The other day I was talking to a dear friend of mine and as usual our discussion veered towards cooking since both of us are very passionate about cooking. She mentioned about kaddu that her mom makes with Tenti. It's a sweet and tangy side dish which goes very well with roti. I also make kaddu this way but never heard of Tenti being added to it. It really intrigued me and I told her I will soon try it out. Tenti is pea sized balls made with gram flour and then deep fried. I have pan fried it in minimal oil. I was aware what Tenti is as my mom makes kadhi with them. Tenti has not oly added a crunch to this humble kaddu. It has also increased protein content of the dish.
Ingredients
For Tenti Gram flour (besan) 1/2 cup Red chili pd 1/4 tsp Ajwain 1/4 tsp Turmeric pd 1/4 tsp Salt to taste Kasuri methi 1 tsp Mustard oil 1 +1 tsp Water 2-3 tbsp For kaddu Kaddu 1/2 kg Mustard oil 1 tbsp Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp Green chili 1 finely chopped Red chili pd 1/2 tsp Turmeric pd 1/2 tsp Salt to taste Jaggery pd 1 tbsp Lemon juice 1/2 tsp Garam masala a pinch Method For Tenti Mix all the dry ingredients. Now rub in 1 tsp oil. Slowly add water to make a stiff dough. Rub oil on your fingers and pinch pea size dough and roll into balls. Heat a tsp of mustard oil in a fry pan and saute these tenties till crisp. Keep them aside. For kaddu. If the skin is tender, no need to peel the kaddu, else peel it partially, like I did. Remove seeds and chop into 1" cubes. Heat oil in a pan, crackle mustard seeds followed by fenugreek seeds and green chili. Now add red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Mix well and tip in chopped kaddu. Add salt. Mix well. Cover and cook. Sprinkle water in between if needed. When kaddu is absolutely tender, mash it with the back of ladle. Add 1/2 cup water, Jaggery pd, lemon juice and garam masala. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes till it thickens. Add all but a few Tenti and remove it from gas. Keep it covered. While serving sprinkle remaining Tenti. Serve hot with rotis.