EVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY
THEME: MADHYA PRADESH CUISINE
I remember watching the Incredible India advertisement on most of the Indian Channels and also BBC World and the phrase ‘ Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho’ was a very catchy one. The Dil described in the phrase is Madhya Pradesh. This state of rich culture and history literally lies in the middle of India and is rightfully called the heart of India. Its the second largest state surrounded by Rajasthan to the northwest, Gujarat to the west, Maharashtra to the south, Chhattisgarh to the southeast and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast. Before 2000 Chhattisgarh too was a part of Madhya Pradesh.
Its the home to the world heritage site Khajuraho monuments, with breathtaking sculptures. Its also the home of India’s oldest caves, 600 in number which are famous for the rock cravings and rock paintings. The city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh is known as the city of temples and its one of the four places which hosts the Kumbh Mela. Its also the home to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and the Kanha National Park, where Rudyard Kipling got his inspiration for the famous Jungle Book. The land of chanderi saris, forts in Gwalior, the Buddhist stupas in Sanchi and grandeur monument in Orchha. There is so much more to see and do in Madhya Pradesh. If I go into details then this post will become more of a travel(wish list) post than a food one.
Coming to the Cuisine in Madhya Pradesh, it varies from region to region. The cuisine of Madhya Pradesh is known as the Mawla Cuisine which is basically a blend of the Maharashtrian, Rajasthani and Gujarati cuisine. In the olden times, jowar (sorghum) was the staple food crop but after the Green Revolution wheat took it’s place. Madhya Pradesh is known for its royal Sailana cuisine, lipsmacking street food and delicious mouthwatering sweet dishes.
Over the years by changing a few ingredients Madhya Pradesh has managed to make most of the dishes their own. Also the cuisine is greatly influenced by the people who came to Madhya Pradesh to settle from other parts of India. Bhopal is well known for its kebab, biryani, fish, korma and kheema. Indore and Gwalior prepare dishes which use milk. Indore is also well known for its street food. You cannot leave Madhya Pradesh without tasting dal bafla (similar to dal batti), bhute ki khees, sabudana khichdi, Indori Palak puris and parathas, kusli, imarti,mawa jalebi and mawa bati, poha that they claim are not at all like the one you get in Maharashtra and practically every street food, chat etc has to be accompanied by the famous sev, be it ratlami one or the Indori one. I hear that they have so many different varieties of this fried snack.
My partner for this month was Sujata Shukla who blogs at PepperOnPizza. For the month of October I didn’t have a partner…that’s what happens when an odd number participate. So Sujata volunteered to give me my 2 secret ingredients. She gave me oil and chili. When she asked me if those two were OK I said definitely. However, at that time little did I know that it was going to be difficult for me to decide what to make. I narrowed down bafla and kopra patties. Then I thought why not make something where I can use quite a bit of oil and the famous snack Sev came to my mind. Ratlami Sev is world famous, its the spice mixture used that makes it so different. For Gujjus it will like a cross between ganthia and sev, soft and yet crunchy. I made the sev and then came across the recipe for Sev Tamatar. With sev ready and not having tasted Sev Tamatar before, I decided to make it.
What I deducted from the various articles I read is that though its a typical Rajasthani and Gujarati sabji or shaak, the people of Madhya Pradesh make it a bit different. They add milk. I left the sabji a bit dry as we enjoyed it like a snack. However, if you want to serve it with paratha or roti, add a bit more milk to make more gravy.
As for the Ratlami Sev, you’ll have to wait a bit more for the recipe.
Sujata ws given corn and salt as her two secret ingredients by her partner Veena. Using those ingredients she made a lip smacking spicy masala corn curry which you must check out. What I like about the curry is that the fresh corn is grated. Just the right kind of curry for my brother who doesn’t like to chew corn!
SEV TAMATAR SABJI
Makes 4 servings
1-1½ cups Ratlami Sev
2 tbsp oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
½ -1 tsp red chilli powder
¼ cup fresh tomato puree
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 – 1½ cup milk
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and stir fry them till they turn light brown in colour.
- Add ginger and garlic paste and stir fry for a few seconds.
- Add turmeric powder and mix.
- Add tomato puree and salt. Mix well.
- Let the puree cook for 2-3 minutes over low heat.
- Add red chilli powder and garam masala.
- Add milk and mix well. Let the mixture become hot.
- Add sev, mix and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.
- Serve it on its own topped with chopped onion, tomato and a drizzle of lemon juice or serve it with parathas or rotis.
Tips:
- Can use any variety of Sev, it should be a little thick and not the fine version.
- I mixed hot red chili powder and Kashmiri red chili powder for this recipe.
- Adjust spices according to your taste.
- After adding the sev don’t cook it for too long.
- Add sev just when you’re about to serve the sabji.
A little request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962
You may want to check out the following:
Sending this recipe to the following event:
Shhh Cooking Secretly a group started by Priya of Priya’s Versatile Recipes, is where every month food bloggers are paired up and give each other 2 secret ingredients to cook with according to the theme chosen. If you’re interested in joining this exciting group then please leave a message in the comment section. Thank you.