Zealver Clubs

Gatte ki sabzi

Reviewed by Dr Namrata Bagaria, MBBS, MPH (Harvard)Last reviewed

Main Serves 3 35 minutes

Rajasthani cooking worked out long ago how to eat well without fresh vegetables, and gatte is the best example. Gram flour dumplings in a curd gravy, made from two things that keep in any kitchen.

Worth being accurate about what it gives you. Gram flour is roughly a fifth protein and well over half carbohydrate, so this is not a protein dish in the way that dal, paneer or soya chunks are. It carries useful protein for something made of flour, and the curd adds more. Treat it as a good main rather than a protein source.

The traditional version fries the gatte. Boiling or steaming them works just as well, keeps the dish considerably lighter, and makes it a good deal softer to eat.

Ingredients

For the gatte

  • 1 cup gram flour (besan)
  • 2 tbsp curd
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp ajwain
  • Salt to taste

For the gravy

  • 1 cup curd, whisked smooth
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Chopped coriander

Method

  1. 1

    Mix all the gatte ingredients into a firm dough with a very little water. It should hold together and not be sticky.

  2. 2

    Roll into thin logs about the thickness of a finger. Boil them in water for twelve to fifteen minutes until they float and feel firm. Lift out, cool, and cut into pieces. Keep the cooking water.

  3. 3

    Heat the oil, add cumin, then onion, and cook until golden. Add the ginger garlic paste and the dry spices with a splash of water so they do not burn.

  4. 4

    Take the pan off the heat for a moment. Add the whisked curd slowly, stirring constantly. Return to low heat and keep stirring until it comes together. This is where it splits if you rush it.

  5. 5

    Add the gatte and a cup of the reserved cooking water, simmer for five minutes, and finish with coriander.

Good to know

  • The curd must go in off the heat and be stirred continuously. Adding cold curd to a hot pan is how it curdles.
  • The gatte cooking water is full of flavour. Use it for the gravy rather than plain water.
  • Boiled rather than fried keeps this light enough to eat on an ordinary evening rather than only at a wedding.
  • Because the besan is mostly carbohydrate, keep the roti to one and add a bowl of curd or a dal alongside if this is the main dish of the day.

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