Gatte Ki Subzi

Rajasthan’s cuisine is very different from cuisines in other parts of India. Rajasthan's terrain is made of up deserts and thus availability of water and green leafy vegetables is scarce. Owing to this scarcity, Rajasthanis used to use different types of ingredients to prepare their food such as flour, dry fruits, yogurt, pulses and spices. Secondly, because most of them fought wars, they wanted to carry something that could last for days. Hence necessity became the mother of invention. No Rajasthani meal is complete without Gatte Ki Subzi.

Gatte Ki Sabzi is made from steamed dumplings made from gram flour/ besan/ chickpea flour. Like all the other gravies, there are many ways to make this curry. Some prefer it dry, some make it using yogurt and some using tomatoes. I have made combination of many recipes. I used both tomatoes and yogurt to make the gravy. So lets start cooking!.....

Ingredients

For the gatte 

100 grams - gram flour (besan)

1/2 tsp - salt

1/2 tsp - red chilli powder

1/8 tsp - garam masala powder

1 1/2 tbsp - oil

1/2 tsp - kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Yogurt to knead the dough

For the gravy 

1/2 tbsp - oil

1/4 tsp - fennel seeds (saunf)

1/8 tsp - nigella seeds (kalonji)

½ tsp Hing (asafoetida)

1 – bay leaf

1 chopped tomato

3 tbsp - low fat yogurt

1/4 tsp - red chilli powder

1/2 tsp - turmeric powder (haldi)

1/2 tsp - dried mango powder (aamchur)

1 tsp - coriander powder (dhaniya powder)

a generous pinch of garam masala

salt to taste

1/4 tsp - dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) + to garnish

Method

1.   Boil 4-5 cups of water in a deep pan

2.   Mix together in a bowl besan, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala and kasuri methi . Add the oil and yogurt spoon by spoon and make hard dough. 

3.   Divide the dough and roll out into cylinders. And put in boiling water for 20 minutes or till white spots appears on gatta.

4.   Drain and let the gatta cool. And when cooled cut into round pieces.

5.   For the gravy mix together yogurt,tomato, red chilli powder, haldi, aamchur, dhaniya powder, garam masala, salt and kasuri methi in a bowl and keep aside.

6.   Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the saunf and kalonji. When the seeds start to crackle, add the hing and bayleaf. Add the yogurt mix and cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously. When it starts to boil, add the gatte and cook again for a couple of minutes.

7.   Garnish with dried fenugreek leaves

8.   Serve hot with bread or dal bati. I made bajre ki roti.