Ker Sangri

One of the great dishes of Rajasthani cuisine. This simple piquant and tangy vegetable preparation does not really reflect the richness of its colorful school of cooking. Because ker and sangri are not exotic vegetables, but are wild berries (or beans) that grow independently and abundantly in the vast desert areas especially in Western Rajasthan- Jaisalmer and Barmer. The story goes that ker and sangri were discovered ages ago by Rajasthani villagers during the time of a great famine when all other natural vegetation, which was scarce anyways, had died and withered away. But ker (small, radish-like pods) and sangri (longish beans) flourished unconcernedly in the punishing sun. Intrigued by the appearance of these berries and delighted by their availability, the villagers took them home. There was no water for cooking because of the famine so the villagers dried the berries and cooked them in vegetable oil along with chillies and other spices. Voila! They had something wonderful to eat with their bajra (millet) rotis. Today, of course we cook them in water or buttermilk. Incredibly, ker sangri continues to be prepared in this simple manner and is one of the mainstays of the Marwari kitchen and a "must have" recipe on wedding menus even today. Ker and sangri are available in the dried form and can be stored for a year at least. The smaller berries of ker are supposed to full of flavour and are therefore more expensive.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins.
Serves 4.
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1 tbsp ker
1 cup sangri (sanger)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
3 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1 1/2 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp raisins (kismis)
salt to taste

For the tempering
2 whole dry kashmiri red chillies
1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
3 tbsp oil

1. This spicy subji tastes good with puris, parathas or misi rotis.