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Gondi
Gondi (گوندی): Persian Jewish chicken and chickpea-flour dumplings in turmeric broth
Gondi is the Friday-night dish of Tehran's Persian Jewish families, served at the Shabbat table before the main course or as a light lunch after. Big, soft dumplings of minced chicken, grated onion and roasted chickpea flour, scented with cardamom, are poached in a clear turmeric broth with chickpeas, and each bowl gets one or two with plenty of broth, fresh herbs and flatbread. The texture should be tender and slightly crumbly, a little like a dense matzo ball. A common mistake is using raw chickpea flour; buy roasted chickpea flour (nokhodchi flour) or dry-toast plain gram flour first, or the dumplings taste raw. Chef's tip: chill the mixture for 30 minutes before shaping so the dumplings hold their shape in the broth.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dumplings
For the broth
To serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb chicken mince (thigh), the grated 2 onions with their juice, 5 ½ oz roasted chickpea flour, 1 tsp ground cardamom, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper in a large bowl. Knead with your hand for 5 minutes until it turns into a soft, sticky paste that holds together.
5 minStep 2: Cover and chill for 30 minutes so the chickpea flour soaks up the liquid.
30 minStep 3: Bring 6 ¼ cups chicken stock to a gentle simmer with ½ tsp ground turmeric and 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas in a wide pot.
5 minStep 4: With wet hands, shape the mixture into 8 balls the size of a small orange. Lower them one by one into the simmering broth.
8 minStep 5: Cover and simmer very gently for 40 minutes; a hard boil makes them fall apart. They are done when firm, the centre reads 165°F and they have swollen slightly. Season the broth with ½ tsp salt.
40 minStep 6: Serve one or two dumplings per bowl with plenty of broth and chickpeas, the 1 bunch fresh basil, mint and tarragon on a plate and 1 lime to squeeze over. Flatbread is the usual partner; use gluten-free bread or rice to keep it gluten free.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gondi take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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