My grandmother used to make awesome stuffed guava when I was young. She used to often combine it with a side of soul warming kadhi and tangy green coriander chutney. As a child, I hated guavas and chhana. But little did I realise that she simply combined them, added a few spices, nuts and played a healthy joke on my taste buds. Time passed. I grew up but I didn’t outgrow the dish. I converted her recipe into a heart-warming appetiser, with a small healthy addition (chilli pomegranate chutney) of my own. Now, I play the same trick with my six-year-old son, and he feels grateful for this gourmet treat.
Bharwan Amrood Kadhi
For pomegranate chilli chutney:
Pomegranate – 1/2 cup
Chillies – 4
Ginger – 1 inch
Black salt – 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/4tsp
For Kadhi
Curd (Dahi) – 1 cup
Chickpea flour (Besan) – 1/3 cup
Salt
Turmeric (Haldi) – 1/2 tsp
Green coriander paste – 2 tbsp
Water – 2 cups
For tempering
Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard (Sarson/Rai) seeds – 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida (Heeng) – 1/3tsp
Curry leaves – 10-15
For stuffed Guava:
Marination:
Four scooped ripe guava rings
Salt
Turmeric (Haldi) – 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder – 1/2tsp
Stuffing:
Chhana/Paneer – 1/3 cup (mashed well)
Mixed nuts – 1/8 cup
Raisins – 12-16
Salt
Turmeric (Haldi) – 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder – 1/8 tsp
Garam masala – 1/8 tsp
Clarified butter (Ghee): to cook the guava
Blend all the ingredients for the chutney. Strain and reduce it. Keep aside. Make the kadhi mix by whistling the ingredients well, without any lumps and add it to the tempering. Cook it till it thickens a little less than a sauce. Strain and keep aside. Marinate the guava rings and rest them for 15 minutes. Prepare a stuffing by mixing all the ingredients and stuff them in the guava rings. Cook the stuffed guava on a hot tawa using ghee to get a nice brown char on the guava rings and the stuffing. For serving, take a soup plate, pour the stunning green kadhi, place the stuffed guava in the centre, add drops of the pomegranate chilli chutney on sides and garnish with some crispy curry leaves.
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Supriya Bajaj is a homemaker from West Bengal