Gatte Ki Sabzi Recipe: I don’t think, there is anything more diverse and colorful than the world of food! Every city, every little corner of the world has something unique to offer. Rajasthan for centuries together was, and even now is a seat to royal culture. Added to that, the brave and hardy people of Rajasthan have left their own signature mark on the history of this country. Naturally, their food is a direct reflection of their colorful and robust culture!
The food of Rajasthan has a distinctly different ingredient base and naturally very different flavor. Being a desert, hardy crops are grown in Rajasthan, bajra, chickpea etc. Added to this, the vagabond lifestyle of the Rajasthani folk, made it necessary to make food that would use the locally sourced ingredients and would still stay good for days together. This is the reason many Rajasthani dishes use a variety of pulses, flours, and robust spices!
One of the may favorite Rajasthani dishes is their Gatte ki Sabzi. It is basically steamed chickpea dumplings cooked in a yogurt based gravy. It is usually cooked in two ways. The first one is the simple yogurt gravy and the other one involves the use of tomatoes and onion to give a tang to the curry.
I am listing down the classic,yogurt based gravy. Something that will bring the flavor of Rajasthan to your plates 🙂
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Making Gatte :
- 1 cup Chickpea Flour or Maida (Coarse Ground Variety preferred)
- A small teaspoon ginger garlic paste (optional)
- Salt to Taste
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ajwain / Carrom Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi (Optional )
- 1/3 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
For Making the Gatte :
In a bowl take all the above-mentioned ingredients. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix well. Next, add cold water and make a dough out of the chickpea flour.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes in the fridge. After 10 minutes take it out and roll it not 1/2 inch thick sausage rolls. Meanwhile, put water to boil in a heavy bottomed pan.
Once the water has come to a boil and is bubbling, add these chickpea dumplings carefully to it. Allow the dumpling to get boiled for a good 7-8 minutes. You can judge they are done by inserting a fork in one of them. It should come out clean. Generally the dumplings should not break at all while boiling. Once done, remove the gate to a plate. Don’t throw this water away. This will be the base of the gravy later. Cut the gate into small rolls and fry in regular oil. This will ensure they are nice an crisp and cooked all the way through. Remove them on a paper towel.
For Making the Gatte Gravy :
In the remaining oil of the skillet, add 2-3 full dried red chilies and a teaspoon of Mustard seeds. Allow them to pop. I then simply add the water in which the dumplings were boiled.
Next, in a bowl, I mix 1 cup of curd/ yogurt which is beaten. To this, I add all the spices- half teaspoon turmeric, half teaspoon red chili powder, salt to taste and a teaspoon of chickpea flour or besan. This will give me a thick gravy and prevent the curd from getting split. I lower the heat to a simmer and after 2 minutes add the yogurt base. Continue to stir until the first boil comes. Once the first boil is done, feel free to let it boil away to glory 😛
After the first boil, I add the gate or chickpea dumplings. Allow the gravy to boil till it leaves oil and begins to thicken. Since this gravy continues to thicken while cooling, I suggest you turn the heat off while it is still runny and not the perfect consistency. You achieve the desired consistency in 5-6 minutes, without heat.
For Tempering :
In your tempering /tadke wall pan, add a teaspoon of desi ghee/clarified butter, a teaspoon of jeera /cumin seeds,1 pinch asafoetida or Hing and half a teaspoon of red chili powder. Heat to melt the oil and jeera or cumins needs to crackle. Pour this over the ready gatte ki sabzi. This tempering will take the gravy over the edge 🙂
Enjoy this flavorsome dish with steamed rice or chapatis. Let me know how it turned out for you 🙂 As always I would love to see the pictures of your dish on Instagram and twitter !! Don’t forget to tag glossy.polish /glossy_polish respectively 😉