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Friday, April 11, 2014

Kashmiri Cuisine ~ Girda and Tamatar Chaaman


Girda is one of the tandoor breads from the Kashmir valley. Owing to the absence of a tandoor oven, I wasn't exactly looking for an authentic looking girda. Besides, I was at a loss regarding the texture / flavor as I have never tasted it. One of the online sources mentioned that they are crispy from outside and soft inside. If that was the criteria I was looking for then this experiment was a success. 
The bread is an easy one to put together but the preparation starts hours prior to baking since a portion of the dough needs fermentation. It is a breakfast bread and I would have enjoyed this even with a jam / nutella spread instead of a gravy curry. 

Recipe Source: India Cookbook
Ingredients: (Make 8 girdas)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups wheat flour / atta
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp poppy seeds
(I added 1 - 2 tbsp oil as well.)

Method:
* Add all purpose flour to a mixing bowl. Add water as needed to form a soft dough. Cover and leave it to ferment overnight.
* Next day, sift wheat flour into a bowl. Add salt, sugar, ghee and the fermented all purpose flour dough to it. Mix everything. Add extra water as needed to form a soft dough. At this point, add baking powder and knead well so that it is incorporated into the dough well. (I added oil as well.) 
* Preheat oven to 350 deg F / 180 deg C.
* Divide the dough into 8 portions and shape each one into a flat, oval shaped bread. Using a knife, make a slit along the one side of each bread and spread a little yogurt inside. Sprinkle some poppy seeds over the bread tops. Make small depressions on the bread using your finger tips.
* Bake until they start rising and turn light brown. (Though the recipe mentions to bake for 10 - 15 minutes, I had to bake for 30 minutes. Then I brushed them with ghee and broiled them for 3 - 4 minutes.) 

I paired girda with tamatar chaaman. It turns out that Punjabi chaman and this chaaman are poles opposite. Tamatar chaaman is a delectable, Kashmiri paneer preparation in a thick tomato sauce. It is a quick and simple one to put together without elaborate preparations. I prepared a small quantity and used the spices accordingly. 

Ingredients: (Serves 6)
1 pound or about 1/2 kg paneer, cut into one inch cubes
1 tbsp oil + extra for shallow frying the paneer (Traditionally mustard oil is used.)
5 cloves
5 green cardamom pods
2 one inch cinnamon sticks
A pinch of asafoetida
3 cups pureed tomatoes
2 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp ground coriander
1.5 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp Kashmiri garam masala
Cilantro leaves to garnish

Method:
* Fry paneer cubes until golden brown through out, using shallow frying method.Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent towels. Keep them aside.
* Heat oil and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and asafoetida. Fry for few seconds and add tomato puree. Cook until all the water evaporates.
* Pour about a cup of hot water and all the spices except the garam masala. Bring the mixture to boil and add the paneer.
* Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
* Sprinkle garam masala at the end and stir gently. Simmer for about a couple of minutes more.
* Garnish with coriander leaves.



Comments


18 comments:

Priya Suresh said...

Girda looks fabulous, tamatar chaman with girda i can have it happily anytime anyday.

Unknown said...

such a beautiful bread - so rustic and comforting

The Pumpkin Farm said...

i was so tempted to see this dish both for the picture on linky tool and the name which intrigued me..lovely recipes and i can totally imagine myslef breaking this bread and mopping off the curry on a cold chilly day..it has that feel

Nalini's Kitchen said...

Girda sounds something new to me,sounds very interesting and chaman looks so delicious...

vaishali sabnani said...

I have never heard about this bread..it looks amazing..and the tamatar chaman..wow what a beauty, vibrant colour with mouthwatering clicks!!

Unknown said...

I have had this Roti when I was in Kashmir.. My friend's family served it with a dish similar to Egg curry.. Lovely meal it was ! :) Your post has taken me back to the time... lovely pictures btw :)

Gayathri Kumar said...

Both the bread and the gravy look so nice...

Saraswathi Ganeshan said...

Perfect combo!! Very attractive with vibrant colors..

jayanthi said...

the bread looks fabulous.. and the curry looks yummy.. beautiful combination

Harini R said...

The bread looks so good. Whatever the texture of the bread, it looks very much like some kind of a naan (shaped differently though!)
The tamatar chaman looks so vibrant and tempting.

Srivalli said...

I had shortlisted this bread but didn't really get around having a proper recipe for this..Very nicely done Suma..Both the bread and Paneer looks so yum..now I will be trying all the breads all of you posted and I missed..:)

Pavani said...

That is such a yummy plate of food. Both the dishes look perfect.

Saraswathi Ganeshan said...

Fantastic bread and tamatar curry!! Beautifully done..

Chef Mireille said...

I had planned to make this from the India book also but then I had to return it to the library before I had a chance to copy the recipe. Looks so good

Archana said...

Wow Bookmarking . I love the sounds of both these dishes

Usha said...

Girda and tamatar chaaman turned out good and look like a nice combination.

Padmajha said...

Both the dishes have turned out so well and Love the paneer chamman, Will be trying it for sure

Both the dishes look perfect. said...

Yummy bread and tamatar curry... Both the dishes look perfect.
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