Lasaniya bataka literally translates to garlic potatoes... Some introduction about this dish, it is a kathiawadi dish. So this dish is from a region called kathiawad in northern part gujrat. as the name suggests it has a lot of garlic and spice...it has a some thick gravy which makes it a great combination with khichdi or plain rice and chaas (buttermilk: drink made by blending yogurt with water and adding some cumin powder and salt)...you can reduce the spicy quotient of it by reducing the chilly powder content...but this is supposed to be a spicy dish..
Ingredients:
- 3-4 medium sized potatoes chopped
- 6-7 large cloves of garlic
- 3 tsp cumin coriander powder
- 2 n 1/2 tsp red chilly powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 + 1/4 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
- pinch of asafoetida (hing) (optional)
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
- 3-4 curry leaves (optional)
- oil to sauté
- salt to taste
Method:
- blanch the chopped potatoes by immersing them in boiling water for 10- 12 min.
- crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle, add the dry spice powders to it and beat with the pestle so that the dry spices and garlic get beaten to form a dry spice mix (sort of like the chutney)..you can use a chopper too to make this garlic-spice powder blend..but people say the it tastes better when crushed in mortar and pestle.
- in a heavy bottomed pan, take some oil (now this is a tricky step too, more the oil you take tastier it becomes..you can take from 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup or even little more than that..yea...i know this is a big variation!!! but the person i learnt this from took a crazy amount of oil and made the gravy with oil!!!! it was tasty no doubt but i could never take that much or even half of it..so i end up adding water to the potatoes till they are completely cooked and some more to make some gravy)
- Anyways so take some oil in a pan, and add mustard seeds to it, once they sputter, add cumin seeds, when the cumin turn brown (this will take only few seconds) add the curry leaves, and the garlic spice mix...if you have taken minimal quantity of oil then add some water do it forms a thick paste and stir it..once you get the roasted aroma from garlic and spices add the potatoes, salt and some water (as the potatoes are only semi cooked when blanched...you will need to keep adding more water till the potatoes have cooked completely.)
thats it...your delicious potato sabji is ready to eat with roti, paratha or khichdi..in kathiawad they eat it with khichdi..plain moong dal khichdi tastes super awesome with this prep!
Quick recipe for moong dal khichdi
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup white rice
- 1/4 cup green moong dal (split green gram)
- pinch of turmeric
- water
- salt to taste
Method:
- wash the rice and moong dal with plain water..
- this needs to be cooked in pressure cooker..add water to the rice-dal mix such that when you immerse your finger (any finger) the water touches the 2nd line of your finger...
- add salt and turmeric and close the cooker..cook for 20-30 min or 2-3 whistles..
I am sorry i do not have the cup measure but this is how we cook..and this is how my mother taught me and it works! :)
Indian folks might think it is too much water, but this much water is needed to make the khichdi the way they make it in gujrat! it is very soupy...so if you like a firmer version put little less water...half the distance between the first and 2nd line on your finger...
you would need less water if you soak the rice and dal before...i almost never do..so this much water is needed for the instant khichdi..
you may add ghee or clarified butter to the khichdi while cooking and/or while serving...tastes delicious
Enjoy this easy meal of lasaniya bataka and khichdi with chaas!!!
Happy cooking
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