DISH NAME : FAJETO

Preparation Time : 12 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Description

This is a sweet, sour and spicy dish with sweetness given prominence. Gujaratis are generally fond of sweet things. Adjust jaggery according to your taste.
Curd has a very important place in the Indian cusine.Curd is a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with any edible acidic substance such as lemon juice, curd or vinegar, and then allowing it to set. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to form into solid masses,or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only whey proteins, is the whey. Sour curd is also known as "Khatta Dahi." It can be made by adding more culture to the warm milk and keeping it out for a long time after it has set. Such curds is used to make sour dishes.To attain thick curds, whole fat milk (buffalo's milk) should be used. Hung curd is obtained when curd is drained of whey completely. Hung curd is used for making Shrikhand, a sweet dish from Gujarat, India.
Gram flour, also known as garbanzo bean flour, chickpea flour, or besan, is flour made from ground chickpeas.It is a staple ingredient in Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Bangladeshi cuisines. Gram flour can be made from either raw chickpeas or roasted chickpeas. The roasted variety is more flavorful, while the raw variety has a slightly bitter taste.It is also popular as a facial exfoliant in the Indian subcontinet.
Fresh ginger is soaked in water overnight after which the outer skin is removed. Then they are washed again and then sun-dried. During this sun drying, they are turned periodically. The end result is a pale white dried ginger. Sometimes, dried ginger is bleached with calcium carbonate to get a whitish coating. When this dried ginger is powdered in a mixer, we get dried ginger powder. It is a fine off-whitish powder, which has a strong aroma and slightly pungent flavour. Almost all ayurveda medicines use dried ginger powder.
Asafoetida is used as a digestive aid, in food and as a condiment,in pickles. It is a flavor enhancer. In india its commonly used in lentil curries and also in batter using chick pea flour. Asafoetida is said to have originated in Rome, and despite not being a native of India, it has been widely used in Indian medicine and cooking. It is a resinof a plant is most widely used in its powdered or granulated form, which is usually yellow in colour. The most commonly available form these days is compounded asafoetida, which contains 30 per cent resin and 70 per cent Arabic gum and rice flour or maida. Asafoetida witout arabic gum isconsidered to be the best.

Ayurvedic Note

This is an ideal dish for summer lunch. Can be had with rice or chapathy. It is preferable to have Fajeto during lunch and not during dinner as curd (which is difficult to digest) is not advisable at night. Usually during summer our general health deteriorates, but this dish gives energy and strength. During summers pitta and vata will increase. Mango and curd will increase kapha. Asafoetida, clove and other spices helps in the digestion process, thus alleviating the negative effect of curd.
Note:- avoid this dish when suffering from indigestion or fever.

Note

1) I used alphonso mango to make pulp. If not available, use any other sweet mango pulp.

Method

1) Grind mango pulp with all the ingredients given under 'grind together'.
2) Also grind all the ingredients given under masala powder.
3) Heat oil. Crackle mustard and cumin. When it splutters, add red chillies and curry leaves. Add asafoetida and the powdered spices.
4) Immediately add curd mango mixture. Add salt. Mix well and stir continuously till it simmers. Do not boil or it will curdle.
5) Remove from fire .

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot with rice.