Come winters and the body starts to crave comfort food like never before. And it is okay to pay heed once in a way without overdoing it. This Rajasthani gatte ki sabzi is your saviour!
Gatte ki sabzi, originally from Rajasthan has now found popularity across India and there are quite a few versions made. Two of the more popular kinds are:
- Cooked in a light yogurt-based sauce or
- A slightly spicier version in a rich onion-tomato gravy
In both versions, the gatte (chickpea flour dumplings) are steamed and not fried. I love both versions personally and relish them with some hot ghee rice or ghee phulkas.
Inspiration From A New Cookbook
Now, let’s get to the actual recipe for gatte ki sabzi with paneer. I know, I had you at paneer, isn’t it? So, I have recently invested in some Indian cookbooks by renowned authors like Madhur Jaffrey and Pushpesh Pant amongst others. The other day I sat turning pages of one of those cookbooks – The Indian Vegetarian Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant. While ogling at the breathtaking food photography, I came across the Stuffed Dumpling Curry (Bharwan Gatte). And just like you, I was curious.
I am well-traveled and have tried a lot of different kinds of dishes across India but never this one. Needless to say, I had to try it out and if you can take my word for it these are nothing like the usual gatte ki sabzi. For one, they are fried and not steamed. In addition, the mildly flavoured paneer stuffing takes it to the next level. And as the book aptly states –
If these Rajasthani dumplings are well made, they are lighter than air. Elsewhere plain dumplings are made with a spicy batter.
The recipe is straightforward and I have stuck to the original version, with minor tweaks. Preparing the chickpea dough, preparing the stuffing, stuffing the dough, frying, and dunking it into the yogurt sauce. It all takes approximately 30-40 minutes to put together. With some rice or chapatis, this is a complete meal perfect for lunch. Add a side of salad and one doesn’t really need anything else.
Handy Tips For The Perfect Rajasthani Gatte Ki Sabzi
The most important step is getting the chickpea dough right. The recipe suggests using 4.5 tbsp yogurt, 6 tbsp water, and 4 tbsp ghee My suggestion is to add them gradually while kneading the dough to avoid getting it too soft. Sifting the chickpea flour is also very important to avoid any lumps. Once you have the right consistency dough, the rest of the recipe is a cakewalk. Another pro-tip. Grease your palms while shaping the dumplings as the chickpea mixture tends to get quite sticky.
Refer to the below short video to the recipe- it will come in handy 🙂
Ingredients
- FOR THE DUMPLINGS
- Besan(chickpea flour)- 2 cups
- Baking soda- 1 tsp
- Chopped fresh root ginger- 3 tsps
- Finely chopped coriander leaves- 1tbsp
- Plain Yogurt- 4.5 tbsp
- Ghee- 4 tbsp
- FOR THE STUFFING
- Paneer(cottage cheese)- 1/2 cup
- Fresh green chilies, finely chopped and de-seeded -2
- Chopped fresh root ginger- 1 tbsp
- FOR THE SAUCE
- Plain Yogurt, whisked-2 cups
- Ground Coriander-5 tsp
- Kashmiri Red Chilli- 2 tsps
- Ghee- 1/2 cup
- Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1tsp
- Fenugreek seeds (methi) - 1tsp
- A generous pinch of asafoetida
- Cardamom (elaichi) powder- 2 tsp
- Ground Cinnamon (daalchini)- 1/4 tsp
- Ground Turmeric (haldi)- 1 tsp
- Ground Mace (javitri)- 1.25 tsp
- A generous pinch of dried methi (fenugreek) leaves
- Chopped coriander- 1 tbsp
Instructions
- Sift the besan, baking soda and salt in a deep bowl
- Add ginger, chopped coriander, ghee and yogurt and 6 tbsp water and knead to make a firm, but pliable dough. Divide into small balls, approximately 20-24
- In a separate bowl, mix all the stuffing ingredients and divide into equal portions
- Flatten the chickpea flour balls in the centre of your palm with your thumb , creating a small depression where the stuffing would go
- Grease your palms,place a small portion of the stuffing into the middle of each, pull together the edges and seal, form into balls again; then form into croquette shaped dumplings by rolling between your greased palms
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan for deep or shallow frying as desired, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil
- For the sauce, put the yogurt into a bowl, add the ground coriander,chilli powder, salt and mix well
- Heat ghee in a thick bottomed wok, reduce to medium flame and add cumin seeds followed by fenugreek and stir till the seeds start to sputter; be careful not to burn the fenugreek as it will then impart a bitter taste to the curry
- Add asafoetida and stir for 30 secs or so, remove from heat and add the yogurt mixture
- Turn on the heat and cook on a medium flame for 7-8 minutes till the fat separates
- Add about 2.5 cups water, turmeric powder and salt as per taste and bring to boil
- Reduce the flame to low and add the fried dumplings; cover and simmer for about 10 minutes ,
- Stir occasionally, until the gravy is a thin sauce consistency
- Finally, add the green cardamom, cinnamon, mace and dried fenugreek leaves powders, mix and adjust the seasoning
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with ghee rice or fulkas
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