Gojju is typically a curry which is either spicy-tangy or with a hint of sweetness. Ona drakshi gojju is one such variety of gojju which is traditionally a part of a wedding meal or any other festive meal in Karnataka.
Ona drakshi gojju (raisins curry) is a balance of spice, sweet and sour. ‘Ona’ means dry, ‘drakshi’ means grapes in Kannada. So this is basically a semi-thick raisins curry.
Every region and every community has a standard menu for festivities, weddings and other ceremonies.
Gojju is one of the side dishes that is a must for any ceremony in our community. I grew up relishing the standard pineapple gojju in almost every family function. All I remember is enjoying the pineapple pieces and leaving out the curry part. 😉
I guess one’s liking and food choices slightly change as you age. At least with me! I can now just not stop licking a bowlful of gojju, including the curry of course! Ha ha.
Fortunately or unfortunately, our good old friend pineapple is being replaced by raisins, grapes, mango etc in recent years.
The basic curry recipe remains almost the same and it just tastes amazing with any vegetable or fruit. I’m not sure if raisins curry is a recent invention or if it was just less known until recent times.
Apart from these two varieties we also make Mavinakayi Gojju (Raw Mango Curry), Bendekayi gojju (okra), capsicum gojju, haagalakayi gojju (bittergourd), to name a few. The curry recipe slightly varies with okra, capsicum, and potato. These are all no onion-no garlic versions. And there are many other versions of gojju with onion and garlic as well.
Does Ona Drakshi Gojju / Raisins Curry taste very sweet?
Ona drakshi gojju or raisins curry is a no onion- no garlic variety that can be done during any festivities as well. It just needs a couple of everyday ingredients.
A perfect balance of sweet and spice along with a hint of tang is what this ona drakshi gojju is all about. Although the main ingredient, raisins are pretty sweet and some jaggery is also used, it is perfectly balanced by red chillies and spices. And not to forget, the use of tamarind which adds in some tart and gives that zing.
I would say, do not be apprehensive that this is sweet and would not taste good as a side dish. Feel free to increase the quantity of dry red chillies or decrease the quantity of jaggery powder. And there you go, you will have it perfectly customized as per your palette.
Do try this sweet-spicy-tangy side dish and I’m sure you can just not stop yourself from polishing it off well.
Can raisins be replaced with other vegetables or fruits in this gojju?
Yes, they can be. Pineapple, green grapes, bitter gourd, raw mango (reduce tamarind juice for raw mango), ripened mango (reduce jaggery for this), orange peel can be used instead of raisins for this exact recipe. This gojju is typically thick and semi-dry.
For other vegetables like okra, capsicum, eggplant, potato, cucumber, the curry has to be more of a gravy. Also, a very minimal amount of jaggery is used in these. These varieties are more of a spicy-tangy version.
So with all that said, let us now get to the recipe, shall we??
How to make Ona Drakshi Gojju (Raisins Curry)?
1. In a small pan, heat a tsp oil. Once it is hot, add in split black gram, split bengal gram, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds. Saute until the lentils turn golden brown in colour. Next, add curry leaves, dry red chillies (byadagi or kashmiri) and saute until they turn slightly crispy. Remove the pan from heat once done and let it cool.
2. Once cooled, transfer them into a mixer jar along with grated coconut and some water. Grind these to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Note: You can also directly use the dry red chillies without frying them.
3. Heat a bigger pan and add oil. Once it turns hot, temper with mustard seeds, dry red chillies, asafoetida, turmeric powder, and curry leaves. Next, add in the raisins and saute until they all swell up well. Make sure to not burn them.
4. Now, transfer the ground masala paste, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. Mix everything well and let this start simmering.
5. Squeeze and extract tamarind juice out of the soaked tamarind. Strain and transfer the tamarind juice to the simmering curry.
Also, add in jaggery powder or some jaggery pieces. Mix everything well and let this simmer in medium heat for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring so that it does not get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
6. When you see the oil separating, add in salt as per your taste. Mix and simmer again. You will see the ona drakshi gojju getting thick and turning brown in colour. Add some water if it is too thick.
Finally, it will turn glossy, non-sticky and starts leaving the pan. At this point, it is done.
This ona drakshi gojju or raisins curry is supposed to be semi-dry, but if you like to have a gravy-like consistency, you can thin it down by adding water.
Serve immediately with steamed rice, dosa etc or refrigerate it in an air-tight container. It stays good for 3-4 days.
I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed preparing it and writing it down for you all. I would love to hear your feedback on this. When you try it, kindly post your valuable comments below or share it with me personally on Instagram / Facebook, or post it by tagging me. You may also pin this on Pinterest.
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Similar Recipes:
Cucumber Raw Curry (Southekayi Hasi Gojju)
Raw Mango Curry (Mavinakayi Gojju)
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** Standard Measurement: 1 cup= 250mL
Ona Drakshi Gojju | Sweet and Spicy Raisins Curry Karnataka style
Ingredients
To Grind
- 1 tsp cooking oil - , I use sunflower oil
- 1 tsp urad dal (split black gram)
- 1 tsp chana dal (split bengal gram)
- 2 tsps dhaniya (coriander seeds)
- 5-6 nos. methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
- 8-10 nos. byadagi or kashmiri red chillies
- 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
- 4-6 nos. curry leaves
To Temper
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 nos. dry red chilly - , any variety
- 3-5 nos. curry leaves
- a pinch of asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup raisins (ona drakshi / kishmish)
- 1 small gooseberry size tamarind - , soaked in water
- 1 tbsp jaggery powder
- salt - to taste
Instructions
To Grind
- In a small pan, heat a tsp oil. Once it is hot, add in split black gram, split bengal gram, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds. Saute until the lentils turn golden brown in colour.
- Next add curry leaves, dry red chillies (byadagi or kashmiri) and saute until they turn slightly crispy. Remove the pan from heat once done and let it cool.Once cooled transfer them into a mixer jar along with grated coconut and some water. Grind these to a smooth paste. Set aside.
To Temper
- Heat a bigger pan and add oil. Once it turns hot, temper with mustard seeds, dry red chillies, asafoetida, turmeric powder and curry leaves.
- Next, add in the raisins and saute until they all swell up well. Make sure to not burn them. Now transfer the ground masala paste, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. Mix everything well and let this start simmering.
- Squeeze and extract tamarind juice out of the soaked tamarind. Strain and transfer the tamarind juice to the simmering curry. Also add in jaggery powder. Mix everything well and let this simmer in medium heat for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring so that it does not get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- When you see the oil separating, add in salt as per your taste. Mix and simmer again. You will see gojju (curry) getting thick and turning brown in colour. Add some water if it is too thick. Finally, it will turn glossy, non-sticky and start leaving the pan. At this point, it is done.
- This raisin curry is supposed to be semi-dry, but if you like to have a gravy like consistency, you can thin it down by adding water and then switch off the heat. Serve immediately with steamed rice, dosa etc or refrigerate it in an air-tight container.
Notes
- The quantity of raisins can be altered between 3/4 cup to 1 cup.
- Byadagi or Kashmiri red chillies are preferred for a rich brown colour gravy. If you do not have those, you can use guntur or any other spicy variety of dry red chilly. But you will have to decrease the number to around 5.
- Dry red chillies can be directly added to the mixer jar along with coconut without frying.
- Alter the number of dry red chillies as per your taste. Remember jaggery is also used and it is necessary for this. So, do not skip it. If you find the gojju to be a bit sweeter, just add in some red chilly powder while simmering.
- Do not add coriander leaves to this, as it doesn't go well.