Season 1, Episode 5
Chickpea Dal,
Potato Curry & Puris
Overview
Guddi cooks two pure veg dishes, one subji (vegetable), one dal (chickpea) and a delicious unleavened deep-fried flatbread.
Guddi is a native to Vrindavan – a Brijwasi! Today she’s going to show you how to cook a traditional, simple, pure veg family meal. These recipes have been cooked in Vrindavan by generations of Brijwasis.
Now you can cook them in your home. Guddi shows you how. Join us, and stay ’til the end when Guddi talks about her Brijwasi recipes.
Know Your Ingredients
Chickpeas
Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) are a type of legume in the same family as kidney beans and peanuts. They’re also called garbanzo beans. They have a buttery, nutty flavor and creamy texture. In the U.S., you often see the Kabuli variety, (picutred above) which are tan, round, and slightly larger than a pea, what is called in India as “white chickpea”. In India, the Desi variety is more common. These are smaller, darker, and less round than Kabuli chickpeas, and are known as “black chickpeas”.
Hing
Hing is a blend of usually 30% asafoetida and 70% flour – helps to ensure people go light on the asafoetida no doubt. It is used in lieu of onions & garlic.
I once bought pure asafoetida in the market, it’s a highly regarded addition to cooking for thousands of year, but boy, does it stink! I couldn’t use it and my house smelled bad for days after opening the jar.
Ferula foetida (of the family Apiaceae) is a plant whose oleoresin (referred to as ferula asafoetida) is used in Ayurveda medicine as well cooking. It is named after its adverse smell (foetidus being the Latin equivalent of fetid and the asa refering to how it is an oleoresin, and despite the adverse smell it is reported to have a taste that is bitter and pungent while being light, sharp, unctuous and hot in effect, kind of like leeks.
Videos
- Video instructions – Main video; Guddi cooking her Brijwasi meal.
- Chit-chat Brijwasi – Guddi talks a bit about her recipes and Brijwasi.
- Food Seva – Bringing food to the street people of Vrindavan. Nobody goes hungry!
- Special Food Seva – We go to a Widows of Vrindavan Bhajan (chanting/singing) Ashram to give food and love! ❤️
Cooking notes
Guddi forgot to add the grated ginger to the chickpeas and also sprinkled chaat masala on top at the end (instead of garam masala). I don’t know if any of you caught that but it didn’t really effect the final dish, which was delicious! So you can go either way!
Always room for one more..
Indians traditionally cook A LOT of food. There is always plenty for everyone and more than enough to share with friends and strangers alike. We cooked enough food for Guddi to take home for her family.
In Vrindavan, nobody goes hungry. There is plenty of FOOD SEVA to see that ALL the denizens of the Holy Dham are fed and cared for!
Seva
Seva is the spiritual practice of selfless service and the desire to uplifet and assist people, giving help and compassion to others with no thought of what is to gain or what is to be lost by doing so. The practice of seva becomes a path to self-realization, which is the essence of yoga.