Help! What is Rajasthani Besan Gutta? How do I make it? What's it usually called?

soag

Hi all,

I was in India a few years ago and when travelling in Rajasthan chanced across something called besan gutta (no idea if i've got the spelling correct - I think it was pronounced with a hard U, like in gutter). It was little pellets (i presume of besan) in a curry sauce. Try as I might, I can't find a recipe for this; the fact that I had it in numerous places leads me to think it's fairly common and I'm getting the name wrong. Is anyone familiar with this dish? It was (imho) far and away the best thing I ate in Rajasthan.

himmat01

You can find the recipe here.

http://kitchen.suchna.com/recipe.html?user=&id=1

__________________
http://www.airliners-india.net/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/himmat/

shashank.aggarwal

Yes..I belong to a family of Rajasthani background, and am very much familiar with this dish and also the fact it takes years of practice to get it right..

try Aishah, she might have a written recipe for this..however its a fairly complicated thing to make and has different styles of the same...

be call them Belle (bay-lay) over here....the curry is also made of Besun and curd..

__________________
Travelogue - Around India
Random Reviews

Aishah

I have a recipe - but must say I find Gutta Curry rather stodgy and fills you up very fast! Still, now and again, nice for a change. I looked at Himmat01's first link and my recipe is very similar so you could go by his. The only difference is that I don't use fennel seeds instead have about half a teaspoon of turmeric pwdr and about 2 teaspns coriander pwdr in the gutta mixture. The gravy is more 'complicated' in the link but probably more tasty than the one I do, so go with that! If you leave one or two spices out not to matter (including hing) - basically spices I use are turmeric, red chilli, cumin seeds (you crackle these in oil first) and coriander. Actually, I think the link recipe would be more delicious than mine!!

__________________
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

soag

Do you know what makes it so tricky to get right? looking over the recipe now, it really doesn't seem that hard - kneading the gatta itself seems to be the only part that could go wrong.

edit: i just saw the post a few below about (non-besan) gatte. Apparently the trick is in the kneading; that'll teach me for not reading the whole forum.

shashank.aggarwal

YES !! Thats the big thing !! not the gravy, it all depends on the softness to the right level and quality to melt in mouth...it depends on kneading and ingredients as well...

Some times they come out really hard to chew, sometimes they are very soft...the right balance is tough to achieve.

Aishah

soag - I think Gatta Curry is a fiddle-faddle type of recipe! but that is only because really I like making tasty things in a hurry. if you enjoy spending time in the kitchen (which i don't!)then easy for you to do. Just go step by step through the recipe - tricky because of kneading, also you are making two dishes at the one time and then combining them, so time-consuming. Good luck with your cooking and let us know how it turns out!
Cross-posted with Shashank - yes, that chewy sort - yuck!! i have had them a couple of times out in restaurants and you can hardly swallow the pieces because you can't chew them down. I prefer them soft even if they go gooey in the gravy!! BTW - is that your baby Shashank, very cute and is he chewing gatta pieces???

soag

Thanks for the help everyone, i'll give it a go and let you know how it turns out

shashank.aggarwal

Aishah...I am too young to have a baby... and this baby has the features of chinese/japanes/korean kind of ethnicity..and I just told you I am a Rajasthani !!

Aishah

Baby features - well yes obviously but maybe adopted etc!!! He is a very cute avatar anyway!! Thanks for enlightening me anyway!
And he does look like he's having a bit of a hard time chewing his piece of something like gatta - so now we are no longer OT and back to topic!!

Alohaguy

This dish is similar to Punjabi Kadi except that in punjabi Kadhi you put pakoras instead of the Gattas. I don't make Punjabi kadi because I am trying not to eat fried stuff. I am going to give this one a try one day. It is healthier alternative.

shashank.aggarwal

There is a lot of difference between the two..the Kadhi again is not a Punjabi item...I guess its Rajasthani...

But there is a difference between Gatta and Kadhi...Kadhi is lot more thicker...

btw..if you are avoiding fried things, then instead of pakoras, you can use spinach in the kadhi...

Alohaguy

You are right shashank, Kadhi is quite thick and filling. Spinach in Kadhi is also worth a try. Thanks!

Ann

Well gutta are used to make curries. Its a popular rajasthani cuisine. Just browse & found a recipe for you.


Ingredients:

1 tblsp vegetable fat (ghee)
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
oil for deep frying
a pinch baking powder
2 cup coriander leaves chopped
1 tsp red chilli powder.
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 cup bengal gram flour (besan)
4 curry leaves
salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 cup yogurt
1 tsp green chillies chopped

How to make marwadi gatta kadhi :

• Keep 2 tblsp besan aside for kadhi.
• Mix remaining besan with baking powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.
• Mix in water little at a time to make hard dough.
• Knead well, rest it for 10 minutes and then divide into four equal portions, roll them in cylindrical shape and then boil in salted water until cooked.
• Take off and cut into small pieces.
• Deep-fry these pieces in medium hot oil until lightly browned.
• Remove and leave aside.
• Mix remaining besan with curd thoroughly.
• Heat up ghee, mix in coriander seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and stir fry for a moment.
• Mix in besan and curd mixture, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and stir fry on low heat, stirring continuously, for a few minutes.
• Mix in water, adjust salt and stir fry until it returns to medium thick consistency.
• Mix in fried gatte, bring to a boil, top with cut green coriander leaves and serve hot.

Well my mother never added baking powder nor did she fried gatta after bowling. So if you want, you can make it without using or doing it so.

Shashank, I never knew you were Marwari... Well I am too Marwari. In you dont mind, Can i ask which is your native town in Rajasthan?

__________________
Love traveling & Indian Food.

shashank.aggarwal

Not Marwai..but I guess Shekhawati...

for 6 generations my family is in Delhi and prior to that we were in Malakheda (Alwar District)..