Rajasthani Gatte Ki Sabzi

Gatte Ki Sabzi is a Rajasthani delicacy that my brother, and I were introduced to by our next door neighbor "Aunty," back in school days. Whenever she would make it, which seemed like pretty much every day, she would give us some, and it was so delicious, that we would literally gobble it all up within minutes! And then of course, our mom learned the recipe, and she would make it for us. And now I know how to make it too. Sadly, neither my kids, nor my husband really care for it, therefore I don't cook it very often. The only time I get to make it is if my brother happens to visit, which he did, a couple days ago.

Before I start off with the recipe, to those of you who may be unfamiliar with this dish, Gatte ki Sabzi is basically chickpea dumplings in a mildly spicy, tangy, yogurt based sauce. Can be eaten with Indian bread, or plain simple rice. This is not one of those quick recipes, so gotta give yourself at least an hour. Also, be warned that the gatta/chickpea dumpling making can get a bit messy. Typically the gattas, or the dumplings are shaped like sausages, but I like to shape them into discs. More about the shape towards the end.

The Gattas/Chickpea dumplings: 

You need: 

Besan (chickpea flour): If this is your first time, I'd start off with a cup and a half besan. Once you have figured out how to deal with this, you can increase the quantity.

Salt per taste

Red Chili powder- per your heat level

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Garam Masala powder (or coriander powder+cumin powder)- 1/2-1 tsp

1 teaspoon ghee/Clarified butter or a couple teaspoons of oil

Water to mix- you will need maybe 1/4 cup, or even lesser.

Gatta making: 

1. Mix up all the dry ingredients, followed by ghee, and then start adding water, in small quantities. As you add the water, start mixing the dough with your fingers (like you would knead dough for rotis/chapatis or pizza). Yes, it'll start sticking to your fingers, but be patient- use a butter knife to sort of scrape off the gooey dough off your fingers. This is how it'll look once everything is mixed:

Sticky mess! Not to worry! 

2. Then spoon in some oil on your other (clean) palm, and start making balls with the dough.

Ghatta on its way!

3. I would stop here, but if you prefer the sausage shape, you can go right ahead, and keep rolling until you get your desired shape.

Gatta 

4. Finish making all the gattas, like so:

Gattas ready to be cooked

Cooking the Gattas:

Now that the gattas are ready, they need to be cooked.

1. Pour some water (enough to hold all the gattas) into a pot/pan, and bring the water to a boil.

2. As the water starts boiling, start adding the gattas very gently, one by one into the boiling water. And reduce the heat a tad bit, and let them all cook for about 7-10 minutes.

Gattas cooking 

3. After they have cooked (you can check by cutting up a gatta- if it is hard, you know it is done), remove them from the water, and set them aside to cool. Don't be put off by the color- it'll come back! And do not discard that water- you will get to use it in the sauce. It has all the flavor!

Cooked gattas

4. After they have cooled off a bit, you can either leave them the way they are, or, if you prefer smaller pieces, like I do, just cut them up into whatever size you like. And see, the color comes back!

Gattas cut up into smaller pieces 

Phew! The major part of the cooking is done! The next part will take only about 15-20 minutes.

The Sauce:

1. Take about 1/2 a cup of yogurt, and whip it so it is nice and smooth.

Yogurt

2. Chop some onion, green chilies, garlic, grate some ginger. In a frying pan/pot/kadhai (wok), pour in a few teaspoons of oil. Get the heat going.

3. Temper some cumin seeds, and then throw in the chopped aromatics, fry until it is done.

4. Then add the cooked gattas into this, and stir fry it all. Add salt to taste, a pinch of turmeric powder, some red chili powder, if you so desire, followed by that water that you saved after cooking the gattas. Don't add all the water- just enough to cover everything. I like to add a chopped tomato, though the traditional recipe doesn't really call for it.

5. Finally fold in the yogurt. And stir everything.

Looks yum already! 

6. And now just simmer it, until ready to be served! Well, don't simmer it too long, though- because the more you heat it, the thicker the sauce becomes, because of the chickpea flour in the gattas. Make sense? So once you have achieved the desired consistency, you can switch off the stove.

Serve over a bed of jeera (cumin) rice, or alongside some rotis/parathas (Indian bread). Mmm mmm!

Gatte ki Sabzi

The Bizarre aspect: 

To a first-timer, gatte ki sabzi might appear a bit off-putting- especially if the gattas are shaped like sausages. I am trying hard not to say this-- but OK, I'll just go right ahead and say it- you might think it looks like turd curry! But give it a try- be open, you will like it! I'm pretty sure Andrew Zimmern would love to try this one. It is definitely not as bizarre as most of the foods he gets to eat on his show, but it could still pass off as bizarre, because of its appearance.

Final Note: Before I sign off, I'd like to point out that this dish is very diabetic friendly, because of all that chickpea flour.

Foodie's Garden

We finally get to see some sunshine here! In preparation for those summer BBQs, and well, just because I love nature, I have started putting my personal touch to our lovely backyard. The good thing is that there was already a lawn, and some plants, when we moved in. So all I'm really doing is prettying it up. Eventually, I hope to grow some vegetables as well. Hey, a foodie has got to grow her own vegetables!

Since I also like clicking photos-- here, do check out some pictures that I put up on my Facebook page. 

Looking forward to some much-needed sunny days!!

Exclusive Culinary Experience, anybody?

Most of us, Seattleites, are familiar with  Full Circle. They launched their Farm Dinner Sweepstakes last week. 5 lucky winners will win 2 tickets (a $400 value!) to an Outstanding in The Field event. The event consists of an exclusive culinary experience, in an exquisite setting. I believe a local chef will prepare some beautiful food, with all local, and organic ingredients. The idea is to connect us with our food source, and to honor our local farmers and artisans who cultivate it.

Here is the link to their entry form: http://info.fullcircle.com/hs/farm-dinner-sweepstakes.

The last date to enter is May 15th 2013.

And I'm off to starting this new month by entering this sweepstakes. I wouldn't want to miss this! I wonder if writing about this has increased my chances of winning!? I hope the folks at Full Circle are reading this! ;)

Birthday Loot!

March 20th happens to be not only the first day of Spring, but my birthday too! Go on, wish me a Happy Birthday! Blow those party horns now, will ya?! ;)

The husband (and the kids) got me an excellent gift this year- a  Mod Pizza gift card! I was so delighted! I don't remember screaming out this way when I got those gizmo gifts, or that salon gift card in the previous years.... this time, he nailed it! Ever since they opened Mod Pizza here in our neighborhood, pizza nights have never been the same. Mod pizza simply rocks! Their 10 signature pizzas are not your typical kind that you find in other pizza places, well, except for maybe the classic cheese, and perhaps the Mad Dog. They actually have legit (I'm using my kids' lingo now!) pesto for a topping! Check out their menu, and you'll see what I'm saying. The best part is that all their regular pizzas are just under 7 bucks, and you can choose whatever toppings you want.

So my birthday lunch today was a beautiful Tristan, topped with mozzarella, asiago, marinated roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and pesto. I also asked for red onions, black olives, artichokes, and grilled chicken. That's correct, a 9-topping pizza, all for under 7 bucks! Pretty sweet deal!

My birthday gift ;) 

The Tristan, with 4 extra toppings- yumm!

My next birthday gift came from my brother, and sister in law, and I will call this the ghost pepper gone wild! I don't think I will ever find the need to buy any more crazy hot sauces ever again!! Look at this collection! There is also a packet of dried crushed ghost pepper, that I transferred into a spice grinder, that came with it all. My eyes are still watering...... that is how strong this stuff is!!! What an overly thoughtful gift!!

Ghost Pepper Gone Wild!

Definitely a fantastic birthday loot for this crazy spice-loving foodie!

Pre-Spring guest blogging

I got to guest blog for Full Circle again! This time on the Top 10 Spring Ingredients to look forward to. You know, there are no "real" Spring veggies or fruits now a days- I mean, you get all of it, all year round! Except, perhaps those fresh green peas, and garlic spears. Anyway, here is the link, and please note, that the picture at the very beginning, the picture of the garlic spears, and the kumquat picture, were all taken by yours truly.....

http://hub.am/WTC0QG

And tomorrow, March 20th is officially the 1st Day of Spring! Yeah!!

Not your ordinary french fries!!

Here's a neat recipe for Sweet Potato fries, that my family loves, and of course, I love! 

Yes, yes, I know, that seems to be a very matter-of-fact start to this post..... so, here, a few words on the very cool Sweet Potato: Literally a super-food, packed with a ton of vitamins, and fiber. Check out some facts on this awesome site! I also read that it has a pretty low glycemic index (GI), like 17 or something, as compared to a regular potato, that has a GI of 29. Yeah, hard to believe, what with the two taboo words for a diabetic- Sweet & Potato! And no, I am not yet a diabetic, but there are a fair number of diabetics in the immediate family...... and therefore just a bit more alert....... 

And here is that recipe: 

You Need:

1. Sweet Potatoes (as many as you want!)

2. Seasoning- such as salt, pepper, herbs, garlic powder (or some crushed garlic)

3. A drizzle of oil

Super-food!

What you do: 

1. Prep the sweet potato(es) by washing, and then chopping, with skin on please, in any way you want. Since we are talking french fries, I just try to julienne--- though, I don't do a very uniform job of it, and so here's what I get:

Look at that color!

2. I spread this on a baking sheet, season it all, and drizzle some oil, and give it a quick mix, so as to get  the seasoning and oil all over.

All seasoned up, and ready to go into the oven

3. I place this in a pre-heated oven set to 375 degrees F, and bake for approximately 15 minutes first. Then I remove it from the oven, mix it all up once more, and pop one in my mouth, to taste. Hey, you gotta do that! And then throw it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

And you got yourself some beautiful french fries! Eat them plain, or with ketchup, or alongside a nice, juicy burger!

Sweet Potato French Fries! YUM! 

Oh yeah!!! 

The best thing about this is that you can make it any weeknight-- it is so easy to make. And no hassle of frying, and making a big mess either. Oh, and did I say, way healthier than that 99 cent bag of fries from that fast food place near where you live!! There, that should inspire you to try this tonight!

The Surprise- Successful! The Green Goop- Sheer Disaster!

Our man turned 40 on the 11th! We threw him a surprise birthday bash, and a successful one, to boot! The planning started before the holidays, that included reaching out to his old buddies from college, and trying to get them to send in birthday video messages for him. I must say that he has some pretty awesome buddies, so much so that I almost feel jealous!! With the help of iMovie (of course!), we made a decent display of pictures, and buddy messages, that blew our man away. And thanks to all our dear friends, for making it so special and memorable!

Here's the cake we got for him. Err, the cake decorator perhaps needs a lesson on punctuation.....

The Birthday Cake!

Now surprises can be quite stressful, really! I mean, for starters, the number 1 rule is that you gotta shut up. And for some of us, this can be a bit of a challenge. The next rule revolves around all the arrangements you make. You have to make sure you hide everything from the surprisee (is that even a valid word?). In this case, that was actually not an issue, because our man here is not really into the affairs of the kitchen, so that really worked out well.

The Menu: 

His favorite Indian dishes of course, including egg curry, dal (lentils), and rotis (Indian bread). I asked a friend if she could make tindora (ivy gourd) or okra stir fry (yep, he quite likes these two vegetables!), and she was very kind to offer to make the tindora fry. Perfect menu, I thought.

And then:

I got this great idea that hmm, that might not be enough, and perhaps I ought to make one more dish, for some of the people who might not like to eat the egg curry. Fair enough!

And so: 

I started making my special saag-paneer (spinach and other greens with Indian cottage cheese). I've made it a gazillion times before, and each time it has been delicious, with that awesome green color. Here, you can go check it out yourself: Saag Paneer.

So yeah, pretty good looking, and tasty, right? Wrong!

The Green Goop Fiasco:

Just as everything was going perfectly well with the greens, our man called, saying he was on his way back home from work. That would have been such a delightful thing to hear on any other day, considering the fact that I am married to a workaholic, but not at that moment, when I was preparing stuff for his surprise birthday bash! That was it- I got into this frantic rush mode, and my brain kept telling me, forget it, don't do this, it is OK, just cool it, take it easy.... but I just wouldn't listen to myself! Now normally it would have been a breeze for me to repair that stuff, and make it, if not look good, taste good, but that was not possible in that particular situation, as there was no time! The end result was this very uninviting, horrendous, green goop.

The Disastrous Green Goop!

Oh Well!:

The surprise was a super success, and I know that our man was super touched. Everybody had fun. BUT you know, for a pretty good cook like me (hey, I have some bragging rights in that department!), the saag paneer was below mediocre, with this horrible pasty consistency, and gross green color, and I am disappointed......... everybody was very polite, but quietly stayed away from that pot of the green goop. Yes, very sad indeed!

Sunday Lunch:

Since we have that entire pot of saag paneer lying in the refrigerator, and I really don't feel like throwing it into yard waste, I think I am going to repair it, and make it taste good. I know I can't do anything about the consistency or the off-green color, but I can definitely pump up the taste. So here's to Sunday lunch!

Notes to Self:

1. I don't have to try to please everybody.

2. I mustn't unnecessarily add to a perfectly set menu.

3. I should be happy to know that the main person I did this for is happy! And that is all that matters!

HOWEVER: 

1. I do like to please everybody!

2. It is OK to add to a perfectly set menu, sometimes!

3. Yes, I am happy that the main person I did this for is happy, but I'd like everybody to be happy!

Therefore:

I shall reinstate myself the next time around, and that is a promise to myself!

Inner Voice: 

Uh, I need to chill!!