Ker Sangri / Tradtional Rajasthani Subzi
A recipe from desert areas of Rajasthan from dried ker berries and sangri bean pods and basic Indian spices. Raisins and dried mango add to the flavours. Lotus stem is used in this recipe but is not part of a traditional version of the curry.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Frying pan
- Colander
Ingredients
For Soaking Overnight and Pressure Cooking
- 3 cups Dry Sangri Beans (100 grams) soaked, rinsed, drained
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Sunflower oil or other vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2.5 tablespoons Dry Ker / Kari/ Kair Berries (25 grams) soaked, rinsed, drained
- ¼ cup Lotus root sliced
- Water (for soaking, rinsing) As per instructions below
For Making Ker Sangri Sabzi
- 3 tablespoons Sunflower Oil or other mild flavoured vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Rai /Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Jeera / Cumin Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Saunf / Fennel Seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Ajwain / Carom Seeds
- 3 -4 Dry Red Chilies
- ¼ teaspoon Hing / Asafoetida Powder
- 3 tablespoons Dry Raw Mango strips
- ½ teaspoon Haldi Turmeric Powder
- 1.5 teaspoons Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or Degchi Mirch
- 2 teaspoons Dhania / Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Amchur / Dry Mango Powder
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Powder optional
- 2 tablespoon Curd / Plain yogurt
- 2 teaspoons Raisins
- ¼ teaspoon Salt or to taste
Instructions
To Soak Ingredients Overnight
- Rinse dry Sangri beans, drain and add water to about 1" above the surface of the sangri. Add turmeric powder, oil and salt as listed in ingredients above, and stir. Soak overnight or for about 8 hours
- Rinse the Ker berries You will find a sooty grey dust-like material coming from the Ker. Drain, and soak overnight (or for about 8 hours) with water about ½" above the surface of the Ker berries. Soak ker and sangri are to be soaked separately as above.
To Pressure Cook Ker Sangri and Lotus Root (if using)
- Take one long Lotus root/ stem. Peel it and slice into rounds. As you slice, Immediately place the slices in a bowl of water and keep them soaked till done as they get easily discoloured.
- Drain the soaked ker berries and sangri beans and rinse a few times. Drain and place in a pressure cooker. Add drained lotus root slices.Add sufficient water to cover the surface of the ker, sangri. Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Let the cooker cool and release pressure on its own.
Preparation:
- Once the pressure cooker has let off steam, open and drain the contents. Rinse and drain once more. Set aside till required.Slice the mango strips into small thin pieces Measure and keep all ingredients ready for making the ker sangri sabzi
To Make Ker Sangri Sabzi
- Heat oil in a pan. Keeping the heat on low, add mustard seeds and once they crackle, add cumin/ jeera seeds.Add Fennel/ saunf seeds and Carrom/ ajwain seeds.Remove the stalks from the red chilies and saute for a few seconds, turning the chilies in the pan so that both sides are fried.Add Asafoetida/ hing powder. Add the raw mango slices.Saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the cooked and drained ker, sangri, lotus root. Stir
- Keeping the heat on low, add turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder / degchi mirch, coriander powder, mango powder / amchur, mustard powder (if using) and stir well. Saute for 1 minute
- Beat the curd with a whisk or fork and add. Stir it into the sauteed masala.Add Raisins and salt. StirSaute and let the sabzi cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently as the masala powders tend to stick to the bottom of the pan and char. Scrape any masala you find sticking to the pan.No water is to be added while cooking the ker sangri.Remove from the heat, transferring the sabzi to a serving vessel.Serve with rice and dal and roti. It tastes amazing with poori too.
