Pudina leaves are used in a variety of dishes to give a minty taste. Specially, mock tails and other soft drinks that need that extra dash of freshness. I personally love Shikanji, a drink like jal-jeera made in North India to beat the heat.

There is this cute little pudina plant growing in my terrace garden. One month ago my husband was sorting out the pudina leaves when he suddenly ran to the terrace with a few stems in one hand and a digging tool in another. I was wondering what he was upto. He neatly potted the stems which had few roots. I was apprehensive about a plant growing out of it. After 2 days I noticed that the green stem had turned red. That was the first indication that the plant had caught roots. I was so happy to see the growth then on. The little stem soon became a heavily loaded plant. It was torn by my one year old baby girl ( she is not entirely to blame, I think the pigeons helped her 🙂 ) Anyway, this plant is a survivor. Love having it in around, so refreshing to even look at.

For the herb mania, I decided to make Pudina Ke Gatte. I saw this recipe on a show called ‘Rasm-e-rasoi’ that comes at 12 noon on 9x TV. I really like the pudina twist given to the famous Rajasthani curry, Gatte ki Sabzi. Due to lack of fresh vegetables in the desert land, people in olden days came up with these innovative sabzis that could be had anytime with roti.

This dish is made patiently in stages, Boiling , Shallow frying and finally preparing the gravy. However, its worth the effort and time. It surely tastes different from the usual Gatte Ki Sabzi , thanks to the Pudina and mustard oil.

This is my entry to the Herb Mania organized by Ammalu’s Kitchen.

Ingredients :

For the Gatte

• 1 cup Pudina leaves, pureed
• 1 Green chilly, finely chopped
• 2 cups Besan
• 1/2 teaspoon Ajwain
• Salt

For the Gravy

• 1 cup Curd
• 1 tablespoon Besan
• Salt

For the tempering

• 1/2 cup Mustard Oil
• Pinch of Hing
• 1/2 teaspoon Red chilly powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Jeera powder

For the Garnish

• 1/2 teaspoon Chaat masala
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• Freshly chopped coriander leaves

Procedure :

1. Make a dough out of the Gatte ingredients.
2. Make Rolls of the dough and place in boiling water for 5 – 7mins.
3. Take rolls out gently and allow them to cool.
4. Cut slices of Gatte from the rolls.
5. Heat mustard oil. Shallow fry Gatte and keep aside.
6. To remaining oil add hing, jeera powder and red chilly powder. Add the Gatte back and mix well.
7. Now beat the ingredients for the gravy in a cup with some water.
8. Add this paste to the mixture and let the gatte boil till the raw besan smell disappears from the gravy.
9. Garnish with Chaat masala, lime juice and coriander leaves.

Please NOTE :

The dough made for the Gatte should be slightly tighter than the one you make for rotis. At the same time, be careful not to let it become watery. If you feel its sticky , add some more gram flour and knead till its manageable.