Ingredient: oil

Spinach Asparagus Soup

Spinach Asparagus Soup

Spinach Asparagus Soup,a recipe I learnt at a cooking event in our community. I recently got elected to the HOA Board and we recently started a Social events committee in our neighborhood, Being a lover of food at heart, I volunteered the idea to start something like this where community would easily gravitate towards and find it easy to mingle with other neighbors. I firmly believe in the idea that your neighbors are the extended family of sorts. If you have good neighbors you are likely to enjoy life even more!

So our very first event of Chef’s Creations series, was held on an extremely cold day of the winter in January with temperatures at 24 F. Not sure if the residents will show up, fellow member and I decided to wait for people. The member took up the task of showing the recipe and she very graciously changed the ingredients to suit my vegetarian diet. We felt blessed that day as 20 residents showed up on Sunday afternoon, some to cheer us up, some out of plain curiosity, and some just followed the smell of delicious cooking! Spinach Asparagus Soup turned out to be a perfect accompaniment on an extremely cold day.

The kitchen could not have held more people, so it was just right size of group. The recipe used by her was from A Chef’s Kitchen, Williamsburg VA. According to couple of my other neighbors, it is known for its very classy cuisine and is extremely famous and booked more than 6 months in advance. So she really hit the bull’s-eye there!

I just admired her enthusiasm and willingness to do something she had never done before and as a great reward for her efforts, the participants really appreciated the event!  She did a great job in explaining the recipe and there was also ample time for neighbors to laugh and chat! A very generous neighbor decided to donate his collection of cookbooks as a surprise door prize to one of the participants. It was such a great camaraderie feeling, and it was heart warming to see teenager son and daughter with dads, and mothers and daughters bond over an afternoon of cooking demonstration.

The soup was great in color, and tasted delicious and even though there were too many cooks helping out, it did not spoil the taste! We sure made some mess, but felt a wave of positive energy and satisfaction.Unfortunately this would not serve a good recipe for strict Jain Diet as it uses roots. The recipe is nutritious and has the richness of Creme Fraiche, an ingredient I personally likes it reminds me homemade Indian butter from fermented milk cream.

So in the coming cold wintry days, enjoy this delicious recipe of Spinach Asparagus Soup from the highly rated A Chef’s Kitchen and as demonstrated by the chairperson of our Social Events committee! And a lesson I learnt that day was that the way to a stranger’s heart often lies via good food and that giving back to the community is a great feeling! My apologies for not having step by step images, as it was a class in progress, where I was a student!

Print Recipe
 Spinach Asparagus Soup
Spinach Asparagus Soup How to make quick Spinach Asparagus Soup.
Spinach Asparagus Soup
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Italian
Servings
6 people
Ingredients
Garnishing the soup
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Italian
Servings
6 people
Ingredients
Garnishing the soup
Spinach Asparagus Soup
Instructions
Preparing the Soup
  1. Cut the tips of the asparagus from the stems and reserve as a soup garnish.Cut the asparagus stems in 1 inch pieces.
  2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and onion and then cover. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, unless the onions are translucent in color.
  3. Add the potatoes, broth, thyme, pepper, salt to the saucepan. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until vegetables are tender and potatoes are soft.
  4. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, add the cut stem pieces of asparagus and cook for 3 minutes on hight flame, till they are soft.
  5. Add baby spinach leaves and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Remove from flame and puree soup in blender in batches.
  7. Pour the blended soup through a sieve or strainer in a pot. Thin with some more vegetable broth if desired,
Garnishing the soup
  1. Chop the saved asparagus stems into small pieces
  2. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a skillet.Once the oil is hot and simmering, add the reserved asparagus tips. Saute until tender.
  3. Serve the soup in the cup and add asparagus to the soup. Garnish each bowl of the soup with Creme Fraiche or sour cream. and chopped parsley or chives.Add some drops of smoked paprika oil on the top and serve,
Recipe Notes

Tips

Be cautious when blending the soup, as it is just off the flame.

Prepping all the chopping previously quickens the cooking time.

Instinct Factor

If I were to rely on my instincts, I would remove the leeks as I did not taste them much and also am not too fond of it and I would be careful while adding creme fraiche, as little portion of it is sufficient, as it can get very rich and dense. Sour cream would probably adapt well here. 

Feel Factor

A really green inviting soup with the fragrance of onions, olive oil, and asparagus. As per the author this also serves as the base for Potato and Leek soup, if you are fond of leeks. The color of the garnishing of the asparagus was perfect and the Spinach Asparagus Soup was extremely welcome on a cold afternoon. A bit of thyme, a bit of parsley, a bit of asparagus and loads of baby spinach,  with the exquisite flavor of smoked paprika oil made this recipe and demonstration a truly unique and delicious experience. And am very happy to share such a wonderful community moment with the broader blog community here!

 

 

Masala Popcorn

Masala Popcorn

Masala Popcorn on a Friday night!  Friday night, often  a movie night in many families happened to be a movie night for me also today!  Masala Popcorn also became my dinner, as many a times when one is alone for a meal, the motivation to cook just vanishes. This interesting recipe  by Vikram Sunderam, the celebrity chef of Rasika tempted me to try it out. Rasika is known for its super quality contemporary Indian cuisine. I have over several occasions had celebration meals at the variety of restaurants under the Rasika group management, and never have we been disappointed!

Popcorn is something I have always enjoyed. Some years back I tasted jalapeño flavored popcorn at Potomac Mills. After tasting this salty and spicy flavor in popcorn, chance of this flavor being on the top flavors are quite likely. 

The recipe was created with the desire to bring the flavor of Chevda, the Indian quintessential snack. As an Indian, we always look for the comfort of the spices and  recreate the taste at the first chance we have. This recipe is truly a creative idea by Vikram, and no wonder this is a popular accompaniment at Rasika Bar. If I get a chance to meet him, I would probably get his autograph on the Recipe book that Rasika has just released it, and which I had the chance to get it on my anniversary. What more can a foodie ask for! 

I enjoyed this uniquely flavored Masala Popcorn while watching a Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma starrer When Harry Met Sejal! Movie review- A plus to Anushka for doing an amazing task of imitating a Gujjuben, and SRK is always at his best for his diehard fan! The masala in the movie was equivalent to  the masala in the popcorn, with  the use of cumin, coriander, curry leaves, chillies and spice level further raised by some red chili powder. 

Masala Popcorn has a nice kick in its flavor, while providing a comfort meal.  A two minute dinner that has all the spices, fiber and is low fat, is an interesting combination for sure. Enjoy your favorite movie, accompanied by Masala Popcorn!

Print Recipe
 Masala Popcorn
Popcorn wit Indian Spices
Masala Popcorn
Course Appetizers
Cook Time 5 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Appetizers
Cook Time 5 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
Masala Popcorn
Instructions
  1. Create the garnish for the popcorn first. Heat the oil in a small saucepan, Once the oil heats, add coriander seeds and asafetida. Lower the flame so that garnish does not over cook.
  2. Once coriander seeds crackle, add cumin seeds. As the cumin seeds brown, add fennel seeds. After few seconds, add the remaining ingredients and remove from flame.
  3. If cooking on gas I suggest creating the garnish first, and then mixing the garnish in the popcorn and then popping it over the stove.
  4. Otherwise, follow the microwave instructions for making the popcorn. Once the popcorn is cooked, add the masala garnish and toss it thoroughly so that the flavor is well integrated in the popcorn.
  5. Enjoy a nice family evening with Masala Popcorn and interesting movie at home!
Recipe Notes

Tips

Recently I came across this Masala flavored Popcorn by Swad having the spices of red chili powder, which might be a good alternative, though I have not tried it.

Instinct Factor

Taste of home is the main instinct factor for most of chefs!

Feel Factor

Masala Popcorn gives a great kick to the flavor of popcorn, For the really  high spice lovers, some finely chopped jalapeño will coat the popcorn well. Low fat tasty alternative to the buttery popcorn, and also possible to have more, as its not so high in calories! I had two servings and enjoyed the fennel, cumin , green chillies and curry flavor in the popcorn. Masala Popcorn while watching movie, made the movie  more enjoyable and memorable!

 

Aloo Gobi Singara Layered Bengali Samosa

Aloo Gobi Singara Layered Bengali Samosa is traditionally known as Aloo Phulkopir Singara in Bengali. When I saw this image on the web, I was fully mesmerized by the flowing layer look atop one of the most famous Indian Snack- Samosas! It just made the samosas climb a new height in my eyes. I had been craving for Samosas and it being Diwali time, in most homes, the best and the most creative dishes are being cooked so was looking for a recipe that satisfied my creativity as well as craving for samosas.

Cauliflower stuffing mixed with the traditional potatoes, gives it a whole new taste and the traditional recipe even mixes in raisins and cashews which I avoided, as did not want a sweet taste in the singara. My exposure to Bengali samosas came from Tewari Brothers near Opera House in Mumbai, whose samosas are just simply amazing and different as they had Chhole filling in their samosas and were fried in ghee. Now interesting point to google would be did Singara came first or the Persian Sambosag

So while searching for that recipe, I came across the Aloo Gobi Singara which was definitely different in taste with an interesting look, so thought why not start the Diwali festivities with a new take on an all time favorite Samosas!! Addition of whole spices of fennel seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds as well as a good amount of aamchur and roasted cumin gives it a good depth and blends the cauliflower and potatoes into a nice tangy, spicy mix, and when fried in ghee, everything just becomes fragrant, My house reminded me of the aroma at Tewari Bros! In West Bengal, singara and samosas are two different items, primarily different in shape as the samosa are more triangular/flatter  and can be filled with many other stuffings, but singara has to have potatoes and cauliflower in their stuffing and are more rounder with greater amount of stuffing inside it. 

Singaras are popular tea time snacks or journey snacks and they were introduced in 13th or 14 century by central Asian traders who brought them along with them to eat and they often originally had meat and other stuffings in it. The Persians called them as Sanbosag, and the Bengalis nicknamed them as singara as it had close resemblance to the Shingoras(Chestnuts). Well that makes the Aloo Gobi Singara Layered Bengali Samosa  an even more apt fall delicacy as it is named after Chestnuts! The taste was great and the shape, texture and crispiness even greater!! The recipe below is a mix of various recipes on Singara on the web, modified to suit my personal taste. It does take some time to take, but then no Diwali/Festivity recipe is without some effort! 

As a Jain I am happy to share this, as its a recipe that only uses half the amount of potatoes, and which easily can be substituted by Green Bananas. The time to cook is slightly more than normal samosas, and one can even try this using pastry dough too!

Happy to share Aloo Gobi Singara Layered Bengali Samosa with you all and wishing everyone a Prosperous Dhan Teras!!

 

 

 

 

Print Recipe
 Aloo Gobi Singara Layered Bengali Samosa
Aloo Gobi Singara Layered Bengali Samosa
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 7 min
Cook Time 1 hour
Passive Time 30 min
Servings
pieces
Ingredients
For the Stuffing
For the Dough
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 7 min
Cook Time 1 hour
Passive Time 30 min
Servings
pieces
Ingredients
For the Stuffing
For the Dough
Instructions
Preparing the Dough
  1. Mix in the flour, salt, carom seeds and oil thoroughly for about five minutes, till you see small lumps can form.
  2. After that add about half the water and combine thoroughly, then add the remaining water and knead the dough into a firm yet pliable consistency, slightly smoother than a pie dough.
  3. Cover with a wet cloth for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Check for the gluten formation, by pressing fingers into the dough. If the dough bounces back, the gluten has formed.
  5. Divide the dough into twelve parts and make round balls.
Preparing of the stuffing
  1. Heat the oil and add the coarsely grounded spices to it. Stir for a minute and then add the minced ginger and green chillies and stir further.
  2. Add cubed potatoes, mix and cover for 3 minutes to cook.
  3. Add cauliflower florets, turmeric powder and cover for 3 minutes and cook further
  4. Add salt , whisk the vegetables and cover and cook for another 5 minutes
  5. Add all the remaining spices and mix in two tbsp coriander, cook for 1 minute and remove from flame and let it cool.
Making Singara
  1. Roll one round ball into oval shape about 6 inches long.
  2. Lightly fold the rolled dough into half and open again.
  3. Cut the oval into half, at the indicated half line present due to light folding.
  4. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife make horizontal cuts across one half of the oval, about 1/2 inch apart, and also leaving a 1/4 inch border. Moisten with water all over the surface of this half
  5. Place the non-serrated/ plain half over the moistened cut/serrated half and align all the edges well.
  6. Bring the flat edged side on the top, curved side on the bottom, and also the cut side should be below, and plain half on the top. This way the cut side will become outer covering and plain side will be the inner side, when you fold the singara.
  7. Moisten the top flat edge with water.
  8. Lift from both the sides to make a V shape and pull one side over the other to close it in a cone shape.
  9. Press firmly where the two sides meet to ensure that it will be a tight bottom cone.
  10. Take 1 tbsp of stuffing and fill the inside of the cone.
  11. Moisten the top open edge of the cone and bring it down horizontally to the lower side in order to close the cone. Make the rest of Singaras in the above manner.
  12. Heat about 3/4 cup ghee in a flat pan.
  13. Once its hot, reduce it to slow flame. Add 4-5 Singaras to fry at a time on a low flame. Because you are frying in ghee, it will take time.
  14. Turn over and fry till they are evenly cooked and have an almond color texture. Remove from flame on to a paper towel to remove excess ghee.
  15. Garnish it with some chat masala and serve hot with tamarind chutney/ green chutney or sauce.
Recipe Notes

Tips

Ensure that the water for the dough is cold, and oil is warmed up. This is crucial to the dough. The consistency of dough is key to having a crispy texture to singara.

If frying in oil, the color of singaras, will be more golden as compared to when frying in ghee. The taste is much better when fried in ghee for sure. Make sure that the strip layer as well as the inside layer are well fried. Frying in ghee will take a little longer then frying in ghee.

Add 1/2 cup of peas for more flavor.

The simpler non layered version will be a much faster version of this!

Instinct Factor

Frying in ghee was an instinct based response, as I remember clearly that Tiwari Bros had an aroma of ghee at their shop and they are known to make everything in pure ghee. Having ghee also reduces acidity!

Feel Factor

Welcoming Diwali with something new, tasty, and as interesting as Aloo Gobi Singara Layered Bengali Samosa is a great way to feel happy about the festive joyous occasion! The tangy taste of the Aloo Gobi and the crispy and crunchy texture with the buttery feel due to frying in ghee, makes it a great festival recipe! It makes it unique and definitely an item when you want to impress someone with your culinary skills, and can be done in the more or less the same amount as when making the traditional samosas! Layered look gives it gourmet look so definitely a recipe to go for when you need some surprise element in your menu and a recipe that delivers!

 

 

 

Instant Poha

Instant Poha

With a busy work life schedule, as an adult or as a freshmen at college, you are always looking for recipes that ease the task of having nutritious meals that can be cooked in shorter span of time. These days my focus is in finding ways to make easy meals that my daughter can quickly make in her college dorm in a microwave.  As a parent, I often worry about the quality of food that a college kid has and so to ease that worry, I send her this dry Instant Poha mix made at home, for her to use it as a breakfast, in between meals or when you are just craving for home cooked meals.

This idea also germinated when we were travelling to Italy this summer, and my mother being a pure Jain, would not have much option to eat out there. So carried this mix over there too, but unfortunately I discovered Italy does not have much prevalence of microwave in hotels hence it became difficult to use this there, But later, I also discovered, that I could have used boiling water and got a similar cooking result as when done in microwave,

It seems using this as a meal when traveling in India is prevalent in southern India, as well as there are a lot of vendors selling this mix in Mumbai Railway stations too. Also recently there are a lot of instant  Poha, Upma, and Pongal Mix from Deep foods, MTR foods also available, All these products got me to make an attempt to try  the Instant mix at home, as I can then control the spice level and the ingredients quality, make it a a fraction of cost then what is available in the Indian Grocery stores. It also gave me the flexibility to make it to suit Jain needs, as the Deep Foods/MTR has onion flakes in it.

Having Poha in the morning is a comfort breakfast for many families including ours. With this Instant Poha mix, my mornings have become even more relaxed! For folks who  can access boiling water on gas, there are resources on web which suggest adding the whole measure of water at one time and cover it and let it sit for 15 minutes with a lid on it. For this option, they suggest that the water should be about  half a centimeter higher than the Instant Mix in a bowl. Unfortunately some college dorm rooms do not have the facility of kitchen, hence the experiment  with microwave based approach.

It took some trial and error but  found the right measure of water and time to cook to get the right consistency of texture and softness of Poha flakes. What I personally like about this recipe, that with very minimal supervision, I can cook it, and it frees me more time on a busy morning work day! The final outcome  of Instant Poha is pretty close to gas cooking so do keep this recipe handy for quick meals, vacation meals, college and lunch meals!

 

Print Recipe
 Instant Poha
Instant Poha
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 3 min
Cook Time 3 min
Passive Time 10 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 3 min
Cook Time 3 min
Passive Time 10 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instant Poha
Instructions
Preparing the Instant Poha Mix
  1. In a flat pan, heat the oil. When the oil becomes warm, add cumin seeds and asafetida. As cumin seeds turn light brown, add chopped chillies, curry leaves, turmeric, fennel seeds and stir on low flame for 10-15 seconds.
  2. Add the poha flakes, salt, citric acid crystals and optional sugar and mix everything on a low flame for two minutes.
  3. Remove from flame and cool completely. Store the Instant Poha Mix in an airtight container or a ziploc bag and it should stay fresh for 3-4 weeks and hence can be pre-made and used later for easy convenient.
Making the Poha from Instant Poha Mix
  1. For 1 measure of Instant Poha Mix, you will need approx 1 measure of water. So I tried with one cup of dry poha mix.
  2. Heat half a cup of water for 1 minute high power in a microwave.
  3. Pour one cup of Instant Poha Mix in a microwavable bowl. Add the warm half cup of water and cover tightly for five minutes.
  4. Heat the remaining half cup of water for a minute, Add half of this warm water(1/4) cup to the Poha and again cover for another 5 minutes. Before adding the second round of water, flufff the rice with a spoon gently.
  5. After five minutes, sprinkle the remaining water , fluff the poha flakes and cook the poha in the microwave for 2 minutes, making sure that the bowl in the microwave is covered with a lid, so that the Poha does not become stiff.
  6. Enjoy the Instant Poha in your college dorm or work kitchen!
Recipe Notes

Tips

If the poha flakes are very thick you will need more water or less water if the poha flakes are very thin,

Add fried peanuts to the mix which will retain its taste over a period of time.

Make sure you clean the poha of any unwanted items , as you will not be able to wash before you prepare the Poha Mix,

Instinct Factor

If making it for next day consumption, one can add boiled peas ,  potatoes, grated carrots to make it more wholesome meal.

Feel Factor

Taste of home for a college kid, a quick lunch meal, and a lazy morning breakfast at home! My husband is happy with this approach as he is always looking for ways to shorten the cooking time of meals! Its a great taste for the time and the ease it provides, so I would definitely use this as a quick meal option.  But for someone who prefer the steam gas cooking, it will fall slightly  short of their expectations, as all flavors will not integrate that well , but you gain some ,you lose some! However the above recipe of Instant Poha is definitely a recipe for when you need to do a cooking without a kitchen or take food when travelling!

 

[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]

Khatta Sandwich Dhokla

Idli and White Dhokla both use similar ingredients, and what I learnt from my visit in India is how to combine the two and make quick Khatta Sandwich Dhokla! India has the luxury of expertise available at comparatively low costs with quite creative talent. The chefs in India who come to cook, probably cover 10-12 kitchens prep and cooking through the day. So they definitely know how to finesse their task and make things work faster for them. One such trick was shared by one such creative chef who comes to our house. Knowing my passion for food and cooking, she suggested I should definitely try her Khatta Sandwich Dhokla from Idli batter. I was so impressed by the outcome, I had to try out this quick, one more easy way of making Dhoklas.

My first challenge was getting the fresh Idli batter in USA, especially when one is living in an area without high concentration of Indians. So decided to try the next best thing, which was the ready Idli Batter available at the grocery stores, viz Shreeji’s Idli Batter. Various other brands are also available, but I did not have much luck with them. Maybe the stock was old, or not well fermented.

After persisting a bit more, was able to arrive at the right consistency and softness in the texture for the Khatta Sandwich Dhokla, What worked was diluting the mixture a bit, and adding a pinch of bicarbonate soda. In a Gujarati household, fresh green chutney is a staple and hence always have a stock of it at home. And adding a layer of this chutney in between, gives it a kick as well as the color. You can even not garnish it, and have them plain, if you are watching calories, and you will find them tasty as well.

Dhokla as people now know it, is actually known as Khaman (Yellow Dhokla) in Gujarat, on which I have blogged earlier Khaman Dhokla from Instant Mix  .The real Dhoklas are the Khatta or White Dhoklas. So enjoy one more version of Dhokla and keep this recipe in mind, if you have left over Idli Batter to fix some snack during the day or for a quick bite in the evening, or just have it for dinner, as a friend of mine did! She tried with fresh Idli batter! Any guess her state of residence? NJ 🙂

Hers came out soft and fluffy without any additions or alterations of the batter dough! Hope you enjoy this quick version of Khatta Sandwich Dhokla especially with the Diwali festivities on the way!

Print Recipe
 Khatta Sandwich Dhokla
White Sandwich Dhokla using Idli Batter
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 3 min
Cook Time 20 min
Passive Time 5 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
For Garnish
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 3 min
Cook Time 20 min
Passive Time 5 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
For Garnish
Instructions
  1. Put the water to boil in Dhokla cooker and grease the Dhokla platter/thali with oil, a little more generously, covering the sides thoroughly too.
  2. Dilute the Idli Batter, by adding 1/2 cup of water and also add bicarbonate soda and mix thoroughly,
  3. Pour apport 1 cup of batter to the platter, cover and steam on high for 10 minutes.
  4. Open and check if the batter is cooked,
  5. Spread the green chutney more generously , bit more than what the picture shows, so as to cover all areas well.
  6. Then top the green chutney layer, with the remaining batter and cover and cook for another 10 minutes on high flame.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare the garnish, by heating the oil in a deep vessel. Add mustard seeds, and wait for it to crackle. Add cumin seeds and wait to to be light brown, then add white sesame seeds, chopped chillies and curry leaves and remove from gas after 10-15 seconds.
  8. Once the second layer of Khatta Sandwich Dhokla batter cooked, open and spread the garnish evenly all over and cover and let it cook further for 3-4 minutes.
  9. Make square or diamond cuts and serve with extra chutney, sauce or have it plain and you will enjoy the warm soft texture of Khatta Sandwich Dhokla!
Recipe Notes

Tips

Ensure that the consistency of the batter is dropping consistency.

You can also add ginger chillies paste in the mix to make it more spicier.

When the dhokla  leaves the edges of the thali/platter,  it indicates that it is nicely cooked. Other way of checking is to insert a knife/fork and check for the firmness/cooking of the batter.

If you want to try an instant mix variation, check out another post on  Khaman Dhokla Instant Mix Recipe

Instinct Factor

Persistence and instinct plays a great role in getting things right!

You can variate different types of chutneys for exploring different flavors. I might do with Guacamole filling to try something new with a twist!

Feel Factor

For a Gujarati household, another way of  making  Dhoklas  is always appealing and I have the chef back in India to thank for! The texture is soft and the layer of chutney makes it interesting and spicy. I cannot wait to explore this with the fresh homemade idli batter and am positive that will turn out even more fluffier and tastier! Morning breakfast got a new item on the menu! Plan to post the instant mix recipe of White Dhokla soon too, as this has been my way of making quick dependable tasty Dhoklas for all these years! Enjoy the upcoming festivities of Diwali with delicious foods of all kinds!

 

 

 

[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]

Govind Gatte Stuffed Dumplings in Tomato Gravy

Govind Gatte Stuffed dumplings in tomato gravy

The festival of colors Holi,which just went by is celebrated with much fanfare in the land of Rajasthan. My imagination takes flight and I imagine the royals of the land playing with colors in their elaborate costumes  and the exquisite castles filled with colorful dresses and colorful faces. At such festive occasions, the royal chefs must be busy cooking and inventing royal dishes.  and the courtyard maybe filled with  delicious sweets and snacks! One such royal dish is Govind Gatte Stuffed Dumplings in Tomato Gravy, a rich dumpling  gravy based entree, filled with richness of cashews, raisins and paneer. There is the ordinary Gatte recipe popularly known as Gatte Ki Subzi whose recipe I blogged earlier. The version detailed today is for those special moments and occasion to make them more memorable.

Differentiation between the two recipes relate to the shape, stuffing and the gravy, This is festive so it has been depicted in a triangle form, with stuffing and in a tomato yogurt gravy. It is softer and since they are blanched and fried, one can relish them as side snacks too!

The festive occasion at our end besides being HOLI was also a milestone birthday celebration, so found the perfect opportunity to try out Govind Gatte.  If short on time, the round shape gate is a which is a quicker shape for sure. The gravy has a nice tangy flavor and  one gets a similarity to malai kofta gravy and texture. This can be also cooked on aatham/chaudas menu of the Jain tithi and including this will make the menu more festive and royal for the guests and family.

Personally I enjoyed the kauri methi , raisins and cashew flavor in the Govind Gatte and the yogurt tomato mix gravy. Cone shape of Gatte make it so very festive and colorful and the perfect dish of color, taste and texture from the land of royals and color. The good part is one can make the uncooked Gatte in advance for a day or two and then cook them as desired. Alternatively fry them and have them as snacks with tea and they are really delicious to eat alone too! I am sure the person for whom this was made must be named Govind, and must be a well loved royal to have a dish on his name, from Jodhpur.

Enjoy the festivities and the richness that are ever present in the Indiau cuisine with Govind Gatte Stuffed Dumplings in Tomato Gravy!

Print Recipe
 Govind Gatte Stuffed Dumplings in Tomato Gravy
A chickpea flour recipe of stuffed dumplings in a yogurt based gravy
Govind Gatte Stuffed dumplings in tomato gravy
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 min
Cook Time 30 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
For the Stuffing
For the Gravy
For the dough
Making of Gatte
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 10 min
Cook Time 30 min
Servings
people
Ingredients
For the Stuffing
For the Gravy
For the dough
Making of Gatte
Govind Gatte Stuffed dumplings in tomato gravy
Instructions
For making the stuffing
  1. Heat the ghee and add cashews and saute for 20 seconds, add raisins and saute for 30 seconds, add paneer, salt and chill powder and further saute for 40 seconds and remove from flame.
For making Gatte
  1. Mix all the ingredients and taste for spice and salt levels. Bind all the ingredients into a smooth dough.If need more water for dough add yogurt.
  2. Roll the dough into a long cylinder shape.
  3. Cut about 1/4 inch pieces of the dough. I was able to make about 22-23 pieces
  4. Make a ball of each piece and flatten it a bit between the palms and afterwards use the fingers to pat it and make it a little bigger. Fill about 1/2 tsp of the stuffing on it.
  5. Fold the edges of the dough inwards and make a con shape. If it s not easy to fold in a cone shape, first make a ball and then make a cone shape. Alternatively you can leave them as balls too. But typically this being royal, the cone shape associated was to make it extra ordinary.
  6. Boil about 3/4 liters of water and add salt, yogurt and ghee. Add the cone gatte to it, ensuring that the quantity of water is sufficient for it to be submerged completely.
  7. Boil the gatte for about 10-11 minutes till they are completely cooked and rise to the top.
  8. While the gate are boiling heat the oil in a pan, once it warms up, keep it on a low flame. As soon as the gatte are cooked, instantly drop them into the oil for frying.Once they are light beige in color, remove from oil and cool.
Making the gravy
  1. Heat the oil and asafetida, dried red chillies and cumin seeds and allow the seeds to get slightly brown. Add fennel seeds, coriander powder, chill powder,salt and sauté the ingredients on a low flame for about a minute till you get the roasted aroma of the chickpea flour.
  2. Add yogurt and continue to simmer the gravy stirring continuously as otherwise the yogurt will break.
  3. Once the oil starts separating out, add the Govind Gatte to the gravy and simmer on low flame for about 10 minutes, and add about a cup of water, so that the gravy does not thicken too much while its cooking.
  4. Remove from flame and serve immediately or before serving add some water to keep the consistency fluid and then warm and serve with bread, rice or puri
  5. Enjoy the royal feast at home with this royal dish of Govind Gatte, accompanied here with Puri, Dahivada, Moong and Kadhi. All items of a Jain aatham chaudas 🙂
Recipe Notes

Tips

The original recipe has mava powder which I replaced it with paneer,as I feel paneer is more healthier and tastier.

If you like kasuri methi, sprinkle about a tsp of methi powder in the gravy while warming before serving.

Instinct Factor

Getting the cone shape could be challenging so ensure that flatten ball of the dough is not too thin, as otherwise it will break while frying or steaming.

Feel Factor

Even though the list of ingredients are way too many, the making of the dish is relatively simple and it just fill your home with aroma of spices and one can easily fall in love with the crispy fried Govind Gatte as snack or the crisp yet soft Govind Gatte in the tangy tomato yogurt gravy. I have found another jewel of the Rajasthani cuisine that promises to be on our list of enchanting flavorful recipes.

 

 

 

[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]