Tisryo or clams are a delicacy that is unfortunately becoming rare these days in Goa secondary to overfishing. I remember my mom telling me stories of her summer holidays when she would go, along with her siblings, to harvest clams by the Sal River in Assolna. She still mentions how different and delicious those clams tasted. I was fortunate to grow up by the beach. Most evenings my entire family would walk down a rough hill (on which we lived), for around 30 minutes, to the beach. On some lucky days we would be able to find “mandovyo” (a type of small clams). It brought so much joy to me as a kid beating the tide to grab a handful of sand to fish out small clams in it. That would be our dinner, of course, after Mummy washed them a hundred times to get rid of all the sand! There is something warm and fulfilling about eating tisryaache sukhe. Every time I fish out the clam meat from its half shell, I relive those happy childhood moments.
What you will need:
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Black Pepper Corns | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Clams | 2 pounds |
| Coconut Oil | 1 tablespoon |
| Coriander Seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| Dessicated Coconut | 1/2 cup |
| Finely Chopped Large Onion | 1 |
| Freshly Chopped Cilantro/Coriander Leaves | 1/4 cup |
| Garam Masala Powder | 1 teaspoon |
| Green Chilies | 4 |
| Kokum/Solaan | 5 |
| Red Chili Powder | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Salt | 1 teaspoon |
| Turmeric Powder | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Water | 1 cup |
How to make it:
- Wash the clams thoroughly to remove any dirt or sand. Open the clams and move the meat to one shell and toss the other shell away. In Goa, clams are cleaned on “aadoli” a special kitchen tool used in most houses instead of knife. You can put the clams in the freezer for an hour and they will open up easily.
- Dry roast the coriander seeds, pepper corns and green chilies. Once the chilies are charred, transfer the contents in to a mixer.
- Heat coconut oil. Once hot add in half of the chopped onions and saute till translucent.
- Add in the coconut and saute till it begins to turn slightly brown. Then, add in the turmeric, garam masala and chili powder. Saute for a few seconds and turn the gas off.
- Cool the mixture and transfer the contenrs into the same mixer with the green chilies. Make a coarse paste with 1/2 cup water and set aside.
- In a vessel bring the clams to a boil after adding half a cup of water and the remaining onion. Once it comes to a boil, add in the paste.
- Add salt and kokum. Stir occasionally and let the curry come to a boil.
- Add in the freshly chopped coriander just before turning the heat off and give it one last stir.
- Enjoy hot! It is usually served as a side dish in a Goan fish thali.