Maharashtrian Gola Bhat (Gram flour balls served with steamed rice)

In India there are 29 states and one of them is Maharashtra and in Maharashtra there is a region known as Vidarbha. Today I am sharing a Maharashtrian or we can say Vidarbhian recipe with you known as Gola Bhat (गोळा भात). In English we can call it gram flour balls served with steamed rice.

In India most of the people know what Gola Bhat is, but today the recipe that I am sharing with you is very different from the regular one. I learnt this recipe from my Mother-in-Law.
I hope you all will prepare it at your home and will enjoy the taste of it and will share your reviews here.

Gola Bhat - Gola

Ingredients

• 3 cups of gram flour
• 2-3 tsp of oil
• Half tsp red chili powder
• 1 Tsp turmeric
• 2 pinches asafoetida (hing)
• 2 pinches of baking soda
• Salt as per taste
• 2 cups of water to knead the dough
• 5-6 tsp oil to shallow fry

Recipe

Take the gram flour in a bowl add 3 tsp of oil and mix well so it forms a bread crumb like texture of gram flour. Add dry spices red chili powder, turmeric, salt and baking soda to it. Add little water and start forming a dough like we make for rotis. Now make small balls of the dough and keep aside and let them rest for few mins.

Heat up 5-6 tsp of oil in a wok. Start adding balls to it slowly and shallow fry them on a medium flame till they turn golden brown in color. Switch off the flame and take out the balls on a kitchen towel.

Gravy

Ingredients

• 2 cups of tamarind pulp
• 2 medium sized lumps of jaggery (gud)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp oil
• 2-3 cups water
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• Salt as per taste
• Half tsp red chili powder

Recipe

Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds as the mustard seeds start crackling add the tamarind pulp to it. Cook for 2 mins. Crush the lumps of jaggery and add it to the pulp. Add cumin powder, red chili powder, 2 cups of water and salt to it. Now slowly add the shallow fried gram flour balls to it and cook for 15-20 mins. If you find the gravy is becoming thick then you can ad some more water to it. We don't need the gravy to be watery so add water accordingly.

Our Gola with gravy is ready!

Bhat

Ingredients

• 2 cups of basmati rice
• 3 cups of water
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4th tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp clarified butter (ghee)

Recipe

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in pressure cooker and add cumin seeds to it. As the cumin seeds star crawling add turmeric and washed basmati rice. Add salt and water. Pressure cook the rice for 3 whistles and keeping on lower medium flame for 5 mins.

Serving

Take 2 golas with gravy in a serving bowl put it in a plate. Take rice. Pour the tempering over the golas and serve. Gola Bhat tastes best with asafoetida water.

You need to mix 1/4th tsp of asafoetida in a small bowl of water and its ready to have with Gola Bhat.