What's on the plate?! #5
Gulgule: in an attempt to feel more alive.
Yesterday, at 5:10 pm I got off a call with my mother and by 5:12 pm I was already in the kitchen. This was the most alive I felt in a while. I could feel it in my fingers as I picked up the bowl of dough, which I had accidentally left out on the counter previous night. I recounted my mother’s instructions from the phone call earlier as I readied myself to salvage this fermented dough, and through it, my own inactivity.
I was quick to assemble some milk, a large mixing bowl, and a whisk on the kitchen counter. Then I powdered some sugar and fennel seeds (saunf) in the blender. While the blender was whizzing, I couldnt help but remember Amma (my maternal grandmother), and all the times I played her cooking assistant. In her house, Khameer Aata or fermented dough meant one and one thing only - Gulgule.
To put a little more perspective into Gulgule - it is sweet snack, not a sweet dish. Made of wholewheat dough that might have been fermented intentionally or accidentally. Though accidentally seems more likely a case and there may or may not be a traceable backstory to who invented the snack but it is a great example of one of the many leftover recipes coming out of the resourcefulness of middle-class homes. In terms of flavour, there is sweetness from the sugar, sourness from the bacterial action in the flour, and hints of aniseed from the fennel. Depending upon improvisations and what is available at hand-shredded coconut adds great nuttiness.
Five minutes into my redemption project, my batter is felt too loose, for I poured a lot more milk in the bowl than needed. This was followed by heavy whisking to smoothen out the clumped batter. Ultimately adding some extra flour saved me and I was ready to fry. I droped blobs of loose, sticky batter into the hot oil and instantly a whiff of a sourdough frying in oil covered my face.
By the time I soaked in the comfort of this familiar aroma, I realise my eyes are welled up. It turns out that I hadn’t made made Gulgule on my own, ever since I left home, despite the fact that it was a household regular. The smell was not only reminiscent of a comforting childhood but a reminder of how reassuring familiarity can feel. A familiarity that I have felt stripped off since I took to working as a freelancer, which mostly is, living by the day sans a work schedule and a workplace, uncertainty of projects and financial instability, but also a severe looming sense of self-doubt.
Even though the oil wasn’t too hot, I ended up burning my first gulgula, the second one I was more watchful of, by the third one I seemed to be doing okay. None of them looked identical, nor any close to what Nani’s used to be - almost perfect round pillows. However, this wasn’t about getting the perfect gulgula, this was about making an effort to feel alive and break the cycle of just existing.
They were chewy and sweet, but mostly felt supple and spongy - just the feeling that the word Gulgula denotes in the Urdu language and the feeling I was after.
It is unbearably hot these days; if the leftover roti dough doesn’t find itself in the refrigerator it will end up fermented! You can of course discard it but if you're like me and always ready for a quick snack or looking out for leftover recipes - save this:
Ingredients -
150grams dough made by kneading wholewheat flour and water. Fermented at room temperature overnight.
5ograms powdered sugar. You can use normal sugar and powder it in the blender with half a teaspoon of fennel seeds.
Half a tsp fennel seeds or fennel powder.
A fat pinch of salt.
Half a cup of milk.
One tablespoon of white sesame seeds (optional)
Oil for frying
Method -
In a large mixing bowl, whisk all the ingredients to form a smooth but loose batter.
Heat oil in a frying pan and dollop the batter in one spoon at a time.
Avoid overcrowding the pan and fry on a medium-high flame.
The dough will rise but will still be soft in texture, once the batter is set, keep turning around till it turns caramel brown on all sides.
Best eaten hot!!!
If you have eaten Gulgule/ similar snacks before or want to talk about the perils of being a freelancer, leave a comment below? I would love to hear from you.
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Lovely read! Makes me want to eat gulgule right away 😊