The Indian subcontinent · Volume 15, The Trami, the Boti and a Kitchen Split Three Ways
Siddu
Himachal Pradesh, higher districts
An illustration of the dish, not a photograph of it cooked.
- Time
- 5 hours 20
- Reviewed
- Not yet reviewed from inside the tradition
- Cooked
- Not yet cooked and reported
A fermented, steamed, stuffed wheat bread from Himachal's higher districts, Kullu, Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Mandi and Shimla among them, most commonly filled with urad dal, though walnut, poppy seed and mint fillings are also genuine.
As tradition built it
Makes about 10. 5 hours proving, then 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 400 g wheat flour
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 200 ml warm water
For the filling
- 150 g urad dal, soaked and boiled
- a pinch asafoetida (hing), a pinch
- 1 tsp cumin
- to taste salt
- a generous spoonful ghee, to serve
Method
- Mix the flour with the yeast, sugar and warm water into a soft dough, and leave to rise in a warm place for 4 to 5 hours, or longer, until visibly risen.
- For the filling, cook the soaked, boiled urad dal with the asafoetida, cumin and salt, mashing lightly.
- Divide the risen dough into balls, flatten each, place a spoonful of filling in the centre and seal.
- Steam for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through.
- Serve split open with a generous spoonful of ghee, alongside dal or a green chutney.
What a modern chef changes
A sous vide prove, a walnut filling and a clarified ghee
Applies rung 2's temperature discipline to fermentation
Method
- Prove sous vide. Hold the dough in a sous vide water bath at a fixed low temperature rather than an ordinary warm kitchen corner, for a more consistent, repeatable fermentation.
- Make a walnut version. Toast and roughly grind walnuts fresh in a spice grinder, rather than using bought pre-chopped ones, for a fresher, more resinous filling.
- Add a dehydrated dal crumb. Dehydrate a portion of the urad dal filling into a crisp crumb, scattered over the split bread alongside the melted ghee for texture.
- Clarify the ghee. Pass the finishing ghee through a chinois for a cleaner pour and a longer shelf life.