This recipe is from journalist Seema Chishti’s book ‘Sumitra and Anees: Tales and Recipes from a Khichdi Family’—the story of her parents Sumitra and Anees, their inter-faith marriage, and in a sense, the celebration of India’s pluralism. Woven into their story are recipes from Sumitra’s kitchen, a site of confluence for the diverse culinary traditions she mastered.
| Slightly sour curd | 1 bowl |
|---|---|
| Besan (chickpea flour) | 2-3 tablespoons |
| Bottle gourd (lauki) | 1, medium-sized |
| Onion | 1 |
| Garlic | 1 pod |
| Turmeric powder | 1 teaspoon |
| Ginger | 1 medium-sized piece |
| Oil | 1 tablespoon |
| Methi | 1 and 1⁄2 teaspoons |
| Chilli powder | 1 and 1⁄2 teaspoons |
| Red chillies | 2 |
| Cumin seeds | For tempering |
| Salt | To taste |
Instructions
Mix curd and chickpea flour well with turmeric and keep it aside.
Chop the onions and garlic and grate the ginger. Make a paste of it along with chillies or chilli powder.
Peel lauki, cut it into medium-sized pieces. Boil it separately with salt. Add the boiled pieces into the curd mixture. Take a vessel; heat the oil, add the methi.
After methi turns brown, add the paste and after 2-3 minutes add the lauki.
See to it that the mixture is not too thick. Add some water, if needed.
Boil it for 5-8 minutes, give a tadka of cumin seeds.
Seema Chishti has grown up, studied, lived and worked in Delhi as a journalist-writer for three decades. She is the co-author of Note by Note: The India Story (1947-2017) and has worked with BBC in London and India, The Indian Express and HTV.
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