RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Yogurt Curry & Fried Dumplings

People are embracing vegetarian and vegan lifestyles in large numbers. Individuals have various reasons for skipping meat and animal products, and fortunately there are plenty of recipes that underscore how flavorful such diets can be.

Vegetarian cooking long has been a staple in parts of India. Yogurt Curry with Fried Dumplings is one of the most famous curries from the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is typically served with rice and hot mango relish. Enjoy this recipe, courtesy of India's Vegetarian Cooking (Kyle Books) by Monisha Bharadwaj. This recipe serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups plain yogurt

1 cup chickpea flour (besan)

1 fresh small green chile, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt, to taste

2 Tablespoons, sunflower oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

10 black peppercorns

6 cloves

2 Tablespoons ghee (optional)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

For the dumplings:

1 cup chickpea flour (besan)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Pinch of cumin seeds

Sunflower oil for deep-frying

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk the yogurt with the chickpea flour, green chile, turmeric, sugar, salt, and 1 1/4 cups of cold water.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and add the cumin seeds, peppercorns, and cloves.

3. Give the yogurt mixture a good blend, ensuring that there are no lumps left, and pour into the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the consistency resembles that of a thick gravy and the raw flour aroma has gone. Remove from the heat.

4. For the dumplings, make a thick batter with the chickpea flour, onion, and cumin seeds, and add water as necessary.

5. Heat the oil in a heavy pan. When it starts smoking, lower the heat and drop in 2 to 3 separate teaspoonfuls of batter at a time. Fry until golden, drain, and dip them into a bowl of water to soften a bit. Remove immediately, squeeze out the water, and add them to the yogurt curry. Make all the dumplings in this manner.

6. Heat the ghee (if using) in a small pan (you could use the hot sunflower oil instead) and add the chili powder. Pour this mixture over the curry at once and serve without stirring.