Gatte ki Tehri (Rajasthani Pulao with Chickpea Dumplings)

This was part of a dinner of desperation. We ran out of onions and I couldn't make the dinner I'd been planning. We were out of a lot of stuff since I hadn't been grocery shopping in over a week. So I had to find something I could quickly put together with the ingredients I had on hand. I found a simple onion-less tomato curry and picked this biryani to go with it as it seemed like it would provide a little protein a well as act as a substrate. And, even better, I had made a batch of gatte (chickpea flour dumplings) a few months ago and frozen half of them, so I could skip that part of the recipe and just go straight to making the pulao and add my thawed dumplings at the end!

For me, this isn't one of those knock-your-socks-off amazing curries, but it is dead simple to put together if you have the dumplings on hand already and it's tasty enough, especially if you have some other curries and/or a raita to complement it. Overall, I was really pleased with this as one of those something-from-nothing sort of meals.

Gatte ki Tehri topped with Sorshe Tamatar

Gatte ki Tehri

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Dumplings

• 2 c. chickpea flour
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp Rajasthani garam masala
• ~1/4 c. warm water
• ~1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil

Pulao

• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds; 2 tsp. whole, 1 tsp. ground
• 1/2 tsp ground asafetida
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne¹
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. Rajathani garam masala
• 1/2 c. boiling water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Dumplings

1. Combine chickpea flour, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, and garam masala.
2. Drizzle with water and bring together into a ball (preferably with your hand).
3. If it won't come together yet, add an extra Tbsp. or two or warm water. Dough may be quite sticky.
4. Remove as much dough as possible from your fingers and wash your hands.
5. Add oil and knead until smooth.
6. Shape dough into a 30cm (12") long log ~4cm (1.5") in diameter.
7. Cut the log crosswise into four pieces.
8. Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
9. Add the dough pieces to the boiling water and reduce heat to medium.
10. Simmer, uncovered, turning occasionally for 45 minutes.
11. Remove dough pieces from water with a slotted spoon and submerge in cold water for a few seconds.
12. Scrape off the pale outer skin with a butter knife or the edge of a spoon. The dough should be darker and firmer underneath. Discard the pale bits of dough you've trimmed off.
13. Slice each dough piece in half lengthwise.
14. Cut each piece crosswise into 5-10mm thick² nuggets.
15. Set half the nuggets/dumplings aside for this dish. Place the other half in a freezer bag and freeze for future use.

Pulao

1. Rinse the rice and set aside.
2. Heat ghee over medium-high heat.
3. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
4. Add rice, asafetida, cumin, cayenne, salt, turmeric, and garam masala.
5. Stir in water and bring to a boil.
6. Cook, without stirring, until water has evaporated and craters are starting to appear in the surface of the rice (~20 minutes).
7. Stir in dumplings and boiling water, being sure to mix the rice well.
8. Cover and reduce heat to low.
9. Cook, covered, without stirring, for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and allow to sit, covered and undisturbed, for a further 10 minutes.
11. Remove lid, fluff rice, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.

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Variations

Vegan

Ingredients

Dumplings

• 2 c. chickpea flour
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp Rajasthani garam masala
• ~1/4 c. warm water
• ~1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil

Pulao

• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds; 2 tsp. whole, 1 tsp. ground
• 1/2 tsp ground asafetida
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. Rajathani garam masala
• 1/2 c. boiling water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

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¹ For a less spicy option, substitute an equal amount of ground Kashmiri chilies. ^Back
2 Iyer says to slice them quite thick. I've found I prefer smaller, thinner dumplings. ^Back

We have a bunch of quesadilla recipes on the blog already, but this one from Hello Fresh was tasty, filling, and a hit with the Kidlet, so it's worth saving.

Note that the salsa and the filling both call for half an onion and half a lime; just grab one of each and divide them between the subrecipes.

Kale & Black Bean Quesadillas

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

Salsa

• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• zest and juice of ½ lime
• ½ large red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt and pepper

Quesadillas

• 5 tsp + 1 tsp mexican seasoning, divided
• ¾ C sour cream
• ½ large red onion, chopped
• ¼ lb kale, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 800mL tinned black beans
• zest and juice of ½ lime
• 12 6" flour tortillas
• 2 C grated cheddar cheese
• oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Whisk together sour cream and 1 tsp mexican seasoning in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Combine all salsa ingredients in another bowl, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. Drain, rinse, and mash beans.
4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
5. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the kale and ¼ C water. Continue cooking, stirring often, until tender, 5-6 minutes.
7. Add garlic, bean mash, and remaining mexican seasoning. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and beans are warmed through, 1-2 minutes. If the filling is too stiff at this point you may want to mix in more water; we needed to add quite a lot to get it to a point where it could be easily spread into the quesadillas.
8. Add remaining lime juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper. Remove to a bowl and clean the pan.
9. Spread half of a tortilla with filling. Top with cheese and fold over tortilla to make a half circle. Repeat with remaining 11 tortillas.
10. Return the pan to medium heat and add a bit more oil. Add the quesadillas, 3 (or however many your pan will fit) at a time, and cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side.
11. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

TF and I ordered Hakka noodles from one of the local Indian restaurants recently. They were alright. I found the flavour alright, but they were mostly noodles with very little in the way of sauce or inclusions. A thin sheen of fairly oily tomato-based sauce and a few small pieces of cabbage and not much else. I mean, I still ate them and enjoyed them, but I do wish that they'd been a little more balanced and interesting than just a big ol' pile of starch. When I spotted Iyer's recipe for Hakka noodles in 660 Curries I was intrigued. It looked a lot more interesting than the restaurant version we'd gotten.

The sauce was definitely more flavourful and a lot less oily. And there was a pleasant amount of veg an protein to it as well, although I wouldn't've turned my nose up at even more inclusions! TF really liked this one. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't head-over-heels for it the way she was. Still, worth keeping in mind and worth making again.

I feel like this is an especially good recipe to have in my back pocket because it seems like it couple be pretty flexible. I did it by the book this time (mostly), using cauliflower, carrots, and bean sprouts as the veg. The one change I made was to swap out the paneer for some lovely extra firm, tomato-marinated tofu. That said, I think you could change the veggies up depending on what you had on hand and still get great results. I could see broccoli, green beans, and/or cabbage all working extremely well here. Bell peppers, mushrooms, or snow peas might also be good choices. Really, there are so many possibilities!

Hakka Noodles

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredeints

• 240g fresh fettuccini
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. malt vinegar
• 2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 2 Tbsp. corn or peanut oil
• 150g paneer or extra-firm tofu
• 1 c. cauliflower pieces
• 1 large carrot, sliced into thin coins
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 4 scallions/green onions, cut into 1-2cm lengths
• 2 (6cm x 2.5cm x 3mm) slices of ginger, julienned
• 125g bean sprouts

Directions

1. Boil the pasta until al dente. This took ~3 minutes for the fresh noodles I had. Drain and immediately plunge noodles into cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, whisk ketchup, soy sauces, vinegar, and chilies together to make sauce. Set aside.
3. Heat wok over medium high heat.
4. Drizzle oil down the sides of the wok and allow it to pool at the bottom.
5. Add paneer (or tofu), cauliflower, carrot, garlic, and 1/4 c. of the cilantro and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
6. Drain noodles and add them to the wok. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Add sauce and stir to coat noodles and veggies.
8. Add tomato, green onions, and ginger and stir-fry for another 2-4 minutes.
9. Stir in bean sprouts.
10. Remove from heat, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c. of cilantro, and serve.

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¹ If Kashmiri chilies are not available, you can substitute 1 part ground cayenne to 3 parts sweet paprika. ^Back

I usually don't eat much of the breads I bake. I love baking them and the rest of the family loves eating them, but I usually only have a slice or two from each pair of loaves. This bread was different. I couldn't get enough of it! And when the end of the last loaf started to go a bit stale, it made phenomenal bread pudding.

Spicy Currant Bread

From the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried currants
• 2 c. apple juice
• 1/3 c. (17g) wheat bran¹
• 1 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 c. oil
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 830g hard (bread/strong/high grade) whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. (14g) coarse sea salt
• extra juice and/or water

Directions

1. Rinse the currants.
2. Add the currants to the apple juice and simmer for five minutes.
3. Drain the currants reserving the juice.
4. Add water to the juice to bring the volume back up to 2 c.
5. Stir the bran and allspice into the juice. Cover and set aside to cool for an hour or two or as long as overnight.
6. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
7. Stir the oil and molasses into the juice mixture.
8. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
9. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture as well as the apple juice mixture.
10. Gradually incorporate the flour into the liquids, working from the centre outward.
11. Knead for 15-20 minutes, then work in the currants.
12. Shape dough into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise.
13. When dough no longer returns a 1cm deep wet fingerprint it is ready to be knocked back. Knead it a few strokes and return it to its covered bowl to rise again.
14. Once the second rise is complete, knock it back again and divide into two equal portions.
15. Round each portion, stretch the gluten tight across the top surface, cover, and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
16. Shape each portion into a loaf by flattening it, folding it into thirds, and rolling it up. Place in greased loaf pans.
17. Cover and allow to rise until fingerprint is only gently returned. (This usually takes ~45 minutes for me, but will vary with the temperature of your room.)
18. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~45 minutes.

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¹ I didn't have any wheat bran, so I just used a bit of oat bran instead. ^Back

This breakfast egg is quick and easy to make and very tasty. symbol ate them every day for the better part of a week, which is very usual -- usually foods "wear out" after 2-3 days at most! They go well on garlic toast or large english muffins, and I think they'd work really well on a bagel, too.

If cooking for more than one person (or very hungry), you can add more eggs and scale up the other ingredients proportionally.

Turkish Fried Eggs

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp chili flakes
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ frozen chopped spinach
• salt & pepper
• 2 eggs
• cheddar cheese (optional)
• 1 slice garlic toast

Directions

1. If using brick spinach rather than loose spinach, thaw it out at least partially so you can break it apart first. Loose frozen spinach can go straight into the pan.
2. Combine oil, cumin, chili, onion, garlic, and spinach in a small pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens and turns translucent and spices are fragrant.
3. Break eggs over onion mix and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover pan to help whites set and cook until desired yolk firmness is reached.
4. Remove from heat. If using cheese, briefly uncover, top egg with cheese, and cover again so residual heat melts the cheese.
5. Serve on garlic toast.

I'm really pleased with how these loaves came out! They look beautiful and they rose wonderfully. The herbed potato bread I did a couple weeks ago was extremely tasty and also by far the best keeping bread I've made yet. I have high hopes for this one!

Potato Bread

From the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 (225g) potato
• 1/4 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 c. fresh buttermilk or yogurt
• 1 c. hot potato cooking water
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 900g hard (bread/strong/high grade) whole wheat flour
• 14g (~2 1/2 tsp.) coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Cut the eyes out of the potato, rinse it, slice it, and boil until tender.
2. Drain the potato reserving the cooking water.
3. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside for ~10 minutes.
4. Mash the potato and combine it with the buttermilk, 1 c. of reserved cooking water, honey, and oil.
5. Combine the flour and salt and mix thoroughly.
6. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and the potato mixture.
7. Mix the flour into the liquids working from the centre outward.
8. Once most of the flour's been incorporated, turn it out onto the counter and begin kneading.
9. Knead for 20-30 minutes working in more water as needed. (Feel free to use more cooking water for this.)
10. Shape into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise.
11. Once dough no longer returns a 1cm deep wet fingerprint, then it's ready to knock back. (This should take 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of the room.)
12. Knock back the dough and set it to rise in the covered bowl again.
13. After another hour or so, the dough should be ready to knock back again.
14. Knock back the dough again and divide it into two even portions.
15. Shape each dough portion into a ball and pull the gluten tight across the top of each ball. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
16. Shape each ball into a loaf. Hearth loaves or pan loaves work well for this bread.
17. Cover and set to rise for 30-45 minutes.
18. Uncover, dust with pastry flour, and slash the tops of the loaves.
19. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45-60 minutes.
20. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and set on a wire rack to cool.

This recipe is effectively unmodified apart from the addition of soy sauce and sesame seeds while cooking the tofu. It comes together very quickly, and while it's not particularly substantial -- it definitely needs to be paired with something else -- it is tasty.

Easy Lemon Dill Tofu

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients

• Tofu
• 1 ~350g package extra firm tofu
• 1 tbsp oil
• light soy
• dark soy
• sesame seeds
• Sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp dill pickle juice
• ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ¾ C freshly chopped dill
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Freeze, thaw, and drain the tofu.
2. Slice it into thin slices and pan-fry with oil, adding light and dark soy and sesame seeds to taste.
3. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
4. Toss the tofu with the sauce and serve.