Amazing recipe I haven’t posted in a while…

This is a delicious dish I grew up with. My mom would make it once in a while and when she did – we all looked forward to it. For me it is one of those things I like to eat every few months- not all the time- not sure why- maybe because it is a bit labor intensive so people don’t end up making it very often.

This dish also has a few hard to find ingredients- including asafetida, fenugreek seeds and dried fenugreek. These ingredients are available at any Indian grocery store or online.

The dish is essentially a yogurt gravy thickened with besan (chickpea flour). Potato fritters are fried made with onions, ginger, cilantro,etc and are added to the thickened yogurt gravy.

Last but not least, the dish is seasoned with a mixture of fenugreek seeds and chili peppers and topped with dried fenugreek leaves.

The dish has a very distinct flavor imparted by the asafetida and the fenugreek seeds. You could make it without either and it will still taste good.

Try this on a Sunday afternoon when you have some time to spend in the kitchen- our family will love it…

Yogurt Gravy

• 6 cups low-fat plain yogurt (it should be nice and tangy), whisk till smooth
• 1 cup besan (chickpea flour), sifted
• 7 cups water
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon asafetida powder

Add the yogurt and besan to a large saucepan. Whisk till smooth, getting rid of all lumps. Add the water, salt, turmeric and asafetida powder. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 45 minutes to an hour.

Potato Fritters

• 2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
• 1 large potato, chopped into ¼ inch dice
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• ½ small red onion, chopped
• 2 inch grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup water

Mix the besan, potato, cilantro, green onions, red onion, ginger, garam masala, cayenne pepper, coriander powder, salt and baking powder into a medium bowl. Add the water slowly while mixing the ingredients with your hands. The consistency should be like a wet potato salad.

• 2 cups extra light olive oil

Place the oil into a wok like saucepan and heat the oil to 375 degrees. Form soft balls with a spoon and gently fry in the oil. Try not to over crowd. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or till the fritters are golden brown. Take out and drain in a paper towel lined platter. Repeat process till all the mixture is used up.
Add the fritters to the simmering yogurt gravy. Turn the heat off.

Seasonings

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil (you can same oil you used for frying)
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• ¼ teaspoon asafetida
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 dried chili pepper

Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add the fenugreek seeds, asafetida, cayenne pepper and the chili peppers. Saute on medium heat till the seeds begin to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add the seasoned oil into the gravy. Mix and check for seasonings.

Garnish

• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (methi)

Garnish with garam masala and methi. Serve hot with plain rice.