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A traditional Goan curry featuring tangy hog plums (ambade) in a unique sweet and pungent gravy made from coconut and mustard seeds. This dish is a delightful explosion of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
Prepare and Cook the Hog Plums
Grind the Masala Paste
Combine and Simmer the Curry
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A traditional Goan curry featuring tangy hog plums (ambade) in a unique sweet and pungent gravy made from coconut and mustard seeds. This dish is a delightful explosion of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
This goan recipe takes 35 minutes to prepare and yields 4 servings. At 185.84 calories per serving with 2.07g of protein, it's a beginner-friendly recipe perfect for lunch or dinner or side.
Rest and Serve
If hog plums (ambade) are unavailable, you can use 1 large tart green mango, peeled and cubed. The cooking time for mangoes might be shorter, around 8-10 minutes.
For a different flavor profile, add a small piece of tamarind (about the size of a marble) while grinding the masala, and reduce the jaggery slightly to balance the sourness.
To make it a more substantial dish, you can add 1 cup of boiled chickpeas or black-eyed peas along with the ambade in Step 3.
Hog plums, turmeric, and mustard seeds are packed with antioxidants that help combat oxidative stress and protect the body's cells from damage.
The spices used, particularly turmeric and mustard, are known in traditional medicine to stimulate digestion and can help in maintaining a healthy gut.
Fresh coconut provides medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of healthy fat that can be a quick source of energy for the body and brain.
Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, is a potent anti-inflammatory agent that may help reduce inflammation in the body.
Ambade Sasam is a traditional Goan vegetarian curry. 'Ambade' are hog plums, and 'Sasam' refers to mustard seeds. The dish features a unique sweet, sour, and pungent gravy made from a raw paste of coconut and mustard seeds.
Bitterness in this curry usually comes from the mustard seeds. This can happen if you over-grind the masala paste, generating heat, or if you boil the curry vigorously after adding the paste. Always grind in short pulses and simmer gently.
Yes, it is moderately healthy. It's rich in antioxidants from spices and hog plums, and contains healthy fats from coconut. However, it also contains jaggery, so it should be consumed in moderation, especially by those monitoring their sugar intake.
One serving of Ambade Sasam (approximately 0.75 cup or 170g) contains around 180-220 calories, primarily from the coconut and jaggery.
Ambade Sasam can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavor often improves the next day.
If you don't have jaggery, you can use brown sugar or coconut sugar as a substitute. Start with a smaller amount and adjust to taste, as their sweetness levels may vary.
It is not recommended. The flavor of freshly ground mustard seeds is crucial for the authentic taste of Sasam. Prepared mustard paste has a very different, often more vinegary, flavor profile that won't work well in this recipe.