W for Wadi-toriyaan di subzi and Wagocha :))

Hello everyone! Please allow me a few minutes to explain that title :). Am sure you all know about the first two words "W for" : they refer to dear Nupur's A-Z of Indian vegetables (an event that i am so excited to join again, after the hiatus). As for wadis, they are spice cakes made out of daal (urad or urad+moong) and petha (ash-gourd), with lots and lots of spice-sun dried to perfection and used as condiments in Punjabi cooking. Now, toriyaan is the plural for tori or turai (ridge-gourd). They are also referred to as ghiya toriyaan (to distinguish them from bhindiyaan toriyaan)! So wadi-toriyaan di sabzi would mean, a vegetable preparation made out of ridge-gourd and wadis. I confess to having used zucchinis in place of ridge-gourd here :).

Ah! now its the last word "Wagocha" that i have to do some real explaining for :)). The Punjus in the crowd sure must be thinking that Musical has gone crazy!! Who has heard of such a dish!! Wagocha is a Punjabi word, implying a hurried job, quick and dirty sorts :)). Like one would say, "eh ki wagocha poora kita e" (what a rushed up mess you've made). And, this, on a food-blog!! So, dahlings! there does (or used to) exist such a dish.....long long ago.....forgotten in the years that have gone by since.....quite contrary to its literal meaning, a wagocha implies a gravied dish made out of wadis and rice!! A dish thats quick and versatile, and can be had both as a spicy sabzi with rotis or if thickened a bit, as a lip-smacking rice dish. How do i know about this?? Well, i consider myself fortunate to have spent my formative years in the rural Punjab (or the Pind).....and even more fortunate, that courtesy my dear Bibiji (Grandma), i was able to relish this spicilicious dish :). Bibiji and i, we both loved spicy khana.....and she would treat me to this dish often. It probably got this name, because its quick, versatile and doesn't need much preparation.....this is a very Pendu (rural) name. Its one of those Punju dishes that are hardly made these days.....

So this Wagocha along with wadi-toriyaan di sabzi, a signature everyday summertime Punjabi dish, have been prepared for much love and affection for Nupur's great e-potluck and also as my humble first contribution for RCI-Punjab, hosted by my dear friend Richa. RCI is a fantastic event highlighting regional Indian cuisine, conceived by the very creative Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine.

These two dishes will also appeal to another friend who recently craved wadis :).

Wadi-toriyaan di sabzi:

A very versatile sabzi. Can be prepared dry or with gravy. The former needs no potatoes and goes really well with simple daals like the trademark Punjabi moongi-masoor daal (Marathi speaking friends, this is not mungi (ant), its Moooongi (Punju word for Moong)) :-D. The latter can do well to have some potatoes and tastes good with any dry sabzi of your choice.



We need:

• 6-7 tender turais/ridgegourds or 4 zucchinis
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (for dry sabzi) or chopped fine (for sabzi with gravy/tari or rase wali sabzi)
  
• 1 roma tomato, chopped
• 1 big potato (cubed, only needed for gravied sabzi)
  
• 2-3 Punjabi wadis, crumbled (adjust amount depending on how much spicy you like it)
• A generous pinch of hing/asfoetida
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
  
• 1/2 tsp. amchoor for dry sabzi (or lime juice to taste for gravy sabzi)
  
• 1 tsp. oil

Wash, clean and cut the toriyaan or zucchinis into small pieces. Heat oil and add the hing. Fry the sliced/chopped onions. Now add the tomatoes and stir them in, followed by crushed wadis. Add the turmeric powder, stir and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the chopped toriyaan, salt and stir. If making the dry sabzi, add amchoor, cover and cook on low heat till the toriyaan are tender-ready to serve.

For making the gravied sabzi, add the potatoes, cook for 5 minutes and water to completely cover the vegetables. Simmer on low heat till done. Add the lime/lemon juice. Garnish with cilantro (only for gravied sabzi)-ready to serve :). Enjoy with rotis or rice.

Wagocha:

This dish calls for a non-basmati rice. Yes friends, Punjus do eat rice other than basmati :). We usually make it with Parmal/Parimal rice back home. Sona Masuri and Samba rice also are quite good, for that matter any rice that's not as aromatic as basmati.



We need:

• 1/2 cup rice (i used Samba rice)
• 2-3 Punjabi wadis (crumbled)
• 1/2 onion (chopped)
  
• 1 big tomato (chopped)
• 1-2 potatoes, cubed (optional, used if you want to have it as a khichri)
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• Red chilli powder (to make it spicier, optional)
• Salt to taste
  
• Cilantro (chopped)
• 1 tsp.melted ghee (or any oil)

In a pressure cooker, heat ghee/oil and saute' the onions, followed by tomatoes. Now add 1/2 of the crumbled wadis and stir. Cook for 2-3 minuted and add potatoes, if using. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Stir again and add water (2-3 cups). Add rice after washing it throroughly and stir. Bring to boil and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Release the pressure and add more water to make gravy, if you want to have this dish as a sabzi. Add the remaining wadis, bring to boil and simmer on low heat for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with chapatis.

In case you plan to have this as a spicy khichdi, reduce the amount of salt and wadis (don't add the second half), use potatoes for sure and enjoy with dahi and achaar. Let the simple pictures not fool you. Try it once, you will enjoy it!