Haanji, gulab jamun ki sabji banti hai.

Gulab jamun. Those fried dough balls dipped in the super sweet chashni are just to die for. Some enjoy this delicacy with ice cream, others with rabri, and some as it is. But have you ever wondered how gulab jamun would taste in a sabji? Difficult to imagine, isn’t it? But a dish in Rajasthan does this job for you! The Gulab Jamun ki sabji from Jodhpur is an absolutely delicious and unusual take on this sweet, and adds a new dimension of flavours to it.

A savoury gulab jamun, with a rich gravy, this dish is quite popular in the Jodhpur region. It is one of the most delicious vegetarian Rajasthani delicacies.

The Gulab jamun balls are made with khoya and maida. Sometimes, to add a more savoury flavor, paneer is used.  To add some richness and typical Rajasthani flavor, sometimes rose water is added too. Like the usual gulab jamun, these are then fried till golden brown. These are not dipped in the sugar syrup (chashni).

The gravy is actually a typical yogurt-based gravy. The special thing about this recipe is the use of desi ghee, which makes it extra yummy and adds a special desi touch to it. The main ingredients in the gravy include onions, ginger garlic paste and curd. The spices are the usual cumin, red chilli, dhaniya, haldi, garam masala, lemon juice and some fresh coriander leaves as a garnish. If you like the tangy tomato, then you can add some tomato puree too. The spices, along with some maida are typically whisked into dahi.

There are a lot of variations in this recipe. Some like the usual yogurt curry, others like the tomato-onion gravy, and some like cashew gravy, which is quite rich. So it depends on you which one you like, and you can accordingly use that one.

This dish is closest to kofta perhaps, but it has khoya and so it is richer. These balls are still slightly sweet. The Gulab Jamun ki sabji is a great way to experiment with gulab jamun. It will definitely add a new take on this dish. So enjoy this lovely dish soon!

Butter Chicken ki kahani

Butter chicken. Buttery, creamy, a bit tangy at times, with the right mix of spices, served with succulent and soft pieces of chicken. I absolutely love it. Don’t you? But have you ever wondered where it even came from?

Butter chicken was born in Old Delhi around the 1950s. Tandoori food and kebabs were highly popular in Delhi at this time. The succulent chicken and mutton kebabs, marinated in a unique blend of spices, and cooked to perfection, were savored by almost every single person from Delhi. The marinate of these kebabs was a mixture of spices like garam masala,jeera, coriander, chilli powder, tej patta, salt and pepper. This mixture of spices was rich in flavor and gave these kebabs their strong flavor.

One fine day, a restaurant owner decided to mix the leftover flavourful marinade with some tomato puree and loads of butter and cream. Hence our dearest, most favourite butter chicken was born. It was eaten either with naan or the paper-thin roomali roti. The owner didn’t know that he had invented what is arguably the most well-known Indian dish over the globe.

Now, the chicken is marinated in lemon juice, dahi, and spices which also include the ginger-garlic paste. The chicken was earlier cooked in a tandoor, like a kebab, but now it may be grilled, roasted or even pan fried. The gravy is a mixture of tomato puree which is spiced and cream and butter are also added. The gravy is simmered until smooth and until much of the water has evaporated. Sometimes, kaju paste is also used to thicken the gravy. The spices of the dish vary with the region.

Butter chicken may have been born in Old Delhi, but now it is a dish that India and the whole world loves. It is almost impossible to imagine a life without butter chicken. Butter chicken is everything we Indians love, butter, cream, chicken and fat. Kudos to this lovely dish!