SINDHI

SINDHI CHAAP

            Sindhi cuisine refers to the native food of the  Sindhi people from Sindh (now in Pakistan). The daily food in most Sindhi households consists of phulka and rice accompanied by two dishes, one gravy and one dry. The arrival of Islam within South Asia influenced the local cuisine to a great extent.

Sindhi cuisine is as mesmerizing as the colours of Sindhi festivals. Every festival has its own special menu. Saaye bhaji for diwali, gheevar for holi. This cuisine comprises all the balanced nutrition that one needs for a festive life. Onion forms the base for all the sindhi cooking it gives its rich golden brown colour. The food is cooked in various styles such as daag (curry with browned onion), seyal (chopped onion cooked till pinkish with garlic), daas (with stuffing) and bassar (with browned chopped onion tomato and ginger garlic paste). Some are cooked only in tomato base to ease the digestion.

 The most popular and my favourite snack sindhi chaap is made simple for you to relish.

Ingredients:

½ kg        boiled potato

6tbsp       heaped cornflour

Salt         to taste

1cup      bread crumbs

For the filling:

1/3 cup       split Bengal gram

1small      chopped green chilli

½ tsp       finely chopped ginger

½ tsp       turmeric powder

¼ tsp      asafoetida

1tsp        red chilli powder

1tsp       coriander powder

1tsp       heaped dry mango powder

1tsp      chaat masala

2tbsp    chopped fresh coriander

2tsp      ghee

½ tsp    garam masala

Salt       to taste

1.      Wash and soak the Bengal gram for 1 hour.

2.      Pressure it up to 3 whistles with 1 ½ cups water, green chilli, ginger, turmeric powder and asafoetida.

3.      When cooled open and drain all excess water. Let it cool down.

4.      When cooled mix in all other filling ingredients and mix well.

5.      Grated the potato and mix with corn flour and salt.

6.      Knead to soft dough.

7.      Divide into equal tennis ball size portions.

8.      Apply oil on your palm.

9.      Take one portion of potato mixture and flatten it and make a dent in the center.

10.  Fill 1tbsp of the filling in the dent and seal the potato mixture well.

11.  Smoothen the outer potato coating.

12.  And shape it like a thick patty as in the picture.

13.  Now take the bread crumbs and coat the patty well.

14.  You can prepare up to this step a day prior.

15.  At the time of serving shallow fry in ghee on both sides till golden brown.

16.  Serve with onion and mint chutney or with chole.