Maharashtrian Dodake Bhaat: Simple One Pot Ridge Gourd Rice
Image Credit: Vidhya's Vegetarian Kitchen

Dodake bhaat or dodkyacha bhaat, is a Maharashtrian preparation of ridge gourd and rice cooked with whole spices. The unique preparation involves soaking the rice for a bit before allowing it to cook in the juices secreted by the vegetable, for maximum impact of flavour. Combining rice with vegetables that are less than pleasing to the palette, allows for easy ingestion and acceptability; especially if you’re cooking for people who are extremely picky eaters.

Ideally, using a short or medium grain variety of rice is preferable for this dish. The recipe uses a native variety of rice called Indrayani, but you could also use other varieties like ponni or ambemohar. The rice also obtains a mellow tang from being cooked partially in buttermilk. You could eat this ridge gourd rice as a complete meal with some papad and pickle on the side, or combine it with a side dish or two of sabzi or paneer for a more substantial meal. Since ridge gourd contains enough moisture, there is a chance that your final dish might seem slightly overcooked or sticky but that is the marker to know that your rice has cooked perfectly.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup grated ridge gourd
  • ¼ cup Indrayani rice
  • 2 green chillies
  • 1 inch piece ginger
  • 1 tablespoon groundnut oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 pinch asafoetida
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 1 heaping teaspoon coriander powder
  • 3 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons fresh grated coconut
  • Salt to taste

Also Read:

The Idea Of One Pot Dish: Vegetables, Starch and Protein Together In One Vessel

Method:

  • Wash and soak the rice for a minimum of 3-4 hours. Drain and set aside. Crush the green chillies and ginger into a coarse paste using a mortar and pestle.
  • Heat some oil in a pressure cooker and temper with mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. Tip in the soaked rice into the tempering and sauté for not more than a minute.
  • Add the grated ridge gourd along with the dry spice powders and mix everything well. Season adequately as per taste and add the buttermilk to this rice and gourd mixture.
  • Cover with the lid and cook on the lowest flame for 10-12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest without opening up the cooker for another 15 minutes before serving hot with raita, sabzi or paneer and garnished with lots of grated coconut.