Tomato gravy Archives | Sindhi Rasoi |Sindhi Recipes

Hurbe Jeere Mein Patata|AlifBe~47

Alka Keswani — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:11:23 +0000

The AlifBe of Sindhi food series is inching towards the end and I am trying to stay focused and enthusiastic about blogging beyond the AlifBe series. Wish me luck, dear friends! For the uninitiated, there are 52 alphabets in Arabic Sindhi script. Out of 52, I have skipped three alphabets, namely ح , ظ , ث i.e ‘S’, ‘Z’ and ‘H’ respectively as these are used in the words of Non Sindhi origin (i.e in words that are Arabic, Persian etc) while هہ , ز , س are used for the similar sounds (S, Z, H) in words of Sindhi origin. For example if you need to write the word Zaheen (an Urdu word ) you will have to use ذ (Z) but for Zameen (a Hindi/Sindhi) in Sindhi you will useز (Z). Similarly if you need to write the word ‘Sawab‘(Virtue) which is of Arabic/Urdu in origin you will use ث while for ‘Saagar‘ (sea), a word of Sanskrit origin, you will use س. Same way, for the words of Urdu/Persian/Arabic origin we use the letter ح (H) for example, as in ‘Hajaamat‘ while for the words of Sindhi/Sanskrit/Hindi origin, we use هہ, as in ‘Haathi‘ (Elephant). Got the drift? And well, the 47th alphabet that we are on to, is the ‘H’ used in words of Sindhi origin. It is هہ in Sindhi, ह in Devanagari and ‘H’ in Roman Sindhi. There aren’t many traditional Sindhi dishes with names beginning with ‘H’ so I had picked this one though it is very basic and so common that perhaps all of you might be cooking it at your homes. ‘Hurb^e Jeere Mein Patata‘, the dish of the day, is nothing but potatoes cooked in tomatoes with pronounced flavors of Hurb^o (Fenugreek seeds/Methi dana) and Jeero (Cumin seeds). And though it may look and sound similar to ‘Singhyun Tamate mein‘, and ‘Vataran Ji Lilotari‘ the flavour profile varies considerably. Print Hurbe Jeere Mein Patata|AlifBe~47 Rating 4.0 from 1 reviews Serves: 3-4 servings Potatoes cooked in a tomato based gravy, flavored with fenugreek and cumin seeds. Ingredients 5 Medium sized Potatoes 4 Medium sized Tomatoes 2 Green Chilies ½ inch piece of Ginger 2-3 tbsp Oil/Ghee 7-8 Curry leaves (Optional) 1 tsp Cumin seeds ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds ½ tsp Turmeric powder 1 Tbsb Coriander powder 2 Cups of water Salt as per taste Handful of Coriander leaves. Method Peel and cut potatoes in cubes. Rinse with water, soak in salted water till further use. Grate or blend tomatoes. In a pressure cooker, heat 2-3 tbsp of Oil/Ghee. Add curry leaves, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds (Methidana or Hurb^o), chopped ginger and chillies. When cumin seeds turn darker in shade, add grated/blended tomatoes. Add salt, turmeric, coriander powder and mix well. Cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add to the tomato gravy. Adjust the salt and cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes or till the oil separates. Add some coriander leaves and save the rest for the garnish. Add 2 cups of water and close the pressure cooker with the lid. Wait for 2 whistles on medium heat. Lower the flame and let the curry simmer for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame. When the pressure of the cooker subsides, open the lid. Check the consistency of the gravy. If thick, add some water and allow it to come to a boil. If there is more water in the gravy than required, then boil it further till it reaches to preferred consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves are serve with roti/ Puri. 3.5.3251 Check this short Tutorial about how to write alphabet هہ in Sindhi!

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Vataran Ji Lilotari|AlifBe~46

Alka Keswani — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 06:18:27 +0000

The 46th Alphabet of Sindhi AlifBe (Persio – Arabic script ) is و in Sindhi, व in Devanagari and V in Roman Sindhi. And the corresponding dish for AlifBe` 46 is Vatan~an (Vataran) Ji Lilotari ! I know many of you will wonder whether it actually is a dish from Sindhi cuisine (coz. it sounds like a Gujarati style subzi) but well, it is indeed a traditional Sindhi Brahma Khastriya style curry and many of us know it by the name ‘Peas Tamate mein’ ( peas in tomato gravy)! Sindhi Brahma Khastriya community is yet another subset of Sindhi community and like Nassarpuri or Thathai Bhatia Sindhis Brahma Kshatris (Kshatriya) too have some unique/peculiar food rituals and food ‘nomenclature’ . Sindhi Brahma Khastriyas: The ancient Indian society was divided into four Varnas; Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishya and Shudras. Each Varna was dedicated to specific social functions and though the classification was meant to create a society of specialised communities, it ended up being yet another way to exploit the weak and the naive. But to clarify the context of today’s post, I need to explain how two Varnas i.e Brahmins and Kshatriyas overlapped and how a subset of Sindhi community named Brahma Kshatriya or Brahma Khatris came into existence. While many believe that Lord Parashuram (Lord Ram’s avatar with an axe) was a Brahma Kshatriya since he was born in the family of Rishis but possessed traits of Kshatriyas, his disciple prince Jaisen, is considered to be the one bestowed with the title of a Brahma Kshatri by Rishi Dadhichi. History of Brahma Kshatriyas: (As learnt from Sindhi Brahma Kshatriya Panch) In the Treta Yug, a king named Arjuna ruled the kingdom of Mahishmati near Narmada river. He got a boon of possessing thousands arms and hence was later named as Raja Sahastrarjun or Raja Sahastrabaahu (One with Thousand arms). Once King Sahastrabahu went in a forest and visited ashram of Rishi (Sage) Jamdagini, father of Lord Parashuram. He spotted a cow, Kapila (Kamdhenu) in the ashram and insisted on taking away Kapila with him and though Rishi Jamdagini declined, the King forcibly took away Kapila. When Parashuram came to know about the audacity of the king, he went to the king to get Kapila back. He faced the wrath of King’s soldiers and a war like situation resulted in the death of King Sahastrabaahu. The sons of the king attacked Rishi Jamdagini’s ashram and as a result Rishi lost his life. Parashuram vowed to destroy Kshatriya community. A king named Raja Rattansen, in Sindh, came to know about the vow of Parashuram and when his army failed to control the wrath of Parashuram, the king, along with his wives, left the palace and took shelter in the ashram of Rishi Dadhichi. His children grew up learning Vedas and Shastras in the ashram. Parashuram found Raja Rattansen in the forest and killed him. When he visited the ashram and saw the children, he asked Rishi Dadhichi if the kids were Kshatriya or Brahmins. The rishi tried his best to cover up the kids. Skeptical yet curious, Parashuram took one of the child, named Jaisen, with him, assuring the Rishi that he will teach Jaisen the weaponry/archery etc. Years later an incidence revealed the truth of Jaisen ( that he is a Kshatriya prince) and lord Parashuram became so furious that he cursed Jaisen and as a result of the curse, Jaisen forgot all the knowledge imparted by Parashuram. But when Jaisen asked for forgiveness, Parashuram told him to return to Rishi’s ashram and that if Rishi agrees to accept Jaisen back, he will regain his knowledge. Feeling lost, he went back to Rishi Dadhichi who took him under his wings and that’s how a Kshatriya blessed with the combined knowledge of weaponry and Vedas came to be known as a Brahma Kshatriya. Sindhi Brahma Kshatriya Food: I first came across SBK food thanks to some posts shared by Prerna Sonejee in Sindhirasoi Facebook group. What intrigued me was how the dishes were named differently, as compared to the regular Sindhi way. Names like ‘Dhaaran Basar Ji dal’, ‘Surti Vaalan Jo sonto’, ‘Gaare Chokhan Ji Puri‘ sounded very different and that’s when I started connecting with people from this lesser known community to understand the nuances of the cuisine. I am learning something new everyday! Coming to Vatan~an Ji Lilotari, it is nothing but fresh/green peas (or chawli) cooked in tomato gravy along with one or two vegetables of your choice (Potatoes, Apple gourds, Lotus stem, Yam etc). The recipe was shared by Prerna Sonejee and I must say, it was one of the easiest dishes that I have made for the AlifBe series. Print Vataran Ji Lilotari|AlifBe~46 Fresh peas and Yam cooked in tomato gravy Ingredients 1 Cup shelled fresh peas 200 gm Suran (Elephant foot yam) 4 ripe tomatoes 1-2 green chillies ½ inch ginger chopped 2 tbsp oil/ghee ¼ tsp Hing (Use more if you wish) ½ tsp Turmeric 1 heaped tbsp Coriander powder (Optional) 1 -2 tbsp tamarind pulp Salt as per taste Fresh coriander leaves for garnish Method Blend or grate tomatoes. In a pressure cooker, heat oil/ghee Add hing, chopped green chillies and ginger. Saute for a minute and then add peeled and cubed suran. You can use potatoes/Apple gourds/ boiled lotus stem, bottle gourd etc. Add a little salt here. Gently stir yam (suran) and cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Add other vegetables, if using and then add peas and blended tomatoes. Add salt, turmeric and coriander powder and sir on high heat. Add around 1 and half cup of water and mix well. Close the pressure cooker with the lid and wait for 2 whistles on medium heat. Switch off the flame. Add Tamarind pulp and simmer for 2-3 minutes.Adjust the consistency of the gravy (refer the picture) and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Enjoy with roti/rice or pulav. 3.5.3251 And here is a video tutorial about how to write in Arabic Sindhi:

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Mine Vs.Yours~A Tale of Two Curries

Alka Keswani — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:21:32 +0000

Before you visualize a fight here, between two cooks (chefs), let me assure you to relax. Its just one of those usual arguments between My better half (he is on lesser side of that half, since I outweigh him in kilograms, not that I am proud of it, still…..) and me about deciding the way, a particular veggie or legume or anything else in that matter, will be cooked on weekends. Now those who are thinking that HIS way would mean anything like HIM cooking a meal, then just forget it. It’s always me cooking for him, and that too his way and again before anyone paints a picture like Ablah Naari ( Helpless, suffering woman), then kindly note I do not even remotely fit into that category ! On the contrary I belong to those shrewd class of Homo sapiens, who would not allow anyone in her Kitchen (fearing a mess) and then moan about being not helped by anyone.My hubby calls it “Assaulting from both sides” (lol), and Man…I am pretty good at this 😉 So when last weekend we were discussing the menu (with his eyes, ears and mind occupied with his Laptop) and me babbling at his back, out of the blue he suggested Black Eyed Beans or Raanh as we call it in Sindhi. After I soaked beans (though these SHOULD be soaked for about eight hours, I did it for just 3 and half) , my hubby said that he would like to eat those in tomato base curry. Shocked to hear that, I thought of overlooking his suggestion and to make it MY WAY(Onion based gravy). But knowing that he wont like it my way and I wont, his way (A very common situation between us…who said opposites attract…did I???) I got generous and end up making it in both ways , a thing I seldom do ( mostly I go ahead with my preference, obviously since its me who is gonna cook) Do I need to talk about the Nutritional facts of the Lobia or B-E-B or Raanh ? Check it out here if you are doubtful ! Now my ramblings have already occupied too much of space here, so today lets check out one recipe ,while the other one will follow in PART 2 of this saga 🙂 I do not want to confuse you all, so here I will be giving recipe that would serve 2 Hungry Adults, though actually I divided the ingredients in two halves to make two ways of curries. Didn’t got my point??….Ah no big deal, I don’t make sense many of times ! Today’s Recipe is of Raanh in Tomato based curry . Print Lobia or Black Eyed beans in Tomato gravy Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 50 mins Serves: 2 Lobia or Black Eyed beans cooked in Tomato gravy Ingredients Black Eyed Beans 1 cup Ripe Tomatoes 2 Medium sized Green chillies 2-3 Ginger a bit Salt as per taste Turmeric powder ¼ tsp (or less) Potato 1 (optional) Coriander Powder ½ tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Curry leaves 4-5 Oil 1tbsp Method Pick, Rinse for several times and then soak beans for eight hours(or over night) Rinse again if you see frothy layer after soaking with some fresh water In a pressure cooker, add 1 tsp of oil and add cumin seeds and Curry leaves(optional) After the seeds splutter add grated or pureed Tomatoes, pounded ginger(or even a paste) turmeric and coriander powder, chopped green chillies and saute till tomato is cooked(leaves oil from sides), say for about 2-4 minutes Add the soaked Beans , peeled and diced potato cubes and salt and mix properly (but do not mix too much, An Old Wives Tale says that stirring beans {Bhuno-ing} too much before cooking, makes them hard...Do not know the fact though) Add water much above the level of beans, and close the lid of cooker wait till 2-3 whistles, depending upon the quality and hours of soaking, it would take anywhere between 3-6 whistles for cooking beans) To avoid Overcooking, its better to check out every time after two whistles of pressure cooker Adjust the consistency of gravy and seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves Tastes equally good with plain steamed rice or Rotis (Whole Wheat Flatbreads) 2.2.1 If you are still interested in another way of making Lobia, do visit again , my Virtual Rasoi.I am sure you won’t be disappointed 🙂

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