Rajasthani Gatte Ki Sabzi

Located in the north-west of India, Rajasthan is the biggest state in the country, as far as land area is concerned. Home to the Thar desert and the Aravalli mountain range, Rajasthan is a dry and arid place for most part of the year. The weather conditions have, undoubtedly, affected the state’s cuisine. The lack of availability of fresh vegetables and greens has led the Rajasthanis to depend upon ingredients like gram flour and sun-dried lentil fritters (vadi). The cuisine favours dishes that last for a few days. Daal Bati Churma, Pyaaz Kachori, Ker Sangri, Jaisalmeri Kala Chana, Dal Kachori, Bikaneri Sev and Gatte Ki Sabzi are some famous dishes from Rajasthan.

Wondering why I’m talking so much about Rajasthani cuisine today? Because I’m about to share with you the recipe for one of the state’s signature dishes – Gatte Ki Sabzi. We are showcasing dishes from Rajasthan this month, in the Shhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge group that I am part of, and that’s the dish I chose. My partner for the month is Jayashree of Evergreen Dishes, a lovely blog with several traditional Indian dishes. She assigned to me the two secret ingredients of coriander and cumin, and they fit right into the recipe for Gatte Ki Sabzi, a dish I’ve always loved and wanted to try out. So, here we are. Don’t miss checking out the delicious Moong Dal Bada Jayashree made using the two ingredients I gave her!

For the uninitiated, Gatte Ki Sabzi refers to a supremely delicious curry from the Indian state of Rajasthan. Gram flour is mixed with a few spices, shaped into dumplings and cooked, then served with a delightful curd-based gravy. The tangy, spicy gravy is just the perfect complement for the soft, soft dumplings (gatte). Together, they make a wonderful accompaniment to parathas, rotis and the likes.

I made the Gatte Ki Sabzi using this recipe from My Weekend Kitchen as the base, with a few variations of my own. This is an authentic Rajasthani recipe that the blog author Ashima has learnt from her mom. I made the sabzi recently for lunch, and it went on to be so much loved by everyone at home! Worth every bit of the effort I put into the making.

Without further ado, here’s presenting to you the way I made the Gatte Ki Sabzi. I’m sharing this recipe with Fiesta Friday #287, the co-hosts this week being Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Rita @ Parsi Cuisine.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

For the gatte:

1. 1 cup gram flour
2. Salt to taste
3. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder or to taste
5. 1/2 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
6. 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
7. 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
8. 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
9. 2-3 tablespoons curd
10. Oil, as needed to grease your palms

For the gravy:

1. 1/2 tablespoon oil
2. 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
3. 1 medium-sized tomato, finely chopped
4. 1 cup thick curd
5. 2 tablespoons gram flour
6. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 1 cup water
8. Salt to taste
9. 2 green chillies
10. A 1-inch piece of ginger
11. A dash of red chilli powder
12. 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

For the tempering:

1. 1 tablespoon oil
2. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4. 2 generous pinches of asafoetida
5. 1 pinch of fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
6. 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves
7. 2 dry red chillies

For the garnishing:

1. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander
2. 1/2 tablespoon kasoori methi

Method:

We will begin by making the gatte or gram flour dumplings that this recipe requires.

1. Take the gram flour in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add in the salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, carom seeds, fennel seeds, coriander powder, cumin powder, and curd.

3. Mix everything together to form a soft dough.

4. Grease your palms with a little oil, and then shape logs out of the dough, about 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. Keep these logs ready.

5. Heat about 2 cups of water in a wide pan. When the water starts boiling, turn the flame down to medium. Add the dough logs into the hot water. Cook uncovered on medium flame till you begin to see bubbles on the logs. Switch off gas.

6. Remove the logs from the water using a spoon. Place them in a colander and let all the water drain out. Reserve the water in which the dough was cooked – do not discard it.

7. Let the dough logs cool down completely. Now, cut them into roundels. Keep ready – these are the gatte you will be adding to the gravy later.

Next, we will prepare the gravy.

1. Add the gram flour, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala to the curd.

2. Slit the green chillies length-wise and add them to the curd. Peel and grate the ginger finely. Add to the curd. Whisk everything well together.

3. Heat the oil in a pan. Add in the onions, and cook on high flame till they start turning brown.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan, along with a little of the cooking water we had reserved earlier. Cook on high flame till the tomatoes turn mushy.

5. Now, reduce the flame to medium and add in the whisked curd. Cook on medium flame till the curd mixture starts boiling.

6. Now, add in about 1 cup of the reserved cooking water. Taste and adjust salt and seasonings. Add in the chopped gatte as well. Mix well.

7. Cook the gravy on medium heat for 2-3 minutes or till it thickens. Switch off gas.

Now, we will add the tempering and garnishes to the gravy.

1. Heat the oil for the tempering in a small pan. Add in the mustard seeds and allow them to pop.

2. Reduce the flame to medium. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and dry red chillies to the pan. Let them stay in for a couple of seconds, ensuring that they do not burn. Add this tempering to the gravy.

3. Crush the kasoori methi lightly between the palms of your hands. Add it to the gravy.

4. Add the finely chopped fresh coriander to the gravy. Mix well. Your Gatte Ki Sabzi is now ready to serve!

Notes:

1. Use slightly sour curd to make the gatte and the gravy. Overly sour curd might alter the taste of the dish.

2. Adjust the quantity of curd you use in the gatte as per requirement. Use only as much as you need to bind all the ingredients together into a soft dough.

3. The gatte are cooked when you see bubbles on their surface. Do not overcook them. Make sure you cook them on medium flame only, and do not overcrowd them in the pan either.

4. Once cooked, you can cut the gatte as big or as small as you like.

5. Make sure you reduce the flame to medium before adding the curd to the pan, while making the gravy. Otherwise, the curd might split, causing the gravy to lose its taste.

6. Adjust the quantity of the reserved cooking water depending upon the consistency of the gravy you require. I have added one cup of water here, because I didn’t want a very thick gravy.

7. You may use ghee instead of oil, for the tempering.

Did you like the recipe? Do tell me in your comments!