Bhatt Ki Churkani
kumaoni black beans roasted in mustard oil and simmered into a dark, smoky, rice-thickened gravy
Start the day before. The soaking alone is 8 hr, against 60 min of actual work.
Allergens in Bhatt Ki Churkani: mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 200g, soaked overnight Whole Uradstands in for bhatt, the small Kumaoni black soybean; use bhatt if you can find it and skip the soaking in favour of a dry roast
- 3 tbsp Rice Flourthe traditional thickener - churkani means the gravy, not the bean
- 4 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 10 cloves, crushed Garlic
- 2cm, grated Ginger
- 2, slit Green Chilli
- 3, broken Dried Red Chilli
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetidacompounded-free hing, both for the gluten and because jambu is hard to source outside the hills
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- 2 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
- to taste Salt
- 800ml Water
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai, pressure cooker
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Soak the beans overnight. If you have actual bhatt, dry roast them in a heavy pan for 5 minutes until they crackle and smell toasted, then cook them unsoaked.
- Whisk the rice flour into 150ml cold water and leave it aside. Added dry to a hot pan it lumps immediately.
- This is a mustard oil dish through and through - a neutral oil version tastes of nothing much.
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp mustard oil in a heavy pan until it smokes, then cool it 20 seconds. Add the drained beans and roast them on medium for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring, until the skins wrinkle and blister.This roast is where the smokiness comes from. Take it to the point where the pan smells nutty, just short of burnt.
- Transfer the beans to a pressure cooker with 800ml water and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 6 whistles and let the pressure fall naturally.
- Heat the remaining 2 tbsp mustard oil in a kadhai to smoking, then cool briefly. Crackle the cumin and fenugreek seeds and the broken red chillies, 20 seconds.Fenugreek goes bitter fast. Pull it off the heat the moment it browns.
- Add the asafoetida, then the crushed garlic, and fry 1 minute to pale gold.
- Stir in the ginger and green chillies, then the turmeric, coriander powder and chilli powder. Fry 30 seconds.
- Tip in the cooked beans with all their liquid and bring to a boil.
- Stir the rice flour slurry once more and pour it in slowly while stirring hard. The gravy will thicken visibly within a minute.Pour in a thin stream and keep the spoon moving, or you will be picking out lumps for the next ten minutes.
- Simmer uncovered on low for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the gravy turns glossy and dark and coats a spoon thickly.
- Check the salt, scatter over the coriander leaves and serve with plain rice and a spoon of raw mustard oil on top if you like it sharp.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated and sets almost solid as it cools. Reheat on low with 100ml water, whisking to bring the thickened gravy back together.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Bhatt Ki Churkani (285 g) is about 361 calories, or 127 calories per 100 g.
Medium protein: 13 g a serving, 14% of the calories
| Per serving285 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 361 kcal | 127 kcal |
| Protein | 12.7 g | 4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 45.2 g | 16 g |
| of which sugars | 1.4 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 9.3 g | 3 g |
| Fat | 15.5 g | 6 g |
| of which saturated | 1.9 g | 1 g |
| of which unsaturated | 12.1 g | 4 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for asafoetida, whole urad. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Healthy Indian recipes · Vegan Indian recipes · Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Pahari recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.