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India is a mix of various amazing regional cultures that contribute together to the rich and mighty Indian cuisine. And if you are someone who know the cuisine well, you will know how Rajasthan is a huge part of it. The desert-land of Indian, known for its Rajput warriors has a rich heritage, which reflects in its cuisine as well that is highly influenced by the rulers. Right from crispy pakodas, creamy rich curries to unique pickles and sweets, Rajasthani cuisine is a masterpiece in itself. Most of the savoury Rajasthani delights are high on spice and packed with masalas while the desserts are sinfully irresistible. The best part about the cuisine though is, that it didn’t let the limited resources limit the variety but made complete use of the resources nature of the arid region gave it.
The dry region has abundance of spices and pulses, which explains why the cuisine has a diverse vegetarian fare full of lentils. And that is how we get the mouth-watering dish of ‘Gatta curry’ - a unique gram flour-based dish that packs in healthy nutrients and flavour in equal measures. The delicacy has gram flour (besan) dumplings, stuffed with dry spicy masalas, steamed and then cut into small bite sized pieces. These Gattas dumplings are then cooked in thick curry later on. A recent walk around local eateries in Alwar city of Rajasthan acquainted me with the fact that gatte are basically crisp fried savouries made with mung and besan, which many women in the state make these gattas in advance and store them to cook in the future.
The gravy of gatta curry is a mix of spices and chillies such as whole red chilli with curd and spices such as cloves, cinnamon, onion and ginger-garlic. The fried dumplings are simmered in this gravy and served hot with roti. The spicy, rich flavours of the curry balanced with creamy curd-based gravy makes for a wholesome treat you can never say no to. No wonder it is an important part of a traditional Rajasthani thali. If you’ve been to Rajasthan and didn’t have the famous gatta curry, did you even go to Rajasthan? Yes, that is how prime it is to the regional cuisine.
While gatta curry is a popular dish across India now, you can find the authentic flavour in many restaurants in Rajasthan. But you can also make it at home without much hassle!
Find the full recipe of gatta curry here. Try it at home and let us know your experience.
