Firstly, I’m going to make an attempt at guessing what you’re thinking;

“What the heck are sev and where do I get them from?”

These are great questions, great questions to which I don’t have great answers. I know that’s not very helpful however, I’ll do my best to explain the deliciousness of this mysterious ingredient.

Because you need to know.

Sev are a Gujarati snack, closely related to ‘gathia’ in the way they’re made from chickpea flour and fried. They come in all different sizes and are classed as a ‘farsan’ or savoury snack.

They’re best described as crunchy, nutty and great for sprinkling on top of cassava dishes and spiced yogurts.

In this classic Gujarati recipe I’ve re-created à la KO I’ve used jinni (small) sev which is very traditional and also very cute. The tiny little strands soak up the sweet, tangy and spicy flavours of the rich tomato base.

I used cherry tomatoes because that’s what I had, but you can use any variety of fresh tomatoes you have. A sprinkle of ground cinnamon kisses this dish with the flavours of Gujarat, essential if you’re in the mood for an atypical Indian dinner.

You see Gujarati cuisine is beaming with fresh ingredients and sweet, spicy flavours. Sev tameta nu shaak is a one pan meal and so comforting you hardly need to chew (a sign of amazing comfort food, of course). All in all, it’s very quick, very simple and very satisfying – just how I like it.

You can buy sev in Indian farsan stores, most Indian grocery stores (it will be near the gathia, chakris and other savoury snacks). I’ve also seen them popping up in the supermarket more often, so keep an eye out. If you can’t find them in stores, order them online.

Quick Sev and Tomato Curry (sev tameta nu shaak)
(serves 2-4)

Ingredients

325g fresh tomatoes, roughly pureed
140g jinni sev (small sev)
120g onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
2 tsp concentrated tomato puree
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp cinnamon powder
4-6 tbsp water
Salt to taste
Handful of chopped coriander to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds (wait for them to pop) and then add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, concentrated tomato puree and onions. Saute until the onions become translucent, and then add the pureed fresh tomatoes.

2. Season with chilli powder, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and sugar. Allow to cook down to a fairly thick mixture, and then adjust the texture with around 4-6 tbsp water. Turn the heat off.

3. Just before you’re ready to serve, add the sev to the piping hot sauce and give it a quick and gentle mix through. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve immediately.

I love to serve this with hot, buttered chapattis and absolutely nothing else. However, it’s also great with naan, paratha and puri. Wash it all down with a tall glass of salted lassi and feel your belly release a deep sigh of gratification.

Visit my collection of Gujarati recipes for more classic dishes and recipe inspiration.

For more nuggets of information on regional Indian cuisine, read my article, Unveiling the Magic of Indian Food on foodnetwork uk.

The post Quick Sev and Tomato Curry (Sev Tameta nu Shaak) appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Fresh flavoured, dry curries are done so well by Gujaratis. It’s all about taking simple ingredients and packing in as much flavour as possible.

From thalis (3 course meal plates), to dhokras (steamed savoury cakes) and mistan (Indian sweets), the simplicity and variety of Gujarati cuisine is a huge attraction for vegetarians.

Around three-quarters of the population of Gujarat are vegetarian for an assortment of reasons. Among religious, economical and health reasons, many Gujarati’s believe that the abundance of nuts, beans and leafy greens available in their region neutralises the need to eat meat. Having said this, Gujarati food is simple, family cooking which can coax the most radical meat-eaters into enjoying a vegetarian meal.

This dish is just one of those typical Gujarati specialities which can be adapted according to what produce is in season and available at the time. Chickpea flour curries are great with okra, fresh fenugreek leaves and even whole chilli peppers! That is if you’re feeling brave enough. Why not check out my recipe for Turnip and Spring Onion Curry?

Dry roasting the chickpea flour on a skillet brings out a wonderfully aromatic nutty flavour and clings to the vegetables brilliantly. You could also try this with leeks, capsicums, broccoli or cauliflower.

Serve with hot, buttered chapattis and sizzlingly hot garlic chutney. Conveniently, this recipe will be the subject of KO Rasoi’s next post. I do spoil you, don’t I?

Potatoes and Spring Onions Sautéed in Chickpea Flour

Ingredients
5 cups spring onions (scallions), chopped in -inch pieces including the green part
1 ½ cups new potatoes, quartered
2 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 hot green chillies, minced
1 ½ cups passata (sieved tomatoes). You could also use fresh or canned chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp lime juice
¼ cup sunflower oil (wholly necessary) + 1 tbsp sunflower oil
¼ tsp asafoetida
½ tsp turmeric
1 cup chickpea flour
2 tsp cumin seed powder
2 tsp coriander seed powder
¼ tsp baking powder
Salt to taste

Method
1. Heat a large non stick skillet. Combine the chickpea flour, cumin seed powder, coriander seed powder and turmeric. It would be a good idea to add a pinch or two of salt to this.

2. Heat ¼ cup sunflower oil while you do step 3. Don’t take your eye off of it.

3. Dry roast the mixture, moving all of the time until it becomes a pinkish, nutty colour. Remove from the heat, add the baking powder and ¼ cup hot sunflower oil. It will spit and sizzle so be careful. Stir this until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and set aside.

4. Boil the new potatoes in plenty of salted boiling water until tender (I added an extra pinch of turmeric to these to give them a pretty colour). Drain and set aside.

5. In a large wok, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the garlic, ginger, chillies, asafoetida and spring onions. Stir fry on a medium heat for a minute, then add the tomatoes. Cook this for 2-3 minutes on a high heat.

6. Add the tender new potatoes and sprinkle over the chickpea flour mixture. Combine thoroughly and stir carefully on a high heat for a further 2 minutes, taking care not to break the potatoes.

7. Finish with a spritz of lime juice and season with a little bit of salt and pepper if you wish.

The post Gujarati Potatoes and Spring Onions Sautéed in Chickpea Flour appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Great news. No, not great news. Amazing news.

KO Rasoi’s recipe for Melt in the Mouth Paneer Kofta has been selected as one of the top 100 entries for the Foodista Best of Food Blogs competition. The recipe will feature in a full colour cookbook which will be published by Andrews McMeel Publishing this October. I’ll give you more details as and when I find out information.

How exciting is this for us?! The little veggie blog is taking baby footsteps and I like where it seems to be heading.

Cooking, eating, writing; these are the things that I can use to escape in to a world where my passion for food roams freely and relentlessly. Rather like a starving gerbil on Shandy.

What I would like to do most is thank you all for such wonderful feedback and supportive comments. You are the people that make KO Rasoi shine, not other things like scrummy cheesecakes (although, those are yummy and almost as attractive than you are). Stop blushing.

Moving swiftly on…

In order to celebrate this exciting newsflash we have daal. Don’t make those sighing noises I used to make when I was little and had to eat daal, because this isn’t just any daal. It’s three lentil daal.

And I don’t have to justify that because it tastes marvellous and it’s good for you!

Celebrate the colours of India and happy times with this delicious three lentil daal (triveti daal). These lentils are widely available in all good supermarkets and Indian grocers.

Ingredients
(serves 4-6)

100g moong daal (mung bean daal)
100g urad daal
100g toor daal (pigeon pea daal)
1 ¼ litres hot water
1 large onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, minced
2 hot green chillies, minced, (or to taste)
1 tbsp ghee (or oil)
2 star anise
1 small cinnamon stick
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
200g tin of chopped tomatoes
½ tsp turmeric
½ cup coriander, chopped
Salt to taste

Method

1. Wash the three daals together and boil in the hot water until tender. Hot tip: Adding a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your boiling water will make the daal cook quicker. If your daal mixture is too dry add a little more water but do not drain any water from them. Set the cooked daal aside.

2. Heat the ghee/oil in a large pan and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, then add the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, asafoetida, curry leaves, star anise and cinnamon. Cook until aromatic.

3. Add the tomatoes, turmeric and cooked daal mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt. Remove from the heat and add the coriander. Remember to remove the cinnamon stick and star anise before serving.

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