Besan ki sabji

Blog Hop Wednesdays - Rajasthani Gatte ki sabji





If India is known as country of elephants and snake charmers. Of royalty and regalness, then one state which can still live upto it is Rajasthan. The very name itself evokes and regalness and vibrancy. And I can only imagine how it would feel to be a princess, clad in the colorful silk ghagra choli and live in one of these majestic forts. I'm sure the foodie in me would have been equally blessed to relish the food that was served to the royalty. Yes I can only imagine....


So when for this Blog Hop Wednesday event started by Radhika, I was paired with Priya Mitharwal of Mharo Rajasthan Recipes, I knew it was time to know the flavorful cuisine of Rajasthan a bit better. I'm sure most if you are already familiar with her blog and her extensive array of recipes. To me what makes her blog a bit more special is that she has lived a major part of her life in Bihar, my homestate and has a great collection of Bihari recipes too (which is not that common). So when two of my favourite states come together, then of course I was spoilt for choice.







A quick look at her home page to search for Rajasthani recipes and realized she had 94 of them. So shortlisting became a huge task in itself. To make it easier I chose one of my favourite dishes, made by my mom and is a hugely popular Rajasthani dish. Gatte ki sabji. In fact rarely a Rajasthani thali or buffet is complete without it. So I guess through this Blog Hop I got to recreate one of my old favourites. 


A bit of an understanding of Rajsthani culinary history will help in appreciating the uniqueness of this cuisine and this dish a bit more. Firstly being a desert it suffered from scarcity of water and green vegetables; which invariable led to search of other ingredients. Secondly because of the vagabond lifestyle of the people due to frequent wars, led to need for food that could keep for days. Hence excessive usage of pulses, different types of flour, dry fruits, yogurt and spices to make flavourful food. So what was born out of necessity has now become a specialty. 


Coming back to this curry - 'gatte ki sabji" is basically steamed dumplings of chickpea flour (beasn) in yogurt gravy. So you make a firm dough of chickpea flour with spices and oil. Roll them in tubes. Put the tubes in boiling water. Once cooled you cut them in small pieces and then add them to your gravy to be cooked further. 


Now like all recipes, there are differnt versions of it. But one important variation I find is that some people make it in onion tomato gravy while others use spicy yogurt gravy. I have tried both but the one I like is mixture of both - onion, tomato gravy, with yogurt. And that's exactly how it is in Priya's recipe. Somehow I feel besan and dahi make an ultra delicious combo. 









So though the recipe is same, I made some minor changes. I added one step that my mom always does and now for me which is an important one. And that is to lightly fry the "gatte" in oil with bit of spices. This adds lot of flavour to it by taking away the boiled texture. I do the same when I make egg curries i.e lightly fry the boiled eggs. So let's get cooking now. Yes I also omitted garlic because of personal taste preference but you surely can add that. And lastly I finish the dish with crushed kasturi methi which enhances the flavour of the dish. 


Gatte ki sabji Recipe 
Recipe Source: Mharo Rajasthan Recipes


Ingredients:


For Gatte

Besan (Chick Pea Flour) - 1 cup

Haldi (Turmeric Powder) - 1/2 tsp

Mirch (Red Chilli) Powder - 1/2 tsp

Ajwain (Carom Seeds) - 1 tsp

Dhaniya (Coriander) Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - as per taste

Dahi (Yogurt) - 1/4 cup

Oil - 1/8 cup



For Gravy

Onion - 1 cup finely chopped

Tomato - 1 cup finely chopped

Ginger - 1 inch piece grated

Dahi (Yogurt) - 1 cup

Dhaniya (Coriander) Powder - 1 tsp

Jeera (Cumin) Powder - 1 tsp

Mirch (Red Chilli) Powder - 1 tsp

Amchur (Mango Powder) - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1 tsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Kasturi methi - 1/2 tsp









Method:

Making Gatte
  1. Mix all dry masalas in besan. Add oil to the besan and mix.

  2. Slowly add dahi and mix it. Remember not to add all together as otherwise besan tends to get sticky. You may not use all the dahi. Make it into a firm dough (firm enough to roll it into cylinderal shapes. 

  3. Now, take a small ball of the dough and roll it into 1/2 inch thick cylinderical shape (about 6 inch long or so.)

  4. Bring sufficient water to boil in a large pan. Add the gatte in the boiling water. They should be fully merged in water.

  5. It should take about 10-15 min. Check by inserting a knife in one of the gatte shaped roll and make sure knife comes out clean

  6. Once all are done, drain the gatte rolls out of water. Do not throw water as we will use it for the gravy. Let it cool for 4-5 mins. Cut about 1/2 - 1 inch thick gatte at an angle (based on how big you would like them).

  7. Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp oil in pan. Add 1 tsp ajwain to it. When it splutters add 1 tsp of coriander powder and 1/2 tsp red chilly powder. Add cut pieces of gatte and lightly fry them for 3-4 mins, till lightly golden. Remove and keep on tissues, to remove excess oil.

Gravy:







  1. In a chopper or food processor, process the onion and ginger and garlic (if using) to a grated consistency. Do not puree them. 

  2. Add all dry masalas (except salt, add salt at the end as needed) to dahi and mix it well till smooth.

  3. Take a wide pan, heat oil. Add jeera and let them splutter

  4. Now, add the chopped onion and ginger-garlic mix and fry for 4-5 mins, till onion becomes pale. 

  5. Add tomato and  fry till it is all mushy (cover the lid, it will be quicker)

  6. Add the dahi and mix till the gravy starts boiling and separating oil.

  7. Now, add the gatte pieces in it, cover and cook for 5 more min. 

  8. Add saved water (and more) as needed. Bring the curry to a boil and then put it on simmer till you get the desired consistency. 

  9. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with roti or paratha.

Like most curries, you can make it richer or "Shahi gatte" by adding 1-2 tbsp cream and/or cashew paste. But for everyday food, it works fine just like that.


Taste Melanger

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