Ker Sangri

About this recipe

Ker sangri is the desert's pantry on a plate—dried berries and beans that grow where almost nothing else will, foraged and preserved by Rajasthani families for centuries, then rehydrated and tempered into a tangy, chewy sabzi that keeps for days without refrigeration. It's an acquired, intensely regional taste; once you have it, nothing else scratches the itch. The ker (dried berries) and sangri (dried beans) need to be soaked overnight and then boiled until tender, because under-soaked sangri stays woody and tastes like cardboard. The flavour is tart and chewy, with a vegetal quality that doesn't translate to any other vegetable. Amchur (dried mango powder) is the secret weapon here; it adds a fruity tartness that complements the inherent sourness of the ker. This is not a dish for subtle palates; it's bold and assertive, meant to wake you up. The spicing is kept dry and sharp—cumin, asafoetida, coriander and red chilli, with just enough oil to carry it all. This is how it travels well and keeps without refrigeration; the dry spices preserve it naturally. Some versions add raisins for sweetness, which is optional but traditional. The whole thing comes together in barely half an hour once the ker and sangri are boiled. Serve it alongside bajra roti, where the nutty millet and the tangy kersangri are made for each other. It's genuinely vegan, genuinely high-fibre, and genuinely an adventure in flavour. It keeps for a week in the fridge and tastes better the next day, when the spices have mellowed slightly and the berries have absorbed all the flavour.