Wednesday, May 4, 2016

rickwachh ki sarson wali subzi | colocasia leaf rolls in a mustard based curry


rickwachh ki sarson wali subzi

Rickwachh is a popular pakoda from UP and Bihar made if colocasia (arbi) leaves layered and rolled up together. The roll is steamed, cooled and sliced to make pinwheel shaped pakodas that everyone loves. Different version of the same are made in other states too and is called as alu chi wadi (Marathi), pathrode (Mangalorean), patode (Punjabi), patir (Himachali), and so on.

The recipe of rickwach can be found here, it was made with soaked and blended chana daal earlier but besan is used mostly for convenience. There is a difference in the taste but each version of this pakoda is so tasty no one minds what is added to it when it is made. Just some chutney and hot chai is needed to make a conversation around how rare it has become now.

rickwachh or patode

I wrote a story about the pakodas of India recently and it became so popular that I have been getting mails to write more about such traditional foods. Of course I will keep writing about our traditional foods as I believe traditional wisdom has honed itself over so many generations and there is a reason why some foods have lived so long and even have been adapted by many cultures across the country or even the world.

Traditional recipes are more nutrient efficient because they have evolved along the human civilizations and changing microcosm of human environment.

In the picture below, there is another type of pakoda calle Joori and 2 types of chutneys. The white one is a poppy seeds chutney while the green one is a coriander mint chutney which is quite a common accompaniment with pakodas of all types.

rickwachh or patode

The leftover rickwachh was always curried with mustard based thin gravy in my family. I think my grandmother's Dhaka upbringing had to do something with all the mustard curries we make or may be the proximity of Banaras to Bihar where such mustard based curries are quite common.

Making rickwachh used to be a ritual in my family and several rolls were steamed together. A couple of rolls were sliced to shallow fry the rickwachh while more was refrigerated to be fired later or to curry them. This curry is actually treated as a mock fish curry just like besan katli ki subzi.

recipe of the rickwachh curry
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ingredients 
(for 10 slices of rickwachh)

to make a paste
3 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
4 cloves of garlic
3 green chillies
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

powder spices
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp amchoor powder

1 tbsp mustard oil, more for shallow frying the rickwachh slices, about 2 tbsp for 10
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds 

procedure 

Make a fine paste of the ingredients listed along with 4-5 tbsp of water. It is better to powder everything together and then add the water before blending again to make a paste. If you add water in the beginning it doesn't make a fine paste.

Heat mustard oil and tip in the fenugreek seeds and let them fry till they darken and get fragrant. Pour the above paste in it slowly. Bhuno the mix till it starts getting glazed and oils tart separating.

Add the powdered spices and bhuno some more till the masala mix gets fragrant.

Add about 1.5 cups of water and simmer the gravy for 5 minutes. Slip in the shallow fried rickwachh slices and simmer for a couple of minutes before serving with plain boiled ice.

rickwachh ki sarson wali subzi

You can adjust the consistency of the curry by adding more water or by simmering it a bit longer. With plain boiled rice and some tomato onion kachumber you actually don't need anything else with this rickwachh curry.

It is the vegetarian's version of fish curry and rice.



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