Learn to make Royal Rajasthani Gatta Pulav Recipe | Gatta Pulao recipe with step-by-step pictures. Royal Rajasthani Gatta Pulav is exclusive and flavourful rice dish made with gram flour/chickpea flour dumplings.
Royal Rajasthani Gatta Pulao is made on festive occasions when plain steamed rice is not suitable. This rice is usually served with plain yogurt or raita.
(Please scroll down to the end of the page for the recipe)
When I woke up on that day, I thought it’s going to be just like any normal day, but I did not know what all it had in store for me that day.
It was Monday, time 7:45am.
“Little-A, come here fast or we will be late for the daycare”, I said loudly with the tightness in my eyes to my 3 year old daugher, Little-A, who was somewhere in the house.
Sensing no reaction from her, I found her in her bedroom and looked at her with my eyes wide open in rage. “Little-A, wear your shoes now, or I will go back to sleep, I exclaimed”.
“No, no, Mamma don’t sleep”, Little-A replied with her bubbly voice, while running towards the main door. She stood there, and gave me her mischievous smile which she gives everyday. She knows that it always works.
Then she collected and handed me her stuff and said, “Mamma, sunglasses, hand gloves and hat”.
I nodded! As soon as I got down on my knees to dress her up, she immediately jumped on my lap, and touched my face with her tiny hands, saying, “Ohh Mamma, ohh Mamma”. This is her usual failsafe gesture whenever I get annoyed with her.
This is our every morning story. In the mornings, I am always in scurry, and Little-A tries her level best to push me close to the limit of my endurance.
Every day, I aim to drop her to the daycare before her breakfast starts. And she does everything to avoid eating breakfast at the daycare.
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This day, we reached daycare on time. We entered the gates crossing some parked baby prams. “Bella is eating porridge”, Little-A stated with her sparkling eyes after getting a glimpse of the room from the window.
I then dropped her to the breakfast room, rushed out, waving goodbyes to each other.
While returning home, I opened my handbag and took out my headphones. My red headphones always stay in my purse, no matter where I go. Then I looked for my mobile phone so that I can listen to my favourite music.
I put my headphones on, and then fumbled in my bag to look for the mobile phone, but could not find it there. I searched and researched. But to no avail.
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“Oh! I forgot my phone at home,” I blabbered to myself sadly.
Alright, I will have to walk without any music today. No big deal. However, that walk of 1.5 kms, never felt that long before. Finally made it to home. I entered the door code and entered into my apartment building at 8:40am. Everything had been smooth till this point, and then…
Outside my flat, I started looking for my apartment keys to open the door. Could not find them the first time. I fished around for the keys some more times, but could not find my keys in my handbag. Ahaa, a bad start to the day: first the mobile phone, and then the keys.
I did not want to bother Abhishek my husband, so, I took a deep breath and sat on the stairs. Thought to check it one more time, and emptied my bag onto the floor. Same result. There were no keys and no phone.
I checked the time on my wristwatch, it said 8:45 am. Abhishek usually leaves for work at 9:00 am.
Assuming Abhishek would be at home, I pressed the doorbell.
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I pressed the doorbell again and waited for Abhishek to open the door. I waited and pressed the doorbell again. And again. But the door was still locked. Nobody opened the door. Then I started to feel a little uncomfortable.
“Why isn’t he opening the door. Abhishek, open the door, please. Open the door please”, I blabbered to myself panicking.
“Oh No!” I said to myself angrily. I just realized that Abhishek had left already for office today early, as he had a 2-hour long meeting. My hands became clumsy just by imagining what all was happening to me.
Without the phone and without the keys, I just simply did not know what to do. The moment of panic sank in.
“Oh girl, you are in a mess today. How many times Abhishek has warned you to check your bag for keys before you leave home. And you always took him for granted”. You invited this suffering", I thought to blame myself.
I lost all my senses due to sudden panic. To make sense of the moment, I sat on the stairs again, breathing deep and hard.
“What could be my action plan now?”, I questioned myself.
I desperately rang the neighbor’s doorbell. But they all had left for their work.
Should I visit a friend’s place? But I don’t know if they are at home or not, and without the phone, I certainly cannot call them to ask.
Then an idea struck. “I should go to nearest shopping mall and have the breakfast there. Sounds doable”.
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At about 9:30 am, I reached the nearest shopping mall. Then scooted to my favorite coffee house. Dropped my handbag on one of the tables there, and went to the counter desk. “What would you like to have?”, asked the girl at the counter?
“One cafe latte and a croissant please,” I answered weakly. She handed me the stuff. Then, I looked for an appropriate place, where I can sit for a long time. I did not know for sure, how long though.
There I saw a table for two at the corner, and thought, “This would be perfect for today’s purpose. I need to pass a long time here today.”
I hanged my overcoat onto the coat rack nearby and sat on the corner chair looking out at the hustle-bustle at the mall.
A couple of minutes later, I went back to the counter and grabbed a glass of iced water. Finished the glass in one go, and came back to my table with the glass refilled. I slowly started sipping my coffee, looking out at the busy crowd.
Seemed like everyone on that day had a purpose, except me. There I was, doing nothing.
Then I saw a woman with a laptop on the other table. Seeing this, I seriously started missing my dear Macbook.
“Oh, I wish I had my laptop with me. Only then, it would make me happy and give me the purpose to stay here for hours,” I thought biting deep into the warm croissant.
I looked all around at the people. Many were toying with their smartphones. Seemed like everyone at the mall had their phones with them, except me. “Would there be anyone else in this shopping mall without his phone and keys”, I questioned to myself?
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It’s a pity that we are so dependent on mobile phones these days. It’s made me dumb, that now I don’t even remember any phone number other than Abhishek’s. Ufff! I seriously had to do think about that.
At about 10:15 am, I right about finished my coffee and croissant.
Then came the life’s biggest questions, “What should I do now? I do not want to sit here for hours doing nothing — I don’t even have a phone with me; what would I do here alone all day?”
I suddenly realized that how a mobile phone has become my unforgettable companion. I felt so dependent on my phone that I don’t even know how to spend some hours without it.
Somewhere, a part of me was screaming, “it certainly is not a good thing.” I need to know of other creative ways. Okay! How about some shopping.
But what? I stood up and wore my jacket, pushing myself towards an apparel shop. There I was, dragging myself for shopping, unwillingly this time — a rare occasion for any girl when she does not want to shop for new clothes.
Yes, I didn’t feel like shopping at all. Am I kidding? No, I am not. I really didn’t feel like doing any shopping that day.
There was only one thought running repeatedly through my head: How soon can I reach home. I badly wanted to go home.
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I am an organized person who works with things planned. For instance, if I have told something myself, and later if there is a sudden change in that plan, I would feel queasy.
My heart needs more time to accept the things my mind already knows. Though, I am usually always okay with the sudden plan change after a while. And that’s the good part.
But this case was different. I had no escape plan. I didn’t know what would I do next.
It was 10:30 already. At this time, surely Abhishek would be busy with his phone silent, and if I have to inform him about this situation I will have to send him an email or an SMS.
SMS was out of the question, but how can I send him the email? I thought for a while and decided to go to the neighboring library right then. There I thought I could find an available PC for sending the email.
I reached the library and found a PC to my rescue. I have more than a few email accounts, so remembering all the passwords was simply not possible. Luckily, I did remember my main account password.
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I assumed that Abhishek would check his email after his meeting for sure. So I wrote the email to Abhishek reluctantly, remembering that he’s instructed me many times to carry the keys and the phone everywhere. Finally, after collecting some strength, I pushed the send button.
Then, I could do nothing except to wait for his reply, desperately. I did not know what he’d think or tell.
To my beautiful surprise, I got a loving email from him saying. “I am so sorry my girl that I was not there when you needed me the most. I am leaving right now, and will see you at home in about 30 minutes.”
I felt elated, and relaxed after reading his reply. Then, read it again those caring words.
I reached back home at 11:30 am. Pressed the doorbell to check if Abhishek is already at home. He rushed and opened the door as quick as he could.
Then, after seeing me, empathizing with me for my ordeal, he just hugged me tightly, not saying a single word. Believe me, even I didn’t know that I seriously needed that hug. It felt so good.
We stood at the door in each others’ arms for a couple of minutes, and then he said, “Baby, you need to relax now.”
I got inside the apartment, removed my shoes and jacket. I then went to the washroom and sprinkled some cold water on my tired face.
Then I just scooted towards the bed. Stretching out on my bed I closed my eyes. It felt like the best thing in this whole wide world. It felt comfortable and warm.
I was busy soaking in all the warmth I could get. Then, Abhishek’s soft voice woke me up. “Anu, coffee”, he blinked with a smile.
I saw him trying to balance the tray with 2 cups of coffee and a plate full of chocolate cookies. “Wow! You brought chocolate cookies too”, I said amused.
“Yes, I know these are your favorites”, he said giving words to my feelings. “Awww, thank you so much”, I said and hugged him! Then we had some nice chat over that romantic coffee. Such a quality time.
Then, I told him, “Abhishek, I am so sorry that I forget to thank the people who make my life happy in so many ways. I am sorry that I forget to tell how much I appreciate you for being an important part of my life. I thank you and Little-A for completing my life.
And getting a lesson and an understanding of this today, I would like to make this day special for the all of us. Today I will spend all my time with my loved ones only.”
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He smiled and nodded. Then he said with raised eyebrows, “Let’s have some quality family time today. We will not touch our phones unless there is an urgent call. How does this plan sound?”
“Great, but don’t you have to go back to the office?”, I asked.
“No, today I plan to be on a half-day leave. And all my time is reserved for my wifey,” he said with a wide grin.
“Wow! Someone is being extra charming today,” I winked and we both laughed.
“Okay! I have to cook some lunch now. What should I make for lunch? Any preferences?”, I asked.
“Ummmm, how about some spicy pilaf”, he suggested after thinking for a while.
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“Sounds great,“I said. I went to the kitchen and checked for the ingredients. While I was searching for veggies, Abhishek came to the kitchen and questioned, “Hey, can we have Gatta Pulav for lunch?”
“You mean now?”, I asked. He nodded.
I considered the possibility, and said, “Yes, of course, we can have your favorite Gatta Pulav. This one is for my savior today.”
“I would love to help you in the preparation. May I?”, Abhishek asked.
“A good deed needs no permission”, I winked.
He started cutting onions and chilies, while I got busy in making the dough. I got busy with some other preparations later.
Then, PUFF! One more pleasant surprise my way. I did not know what ran through his mind when he handed me a glass of red wine. So, I looked at him surprisingly. “This one is your favorite, the mighty Chilean wine, and goes well with spicy food,” he chirped.
“Awww, that is so sweet. You just know how to turn my day around. Thank you so much for making my day beautiful. Despite the bad start of the day, now, I will only have the happy memories of this day”, I blinked and smiled. Then, we finished the glass in no time.
We really enjoyed cooking together. Relaxed by sipping in some more red wine. At this time, the clock was already ticking at 3:45 pm. It was about time for Abhishek to pick up Little-A from the daycare.
“Should we go to Little-A’s daycare together today?”, I asked.
“You shouldn’t ask before doing something good”, he winked.
Before leaving home, I double-checked for the keys and phone this time. “Being extra cautious is good sometimes”, Abhishek winked and laughed. I laughed back.
And we walked towards Little-A’s daycare, holding hands. Got back home with Little-A from daycare, and as planned, enjoyed rest of the day away from our phones.
This was the story of that Monday I’ll never forget. It changed me for good.
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Now, coming to the recipe, let me tell you some interesting facts about this awesome ‘Royal Rajasthani Gatta Pulav’ we had on that day.
Rajasthan is the largest state of India, and it is the land of Kings and queens. This land of kingdoms is also known as Rajputana (the land of Royals). Traditionally, some of the special Rajasthani food is royal.
And my today’s recipe is from this same land of the royal Rajputanas.
Royal Rajasthani Gatta Pulav is exclusive and flavourful rice made with gram flour/chickpea flour dumplings.
Gram flour is plentifully used in Rajasthani cooking. Gram flour is used to make flatbread, gatta, sweets, curry, and pancakes. Royal Rajasthani Gatta Pulao is made on festive occasions when plain steamed rice is not suitable.
As some vegetables are not available throughout the year, cooked gattas are added to spice up this pulao which is usually served with plain yogurt or raita.
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**Love this pulao? Then you may also love these pulao/pulav recipes: Onion Capsicum Pulao, Gatta Pulav, Mushroom Pulao, Mint Pulav, Mushroom Peas Corn Pulav, matar pulao, and paneer pulao.
Let’s learn to make Royal Gatta Pulav.
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Take a large mixing bowl.
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Add besan, asafetida, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, oil, Kasuri methi and knead into a stiff dough. Also add baking soda, if using.
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Use 2 tbsp of water if needed.
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Divide the dough into 4-6 equal portions and shape each portion into 10 inches long thin cylindrical roll.
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Boil enough water in a pan. Add rolls to the boiling water and boil for 10 to 15 minutes.
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Remove from heat.
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Take out the rolls from the water and keep the water aside for the curry base.
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Cut each cylinder into 10-12 pieces, and keep aside.
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Gattas are ready.
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Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep non-stick pan. Add onions and saute till they turn golden brown. Drain on an absorbent paper and keep aside.
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Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter for few seconds.
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Now add green cardamom pods, black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks, red chiles, green chiles, bay leaf and sauté on a medium heat for 30 seconds.
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Add cooked gattas and saute them for about 3-4 minutes.
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Add the cooked rice, fried onions, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt, and mix well.
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Cook on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir occasionally.
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Remove from heat.
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Garnish with raisins, peanuts, and carrots. Serve immediately with plain yogurt or raita.
Recipe Card
Royal Rajasthani Gatta Pulav Recipe - Gatta Pulao [Recipe]
★★★★★
(Rating: 5 from 73 reviews)
| Prep time 🕐 | Cook time 🕐 | Total time 🕐 |
|---|---|---|
| 60 mins | ||
| Category ☶ | Cuisine ♨ | Serves ☺ |
| Sides | Indian | 4-5 |
| Nutrition Info ⊛ | Serving size ⊚ | |
| 204 calories | 1 plate |
INGREDIENTS
For Besan Gatta:
- 1 1/2 cups gram flour (besan)
- A pinch of asafetida (hing)
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste (adrak lehsun ka paste)
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt (dahi), at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional, I did not add any in this recipe)
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Water, if needed for kneading
For Pulav/Pulao:
- 2.5 cups basmati rice, cooked
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds (jeera)
- 3 tablespoons oil or ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 bay leaves (tej patta)
- 2 cloves (laung)
- 2 dried red chilies (sukhi lal mirch)
- 2 small green chilies, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- 4 green cardamoms (hair elaichi)
- 2 black cardamoms (moti or kali elaichi)
- 2 inch pieces cinnamon sticks
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoons roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera powder)
- 1/2 teaspoons garam masala powder
- Fresh cilanrto (coriander) leaves, chopped
- Salt To Taste
For Serving:
- Roasted peanuts
- Shredded carrots
- Raisins (kishmish)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Making Gattas:
- Take a large mixing bowl.
- Add besan, asafetida, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, oil, Kasuri methi and knead into a stiff dough. Also add baking soda, if using.
- Use 2 tbsp of water if needed.
- Divide the dough into 4-6 equal portions and shape each portion into 10 inches long thin cylindrical roll.
- Boil enough water in a pan. Add rolls to the boiling water and boil for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Take out the rolls from the water and keep the water aside for the curry base.
- Cut each cylinder into 10-12 pieces, and keep aside.
- Gattas are ready. (You can watch gatta recipe video here)
Making Gatta Pulav/Pulao:
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep non-stick pan. Add onions and saute till they turn golden brown. Drain on an absorbent paper and keep aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter for a few seconds.
- Now add green cardamom pods, black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks, red chiles, green chiles, bay leaf and sauté on a medium heat for 30 seconds.
- Add cooked gattas and saute them for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the cooked rice, fried onions, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt, and mix well.
- Cook on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Once done, remove from heat.
- Garnish with raisins, peanuts, and carrots. Serve gatta pualv hot with plain yogurt or chilled raita.
NOTES:
- No notes for this recipe.
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Author: Anupama
Recipe Source Link: https://www.mygingergarlickitchen.com/royal-rajasthani-gatta-pulav-recipestory/