When I am totally out of fresh green veggies, this curry from my hometown saves the day. It doesn’t really need any accompanying stir fry (sookhi subzi) or rice. I roll out fresh crisp chapattis and watch my boys happily dunk them into this curry and savour the meal. Gatte ki subzi is a speciality from Rajasthan which uses gram flour and curd as its primary ingredients (and nothing apart from them actually, besides the spices!)
You need-
For the gatte/gram flour dumplings
2 cups Besan/gram flour
1 Tbsp oil
¾ cup curd at room temperature
½ tsp salt
½ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp heeng/asafoetida
¼ tsp cumin
Pinch of turmeric powder
Bring a litre of water to boil in a large broad pan.
Mix all the ingredients and knead them to a chapatti like dough using the curd. No water to be used.
Divide into ten balls, and roll into cylindrical shaped strips with oiled palms.
Drop the strips into boiling water and boil them for 20 minutes till they are well done.
Strain and save the water. This will be used in the gravy later.
Cool and cut the strips into pieces of about half an inch each.
For the gravy
1 cup curd/yogurt at room temperature, beaten till smooth
2 Tbsp desi ghee/clarified butter
½ tsp heeng/asafoetida
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ginger, grated fine
1 medium onion, chopped very fine
2 green chillies, chopped fine
Water saved from boiling the gatte
A small bunch of fresh coriander , chopped fine
Salt- ½ tsp
Red chilli powder- ½ tsp
Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
Coriander powder- ¾ tsp
Garam masala- ¼ tsp
Mix the salt, chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder into the curd and mix well.
Heat the ghee in a kadai/heavy bottomed pan and add asafoetida and cumin seeds. Once the cumin crackles, add the garlic and ginger.
As soon as the garlic changes colour, add the onion and green chillies. Stir fry till the onions change colour and are lightly browned.
Add the curd and masala mixture and stir continuously till it come to boil.
Boil for about five minutes and add the chopped gatte.
Add the boiled water saved from boiling the gatte.
Cook covered for ten minutes.
Add the garam masala and mix.
Top with fine chopped fresh coriander and serve hot with chapatti.
CafeGarima 