Shahi Gatte is a very royal dish of Rajasthan, which was often served in royal meals, but yet it is not very popular compared to other versions of Rajashtani  gatte recipes. I expetienced it for the first time about 10 years ago, at a restaurant in Udaipur’s City Palace Museum, totally fell in love with this dish. Even after so many years, I am not able to forget the taste of that recipe and tried to replicate it in my kitchen. Hence, I cannot claim that this is original, but this replication is totally my creation based on my familiarity with Marwari food due to my family heritage. One day when I go back there, I will compare it again.

In terms of nutritional benefits, don’t eat this if you are on clean diet or are trying to lose weight.  However, there are some days we don’t care and just want to indulge ourselves in something that would enhance our palate.

Ingredients:

Chickpea flour dumplings (Gatte)

• Chickpea Flour (Besan) – 1 cup
• Oil – 2 tbs
• Water to knead – less than 1/2 cup
• Oil for deep frying the dumplings
• Spices
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Red chili powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Caraway seeds (Shahi Jeera) – 1/2 tsp
  • Carom seeds (Ajwain) – 1/2 tsp
  • Nigella sativa (Kalonji) – 1/4 tsp
  • Salt – as per your taste

 Filling for Dumplings:

• Indian Cottage Cheese (Paneer) – 1/2 cup
• Cashews – 1/4 cup broken or chopped
• Ginger – 1 tbs grated
• Green chilies – 1/2 tbs finely chopped
• Spices
  • Coriander seeds – 1 tbs crushed
  • Black pepper – 1 tsp crushed
  • Cloves – 6-8 piece crushed
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
  • Red chili flakes – 1/2 tsp
  • Salt – to taste

Gravy

• Homemade Tomato paste – 1/2 cup (or 6 to 7 tomatoes to make the paste)
• Homemade Cashew and poppy seed paste – 2 tbs (or 2 tbs broken casews and 1 tbs poppy seeds to make paste)
• Hung curd/ khoya – 2tbs
• Heavy whipped cream – 1/4 cup + 1 tbs for topping
• Ginger paste – 1 tbs
• Green chilies – 1 tsp
• Cilantro – Handful of chopped
• Oil – 1 tbs
• Spices
  • Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Coriander powder – 1 tsp
  • Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Black pepper – 1/4 tsp
  • Kasoori Methi – 1tbs roasted
  • Garam masala – 1/4 tsp
  • Dry mango powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Salt – as per your taste

Method

Chickpea flour dumplings (Gatte)

1. In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients of dumpling and knead it into a stiffer than roti/chapatti dough.
2. When the dough is done, keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
3. While the dough is resting, mix all the ingredients of filling in a separate bowl.
4. Now divide the dough and filling into equal small balls.
5. The above quantity will give you around 14-15 pieces.
6. Now take each ball of chickpea flour and press it with your thumb and fingers and flatten into a flat disc.
7.  Place one ball of filling onto this flatten dough and cover it and make a round again, covering the filling properly with the dough.
   
8. Repeat the process until done with all.
9. Meanwhile heat some water in a pan for boiling these dumplings.
   
10. Add these stuffed dumpling to the rolling boil water and let them boil for 10 minutes or until they start floating on surface.
11. Once done, strain these dumpling and keep the water aside.
12. Now heat oil in a pan/kadahi for deep frying these boiled dumplings. Deep fry them on medium heat.
13. Keep the fried dumplings aside and start working on gravy for these dumplings.
14. For Gravy, I have used my already homemade prepared tomato paste and nut paste, most of the time these pastes are available in my fridge to keep my work easy. But if you don’t have these already prepared follow the sub-steps below to make both pastes.
    1. Tomato paste: Heat oil in a pan add ginger paste, green chilies paste and tomato puree of 6-7 tomatoes and cook until all the water of tomatoes are gone and puree start separating oil.
       
    2. Cashew and poppy seed paste:  Make paste of cashews and poppy seeds with some milk in a blender and cook until mixture start separating oil.
15. Now add both the paste in a pan and mix and cook for few minutes.
    
16. When the tomato and nut mixture is cooked and roasted nicely add hung curd or mawa/khoya to it and give it a good mix.
    
17. Now add around 1-2 cups of water, which you kept aside after boiling the dumplings, little by little and stir vigorously until you get your desired consistency.
18. Add all the spices except garam masala, dry mango powder and kasuri methi and stir the gravy well to mix spices uniformly.
19. Add some more water or milk if you feel that the consistency of gravy is still too thick and let it simmer for few minutes.
20. Now add deep fried stuffed dumplings and 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the gravy and let it simmer further.
21. While gravy is simmering roast kasuri methi a little, roasting will further enhance the flavor of kasuri methi.
22. Sprinkle some garam masala, dry mango powder and roasted crushed kasuri methi.
23. Now, transfer the dish into a serving bowl.
24. Before serving garnish it with little heavy cream, grated paneer and cilantro to give that royal look what this dish deserve and enjoy.

This recipe is long and difficult, but when you will have it with your family and friends, it will be all worth it…