Coimbatore to Srinagar - Sixth Stop - Kota - Gatte Subzi

The next stop in the virtual journey was a stop in Kota, Rajasthan. I always had a fascination for Rajasthan, the landscape, the beautiful pink buildings, the indomitable spirit of the people and of course the cuisine. So hats off to DH for jumping in and making it while I procrastinated.

2020 has taught us a lot of things. One big lesson is that we are all connected together and need to live in harmony. I use WhatsApp a lot, but have never been a fan of it because of the amount of time it seems to suck out of the day. But this year I have been thankful for it and making it easy to meet and do activities virtually. The exercise club has been going good so has the cooking.

This recipe was presented to the running club by one of their members. Rajasthani cuisine uses a lot of besan and beans in their cooking because of the absence of fresh vegetables. The one reason I have been avoiding cooking a lot of these very tasty dishes is because of the lack of interest in using besan. But this Gatte Subzi was delicious and for meat lovers who want the texture of meat in a vegetarian dish, this is it.

Gatte is the cylinder shaped dough that is made with besan. Use of spices help to elevate the taste of besan which does not have a taste on its own.

The recipe in pictures,

Prepare the gatte rolls and get the onions ready for the curry.
Saute the onions and add the masala paste.
Add the whisked yogurt followed by the gatte. Cook for 5 minutes till the gatte heats through.

Serve with bread of choice. We had it with Missi Roti also from Rajasthan (coming up next).

Gatte Ki Subzi
Preparation Time:25 minutes
Cooking Time:30 minutes
Ingredients

For the Gatte / for the Besan Rolls
1. 6 tbsp Besan (Kadalai Maavu)
2. 1 tsp red chili powder
3. 6 tsp Oil
4. 1/2 tsp powdered ajwain (omam)
5. salt to taste
For Curry / Gravy
6. 1 big Onion
7. 1 tbsp finely chopped Garlic
8. 1 cup Curd
9. 1 tsp cumin
10. 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
11. 2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder
12. 1 tsp Garam Masala
13. 1 tsp Coriander Powder
14. 1 tsp Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
15. 1 tsp red Chili Powder
16. 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves
17. salt to taste

Method

1. In a sauce pan set 2 cups of water to boil.
2. Meanwhile mix together all the ingredients under the gatta section without adding any water till a crumbly dough is formed.
3. Now sprinkle water a little at a time and knead to a medium stiff dough. Be careful while kneading with water. Dough should not be very soft otherwise the gatta will break when boiling.
4. Make 5-6 thin long logs out of this dough. Rub oil in your palms while preparing the gatta logs.
5. The water should be boiling hot at this point, put the logs one by one in boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes. The gattas will float to the top they will start floating up and will have bubbles on the surface.
6. Insert knife into the gatta and if it comes clean the gatte are cooked. Take them out of the water and save the water for gravy.
7. Once the gattas have cooled cut into 1 inch pieces and keep them aside.
To make the curry / gravy :
8. In a bowl take 1 tablespoon of water, kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric and coriander powder. Mix well and keep aside for 10 mins.
9. Chop the onion and garlic into fine pieces. Beat the yogurt till it is smooth.
10. In a wide mouthed pan - kadai, heat oil or ghee if using, when hot add the cumin seeds.
11. When the cumin starts to turn color add chopped onion and garlic.
12. Saute till the onion turns light brown.
13. Now add in the soaked masalas and cook till the oil separates.
14. At this stage lower the heat and add the beaten curd. Now increase the heat and cook till the white specs of the curd disappear completely while constantly stirring. This will take about about 5-7 minutes.
15. Now add the chopped gattas and mix well along with salt and garam masala.
16. Cook on medium flame for 5 mins for the gattas to soak some flavors.
17. Add the water reserved from cooking the gattas, cover and cook for 5 minutes till the gattas are well cooked.
18. Lightly crush the kasoori methi and add it along with chopped corriander leaves.

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