Gatte Ki Kadhi

Past few days, one gets a feeling of crisp autumn air if one is up and awake early in the morning, but it quickly subsides during the day time and more so, if it’s sunny and bright. That nudge of coldness is very short lived and which I like to dismiss it with a cup of “garam chai” in early mornings everyday now. Tea-lovers need excuses to indulge in tea drinking, don't they?

As schools have started here, and with that daily routine phase has also started, and which makes the early mornings little busy for us and yes probably same with most of you all people as well.

I sometimes wonder how we plan for holidays long before it has even started and before we could realize it’s almost finished, and good things always comes to end early. But that full fling autumn yet hasn't arrived in our part of the world. Yesterday while we were out and walking towards the school, I noticed, just a hint on some of the tree leaves, changing colour, a kind of faint yellow tinge. That puts the child in me all becoming excited. I showed that to my daughter, and she excitedly pointed some other parts where colour was changing and leaves were little wilted or drying up. Now that early signs of autumn have showed, this has put us all waiting for the famous autumn season in this part of the world.

I remember there were times when ever my mother was not feeling well or was not into cooking full time meals, she used to make kadhi a lot, which was kind of, so unlike happening in other Bengali homes. And mind you “kadhi –chawal” itself is a complete meal, and if you can add with some "rajma curry", it becomes incomparable- me thinks so . She also made Rajma curry when ever she would cook kadhi.And pressure cooker came very handy for that quick whistle, actually her rajma curry was plain and simple even without sometimes tarka/tempering of onions+garlic .A desi ghee tarka with some ginger and tomatoes+cumin seeds, kind of basic dal like consistency for rajma curry and it still was delicious. When she would serve us, kadhi, and rajma –chawal, I can’t explain the magic it had on me. I had chick peas so made a rasa aloo-kabuli chana ki sabzi, with out onions+garlic tempering- what worked as tempering was cumin seeds+hing+ginger+tej patta and some dry red pepper, I had to add potatoes +tomatoes as this gives nice texture to the gravy. There is no special recipe for aloo-kabuli chana, and every home has its version. 

                   

                             (  Gatte ki Kadhi, Aloo-choley ki sabzi -potato chick pea curry , sweet potato fry, dahi- dhaniya patte ke pakode,matar-rice,  chutney and papad - A vegetarian meal ) 

If you like these basic versions then go ahead and try it. And I happen to cook with small new potatoes as in this season you can get plenty of new potatoes.

The recipe for “kadhi” that is shared now is her version – my only contribution is addition of Rajasthani gatte- steamed besan gatte– “Steamed and cooked Bengal gram flour logs” .And I really don’t know if “Rajasthani gate ki kadhi” is made this way or not. Experts out there, now enlighten me.
Anyhow my mother believes in, to cook with what ever ingredients she has in her pantry. I have also followed this mantra, till to this day, although I must say her pantry, still is much more varied than mine is.

I would like to assume that the spice rack of a typical Upian or a Punjabi is slightly different than the spice rack of a typical Bengali is, considering all that cooking nuisances or techniques involved. But we do store the basic spice ingredients as each to us, right, and I would say stick to that basic pantry for spices and it will still work out in your favour.

Now to Gatte ki kadhi

Gatte ki Kadhi

Recipe requirements

For the gatte- besan gram flour boiled and cooked logs

• 2 cups of besan-Bengal gram flour
• 1-2 tsp of yogurt
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• 2-3 generous pinch of hing
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2-3 tsp of cooking oil

Knead the flour with little water,yogurt, salt+ red pepper powder just like you would normally do with atta dough but I would suggest grease your palms with some oil and knead well as the dough is well sticky to work with. Keep aside for half an hour. Now divide the dough into 6-7 portions and then roll them into small logs of 3 to 4 inch in length, again applying generous oil all over it.

Put a big saucepan with ample amount of water about 7-8 cups of water.Add in salt about half a tsp.Let it come to strong boil. Now gently release “gattas” in to this boiling water. Let it cook for about 8-10 mints or till they looks little faded and colourless.

For the yogurt gravy or kadhi

• 2 cups of yogurt- I prefer thick yogurt like Greek style
• 1-2 tbs of besan – Bengal gram flour
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• ¼ tsp of turmeric powder

For the tempering

• 2-3 cloves
• 2-3 tej patta/bay leaves
• Some dalchini /cinnamon sticks
• 2-3 green cardamom
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• ½ tsp of methi – fenugreek seeds
• ½ tsp of saunf-fennel seeds
• 2-3 generous pinch of hing- asfoetida
• 2 green chillies slit in between
• 3-4 tbs of desi ghee or any other cooking oil

Method

• Fry the "Gatte" pieces in some oil so that they turn brownish, be careful they don’t break apart.Take them out and drain the excess oil over kitchen towels.Some even don’t like to fry the boiled “gattas”.Do whatever suits you.
• Heat up a saucepan, add in desi ghee. Now do the “tarka “-tempering – add in cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds and tej patta.Add in 2-3 dry red pepper crushed.Add all the whole garam masala-cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.
• Now add in 1 cup of water to 2 cups of dahi/yogurt. Some like it sour curd- “khatti dahi” but we generally don’t like to use sour curd or dahi which is two or three days old. But personally I have always made kadhi with fresh yogurt.Mix in red pepper powder+turmeric powder and salt to it.Add in slit green chillies.
• Now dissolve 2 tbs of besan in to it, mix and stir well so that no lumps are formed.
• Now put all this content – yogurt+besan+water mixture in a saucepan, mix well and check if no lumps are formed. To this yogurt mixture, add the cooked and fried “gatte” and then add in the tempering that you did above.
• Mix well and again transfer this saucepan over heat and let it cook for further 2-3 mints at med-high flame. I prefer to do the tarka when it’s not cooking over flame; once I do the tarka I generally shift the saucepan over stove-top and then let it simmer for few mints or until tarka is mixed well with the dahi mixture.Take it off when you feel the gravy has slowly started to become little bit thick or if you prefer a runny kadhi then you may add in warm water to dilute the gravy.But please then adjust salt and red pepper powder for spice and hotness.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Note-

To my best of knowledge- Punjabi Kadhi is slightly different from Uttar Pradesh kadhi and so is different from Rajasthani or Sindhi Kadhi.Above recipe that I share here is what I have seen my mother do and that was long ago. The basic ingredients or procedure I remembered and followed, perhaps this may sound little modified version as over these years,even I try to cook according to our taste buds.Please adjust the spice level according to ones preference.

Happy Cooking Friends