Ker Sangri and The Gift of the Khejri Tree

Ker sangri is a dish that embodies the history of Thar Desert, and captures the resourcefulness of the people who call the desert their home.

My mother’s eyes light up, and her smile transforms into a grin when she speaks of the Khejri trees in her village. Even her laughter has a different ring to it, like that of the wind chimes during sandstorms that are commonplace in summers here, as she picks through the skin of memories and tastes a sliver of her childhood again. “We, as kids, used to eat the fruits after they ripened,” she recalls.

Image credit: Manika’s Masaldani

The Khejri Tree

Khejri or the Prosopis cineraria trees are a common sight in the Thar desert and can be found in at least two-thirds of the geographical area of Rajasthan. You must have witnessed these hardy trees—the dark, rough trunk leading to an array of soft-green, small leaves amid conical thorns and drooping fruits—during your trips to Jodhpur or Bikaner. They are one of the few vegetations that grow and prosper in the wild, despite the heat and poor rainfall in this region. They are therefore known as the kalpavriksha (or the wish-fulfilling tree) of the desert. Their roots dig deep for water and they do not rise higher than 12 metres.

Their green tender pods, before they ripen, are plucked and collected. They are called sangri and make for a brilliant addition in various Rajasthani dishes, especially in the ker sangri sabzi. The pulp of the ripened fruit that my mother used to enjoy during her childhood is called khokha.

After their wedding, my parents lived in a small town in the Barmer district of Rajasthan. They had a diverse group of friends, from different regions, states, and cultures. They would often go for potluck lunches with other couples, where everyone would bring a special dish of their cuisine. While staying there, my mother became familiar with the Marwari culture and got her recipe for ker sangri. She still uses the same recipe, albeit with a few changes, today.

Harvesting and Procurement of Ker and Sangri

A lot of effort goes into procuring sangri, as it requires a person to climb atop the Khejri tree or use a ladder to pick the pods manually along with twigs while tackling prickly thorns. The pods once foraged from these trees cannot be consumed directly.

Manga Ram is a student and a farmer from a village in the Shergarh tehsil of Jodhpur, and he harvests sangri from the Khejri trees in his field and sells them to retail stores. He tells me that the sangri pods are plucked 15 days after they bloom in the months of April and May. They are then boiled for 30-45 minutes in a deep pot till they soften a little and then dried beneath the unforgiving sun. That becomes the product that is sold in the markets and further used to make ker sangri.If packaged properly without moisture, it can be stored and consumed over seven to eight years, he tells me.

Similarly, the other constituent of this classic dish, ker, is foraged from a thorny shrub called Capparis decidua in the desert. The unripe pods of ker are also harvested during April and May and used for making a variety of pickles and vegetarian dishes. Ram suggests that the best variety of kers are small, and drown in a bowl of water. As they are quite sour, almost bitter, they have to be boiled in saltwater around five times before drying and packaging for consumption.

The resourcefulness of the villagers makes these ingredients special, as they are treated with tremendous care and respect. Historically, ker and sangri were one of the few sources of nutrition during famines and droughts, when no other meal was available. They continue to be relished in the rural areas of the region.

Khejri tree
Image credit: Wiki Commons

Historic and Culinary Heritage of Ker Sangri

The significance of the local vegetation and produce for the people can also be traced back to what happened at Khejarli in 1730. When Maharaja Abhai Singh Rathore of Marwar sent his men to chop and collect the wood from the Khejri trees near Khejarli, the local Bishnoi community expressed their protest against the cutting of these natural resources. In an astounding feat of courage, Amrita Devi hugged a tree to save it from being cut. Other villagers followed suit. The soldiers beheaded them, killing as many as 363 villagers. The king finally intervened and ceased the cutting of trees, while also designating it a protected area. It is said to have inspired the famous Chipko movement in 1973.

Ramesh Kumar is a scholar of history who has written a paper on ker sangri and its dietary relevance in the region and contributed to a book on the food heritage of Rajasthan. A resident of a dhani in the Dantaramgarh tehsil of Sikar, Kumar shares how about 90 per cent of villagers there make ker sangri and use these ingredients in a variety of ways.

Kumar also explains that ker sangri is traditionally made on the occasion of the Sheetala Ashtami, where devotees offer cold food (food made a day or two prior to the festival) to the goddess. Perhaps, ker sangri is used as it doesn’t spoil and sustains a family for a week.

In a similar vein, Abhilasha Jain, who specialises in Rajasthani food and also heads a catering service called Marwadi Khana, tells me that in her culture, they do not eat greens on such occasions as Ashtami, Chaudas, and Daslakshan ji. So, in her family, they would cook and eat ker sangri on a regular basis.

Once you buy these ingredients from a Rajasthani store, it isn’t very difficult to cook the sabzi. Jain recommends that you should first wash them at least ten times. After soaking them in water for the night, ker and sangri just need to be stir-fried with a smattering of spices. You can also add other local ingredients like sabut amchur (dry mango), lesua (glue berry), and kumatiya to make panchkuta, a 5-spice mix.

“It is popular with travellers because it is prepared with dried ingredients, thereby increasing its shelf life,” says Gitanjali Gurbaxani, who has written a book on Jodhpur as a gourmet destination. She says that despite its humble nature, she found ker sangri in the royal kitchens of Jodhpur too and enjoyed it when she stayed there.

Ker Sangri As A Quintessential Part of Rajasthani Cuisine

As Rajasthani cuisine got popular, ker sangri became a quintessential part of platters and buffet meals in the top-notch Rajasthani restaurants. It may also have something to do with many Marwadi businesses that blossomed in different areas all over the country, as the business families took these ingredients and recipes with them.

That is also the reason why ker and sangri are sent to almost all the metro cities as well as countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. A 2018 report in a local newspaper suggested that ker and sangri were more expensive than dry fruits. Ram told me that sangri can fetch as much as Rs 1100-1200 per kg when sent to metro cities, and around Rs 2500 when exported to the US. The best quality kers are also sold at a rate of Rs 1000-1200 per kg.

On the other hand, Kumar tells me that villagers have an understanding among them as they collect the desert’s bounty in the form of ker and sangri and share it with each other. “Every family has a Khejri tree, they don’t have to pay for it,” he chuckles. Families in these villages procure around 2-3 kgs of ker and sangri and soak them in buttermilk for seven to eight hours and then cook it and store it for long term use.

Ker sangri has a peculiar flavour, which is at once sour and earthy, but it also acquires the piquancy of the spices that go into it. It spreads in the mouth with every bite—the sangris are almost like soft stems of leafy greens, and the kers bring a hint of sharpness. Some may say that it is an acquired taste. It goes really well with the bajra roti and ghee, and can be served along with other popular dishes like gatte ki sabzi or kadhi.

Jain’s favourite method of eating ker sangri is with a cold roti one day after it is cooked.

She recounts: "It has a beautiful memory as it was made for my great-grandmother, who died at the age of 100, and then my grandmother used to relish it like anything. So, it is automatically a memory that is always going to remain with me.”

Recipe: Ker Sangri

Ingredients
100 g sangri
60 g ker
2-3 tablespoons mustard oil (or any vegetable oil) 
1 teaspoon dried mango powder (mmchur)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon dried chilli powder
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt (to taste)

For Panchkuta (optional)
40 g sabut amchur (dry mango)
40 g lesua (glue berry)
40 g kumatiya (gum acacia)

Method
Soak ker and sangri in a jug of water overnight or for 5-6 hours. If you are making panchkuta, soak the other three ingredients in water overnight as well.
After getting them out of the water, let ker and sangri dry for a bit.
In a pan, heat the mustard oil or any other oil that you are using.
Once the oil is hot, add asafoetida, followed by cumin seeds.
After roasting the cumin seeds, add ker and sangri. Add optional ingredients for panchkuta.
Add all the spices, and mix it well.
At low heat, keep stirring for a minute or two.
Let it cook for 7-8 minutes, till any remaining water evaporates.
Let it cool down to room temperature and store in an airtight container

Eat it along with your meals in small quantities, as a side vegetarian dish or a pickle. Can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.

Banner image credit: Traveldine

Anmol Arora is an independent journalist and writer from Rajasthan who enjoys exploring and writing about food and culture with a dollop of love for the simple poetry of everyday living.

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