Rajasthani Marwadi Gatte Ki Subji

Very proudly I can say that Marwadi recipes are the most popular ones in the blog. Why not, after all I am marwari and that too from Rajasthan and thus, I am good with authentic marwari cuisine. Today we are talking about very classic, simple and yet royal looking Gatte Ki Subji.

Gatte Ki Subji is another invention that happened because of necessity. The shortage of rains and water always made Rajasthanis think out of the box and thus they commenced using gram flour (besan) to make gatte and then use it the curry. Besan is also called as chickpea flour and is so widely used in Rajasthan that you can't even imagine.

If you go to a Marwadi house on a regular day then this sabzi is made in a very casual way without any garlic, onion or tomatoes. So yes, authentically this is a no veggie curry but if it is paired with Daal Baati or is made on a special day then, you will see slight rich variation where it is uplifted by garlic, onion and even tomatoes.

Originally from Rajasthan, this curry has also changed its taste as it traveled from one part of India to other. Now we see its dry variation (without gravy) , a sindhi variation wherein its very spicy and also a Gujarati  version which is sweet and sour. I will share the recipe that is made with garlic, onion, tomatoes and yogurt (dahi/curd). Also, I was once asked to share the recipes that is without curd. To be honest, yes you can make this curry without curd but what it will lack is that yellowish orange colour. To do so, just make a semi thick tomato gravy that you would do for any curry and then just dunk in the gatte.

How to make soft gatte for gatte ki sabji?

-Always add in a litter yogurt while kneading the dough for gatte.

-You will also need to add oil in the dough.

-Do not rest the dough. Keep the water for boil and then start making the dough so that you don't have to wait.

-The dough should be just right-not too soft and not too hard either.

-Spice up the dough too. The dough needs salt, red chilli powder, turmeric and fennel seeds (saunf). My mother will always say that fennel seeds is so important in gatte ki subzi.

-Lastly, boil the gatte till you see bubbles on its skin and it becomes light and start to float on the water.

 

Ingredients:

For gatte

1/2  cup chickpea flour/besan

4 tablespoons yogurt/dahi

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf crushed

red chili powder as per taste

salt to taste

1-2 teaspoon oil

 

For Curry:

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1 bay leaf/tej patta

2-3 dry red chilli

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, grated

1 meduim tomato, finely chopped

3/4 cup whisked yogurt/dahi

1 tablespoon coriander powder/dhaniya powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Red chilli powder as per taste

1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed

1/4 teaspoon garam massala

water as needed

salt to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

Method:

For Gatte

Start by putting water for boil in a pan.

Mix all the ingredients listed in the gatte list and make a soft dough. Add water as needed. The dough will start becoming sticky and thus it’s a good idea to oil your hands.

Divide the dough into 4 parts and shape it into logs.

Put these logs into boiling water and boil. It will take around 15-20 minutes. The gatte will become light and start to float on the water. You will also see bubbles on its skin. Boil till a knife inserted comes clean.

Take the gatte out of the water and cut into pieces.

Heat around 1 teaspoon of oil and fry the gatte.

For Gravy

Heat oil in pan. When oil gets hot add in cumin seeds, bay leaf and dry red chilli.

Add in garlic and onion and sauté till it gets cooked.

Add in chopped tomato and cover and cook till tomato becomes mushy and soft.

Mix salt, turmeric, red chili powder, sugar and coriander powder in the yogurt and mix well.

Add the yogurt mixture in the tomato paste and keep mixing till it comes to a boil.

Add water and let it boil for some time, around 5 minutes. I used around 1 and 1/2 cups water.

Add in the gatte and garam massala and boil again for 10 minutes. You might need to add in more water because gatte will thicken the gravy. So I added 1/2 cup of water again.

Garnish with kasturi methi and serve.

More Marwari Recipes you might be interested in:

Papad Ki Subji

Lehsun Ki Chutney 

Mangodi Matar

Sev Tamatar

Aloo Tamatar Ki Subji For Puri Or Kachori

(This post has been updated with new pictures)

Read somewhere that the best things in life are free. A smile, sleep, hugs, kisses, laughter, family, memories- all these are at no cost. Isn't it priceless when a stranger smile at you in the train; or your husband hugs you when you are sad; or a child kisses a mother....nothing beats these emotions-correct?

It is good to be busy, to make excellent use of time but it is also imperative to spare a little time for the best free things :-) Same goes in cooking as well. When you walk through memory lane of your mother’s kitchen, what is that you remember? Did she always cook some exotic panner dish for you? Did she always use oven? May be yes, may be no. But I am sure most of the Indian mothers made simple basic things and we enjoyed it and now miss it the most.

Simple bhindi ki subji after a tough day at school; or sukha aloo in tiffin; or plain mango pickle rolled in parathas ...are the best.Aloo ka parathas or poha was all we needed for Sunday breakfast while watching Mogli or Malgudi Days on TV. Do you also believe that real pleasure of enjoying food is in eating simple meals? If yes, then today’s post will surly make you happy. I bring before you the most common and straightforward dish- Aloo Tamatar Ki Subji.

Aloo Tamatar Ki Subji (Potatoes Tomatoes Curry) which is paired with Puri (fried bread) or kachori (Stuffed fried bread) needs no introduction. People from Rajasthan, Bhiar and UP will surely know what I am talking about. The classic combination of potatoes and tomatoes with loads of massala when served with puri or kachori is a pure bliss- or simplicity at its best. Rain or shine, cold or hot days this paring can never go old or fade- will always stay- from generations to generations.

Compose this in your kitchen and recollect all the memories.

Ingredients:

4 medium size- boiled and diced- Potatoes/Aloo

3 medium size- chopped- Tomatoes/Tamatar

2- Green chilles/Hari Mirch

1 inch piece- grated- Ginger/Adrak

2 tablespoon Oil/Tel

1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida/Hing

1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds/Jeera

1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds/Rai
1 bay leaf/Tej Patta
1 teaspoon kasturi methi

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder/Haldi

1 teaspoon Coriander Powder/Dhaniya

1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder/Lal Mirch

1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice

2 tablespoon Coriander leaves/Dhaniya

1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat oil in kadai/wok and add mustard, bay leaf, cumin and asafoetida. Let the seeds splutter. Add slit green chillies, kasturi methi and grated ginger.

Mix turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam massala, salt with 4 tablespoon of water and make a paste.

Mix chopped tomatoes in the kadai and add the above spice paste. Mix well and let tomatoes cooked covered. Cook till tomatoes are mushy and soft.

Add 4 cups of water and potatoes. Mix well and let it boil covered for 10 minutes.

Finally mix in lemon juice and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Puri or Kachori.

Notes:

Adjust red chilli powder and garam massala as per your taste.

This is best when served with puri or kachori.

If in hurry, blend all the dry spices with tomatoes, ginger and green chillies.

Sev Tamatar: Sev Tomato: Rajasthan/Marwadi Style

Its super cold in London. No I am not kidding. The other day while coming back from office the wind was so harsh and cold I thought I will die before I reach home. I had my jumpers on, a thick black overcoat buttoned up and long boots, all sorted. But the wind was unkind and stony. It blew my hair in the cruelest way possible, slapped on my face, my fingers were numb and ears shocked. With all struggle I finally reached home. Home sweet home. Ah these winters make me so angry and lazy. What shall I cook for dinner-my next battle!

Quick look in the fridge, the chapatti dough was ready. So let’s make some quick lazy subji/curry. There you go; no veggies in the fridge-another challenge for the day. First I thought to make my favorite papad ki subji, the no veggie curry but then I saw a packet of namkeen, and it had to be Sev Tamatar Ki Subji-the Rajasthani or marwadi style. So what is sev- sev is spicy fried gram flour noodles. It can be eaten just like a snack. The packets are easily available in any indian store and if you haven’t you MUST try it.

More Rajasthan/Marwari Subji (curry):

Mangodi Mutter

Aloo Pyaz

Bharwa Bhindi

Methi Moong Dal

Sev tamatar ki subji is sev and tomato curry. Two types are famous- the gujarati style which is called as sev tameta nu shak and rajasthani style. Gujarat curry is bit tangy and sweet, whereas rajasthan is spicy and hot. Born and bought up in rajasthan this curry is very special to my heart. The days when mom had less mood to cook, was not well or no vegetables were available this curry came in handy. She would ask my father or brother to buy a packet of namkeen and then start preparing for the subzi. In this recipe you can use ratlavi sev, moti sev, spicy sev or even garlic (lehsun) sev. I have used Kohinoor bhujia sev.

You just need basic Indian spices, garlic, tomatoes and sev. It took me 10 minutes in total to prepare this curry. Served it with some Indian kachumber salad and chapatti. The dinner was enjoyed and I was bit ok with novelty of winters.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups Tomatoes chopped finely

5 cloves garlic minced or grated

1 medium size onion chopped finely

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1/4 teaspoon turmeric/haldi

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust as per taste)

Salt to taste

Pinch of sugar

2 cups water

1/2 cup sev/namkeen/bhujia

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add cumin, let it splutter.

Add garlic and chopped onion. Cook for 1 minute or till onion turns soft.

Add chopped tomatoes and all the spices. Mix and cook tomatoes till they turn soft and mushy.

Add 2 cups or water and sugar. Let it boil for 5 minutes.

Add sev and coriander leaves. Mix and serve.

Notes:

Add sev just before serving else it will become soggy.

I have used kashmiri red chilli powder, it gives good colour but is not very spicy.

Panchmel Daal: Panchpuran Dal: Panchtatra Daal: Rajasthani Marwadi Dal: For Bati

There is always one man who will never hurt a woman and that is her dad, her father, her papa. A daughters first love is her father and I truly stand by this. I love my dad, he is my lifeline, I don't know what would I do without him. Even though we speak daily, I miss having morning tea with him, discussing about horoscopes in the newspaper. Telling him this that, having lunch together and then seeing him again for dinner. I don't need any special day to thank him, but since its father’s day, I decided to dedicate this post to him. 

Check out last year fathers day post- Kache/ Raw/ Green Tomato Chutney :)

My father is the one who holds me when I cry, scolds me when I am wrong, shines with pride when I succeed and have faith in me when I fall. He was a strict dad while we (me and brother) were growing up and we were really sacred of doing or telling something stupid in front of him. He never scolded us for bad results in exams or failing but he had his own rules like speak to everyone politely, don’t watch senseless Indian soaps (we were allowed to see KBC), don’t go outside home after 8 pm alone. He is the one who believes in society, social norms, god, and religion but is still cool. This I guess it is mostly the behavior of an Indian dad :)

Back then if my dad came to know that I take alcohol he would have been very angry and disappointed but now he is like a friend to me. I don’t hide things from him; I just know he will understand. Last year on my trip to India I had shared the drink with the three most important guys in my life-papa, bro and my husband; I still don’t believe I sipped alcohol in front of papa. But that’s about my papa he knows how to mold himself and understand his kids when time is right :) Simple living, high thinking :)

I am so unlike papa in terms of food choices, what he likes the best, I dislike the most. I am more like maa :) So growing up I never really liked the combination of daal roti (lentils and Indian flat bread or chapati) I was more daal chawal (lentils and rice) kind of a girl. Any daal in any form, just give him roti and he would be the happiest person on earth. Me and mom loved daal but just with rice. But something happened; I got married to a daal roti person, just like papa-huge sucker of daal roti combination. 

So every time we visit my home in India, my mom makes different kinds of daal for my husband and papa. This time she made Panchmel Daal or Panchpuran Daal or Panchtatra Daal which is the combination of five kinds of lentils. There is a Punjabi way to make it where you add lots of ghee and garlic but maa made it in authentic rajasthani style, a marwadi way. This daal is usually paired with baati (Rajasthani dish) and churma. 

To make the best panchmel daal you need:

• To soak the lentils for atleast half an hour.
• Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Grains must be visible, over mushy daal is not authentic marwadi daal.
• Mix of 5 lentils which is bengal gram dal (chana dal), black gram (urad dal),yellow gram dal (moong dal), green gram dal (moong chilka dal) pigeon peas spilt and skinned (arhar, tuvar, toor, tuar dal). But even white urad daal, red masoor dal or moth beans work fine.
• 5 whole spices- red chilli (sukhi lal mirch), bay leaf (tej patta), cumin seeds (jeera), fennel seeds (saunf) and mustard seeds (rai).
• Ginger is must but garlic isn’t. You can garlic too, but it is not must.
• And ghee, a good quality Indian ghee (clarified butter).

 This is a simple dal but the flavour values are truly amazing. You need basic indian spices and little time to cook this dal, cook slowly to have creamy and thick dal. I like to have with jeera rice and it is roti (as you know now) for Mr. Husband.

Author: Shweta Agrawal

Serves: 3-4

Cusine: Indian: Rajasthani: Marwadi

Ingredients:

2 cups of dal. Mix of equal quantities of:

bengal gram dal (chana dal), black gram (urad dal),yellow gram dal (moong dal), green gram dal (moong chilka dal) pigeon peas spilt and skinned (arhar, tuvar, toor, tuar dal).

4 cups of water

2 whole red chilli

1 bay leaf/tej pata

1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds/rai

1 teaspoon ginger minced or grated
2 green chillies slitted

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon garam massala

1/4 teaspoon aesofetida/hing

3 tablespoons ghee

1 tomato finely chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
1/2 teaspoon kasturi methi to garnish (optional)

Method:

Wash all the lentils. Soak in water for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes drain the water.

In a pressure cook add 4 cups of water, washed lentils, turmeric powder and little salt. Cook for 2 whistles.

In a wok or kadai heat 2 tablespoons ghee. When ghee gets hot add cumin, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and bay leaf. Break whole red chillies and add it too.

Add aseofetida, green chillies and minced ginger. Cook for 30 seconds.

Add chopped tomato. Mix in turmeric powder, garam massala, red chilli powder and salt. Cook covered for 1 minute or till tomato turn soft and mushy and you see oil appear on the edges.

Add pressure cooked lentils. Add lemon juice. Check salt. Cook covered on slow heat for 10-15 minutes. 

Just before serving add remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and kasturi methi.

Notes:

You can use other lentils as well, like white urad daal or red lentils.

If you don't like ghee, feel free to use oil. You can decrease the amount of ghee if you are a weight conscious person ;)

You can boil lentils in open pan as well, it will take more time. Pressure Cooker saves time and it is really worth investing in a good cooker if you like to cook Indian dishes.
Kasturi methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is easily available in any Indian grocery store. I used MDH one.

Serving suggestions:Serve with plain basmati rice, jeera rice or any indian bread.

Serve as a side with dry indian curries like gobi matar, gajar matar or bhindi pyaz.

Pair with bread sticks or bread and serve like a soup.

It will be a great combination if served with rajasthani baati.

Make a complete marwadi thali. Serve along marwadi aloo pyaz ki subji, marwadi lehsun chutney and bajre ka rotla.

Simple Kadhi (Yogurt Soup): Kadhi Chawal: Kadhi For Khichadi

Comfort food- what’s yours? If you have ever noticed comfort food are generally the ones that are easy to cook but are loaded with calories. See Americans love their Mac and cheese- easy but calories laded. Simple tadka daal and white rice is the comfort food for most of the Indians, simple to cook but remember the starch and the ghee. But hey, when we are talking about comfort let’s not count calories- good food= good life.

One of my favourite comfort food is kadhi (yogurt soup). Kadi or kadhi is made using gram flour (besan) and yogurt (dahi/curd). Kadhi takes on different flavours as it travels from state to state throughout the India. In Gujarat the kadhi is sweet and white in colour (no use of turmeric); you need to add pakodas (fried dumplings of chickpea flour) in the Punjabi kadhi; marwadi kadhi is thick super spicy with tadka(tempering) of dry red chillies.

This is Simple Kadhi that you can make every day. One of the best thing about kadhi is that it needs no vegetable- just plain simple Indian spices and you are good to go. You can have kadhi plain like a soup but the deadliest combination is to have it with kichadi. But we prefer and enjoy it with rice dishes such as methi mutter pulav, basic biryani, corn rice or mixed capsicum rice. We like to use leftover rice  with some veggies and make pulav with it (Namkeen Chawal). 

Ingredients:

(for kadhi)

2 tablespoon gram flour/besan

1 cup full fat yogurt /khatta dahi

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi powder

salt as per taste

(for tempering)

1 teaspoon mustard seeds/rai

1 teaspoon asefotida/hing

5-6 curry leaves/kadhi pata

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon blackpepper powder/kali mirch

1 small to medium bay leaf/tej patta

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder/lal mirch powder.

Method:

Mix gram flour, water, yogurt, salt and turmeric properly. Make sure there are no lumps. If needed sieve the mixture.

Put this mixture on kadai/wok and cook on high flame. Keep stirring till the kadhi starts to boil. Turn the slow to low and cook till kadhi is thick.

Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a pan. When oil gets hot, add mustard seeds. Let it crackle.

Add aseofetida, curry leaves and bay leaf.

Finally mix in red chilli powder and black pepper. Turn off the heat.

Put this hot tempering (tadka) on the kadhi. Mix and serve.

Notes:

Make sure that you keep stirring the kadhi till it comes to boil, else the kadhi will curdle.

You can also add garlic and ginger in the tempering.

Serving suggestion:

Goes well with all rice dishes. Methi mutter pulav, pulav or capsicum rice.

Have it as it is like a soup on a rainy or wintery day.

Serve as a main dish with parathas .

Rai Ki Mirch :Stuffed Green Chilli Pickle: Instant Hari Mirch Ka Achar: Indian Pickle

Rai Ki Mirch is a very poplar pickle in Rajasthan made with green chillies (hari mirch). No matter what the season is, this pickle is always relished. Unlike other Indian pickles this is neither time consuming nor does it need sun bathing. This is the quickest and instant green chilli pickle you will ever make. There is nothing better than homemade pickle, no preservatives and you know exactly what’s going in the recipe. If this sounds interesting to you, then, do see my instant mango pickle recipe.

I am from Rajasthan that too a marwadi and I exactly know how important this rai ki mirchi is for people of Rajasthan. There are many varieties of chillies available in the market; all I look for is fat chillies with pleasant green colour. My mom explained me; slimmer chillies have more heat in them. So when I saw these chubby chillies at the nearby Bangladeshi store, I picked it up with no other thought but turning them into pickle.

The mixture of spices with mustard oil (sarson ka tel) and lemon juice, oozes out sharp and peppery flavour which is to remembered by the tounge forever. But it is no ordinary chilli pickle; The unusual process of stuffing the chillies is the unique and exceptional characteristic. I prepare it many times in small batches and gobble it with parathas, aloo puri and pulav. Over all; no rocket science, no pain- all you need is the appetite to relish it.

Ingredients:

1 cup green chillies- washed and dry

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 ½  tablespoon Mustard seeds/ rai

½ tablespoon fenugreek seeds/methi

2 tablespoon fennel seeds/saunf

1 teaspoon dry mango powder/amchur

Pinch asafoetida/hing

Salt to taste

1/4 cup mustard oil

Method:

1. Slit green chillies such that it opens like a pocket. Remove the seeds and keep aside.
2. In the grinder, grind fenugreek, fennel and mustard seeds into coarse powder.
3. Heat oil to the smoking point and then let it cool. Now again heat the oil (only till it gets warm).
4. Mix the warm oil with asafoetida, salt, dry mango powder and grinded coarse powder. Keep this paste aside for 1-2 minutes.
5. Fill ¼ teaspoon of the above paste in each chilli. Do same with the remaining chillies.
6. Finally mix in the lemon juice and toss well.
7. The pickle is ready to eat. Store in any airtight glass or plastic container.

Notes:

It stays fresh up to 3 weeks in the fridge. (Fresh is always better)

Any type of chillies can be used, depending on the level of heat you can handle.

I grind the spices in the large quantity and keep it ready for the future use.

Any other oil can be used instead of mustard oil. (No olive oil please)

Moong Ki Daal Ka Paratha :Split Yellow Gram Indian Flat Bread: Healthy Paratha Recipe

Moong ki daal ka paratha (yellow mung beans/split yellow gram lentil Indian flat bread) is so special to my heart. With it goes tons of childhood memories-ah those days! Even today whenever I cook these parathas, a walk through memory lane happens. Stuffed parathas such as aloo (potatoes) parathas, mutter (green peas) parathas or pyaz (onion) parathas were more likely to happen on a Sunday morning. While, moong ki daal ke parathe were happily welcomed for dinner; served along with any dry subji (Indian side dish) like gajar methi mutter, marwadi aloo pyaz, punjabi gobi mutter or bhindi do pyaza. Sometimes even simple pickle was acceptable.

You need to be simple here, simple things are tastier and the experience is satisfying. These parathas are more like theplas-thin and soft. Green chillies, ginger and coriander leaves are mixed with flour and moong daal to form dough. Later the parathas are cooked on tava/pan with oil; and then you have soft parathas with tiny bits of crunchy daal.

Moong daal as we know is a rich source of protein and when you are bored cooking normal daal or subji with it, these parathas is a good change. No boiling, pressure cooking the daal, just mix everything together and you are good to go. I have couple of friends who finds this as a great way to include lentils in their kids’ diets. Roll it up with subji, chutney, jams or pickles. Pack them for their schools, take them on summer picnics, train journeys etc.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups +for dusting, whole wheat flour

1/2 cup yellow moong daal

2 chopped green chillies

2 tablespoon grated ginger

4 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

1 teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf

1 teaspoon coriander seeds/dhaniya

1/4 teaspoon turmeric/haldi

Pinch asafoetida/hing
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil+ for roasting parathas

Method:

Wash and soak moong daal for 30 minutes. Drain the water.

Coarsely grind coriander seeds and fennel seeds.

In a mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric and asafoetida.

In it add washed moong daal, lemon juice, ginger, coriander leaves, green chillies and 1 tablespoon oil. Start kneading the dough. Add water only if needed. The dough should be medium soft. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat the pan/tawa. Start making the parathas. Divide dough into 10 equal parts and give them a round shape. Take 1/2 cup dry wheat flour in a plate for dusting. Take one dough ball, flatten it like pattie and dust dry wheat flour over it. Roll out the paratha.

Place it on a hot tava/griddle and cook over medium flame. When tiny bubbles starts to rise on the surface, flip it and reduce the flame to low.

Spread 1/4 teaspoon oil around edges and spread over the paratha. Flip it again and spread 1/4 tsp oil around over it. Press it with spatula and let it cook over medium flame. Cook until golden brown spots appear on both sides. Follow the same process for remaining dough balls.

Notes:

For more healthy option, you can omit the use oil, simply use a napkin to roast the paratha.

I like it spicy please adjust the amount of green chilly as per your taste.

Increase the amount of oil if you want to take them on long train journeys.

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with chutney, raita or pickle of your choice.

Goes well with any side dish or curry.

These are perfect to be served at breakfast, brunch and as evening or picnic snack.

More healthy parathas:

Mixed vegetable parathas

Sprouts parathas

Cabbage parathas