Aani Basar or gramflour cutlet curry is a traditional Sindhi recipe.We cook it on special occasions.It is an exotic and a lesser known recipe to other community kitchens.It is similar to Rajasthani 'Gatte ki sabji' .Both have chickpea dumplings.This is actually a vegan Indian fish curry.
The region of Sindh(unfortunately separated from India) and Rajasthan stood the challenges of time.This area has also seen many dry spells with no monsoon.In the olden days there were no refrigerators,frozen or cut vegetables available.Thus, such recipes were developed so that people could survive with minimal veggies.Also,home cooked food was required during travelling long distances.
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Healthy Twist on the traditional curry
We fry the chickpea dumplings traditionally.Then serve them with a gravy of caramelized onions.However in this recipe,we steam the dumplings and saute' them. This retains the taste yet reduces the calories.This recipe may look tedious to you but it is worth the effort.You may also make the curry as a batch.Even making dumplings in advance helps.
Store them in your refrigerator and make any day special.
Ingredients
For aani cutlets
- besan or chickpeas flour
- khuskhus or poppy seeds
- oil
- amchur or dried mango powder
- cilantro with stalks
- red chilli powder
- ginger
- green chillies
- water for kneading
- salt as per taste
For the gravy
- oil
- tomato diced
- onions chopped
- green chilli
- turmeric powder
- coriander powder
- cumin powder
- cilantro for garnish
- Refer to recipe card for details.
Instructions
For the aani cutlets
- Mix all the ingredients for the cutlets.
- Add water slowly and knead a semi-tight dough.
- If you add too much water, it will be sticky and runny and lose shape.
- Take some of the dough.
- Press in with your palms to form small tikki or balls.
- You can now steam and saute these cutlets or deep fry them as done traditionally.
For the gravy
- In a pan,add oil.
- Now add chopped onions,chilli to it.
- Saute onions for 5 minutes with salt until they turn translucent.
- Add tomatoes and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Now add the spices,cutlets and 1 cup water.Cover the pan.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes on a low flame.Turn off the heat.
- Garnish with coriander.
- Serve hot with roti/bread.
Looking for more traditional Sindhi recipes?
Aani Basar-gramflour cutlet curry
Ingredients
For aani cutlets
- 1 ½ cup besan or chickpeas flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon khuskhus or poppy seeds
- 2-3 tablespoon oil for the dough and 1 cup oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon amchur or dried mango powder
- ¼ cup coriander with stalks
- 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp. ginger
- 1 tbsp. green chillies
- water for kneading
- Salt as per taste
For the gravy
- 2-3 tablespoon oil
- 1 to mato diced
- 4 medium onions chopped
- 1 green chilly
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- Coriander for garnish
Instructions
For the cutlets
- Mix all the ingredients for the cutlets.
- Add water slowly and knead a semi-tight dough.
- If you add too much water, it will be sticky and runny and lose shape.
- Take some of the dough.
- Press in with your palms to form small tikki or balls.
- You can now steam and saute these cutleys or deep fry them as done traditionally.
For the gravy
- In a pan,add oil.
- Now add chopped onions,chilli to it.
- Saute onions for 5 minutes with salt until they turn translucent.
- Add tomatoes and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Now add the spices,cutlets and 1 cup water.Cover the pan.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes on a low flame.Turn off the heat.
- Garnish with coriander.
- Serve hot with roti/bread.
Notes
Ramesh says
Delicious taste worth the effort it required to cook.