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Gujarati cuisine is often thought to be more on the sweeter side of the scale. While their sweets are well-known, it is their delicious savouries that one cannot miss. Be it the freshly-prepared farsan that includes crispy treats like chorafali or snack-like items like dhokla, khandvi, fafda and more, each dish combines a plethora of flavours on the plate.
But then what do Gujaratis eat for lunch? Apart from quick breakfast and snack bites, their fare is filled with a variety of shaaks to devour. Shaak, for the unversed, is a regional term for sabzis used by Gujaratis. Sweet, sour, and spicy flavours put together in a shaak definitely take the taste buds for a ride. One of the most popular and easy-to-make Gujarati shaak is batata nu shaak. Batata is a term commonly used in Gujarat and Maharashtra to refer to potatoes.
Batata nu shaak is a stir-fried potato sabzi that is combined with sesame seeds, ginger, and cilantro paste. Purple potatoes are often used for this dish since they are rich in antioxidants and Vitamin C. The small cubes of potatoes are tossed in hot spices and made flavourful, to be paired with theplas, rotis, and pooris. Here is a quick recipe that you can try at home for lunch.
Ingredients:
- 300 gm purple potatoes
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 ½ tsp sesame seeds
- ½-inch ginger
- 10 curry leaves
- Asafoetida
- ¼ turmeric powder
- Salt, to taste
- Cilantro for garnish
Method:
- Steam and peel the purple potatoes.
- Prepare a spice mix with green chillies, cilantro, and ginger.
- Add these three to a mixer and grind them well.
- Then, take a pan and add mustard, cumin, and sesame to oil.
- Let it sputter and then add some curry leaves.
- Follow this with turmeric powder, salt, and the spice mix ground earlier.
- Throw in the peeled baby potatoes.
- Mix it all well.
- Keep stirring after every few minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
- Then, squeeze some lemon juice and throw in some cilantro.
- Serve hot with theplas or pair it with rice and dal.
