The exquisite meals planned when we loved hosting small groups of friends and family at home required days of planning and procuring ingredients as each item on the menu spoke about the seasonality and richness of ingredients. I remember how Gujarati-themed meals ended with an elaborate preparation of rice teamed with kadhi in complementing flavors. Serving unflavoured rice at such gatherings was forbidden; sticky or clumped rice was also frowned upon. Well-travelled and wealthy Gujarati families with access to aspirational ingredients preferred long-grained rice cooked using the pasta/draining method as everyday table rice. Pulaos, both simple or complex in flavors, made with aromatic, long-grained rice cooked in a way that each grain remained discrete, adorned the thali, and ended the meal on a high.
Gujaratis have a special fondness for sambharia or stuffed vegetables as shaak/curries. The Pulao with Stuffed Ivy Gourd is a delightful marriage of their love for sambhar shaak and good discrete rice. The tender tindora/ivy gourd, stuffed with a delicate coconut-based filling, is gently blended into rice flavored with masala paste, creating a unique and exciting flavor profile.
As I explore and understand the native rice varieties of Gujarat, there are a few I have met on the way that can hold their ground against the now all-pervasive Basmati rice. The Doodh-Malai [perhaps Indrayani but both are improved varieties], Bangalo, Khusboi/Khushbu, and Krishna Kamod are some of them. As they age, these rice become sturdy to not break easily. Their superior aroma and inherent sweetness are an added bonus.
Over time, Basmati rice aka “Dehradun na chokha” by has become the rice of choice for Gujarati homemakers, even for their daily cooking. But any long-grained rice that does not break when cooked works best for such pulao recipes.
Sambhariya Tindora no Bhaat or Stuffed Ivy Gourd Pulao
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw aromatic long-grained rice
- 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
- 250 grams Ivy gourd/tindora
- 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander
- 4-5 tablespoon ghee
- 2-3 tablespoon tamarind
For masala paste
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 8 peppercorns
- 3 cloves
- 4 Kashmiri/Byadagi red chillis
- 6 curry leaves
- 1 cup shredded fresh coconut
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the rice until water runs clear and soak it for 30 minutes.
- Drain the rice. Heat 1 tablespoons ghee in a large kadai, add the rice and lightly toast them for 5 – 7 minutes. Keep aside.
- Soak tamarind in ¼ cup water for 30 minutes, squeeze to extract the pulp and discard the remains.
- To prepare the ivy gourds for stuffing, wash and wipe them dry. Trim the top and bottom of the gourds and slit them lengthwise but not all the way, take care not to split from the bottom.
- To prepare the stuffing masala, lightly roast the coriander and cumin seeds, curry leaves and red chillis. Mix them with rest of the ingredients listed under the masala paste section and prepare the stuffing masala by grinding the ingredients listed under the masala paste section
- Divide the ground masala paste in two, mix in tamarind extract to one part and stuff the prepared gourds with that masala.
- Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a kadai, add the stuffed ivy gourds, cover and cook them till knife tender.
- In a heavy bottom kadai, heat 2 tablespoons ghee, add the chopped onions and saute till pale pink in colour.
- Add the toasted rice, 3 cups of warm water, salt and the remaining masala. Cover and cook till the water is absorbed.
- When the rice is almost done, spread the cooked gourds over it and gently combine them with the rice.
- Just before serving add the finely chopped coriander.
- Serve hot with kadhi.
