Saturday, May 12, 2018

Mother's Day Special: Rasaje (A Mock Meat) Recipe


There is an old saying – “A man may work from dusk to dawn, but a woman’s work is never done;” which is probably as true today as it was back then.

No doubt “mothers” have the hardest jobs in the world.  They do so much for their children and families each and every day of the year, often sacrificing their own happiness.  And what we do to them?  Though we love our moms and do/try to do things to make them happy, sometimes we don't realize their value and even take them for granted.  On this mother’s day, let’s make them feel special because they deserve it.

Mom is the cook in almost every family and nothing in this world can be compared with the food cooked by our mothers.  So mother's day, a day dedicated to mothers, should be easy on the cook, hence “the cook” should not be a mom.  So let’s show your love and cook for your mom because the food is a perfect expression of love.

The special Indian recipes that come out of mom's kitchen have no match.  On the occasion of mother’s day, I am sharing one of such recipes that come straight from my mamma's kitchen which is named as “Rasaje.”  This dish is as unique as its name.  Rasaje is a “mock meat” (vegan meat) that is made from gram flour.  This is one of such dish which can not only be relished by your family as a regular meal but also makes a great menu for festive occasions too.  Rasaje tastes great and this gives an amazing look to your meals.

Let’s check out the recipe.


Ingredients (Serves 5)


For Dumplings:
Oil for frying
Gram flour – 2 cups (300 g)
Garlic cloves – 3-4 (Chopped)
Brown mustard – seeds ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Ginger, garlic, fresh coriander paste  – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Red chili powder – 2 ½ tsp
Water – 2 cups.
Salt to taste
Desiccated coconut (1 tbsp), white poppy seeds (2 tsp), a handful of roasted peanuts, and fresh coriander for garnishing

For Curry:
Oil to cook
Garlic cloves – 3-4 (Chopped)
Roasted rice powder 1 tbsp
Onion 1, ginger 1 inch, garlic head 1, fresh coriander handful, cinnamon 1 inch, black cardamom 1 – paste
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Coriander powder – 3 tsp
Water – 2- 2½ cups.
Salt to taste
Garam masala powder – ½ tsp
Fresh coriander for garnishing

Method:


Cooking time approx 1 hour.

For Dumplings:
1.  Grind ginger, garlic, fresh coriander to make a paste  – 1 tbsp.  Keep it aside.
2.  Take a pan and put 2 tablespoons of oil in it.
3.  Add 3-4 chopped cloves of garlic, ½ tsp brown mustard seeds and cumin seeds along with the paste that you kept aside (#1).
4.  Add turmeric powder (½ tsp), red chili powder (2 ½ tsp), salt to taste, gram flour and 2 cups of water.  Mix them all to make a tight dough of gram flour.
5.  Now place the dough in a greased plate and pat it with your palm or spatula.  Garnish it with desiccated coconut, white poppy seeds, roasted peanuts, and fresh coriander.   Let it cool completely.
6.  Cut the dough into pieces of desired shapes.
7.  Now, heat the oil in a wok.
8.  Deep fry those pieces of dough till it turns golden brown. Your dumplings are ready.  Keep them aside.

For Curry:
1.  Grind garlic cloves, one-inch ginger, one garlic head, a handful of fresh coriander along with one fried onion, 1 inch fried cinnamon, and 1 fried black cardamom.  Keep it aside.
2.  Now, take a deep pan and heat the oil in a wok.
3.  Add 3-4 chopped cloves of garlic and ½ tsp of cumin seeds.  Let them fry for few seconds.
4.  Then add the paste that you kept aside for gravy (#1) and fry it for 5 minutes.
5.  Add all the other spices now (turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, roasted rice powder and salt to taste).  Mix it well and cook until oil separates.
6.  Pour 2-2 ½ cups of water and bring it to boil.
7.  Add garam masala powder.  Here your curry is ready too.

Rasaje:
1.  Add the dumplings into the curry and let it cook for 10-15 minutes on low flame.
2.  Garnish with fresh coriander.
3.  Your dish “Rasaje” is ready to serve with Indian bread (roti) or rice.


It was an enormous pleasure to recreate this recipe from my mamma's kitchen and heart.  Thank you, Mamma, for sharing the recipe with the world!

Tip:  While making this dish, make sure to stir the dough in the pan continuously so that lumps won’t form.

Stay Blessed, Be Happy..!! :-)
Preeti

12 comments:

  1. this looks so, so good but also really complex to make... Wishing you a happy mothers day to you x

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  2. This looks so good! I am always looking for meatless alternatives to try and make - I will be adding this to the list for sure!

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  3. As a plant based foodie...this seems like heaven to me! :) I will definitely try it out! Lovely recipe! :) Great work!!

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  4. Looks absolutely delicious. Happy mothers day to you and yours. Great post!

    Subomi|My Fashion Musings

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  5. This looks really delicious, I love meals with spices in them because it brings out more flavour and just tastes better.

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  6. I will be trying this. it looks good. I am trying to eat less meat.
    However, any tips for someone who loves to cook but gets nervous by complex recipes.

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  7. I love curry. I bet this is delicious. I would love to try it.

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  8. I don't think I've ever had this before. Sounds like a yummy recipe

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  9. A great recipe. Very similar to 'Dhokar Dalna' that we Bengali's make. Will try out this recipe, for sure.

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  10. I love this type of food. Thanks for the recipe. will try in this coming weekend.

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  11. This recipe sounds delicious. I have never tried anything similar, but I do love Indian food and I am open to tasting as many different curries as possible.

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  12. I love that it has dumplings. Comfort food at its finest.

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