Simple recipe for thick rajma in a multicooker without frying onions and tomatoes

If you want to cook something more original and spicy than a regular potato dish, try Gujarati Bhungla Batata. This simple and delicious dish is made by cooking small potatoes in a thick sauce of garlic, red chili, and spices, which is then served with crispy yellow bhunglas, onions, and lemon.

When you crave something hot and spicy, there are many dishes you can make from potatoes. However, if you are looking for a recipe that is drastically different from everyday potato dishes, you can prepare the famous Gujarati dish—Bhungla Batata. This dish is especially valued for its spicy and garlicky flavor.

Preparing Gujarati Bhungla Batata does not take much time, and its taste is simply delightful. Small boiled potatoes are cooked in a spicy garlic sauce and then served with crispy yellow bhunglas, or fryms. Adding onion and lemon further enhances its flavor.

How to make Bhungla Batata

First, peel the boiled small potatoes and place them in a large bowl. Then add three tablespoons of oil, Kashmiri red pepper powder, hot red chili powder, and a little salt. Mix all ingredients thoroughly so that the spices evenly coat each potato, and leave the potatoes for some time.

Next, put the cloves of garlic, Kashmiri red pepper, soaked water, salt, and half a cup of water into a food processor. Grind this mixture until a very fine paste is obtained.

Heat four tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Add a pinch of asafoetida (hing), and then immediately pour in the prepared garlic-chili paste. Sauté it over medium heat until the oil begins to separate from the spices.

After this, add turmeric, red pepper powder, coriander powder, and garam masala, and mix well. Then add the pre-prepared potatoes and cook, stirring constantly, until the spices completely coat the potatoes.

Finally, stir in the lemon juice and finely chopped fresh cilantro. Your spicy and tangy Bhungla Batata is ready.

How to serve Bhungla Batata

Place the Bhungla Batata on a plate. Sprinkle a little lemon juice and finely chopped onion on top. On the other side, fry the yellow bhunglas or fryms over high heat until crispy and serve them with the potatoes. The combination of crispy bhunglas, spicy potatoes, onion, and lemon makes this dish special. It can be served as an evening snack or as a side dish to a main meal.

When people hear about Pav Bhaji, they recall the hot dishes and buns fried in oil that are served on the streets of Mumbai. Although it is a famous dish of Maharashtra, it is popular not only in Mumbai but also in Delhi, UP, and other regions of the country.

Nevertheless, complaints often arise about homemade Pav Bhaji because it does not possess the same aroma and taste as in commercial establishments. One reason for this may be the spices used. Renowned chef Vikas Khanna has shared a method for preparing Pav Bhaji masala, which is easy to make at home, and adding this mixture significantly improves the taste and aroma of the dish.

Pav Bhaji Masala Powder Recipe:

To create Pav Bhaji masala, you first need to remove the seeds and stems from dried red chilies. Then, lightly fry them on a hot pan, taking care not to overcook or let them burn, as burnt chili will give the spices a bitter taste.

In a second tray, roast whole spices: cumin, cloves, coriander seeds, cardamom, black cardamom, and cinnamon over low heat until they release their aroma. After this, let the roasted whole spices and dried red chilies cool slightly. Place them in a food processor along with turmeric, amchur powder, black pepper, red chili powder, and black salt.

Grind all ingredients thoroughly into a fine powder; if a coarser grind is preferred, you can avoid grinding them too finely.

How to Use It in the Dish?

When making Pav Bhaji at home, after mashing the vegetables, you need to add this spice mix in the required amount and mix well. Heating the spices together with the Pav Bhaji for some time allows all aromas and flavors to fully combine. Thus, the freshly prepared spice mix can give your Pav Bhaji a richer and more pungent taste.

Although many have tried various types of curry phakoda, few are familiar with Rajasthani curry made from lentils. This recipe does not require deep frying; instead, the lentil phakoda is cooked directly in the boiling curry. We will present a simple way to prepare Rajasthani lentil curry phakoda.

Curry is an important part of Indian cuisine and is prepared differently in various regions. Usually, phakoda for curry is made from chickpea flour, but in Rajasthan, a different approach is used—phakoda is made from lentils. The main feature is that these phakodas are not fried separately but are boiled directly in the simmering curry. Because of this, the phakodas absorb the tangy flavor of the curry and the aromas of the spices excellently, becoming very soft.

This Rajasthani dish is served with curry rice, flatbreads, or hot puris. Although some preliminary preparation is required for its making, its taste is sure to please.

For the Phakoda

Ingredients needed for the phakoda:

• 1 cup of washed lentils
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of hing (asafoetida)
• Water as needed

For the Curry

Ingredients for the curry:

• 1 cup of yogurt
• 4 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons of ghee
• ¼ teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 10–15 black peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 curry leaves
• 10–12 curry leaves
• 2 green chilies
• 2 medium onions
• ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon of hing
• 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ cup of water
• Salt to taste

For the Tempering (Tadka)

Ingredients for the tempering:

• 2 tablespoons of ghee
• 3–4 cloves of garlic
• A little ginger
• 3 dried red chilies
• ½ teaspoon of red chili powder
• A little fresh coriander

First, the lentils should be thoroughly washed with clean water 4-5 times. Then, soak the lentils in water for about 2 hours; if you want to speed up the process, you can use slightly warm water. After the lentils have swelled well, drain the water and place them in a blender. When blending, do not add too much water at once; first, add 1 tablespoon of water and gradually add a little more as needed. The lentils should become thick and smooth. It may take 4 to 5 tablespoons of water to blend, but this depends on the lentils themselves.

Transfer the blended lentils to a bowl, add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of hing. Then, knead this mixture thoroughly for 3-4 minutes to make the dough lighter and airier. To check the readiness of the dough, take a small amount of the mixture in water; if the dough starts floating on the water surface, it means it has been kneaded well.

To make the curry, mix 1 cup of yogurt and 4 cups of water in a bowl, whisking them thoroughly. Ready-made buttermilk (chaach) can also be used.

Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pot. Add fennel seeds, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Then add the curry leaves and finely chopped green chilies. Next, add the chopped onion and sauté it lightly without browning it too much. Add turmeric, hing, and Kashmiri red chili powder, and mix. Pour in ½ cup of water and let the spices cook well.

When the spices are fully cooked and the oil starts separating, pour in the prepared yogurt mixture. Stir constantly while adding, as it must be stirred continuously until the curry boils, otherwise, the yogurt may curdle. Salt should not be added at this stage.

After the curry boils well, reduce the heat but continue to simmer the curry. Now, form small phakodas from the lentil dough by slightly moistening your hands, and drop them directly into the boiling curry. A spoon can also be used to add the phakodas. Do not make the phakodas too large, as they expand after cooking. The curry should not stop boiling when adding the phakodas. Cook the phakodas in the curry for about 4-5 minutes. After this, add 1 teaspoon of salt and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Continue to cook the curry for another 15 minutes. During this time, the phakodas will be completely cooked, and the curry will thicken slightly.

To give the curry extra flavor, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a small pan. Sauté the sliced garlic until golden brown. Then add the finely chopped ginger and 3 dried red chilies. Finally, add ½ teaspoon of red chili powder and turn off the gas. Immediately pour this tempering over the curry. Add a little curry broth to the tempering pan and pour it into the pot. Cover the curry and let it sit for 5 minutes so that the flavor of the tempering fully penetrates the curry.

Finally, sprinkle with fresh coriander on top. If you did not use whole spices, you can add a little garam masala.