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Vegetarian delight
Get bowled
over with haldi
ki sabzi from Rajasthan
 Haldi, known to the rest
of the world as turmeric, needs no introduction. Such are its proven
medicinal properties that multi-national drug companies have tried
their best to steal it away from us by seeking to patent it. Thanks to
vigilant Indian scientists, the nefarious designs couldn’t succeed
and we continue to bask in its traditional glossy.
It is the poor man’s
saffron, tasty and aromatic; in addition it has myriad auspicious
associations: Hindu fathers have from time immemorial given their
daughters away in marriage after tinting their palm yellow with haldi.
No puja is complete unless haldi colours the cloth or chowki
that serves the seats for the idols.
At the onset of spring,
it is haldi that turns everything pleasantly yellow.
 Grandmothers mix it up
with milk to build the children’s immunity against coughs and colds
and who doesn’t know that it accelerates the healing of fractures.
Dozens of herbal preparations include it as an ingredient beneficial
for skin. But we digress. Our primary concern is cuisine.
Most people use haldi
everyday in dal-subzi and murg-maans-machhli but few
have tasted as achaar and murabba. Still fewer are the
fortunate souls who have enjoyed its sabzi. It is time this was
remedied.
We owe this recipe to
young and talented chef Prahlad, who belongs to Jodhpur and, at
present, works in Jaipur. In the Capital recently for Rajasthani Food
Fest, he treated us to this unusual vegetarian delight.
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Haldi ki sabzi
Ingredients
-
 Turmeric (whole
rhizomes fresh not dried) 1 kg
-
Fresh green peas
(frozen will do at a pinch) 250 g
-
Dahi 500 ml
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Ghee 250 ml
-
Garlic-ginger
paste 1 tbsp
-
Kaju 100 g
-
Kishmish 50g
-
Bay leaf (tejpatta)
one
-
A piece of
dalchini 1 inch long
-
Cloves (laung)
2-3
-
Green cardamoms
(chhoti elaichi) 2-3
-
Kashmiri lal
mirch 1 tsp
-
Jeera powder 1
tsp
-
Dhania powder 1
tsp
-
Salt to taste
Method
Wash and grate the
haldi. Defreeze the peas and soak for a while in hot
water, if using frozen peas. Dry roast kaju on a tawa and
soak the kishmish in a cup of water. Heat ghee in
a thick-bottomed pan and put the whole spices in it. When these
begin to crackle, add the powdered spices mixed with a little
water to avoid burning and the salt. Stir-fry for 20 seconds.
Add ginger-garlic paste. Now put in the grated haldi,
along with the peas. Reduce heat and pour in dahi in slow
steady stream stirring briskly all the while to avoid curdling. Dahi
should be cooked on very low heat. Add peas and cook uncovered
for about 10 minutes. Now put in the kaju and kishmish.
Serve hot with phulka. Some people like to prepare this
with onions but we feel these can overpower the delicate haldi
taste and aroma. |
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