Thursday, July 12, 2007

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!

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

And here they are - the authentic Punjabi dishes!

Truly didn't know what Wagocha was - the word or the dish! I think I'd better get lots of wadis next time I visit Amritsar...the blogosphere has suddenly erupted with so many ways to cook them!

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is the first TRULY authentic Punjabi recipe I've come across, one I have never heard of. Well done! :)

PS. I'm going to try it, of course! I lurrrrve Punju food!

Srivalli said...

lovely looking dish...and very authentic as the word goes...I am hearing the word for the first and you have done a great job explaining everything so clearly...thanks for sharing this recipe....and a great entry for RCI: Punjab

srivalli
www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com

Nupur said...

What a great post!! Wagocha sounds like "botched" in English and "goch" in Marathi (or is it Hindi?) A blundering person is called a "gochu", so is a wagocha-eater called a "wagochu?" I HAVE to try this dish!! :) and the wadi one, because I love those!

Coffee said...

I love that name Wagocha !

Rice with wadi's sounds great.... and looks more like knichdi. :) Loved your very patient explanation for it!

Manasi said...

Wagocha!!Wagocha!!!! Wagocha!!! Love that word!
Will try the WAGOCHA!!! :))

Sharmi said...

that is a very beautiful and informative post. truly learnt a new recipe. great entry too.

FH said...

Didn't know that about Wagocha! Good one,sounds like Takatak!:D
Both dishes sounds great.I bought some Wadis too,going to W as well!:)

Suganya said...

Musical, I have never tasted wadis. I recently saw one in Anjali's. Am gonna have to try this soon..Too delicious to pass..

Richa said...

haanji, tussi te 'W' vaastey badi majedar dish lekar aaye :) dono dishes vadhiya e'. tussi ta wadi season shuru kitta e' heh!heh! moongi, that made me laugh, i remember whenever my mom told the help to soak moongi dal, she used to laugh so much :)thanks for the lovely contribution sweetie!

Rachna said...

wagocha te mein kadi vi nayi suneya.... menu 'chethi' patha hai... but thats just hurried up...not hurried mess... nice recipe... im not a vadi fan... so unlike punju of me...kya karu....

DEEPA said...

This is too good ....must have tasted great

sunita said...

You have been tagged...check out
http://sunitabhuyan.blogspot.com/2007/07/meme-followed-by-marbled-cake.html

bee said...

i want to lick that wagocha off the screen. it looks like somehing i can eat every day. my wadis will be over soon, i promise. i have only basmati and rose matta right now. i'm thinking rose matta will make a super wagocha.

will let you know how it turned out. thanks.

musical said...

Anita:

Yes, yes-enjoy the wadis :). and get lots of them from Amritsar (you won't believe, but this time i didn't buy a single packet!! am using wadis from the store here!!). And i agree, blogosphere does usually get abuzz with one ingredient (and i am not complaining). JFI hosts might like the idea :).

Shammi:

THank you, dear. Its a very typically Punju word (that too from the Majha dialect!). Am sure you'll enjoy these dishes.

Srivalli:

THanks! i am glad you enjoyed this part mischevious, part serious explanation :). Hope you enjoy the dishes too.

musical said...

Nupur:

You are always welcome :) and i LOVE that linguistic explanation!! it does sound similar to gocha!! he he, wagochu (after Surili, am i about to get another name). Am glad you liked the ideas, am sure you'll like the dishes too :).

Coffee:

I like the name too :) and with less gravy it does make a yummy khichdi (minus the daal ofcourse). Try it, hope you'll like :)).

Manasi:

And i love the way you are saying it :). Its another ones of Punju sing-song words (besides Gonglu) that might just catch up :)).

musical said...

Sharmi:

Thanks a ton for the generous words, dear. Try them, am sure you'll enjoy them :).

Ashakka:

Its not a common dish at all! and the name is kinda' wagocha too, very make shift kinds :). oh, and there is a Lahori dish called katakat (meat based)!! You got wadis too :). Enjoy :).

Suganya:

If you like spicy food, you would love them. Try using them with a basic aloo sabzi, the mother of all wadi dishes :).

musical said...

Richa:

Haanji, Golden Girl (whose Marathi) nu vi Moongi sunke bada hassa anda e :)). Moongi!! Now, i am laughing too :)). Am glad you liked the recipes, dear. Enjoy :).

Dumela:

Wagocha Majhi dialect da lafz e. Malvi lok vi kadi kadi vartde ne. Tusi shayad Multan vallon ho, so it may not be familiar. The most common usage is "Wagocha poora karna" (Chheti, kahli are used for just hurry, but wagocha is for a rushed up job, another close approximation would be chhatthi waddhna). Don't like wadis, no problem. There are more Punju things we'll enjoy together :). When are you posting the RCI dishes.

Deepa:

Yes, it does taste finger-licking good!

musical said...

Sunita:

Thanks for tagging :). Sig tagged me few days back and i posted the meme. Now that you (and Pel) have tagged me again, i'll post seven more random facts :).

Bee:

That means a lot, dear.....am glad you liked these ideas, am very sure you are gonna' like the dish too. Rosematta would be excellent for this one. Enjoy :).

Kajal said...

Nice entry for Nupur’s event and RCI event both dish looks yummy and delicious.

Great Work:)))))

musical said...

Thanks Kajal, thats really so sweet of you :).

Prajakta said...

Nice recipes, and so authentic! Now, you would not find them in a restaurant would you :).

Hmm...Have to find these wadis in Pune now. Must say, I have never tasted a punjabi wadi till now.

musical said...

Hey Prajakta:

Thanks :). Well, i really wish there were restaurants that would serve homestyle food!! Do try the wadis, if you enjoy spicy stuff, you'd like them.

Anonymous said...

"Simple pictures" look pretty good to me, Musical! Two very creative dishes you made -- I'd especially like to try the wagocha. Alot of my meals could be called 'wagocha' in the sense you defined it ;)

Enjoyed reading your meme in prior post -- I did not know you were in Red Sox territory! My son is huge fan. Have a great weekend :)

Pelicano said...

Musical, that wagocha seems like a good one-dish meal- reminds me of the "casseroles" my grandmother used to make us for lunch (she was always making up such dishes and never wrote the recipe down). My grandparents lived on a farm, and the food my grandmother would make was hearty and simple- memories so tied-in with days of wandering the nearby woods and playing in the barn. Thanks for reminding me of these days!

Wadi-toriyaan di sabzi I know I will like: I grew up having zucchini-tomato stews and this is a grand elevation of that flavour-combo; I just bought a bag of wadis, so I'll be making both of these soon.

musical said...

Hey Pel:

Grandparent are amazing, aren't they :). I am happy that this post took you back to some warm, wonderful times.....food, love and memories go hand in hand.....

oh! and zucchini is great, it cooks easy, so you can put together a quick, delicious meal :). Try them, am sure you'll enjoy these simple dishes.

Viji said...

Both are mouth watering Musical. Something new for me. Viji

musical said...

Thanks, Viji. Try them, hopefully you'll enjoy them :).

musical said...

Linda:

My sincere apologies! how did i miss your comment!! really sorry abt. that, dear.

Do try them, i enjoy them the quick meals :). and yes, i am a Red Sox fan :-D

Bong Mom said...

hey is this like "tehri" ? My friend makes something (sans wadi) like this but calls it "tehri"...now I am not sure what exactly tehri is.

And the MEME was nice read, got to know a little more about you

musical said...

Hey Sandeepa:

This isn't quite tehri. This pne is gravied. Tehri (or as we call it: Tahiri, is drier than this, like a pulaav and usually has lots of vegetables and dry masalas.

he he, so you liked the meme, thanks :)Now you know how crazy i am ;).

Priyanka said...

Never heard of both the dishes. Sound very authentic. Thanks for sharing Musical. will definitely try it out.

musical said...

Hey Priyanka:

Thanks dear, i hope you'll enjoy them.

Rachna said...

musy, i put up two baingan dishes for RCI, and two more to follow... wish RCI punjab was running for 6 months or somthing... dont know what to make and what not....

bee said...

woohoo... wagocha ... it's a beautiful thing. rosematta rice is just made for this dish, 'cos it's so creamy. my wadis are gonna be disappearing real soon.

try it, folks. it's so yumm.

musical said...

Dumela:

Yeah, sweetie, i checked those yummy dishes out-i made the baingan paneer sabzi-i loved it and so did my friend! i agree yaar, 1 month is not enough. i have 2-3 eggplant recipes for RCI too, lets see how much i can post ;). Je ho sake taan tusi koi khaas Multani recipes pesh karo.

Bee:

Thanks for the wagocha prommotion :). I agree Rosematta goes well with this. anything but Basmati :)).

rrv said...

I spotted some Punjabi Wadis at the grocery store last week and am aching to try these out. Will be a first as I've never had 'wadis' before.
From what I can see, these treats are a big hit already!
I have a question. I dont know if I've missed it but do these wadis need to be deep fried before they are used or can they be used straight from the pack?

musical said...

Radhika:

Thanks for stopping by. The Punjabi wadis need no frying. Just crumble them and add to the tadka, sabzi etc. They get cooked with the water content available from the vegetables or gravy, whatever the case be.

The wadis that are fried are usually made out of just moong daal and are not as spicy.

rrv said...

Many thanks!!
Will surely try them out.

musical said...

Sure Radhika, please do and enjoy :).

Sia said...

Wagocha!!!! what a name...i love the way it sounds...Wagocha...
never heard of Wagocha musie, i always rely on u when it comes to authentic punjabi cuisine. so bring it on girl:)
sorry sweetie, been busy like bee all these days with work. so couldn't come b4 to check n comment. hope u r doing gd:)

DEEPA said...

wow!!!i missed this one ...Super entry .....awesome entry and recipe looks great ...Nice to ready your ME ME too ....I have also my MEME on the post ...

musical said...

Oye Sia:

Sorry kis baat ki.....we all get busy with some many things.....Main thing is that you enjoy this stuff, whenever you can :). i am good, still amazed at that watermelon rind dosa!

enjoy maadi,
musical.

musical said...

Hey Deepa:

thanks a lot :) will check your meme right away :).

have a good day,
musical.

Suganya said...

O O this is wonderful subzi... Looking great....nice pic....

musical said...

Thanks Sukanya :).

Pelicano said...

Musical- the wadi-toryaan(er..zucchini) :-) subzi is really really good! It goes especially well with my kerela ka achaar- thanks!

musical said...

Hey Pel,

Ah! now i have to make some karele ka achaar :). thanks to you too, dear!

Anonymous said...

Made wadi-toriyaan finally, and loved it! Will try the wagocha next!

Arre, haven't made Pel's karele ka achar - it seems so labourious - wish we didn;t need to fry the karela first. What I need is a good recipe for Punjabi mango pickle!