Sundays are particularly special, because almost the entire family is together. There is no school for children. There is no rush to depart right away for a job. Everybody has access to a delicious, wholesome breakfast whenever they want to. Make this Sunday morning a day to have breakfast that have cucumbers in them.
Sweet Phugi Ghari is a traditional Konkani cucumber pancake that is liked by both children and adults. A sweet phugi ghari and coconut chutney, bamboo shoot pickle (or any other Konkani pickle), and fresh, vibrant jaggery cucumber juice for breakfast is simply divine.
It is believed that cucumbers originated in India, where they have been farmed for at least 3,000 years. The plant was first introduced to China and the West from India. Both the Greeks and the Romans were familiar with and cultivated the cucumber. With the possible exception of some gherkins grown in the West Indies, they were not indigenous to the New World, but European explorers introduced them, and they quickly became well-liked.
Ingredients:
• 500 gms raw rice
• 100 gms grated coconut
• 15 gms cucumber
• 150 gms sugar
• 2 gms salt
• 750 ml water
• Coconut oil
Method:
• For an hour, rice should be soaked in water, then washed and drained.
• Place the rice in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
• Grind the jaggery. Then, add the grated coconut and the crushed jaggery.
• To make an ultra-fine paste, gradually add the required amount of water while blending.
• Put the paste in a bowl for mixing. Add salt and the grated cucumber.
• Mix the batter completely with a ladle.
• Pan heating on high flame.
• When the pan is hot, quickly and thinly pour a ladleful of batter into it, covering about ¾ of the surface but leaving the sides uncoated.
• It is not necessary to form it perfectly round.
• If desired, cover the dish with a lid or cloche.
• Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan and cook for three minutes.
• Remove the cloche and take out the Phugi Ghari that has been cooked all the way through using a thin, flat, wide steel spatula.
• If you want the phugi ghari to be well-crispy, just spray a teaspoon of coconut oil on top and turn it over. Roast for two minutes at low heat.
• Serve immediately with coconut chutney.
Points to remember:
• Use a nonstick tawa or a flat cast-iron pan to cook the Phugi Ghari.
• Cast-iron cooking will make your food more delicious and nutritious.
• Coconut oil must be applied to the batter before it is poured into the cast-iron pan.
• The coconut oil can be sprinkled on top of the nonstick pan.