Dubke ( Thick gravy of dal paste with pakodas )

Dubke

Dubke are special dish made in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India. At is a wonderful variation of dal dish, as main course and accompaniment to rice. In the chill of morning when steaming hot Dubke are placed before me with steaming hot rice and a dollop of Ghee I feel that I am eating the best meal of my life. Because not only dubke is my favorite dis but also it is cooked and served by my mother. Mothers love makes everything super tasty. So make it instead of regular dal-chawal. Your family will love this dal dish

Preparation Time: 10min. (Dal soaking time not included)

Cooking Time: 30 min. (approximately)

Servings: 4 large helpings

Ingredients Required for Making Dubke:

• 100 gm. Tur Dal (Arhar dal)

• 2 Medium size Tomatoes

• Salt to taste

• 1/2Tea spoon Turmeric Powder

• 2Tea spoon Cumin seeds

• 2Tea spoon Mustard seeds

• 1-2 Whole Red Chilies

Spices for Dubke

•  1/2 Tea spoon Jambu (A herb found in Kumaon region of India)

Jambu (A herb grown in higher altitude of Kumaon (India) and Nepal

• 1 Tea spoon Ghee (Clarified Butter)

• Few sprigs of coriander leaves

• Cooking oil for frying

• Water

Directions for Making Dubke:

• Wash and soak dal in water for 3-4 hrs.

• Drain all water from the soaked dal and grind it to thick fine paste.

• Take half of the dal paste and add salt and 1/2 tea spoon of cumin seeds to it.

• Take oil in wok and heat it to smoking hot.

• Lower the flame and make pakodas of the dal paste with salt and cumin seeds.

• Put the pakodas of dal in water and allow them to soak.

Soaked Pakodas

• Make paste of tomatoes.

• Slit the green chilies and deseed them and cut to small pieces.

• Take 5ml. oil in the wok and heat it on high flame.

• When the oil is smoking hot put 1/2tea spoon cumin seeds, 1/2teaspoon mustard seeds and let them splutter.

• Add green chili pieces and asafoetida and immediately put the remaining paste of dal and cook it with vigorous stirring for a min.

• Add 200 ml. water and cook on low flame with continuous mixing till all paste and water make a homogenous mixture.

Paste of dal cooked with spices and made to lump less mixture

• Add Turmeric powder and salt.

• Add 250 ml. water and cook on high flame high flame till it starts boiling.

• Lower the flame and cook for 15-20min. with occasional stirring.

Dal paste being cooked with spices

• Add paste of tomato and 100ml. water and cook for another 10min.

• Add the soaked pakodas and nd cook for another 5 min.

Tomato paste and Pakodas being cooked in Dubke

• Remove the wok from gas.

• Dubke with pakodas is ready.

Dubke ready for Seasoning

• Take out dubke in a serving bowl.

• In a pan take ghee heat it.

• When the oil becomes smoking hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, whole red chili and in the last Jambu.

• Wonderful smell of Jambu along with cumin and mustard seeds will come.

• Immediately pour the ghee with all ingredients on the dubke.

Dubke

• Garnish with Coriander leaves or just enjoy it without garnishing with hot rice, Palak ka kappa ( A kumauni preparation of spinach) and mango pickle

  http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/mango-pickle-north-indian-style.html

Tips:

• Do not add too much water while grinding else paste will become thin and you will not be able to make pakodas.

• While cooking the paste for dubke if in the starting small lumps are formed do not worry but press them to the wall of wok with the spoon and dissolve in the water present in the wok.

• Jambu is an herb grown in higher altitude of Kumaon hill and Nepal. It is daily used for seasoning dal, dubke and vegetables in Kumaon. Its flavor comes best when ghee is used. So do not replace ghee with oil if you can get Jambu.

• Do not worry if you do not have Jambu, you can yet make and enjoy this authentic Kumauni dish.

Suggested Variations:

• Tur dal can be replaced by green moong dal, yellow moong dal, Masoor dal.

• Tomato paste can be replaced by raw mango pieces or amchur powder, but do not add tamarind or tamarind paste the original color and taste of dubke will change.

Kadi ( Thick gravy of besan/ gram flour in curd with pakodas )

Kadi

Kadi is made in almost all over India though in different style. The one being mentioned today is most popular and is made in northern part of India.In North India Kadi is relished with rice. In Kumaon it is called besan ke Dubke और payo (प्यो). Thick broth of gram flour (Besan) with curd seasoned with cumin, hing, red chili powder and having floating pakodas is simply irresistible and my children used to finish half of it before it used to come on table.

Preparation Time     5 min.

Cooking Time        60 min.

Servings:  Makes eight large servings.

Ingredients Required For Making Kadi:-

• 200 gm. Besan (black gram flour)

Besan

• 250 gm. Thick Curd 

Curd

•   Salt to Taste
•  1/2 Tea spoon Cumin Seeds

•  1/2 Tea spoon Mustard Seeds

Mustard seeds

• 1/2 Tea spoon Methi seeds

Fenugreek seeds

•  1 Dry Red Chili
•  Oil for frying
•  Water

Direction For Making Kadi:-

Step 1

Making the Pakodas(dumplings of gram flour)

• Take 100 ml. of oil in a wok and heat it on high flame.
• Lower the flame when the oil is smoking hot.
• Take 100 gm. of besan in a bowl.
• Add 1/2 tea spoon of cooking oil, salt, and mix.
• Add water slowly and beat with your fingers / fork / spoon to make batter.
• The batter should be of pourable thickness, and it should be free of lumps.
• Beat the batter for 5min. to make it fluffy.

Batter for pakoda

•  With the help of a spoon pour little amount to the hot oil (the amount of batter you put in oil for frying depends upon the size of pakodas you want.

Pakodas being fried

 Put the flame on high and fry the pakodas golden brown by turning them regular.

Fried Pakoda for kadi

• Take the fried pakodas and soak them in water.

Pakodas being soaked in water

 Step 2

Making Kadi

• Beat curd with an egg beater or in the mixer to smooth paste.
• Take 75gm. Of besan in a bowl and add curd paste with regular beating.

Besan and curd mixture

•   Add salt, turmeric powder and 250 – 300 ml. water and mix thoroughly so that no lumps are formed.
• Take 1ml. oil in a wok and heat and heat on high flame till smoking hot.
• Put mustard seeds, cumin seeds and in the last methi seeds.
•  Let the seeds splutter for 10-15 sec.
• Lower the flame and add the mixture of besan, curd, salt and water to the wok.
• Mix thoroughly and put the flame to high.
• Cook with regular stirring till it starts boiling.



Besan - curd mixture of kadi being cooked with seasoning




• Once it starts boiling lower the flame and cook for at least 30 min.
• Keep on adding water to maintain the consistency of kadi. 
•  More the kadi is cooked better the taste becomes.
• Squeeze the excess water from the soaked pakodas gently by pressing between your palms.
• Add the pakodas to the kadi and give it a gentle stir and cook for two min.

Kadi being cooked with Pakodas

• Take out cooked kadi in a serving bowl .
•  For garnishing take 2 ml. of oil in a pan heat.
• When hot add red chili let the chili become brownish red then red chili powder, asafetida and immediately pour over kadi.

Kadi with garnishing of red chilli powder and cumin seeds

• You can decorate with few leaves of coriander or by sprinkling little amount of kasoori methi.

 Kadi is ready to be enjoyed with rice. Some people like kadi with chapatti also, but in whole of northern India kadi has one and only one companion that is RICE. Make some vegetable of spinach / methi or any other vegetable and you have a complete meal!!.

Enjoy your Sunday lunch with your family eating Kadi Chawal (cooked rice).

Kadi,Rice and palak (spinach )ki sabji

Tips:-                                                 

• Do not decrease the amount of curd as the taste of kadi will not come out as it should be.

• The amount of curd can be increased it will make the kadi more tasty.

• Pakodas should be soft otherwise the kadi will not seep into the pakodas.

• While preparing the garnish, make sure the chili powder retains its red color.

• Asafetida should be added last and the oil poured immediately over kadi.

Suggested Variations:

• For healthier eating pakodas can be avoided and thin 2-3 cm. long pieces of beans, carrots,cauliflower can be added to Kadi once it is half cooked so that the vegetables get cooked in kadi yet remain crisp.