starting a brand ‘New’ month of May with an ‘Old’ recipe – some fresh beginnings to the past I’ve left behind…..
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Nivole (Aromatic Coconut & Carom Seeds (Ajwain) Curry
Serves 4
You Need:
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons of carom seeds (bishop’s weed/omam/ova/ajwain)
  • 12 -15 peppercorns/kali mirch
  • 1 long dry red chilli (Bedgi/Kumti)
  • 1 tsp cumin/jeera
  • 2 tsps coriander seeds/dhania
  • 4 pieces of Vonti sol (dried skins of a sour fruit called Dheu * see notes) or 1 small ball of tamarind
  • 1/2 cup grated coconut
  • 1 medium onion roughly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic (with skin)
  • 1/2 medium onion sliced (for fon/tempering)
  • salt to taste
  • oil

Method:

1. Heat a tawa/non stick pan and dry roast all the ingredients one by one (except the kokam/tamarind and the onion for tempering)
2. Powder all the dry ingredients and then add the grated coconut, onion and garlic along with the tamarind/kokum and grind to a fine paste.
3. In a pan heat some oil and fry the masala lightly (as they are already pre roasted) and add sufficient water to form a medium thick gravy (not too watery). Add salt to taste, stir and bring it to a boil
4. Simmer for two minutes and in another pan heat some oil and when it is hot, toss in the 1/2 sliced onion and fry till golden brown.
5. Temper the gravy with the onions and your Nivole is ready! – Have some right away!Notes:
Vonti Sol are dried skins of a sour fruit also named as Dheu/Monkay Jack/Lakoocha/ Jaregay Puli

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Comments

  5. Shireen says

    Thank you Priya & Prathima 🙂 it's been 2 years since I started the blog and even this year I missed to post on that day 🙁 But 3 is a lucky number for me…so maybe next year I will!

    Reply

  8. Anita says

    Hi Shireen,
    Was surprised and happy to see this recipe… the only time I had this was after delivering my baby…am making up my diary of mangalorean recipes and a lot of your recipes go straight into it :).So thanks!! Wanted to ask if you could share any other like NivoL made post delivery.. there was one concoction supposedly made using poppy seeds but dint get the recipe anywhere then.. another was a kheer made with small balls of ground n cooked rice in jaggery-coconut milk… unfortunately i dont know the names of either.. so if my description rings any bells, please do share those too..its such a pleasure reading your blog…
    for some reason though I'm not able to see many of the pictures including the ones for NivoL on your blog for the past few days 🙁 something like an image not found error…wonder if its only my computer..

    Reply

  9. Shireen says

    Thank you so much Anita! Yes, Nivole was given to me also after delivery. They have certain days for certain foods/concoctions to be given. I am not sure what the poppy seed concoction was called – dont recall having anything with it. Is it the Randho? which is a mixture of many herbs & dry fruits. The kheer with rice balls is called 'guliyanchi kheer' 🙂 and i totally loved it too. Maybe i will put the recipe one of these days – just for u! The other thing they give is 'Alveche Pai' – thick broth made out of Colocasia stalks (Alu Dento). Then comes the 'pilanso kaldh' (Soup made out of new born chicks) and ofcourse mutton soup is also given to some. These are a few that I can remember 🙂 Regarding the images, thanks so much for bringing it to my notice. My computer was down intermittently, so I didnt notice it before, but i'll have it checked as I see the same error too. Pls try opening the page through Firefox or Google Chrome. It could be a problem specific to IE (Internet Explorer) – the browser used.

    Reply

    • Zeena Pinto says

      Hi Shireen,

      Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Can you please share kaldh recipe as well if you find. Thank you

      Reply

      • Shireen Sequeira says

        Hi Zeena,

        I am so glad you liked this recipe! I will definitely share the recipe of the kaldh soon!

        Reply

  12. Anonymous says

    hi shireen, i tried out the nivole curry but its turned out a little bitter, and as ive not had it for long cant tell how to camouflage the bitter taste. Its especially for my son who's got a bad cold. Could adding a few spoons of coconut milk cover the bitter taste? Pls let me know. Thanks!
    Babita
    Sharjah.

    Reply

  13. Shireen Sequeira says

    Hi Babita, did u roast the carrom/ajwain seeds too much? Anyway, it is a bit strong in taste. However you can mask the bitterness by adding a little coconut milk if you wish and bringing the curry to a boil. Hope it helps!

    Reply

  18. Angeline Simmons says

    Thank you so much. My mum made this for the family and we grew up eating this gravy along with fried fish or dried prawn chutney. A host of memories and emotions have erupted seeing your recipe.

    Reply

  20. themadscientiststskitchen says

    Hi, Shireen. This was given to me post my second daughters birth by my friend. In fact I loved it so much that if I ask her for the recipe she sent it across to me. I will love to try making it now thanks for sharing this here.

    Reply

  21. Divya says

    Hi Shireen,

    Tried this recipe and it turned out awesome ☺️ While it was raining , my mom always used to make nivole. Remembered her. Thank you so much.

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Hi Divya!

      Thanks so much for your feedback! I am so glad that this recipe helped invoke some lovely memories of your dear mom!

      Reply

  22. NEIL SEQUEIRA says

    This is the only thing i used to drink a lot and never liked to use it as a gravy because it itself tastes so good that when u take it when you are sick feels a differently relaxing

    Reply

  23. usha koppikar says

    Thank you Shireen for sharing recipes. Nivole is one of my favourite dish. I forgot this dish completely. My Mom used to give me when I delivered the baby. Thank you once again. Its pleasure to reading your blogs.

    Reply

    • Shireen Sequeira says

      Thanks a ton for your lovely comment Usha! Glad to note that you enjoy reading my blog and also that this recipe helped evoke many fond memories!

      Reply

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