You will be amazed that a curry that tastes so good is made with a handful of ingredients found in your pantry. Plus this recipe is made without onion and garlic and is a great option on the menu if you run out of fresh vegetables. As there are no onion and garlic used, this recipe is ideal for Jains. They can make in Chaumasa, tithis, and paryushan as well. It can be served with roti, paratha, bhakri, naan, or plain steamed rice. Paryushan, a Jain festival, is around the corner. And I have planned a few recipes to share with you all. For those who don’t know, Paryushan is the most important Jain religious observance of the year. For both Shvetambars, who observe the festival for eight days, and Digambars, for whom Paryushan Parva lasts 10 days, this is a time of intensive study, reflection, and purification. It is a celebration of spiritual awareness. During this festival, Jains do not eat root vegetables, fresh veggies, green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, lime/ lemon, leftovers, or fermented foods. We eat fresh, mindful, and satvik meals. Fasting is an essential part of Paryushan. Some fast during the entire period of paryushan and some fast only on the first and last day. Fasting which is giving up on foods may not be possible for everyone. So we try to eat simple foods with pulses and dals. If you are struggling with recipe ideas, or can’t figure out what to make I will try to help by sharing a few recipes. So I will start with Gatte Ki Sabji which is a very popular delicacy from the state of India, Rajasthan. It is a delicious dish prepared with gram flour (besan) as the base ingredient, curd, and basic spices. So here ‘Gatte’ refers to cooked and spiced gram flour dumplings, which are then dunked into spicy curd gravy. This sabji is also known as besan ke gatte and is an authentic dish from Rajasthani cuisine. The popularity of gatte ki sabzi or Gatta curry has now widely spread beyond Rajasthan to other parts of India, even in many other countries. Gatte Ki Sabzi is a great alternative for those days when you have no veggies in your refrigerator. This curry is also known for its simplicity as it is made with very minimal ingredients and spices. Many make this sabji with onion and garlic. But since I made it for the paryushan, I have not added onion and garlic. Making the gatte ki sabji takes some time but is not difficult. You might be thinking that making besan gatta is tricky. But trust me it’s not. It’s not rocket science. With this recipe, you can get a soft gatte that does not become hard or dense after cooking.
Ingredients required
Step-by-step process
Making Dough For Gatte
Coarsely crush the cumin seeds, carom seeds, and coriander seeds. Keep it aside. (image 1)In a large bowl or a plate, take gram flour (Besan). Make sure you sieve the besan well before making the dough.Now add crushed cumin seeds, carom seeds (ajwain), and coriander seeds. Then add salt, chili powder, hing, turmeric powder, and ghee. (image 2 and 3)Mix everything very well. Make sure that the ghee is mixed evenly.Then add warm water one tablespoon at a time and begin to knead. Knead very well allowing the besan to absorb water. Overall knead the dough for 5 to 6 minutes. (image 4)You will need 3 to 4 tablespoons of water. The addition of water will depend on the type of flour.Prepare a medium soft dough like a poori/paratha dough. It should be easy to roll and shape without applying too much pressure. You should not see cracks in the dough. (image 5)Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. (image 6)
Cooking Gatte
Before making the gatte, take water in a pan or pot. Heat the water on a medium-high flame. (image 8)Divide the besan dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each part to a smooth ball.Now with your fingers and palms, roll each dough ball to a cylindrical shape. The roll size should be around 5-inch long. (Image 7)Do this with all the remaining 3 dough balls.Note – if your pan/pot is smaller, slice each dough piece in two to three parts so that they can fit easily in the pot/pan.Once the water comes to a boil, gently place each gatte log in the hot boiling water. Boil the gatta for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the gatte log float on top. (Image 9)Once cooked, the gatta logs will develop blisters on the outside and turn much lighter in color. This means that they are cooked. (Image 10)Note – The cooking time of the gatta will depend on how thick the gatta log is.Take out the gattas in a bowl with the help of a slotted spoon. Take out 1 cup of boiled water too and add it to the gatta bowl. This will ensure that the gattas remain soft throughout and won’t dry. Do not discard the rest of the water. We will use some water in making the gravy. (image 11)Let the gatta cool down a little bit. Once they are cool enough to handle, cut them into ⅓ inch disc. (Image 12)
Making Gravy For Gatte Ki Sabji
Whisk curd till smooth. Keep aside.Heat ghee in another pan. Keep flame to a low. (image 13)Add hing, chili powder, cumin-coriander powder, salt, and turmeric powder. Saute for 5 to 6 seconds. (image 14)Add whisked curd. Mix continuously, for about 2 minutes. This is very important. Else the curd will curdle. (Image 15)After 2 minutes, increase the flame to medium. Continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes till you see some ghee floating on top and the gravy is boiling.Now add gatta (keep the 5 to 6 gatta disc aside) and ½ cup of reserved water (the water in which the gatte were cooked). Mix very well. (Image 16)Smash 5 to 6 gattas(which we kept aside in the previous step) into a bowl with spoons and add them to the curry. This step will make luscious gravy. (Image 17)Simmer the gatte ki sabji on a medium flame for about 6 to 7 minutes or till the gravy thickens slightly. Do note that on cooling the gravy thickens more. (image 18)If gatta curry thickens a lot, feel free to add some water and simmer it for a few minutes.
Switch off the flame and add Kasuri methi.Serve gatte ki sabji with roti, rice, parathas, jawar roti, bajra roti, or dal-bati.
Storage
This sabji can be stored for up to 3 days n the fridge. While reheating, add some water and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. I don’t recommend freezing this curry.
Do not cut back on any ghee mentioned in the recipe.Knead the gatta dough with light hands.Make a semi-stiff but smooth dough for gatta.Add the prepared gatta log only when the water starts boiling.Don’t throw the leftover water in which you have boiled the gattas, as the cooked curry may thicken after some time so you can add this water to adjust the consistency. Plus that water has lots of flavors so you can use in kneading the paratha dough or roti.If you are not making this sabji for tithi or paryushan days, you can add chopped fresh fenugreek leaves or cilantro to the gatta dough.You can make a big batch of gatta and use them in making pulao too.Boiling the gatta properly is the key to perfect gatta ki sabji. Make sure to boil them till they float on the surface.Keep the prepared gatta in some water in which you have boiled them until you are ready to add them to the gravy. This will prevent the gattas from drying.If you want to make gattas ahead of time then give them a boil again before adding to the gravy.Please use full-fat curd. Do not use sour curd.Gatte can be made a day before also and then added to the gravy. Keep the gatte with water in which the gattas were boiled, in the fridge if made a day before.
More Jain Paryushan recipes
Methi papad nu shakChutta mugMath beans sabji
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