Sindhi Lasagna (Mani Seyal Cake)

s the name suggests, today’s recipe is of the quintessential breakfast of Sindhi homes. Down the ages, some innovative homemaker thought of using leftover rotis in a practical form and came up with this delicious dish. Almost all Sindhi homes serve this dish, but in many forms. Seyal maani (chappati) or seyal dabroti using bread has many different recipes.

Green masala paste or an onion-based gravy is cooked and either bread or rotis are added to the simmering gravy and allowed to soak up the masala. The normal procedure would be to tear up the chappatis into pieces and add them to boiling gravy and cook till the liquid evaporates, which would be within a few minutes. But my mother-in-law made this dish in a unique way, stacking the chappatis or bread with thick gravy between layers and building it up into a layered cake. A little extra effort and a pretty-looking dish was ready to be served, resembling an Italian lasagna but made with fewer ingredients.

Growing up, mummy made this dish once a week for breakfast, mostly on Saturdays, and it was savoured by my grandparents, the plus point being its soft texture which was easy for them to consume. The leftover green paste was stored and very often my mom applied it on a chappati, folded it into a half circle and roasted it on a hot tawa with a little oil till crisp, a delicious side dish ready in minutes.

Do try out this recipe and enjoy a Sindhi dish which does not take long to cook and uses ingredients easily available in our homes.

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Ingredients

• 8 leftover chappatis
• 1 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 green chillies
• 2 tomatoes, blended into a pulp
• 2 tbsps finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 2 tsps cumin seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

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Method

1. Blend the coriander leaves, 4 cloves garlic, and 6 green chillies into a fine paste with a little water and keep aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsps oil and add the cumin seeds. Next add the chopped garlic and sauté till fragrant. Now add the coriander powder and turmeric powder along with the tomato pulp and salt. Cook for a few minutes. Finally add the green paste and cook for just 2 minutes. Add lime juice and sugar, mix well, and remove into a bowl.
3. Take a wide bowl and add 1 tbsp of the cooked green masala and half a cup of water. This mixture is for dipping the chappatis to moisten them.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add 1 tbsp of the cooked masala.
5. Gently dip one chappati in the green water mixture and put it immediately into the frying pan. Apply some green masala onto it and repeat with another chappati. Make layers with moistened chappatis and green masala, finishing with green masala on the top layer. All this should be done on low heat.
6. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Slide the stack of chappatis gently onto a serving plate with a flat spatula and garnish with grated cheese or chopped coriander. Cut into wedges and serve.