1,000 Indian Recipes (232 page)
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Authors: Neelam Batra
Punjabi Rassadar Boondi
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This is an unpretentious soupy curry, with drops of delicately fried chickpea batter called
boondi
that soften in the sauce almost to the point of becoming a part of it.
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
1 fresh green chile pepper, such as serrano, stemmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1
⁄
2
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground turmeric
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt, or to taste
1
⁄
4
cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
4 cups water
2 cups purchased boondi drops
1
⁄
4
cup chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1.
In a blender or a food processor, process together the onion, ginger, and green chile pepper until smooth.
2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion-ginger paste and cook, stirring, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
3.
Add the tomato and cook until most of the juices evaporate, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander, red pepper flakes, turmeric, and salt, and stir 30 seconds. Then mix in the yogurt, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, until all of it is incorporated, about 1 minute.
4.
Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in the boondi and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
Rajasthani Chickpea Flour Bits in Yogurt Sauce
Rajasthani Gattae ki Kari
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Gattae
are little
1
⁄
2
-inch pieces of boiled chickpea flour dough, and this curry is very different from any of the previously mentioned chickpea flour curries. Although also made in other communities,
gattaekikari
remains a specialty of Rajasthan and comes to me from a native—Pushpa Khatod, my daughter's mother-in-law.
There are 2 steps to this recipe: making the
gattae
bits and making the sauce for them.
The
gattae
are versatile: You can serve them in a sauce, add them to rice, or simply cut them into thin slices and pan-cook them in 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and serve as appetizers.
To make the gattae:
1 tablespoon
Basic Ginger and Green Chile Pepper Paste
1 cup chickpea flour
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground coriander
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ajwain seeds
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cayenne pepper
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt, or to taste
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground turmeric
1
1
⁄
2
tablespoons peanut oil
2 to 4 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
To make the sauce:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ajwain seeds
1
⁄
8
teaspoon ground asafoetida
2 tablespoons
Basic Ginger and Green Chile Pepper Paste
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cayenne pepper dissolved in
1
⁄
4
cup water
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt, whisked well with 1 cup water until smooth
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups water
Chopped cilantro
1.
Prepare the ginger-chile paste. To make the gattae: In a small bowl, mix together the chickpea flour, coriander, fennel, cayenne pepper, salt, and turmeric. Then rub in the ginger-chile paste and oil. Add 2 tablespoons yogurt, and more as needed, to make a semi-stiff dough. If the dough sticks to your fingers, scrape it off, coat your fingers with some water or oil, and continue.
2.
Using clean hands, divide the dough into 6 parts and roll each part into a
1
⁄
2
-inch thick and 6- to 7-inch long roll. Place all the rolls in a large saucepan, add water to cover by at least 1 inch and boil over medium-high heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the rolls firm up and turn much lighter in color, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, saving the water for cooking the sauce. Cut the rolls into
1
⁄
2
-inch pieces (gattae).
3.
To make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin, ajwain, and asafoetida; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the ginger-chile paste and the cayenne pepper dissolved in water, and stir about 1 minute.
4.
Add the whisked yogurt-water, turmeric, coriander, and salt, stirring constantly, and boil over high heat about 3 minutes. Add the gattae and boil another 2 minutes.
5.
Add 3 cups water (measure in the reserved water from Step 2) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the gattae are soft and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. (Add more water and cook another minute for a thinner sauce.) Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.
Variation:
For heartier gattae, mix about 2 cups chopped fresh spinach into the dough in Step 1 and then proceed with the recipe.
Punjabi Chickpea Flour Bits in Curry Sauce
Punjabi Gattae ki Kari
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This Punjabi version of chickpea flour bits (
gattae
), as made by my mother, comes in a traditional curry sauce and tastes very different from
Rajasthani Chickpea Flour Bits in Yogurt Sauce
.
1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon garam masala
1
⁄
2
teaspoon ajwain seeds
1
⁄
3
teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1
⁄
4
cup water + more to boil the gattae rolls
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
6 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
1 small clove fresh garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 to 5 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, skin punctured to prevent bursting
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1
⁄
4
teaspoon ground turmeric
1
⁄
4
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1
⁄
2
teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3 cups water
1
⁄
4
cup finely chopped cilantro
1.
To make the gattae: In a bowl, mix together the chickpea flour, garam masala, ajwain seeds, salt, and 1 tablespoon oil. Then make the gattae as in Steps 1 and 2 of
Rajasthani Chickpea Flour Bits in Yogurt Sauce
, using up to
1
⁄
4
cup water instead of the yogurt.