Sindhi Cuisine - Pooja Vijay's Recipe book

Mrs. Pooja Vijay is a homemaker who has an avid and active interest in the recipes of her Sindhi community.

Just like many other women of her time, she learnt cooking during the lead-up to those few months before getting married. The following recipes are from the diary that was written as and when she was introduced to a traditional Sindhi recipe by her mother and mother-in-law.

Dishes: Sindhi Chicken Gravy, Dhingri, Pragree and Tosho

Sindhi Chicken Gravy

A mouth-watering Sindhi-style chicken gravy that can be served with rice or parathas. The chicken is marinated in curd with other spices and cooked in a tomato-onion-based gravy and spiced with Indian masalas that leaves your taste buds tingling.

Ingredients:

1. Finely chopped onions

2. Mashed Tomatoes

3. Ginger-garlic paste

4. Turmeric powder

5. Fresh coriander leaves

6. Garam masala

7. Red chilli powder

8. Curd

9. Chicken

10. Salt

11. Dry roast the following and when cool make a paste of it.

1) Coriander seeds

2) Khus Khus

3) Melon seeds

4) Cinnamon

5) Cloves

6) Cardamom

7) Peppercorns

Method:

• Marinate the chicken with curd, ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric and red chili powder for one hour.

• Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and pressure cook (1 whistle), saute the onions until brown, add red chilli powder to it and saute well.

• Add the marinated chicken along with the curd and saute in high flame till the curd dries up. Then add the ground paste and saute well.

• Finally add mashed tomatoes, add salt as required and saute till oil separates.

• Add required water and pressure cook (1 whistle), keep in sine for 10 minutes.

• Before serving garnish with garam masala and fresh coriander leaves.

---

Dhingri

Dhingri (mushroom) is a Sindhi dish which is a delicious combination of mushroom green peas and fried potatoes (optional), simmered in a rich, thick gravy. Dhingri can be served with any choice of chapati or rice for a complete meal.

Ingredients:

1. Dhingri (mushrooms)

2. Finely chopped onions

3. Mashed tomatoes

4. Red chilli powder

5. Turmeric powder

6. Green peas

7. Potatoes (fried)

8. Freshly chopped coriander leaves

9. Garam Masala

10. Salt

Method:

• Soak dhingri overnight, wash well with sufficient water for a couple of times.

• In a pan heat half oil and ghee, add onions and pressure cook with a little salt and saute onions until light brown. To it add crushed ginger, saute and add red chilli powder.

• Finally add washed dhingri, add required water and pressure cook (1 whistle), and keep in sine for 5 minutes.

• In case there is excess water, dry and saute well until oil separates.

• Add required red chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder. Saute till oil separates, add curd and saute well, add mashed tomatoes. Saute till oil separates.

• Add required water and add peas and partially fried potatoes (optional), pressure cook (1 whistle) and keep in sine for 2-3 minutes.

• Before serving garnish with garam masala and chopped coriander leaves.

---

Pragree:

Pragree is a seasonal sweet delicacy usually made during the Holi festival. It is a crunchy layered puff stuffed with Mawa/khoa. This Sindhi sweet is loved by all and has a lot of fans especially in the Sindhi Community.

Ingredients:

1. Maida

2. Saffron

3. Ghee

4. Sugar

5. Mishri (sugar candy)

6. Almonds (finely chopped)

7. Pistachios (finely chopped)

8. Citric acid

10. Mawa (Khoa/Koya)

Method:

• Syrup- Take one portion of sugar and less than one portion of water. Boil, clear syrup with citric acid. Add Kesar (saffron) syrup.

• Dough- Make a smooth dough with maida and water.

• Paste- Make a paste of 1 tbsp of water and 4 tbsp of ghee and keep aside. First, take big channis (equal to two chapatis), roll well to giant size.

• First, apply the paste and then sprinkle maida, then cut into strips. After cutting the strips arrange one on the top of the other. Then cut these into 3 pieces. Take each piece dust maida on it, roll and keep the maida in the centre.

• Apply maida and water paste on all 4 sides and seal close it. Then deep fry, when frying hold the Pragrees with the rolling pin and try to open it with a purna (strainer), first fry in sine flame and then in high flame.

• For the Mawa- Take fikka (diabetic) mawa, to it add Kesar strands, diamond-cut mishris (sugar candy), finely chopped almonds and pistachios.

• Finally when cool add the Pragrees in medium hot syrup.

---

Tosho:

Tosho is a very famous sweet dish made by knitting the dough with ghee, maida and milk which is then shaped into rolls, fried and dipped into sugar syrup. Sometimes, Tosho is also stuffed with Mawa or khoa to give it a rich flavour.

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups Refined flour (maida)

2. 3/4 cup oil

3. 1/4 melted ghee

4. 2 cups of sugar

5. Milk

6. Silver leaves

7. Salt

Method:

For Dough:-

• Take 3 cups of refined flour (maida), sieve well. To it add a pinch of salt and mix well. Add 3/4 cups of oil, less than 1/4 cup of melted ghee. Make a smooth with required milk to consistency. Leave it for 15 mins.

• Heat oil, make rolls, first, fry them in sine flame and then in medium flame until it is golden in colour. Allow it to cool.

For Syrup:-

• Take 2 cups of sugar, to it add 3/4 cups of water, boil well. Add 1-2 tbsp of milk to the clear syrup. When the syrup is cleared bring it to few boils and then cool it to see whether the syrup thickens.

• If thickened, heat it again and dip toshos one by one and place them on a greased thali (plate). Allow it to cool, when there is excess syrup reheat it and again dip the toshos one by one and place it on a greased plate.

• Finally, apply silver leaves and serve.

Special Thanks to Mrs. Pooja Vijay for letting us share her recipes on our website.