Gujarati Series: Kathiawadi Thaali

Sev-Tameta Shaak, Sliced red onions, Vagharela Marcha, Ohloh and Parothas.....A Kathiawadi delight.


Vagharela Marcha - Stir fried Peppers:

5-8 - Jalapeno or Chili Peppers- chopped
1 tsp - Mustard Seeds
Salt, Lemon Juice, asafoetida - to taste
1 tsp- Olive Oil

In a pan, heat the Olive oil till it is quite hot, add the mustard seeds and wait till they crackle. Add a pinch of asafoetida and the peppers. Stir fry until the edges look soft. Add the salt and some lemon juice. Serve as a side.

Sev-Tameta Shaak:

5-6 large, ripe red tomatoes (fresh is best in this particular recipe)-chopped
1 medium jalapeno- chopped
1 tbsp- Olive or any other oil you use
1 tsp each- mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chili powder, cumin-coriander powder
1/2 tsp - turmeric and asafoetida
salt, sugar - to taste
a handful of curry leaves, a couple of dried chilies (yes, this is a spicy dish)
Ready made Sev- besan/chickpea thin or thick noodles

Heat oil, add the cumin and mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the dried chili, curry leaves and the chopped jalapeno. Let the Jalapeno brown for a couple of minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Add the rest of the seasonings, except the Sev. Let the natural juices come out, if you'd like a bit more sauce, add a little bit of water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat. Add sev just before serving. if you add it too soon, it will turn soggy. Enjoy with some hot parathas.

Gujarati Series - Chora Daal-Fenugreek Dhokla

Dhoklas can be made from a variety of ingredients- Chana Daal, moong daal, Besan to name a few. This time around, I made them from Chora daal.
This is fairly easy, and is perfect for weekend lunches.

Ingredients-

1.5 cups Chora Daal
1/2 cup yellow moong daal
1 bunch- fresh or frozen Methi or Fenugreek leaves
2-3 large - chili peppers ( for heat)
1 large piece - ginger
4-5 cloves garlic
1 small bunch cilantro
1 heaping tbsp - besan flour
1 tsp- jeera (cumin) seeds
salt, sugar to taste
1 tsp- Eno or Fruit Salt

Soak Chora Daal and the yellow moong daal together for at least a few hours. When ready to make the dhokla, grind the daals together with the jeera seeds and some salt. The mixture should resemble an Idli batter and should not be too thick or too thin. Grind the peppers, ginger , garlic and cilantro. Add this to the batter along with the sugar and some more salt. Adjust to your taste. Leave the batter aside for 15 minutes, and then add the methi leaves and besan to it. Stir well.
When ready to steam the dhoklas, add the eno to it. This will make them fluffier.
Pour the dhokla batter into a sprayed cake pan. Steam on medium high for at least 15-20 minutes. You may temper them with some mustard seeds and curry leaves. I left them just as they were. Serve with Cilantro-Mint chutney and some hot tea or coffee for a perfectly healthy lunch!

Variation- Add some spinach leaves to the batter instead of Fenugreek leaves.

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Gujarati Series: Ringan no Ohloh (Smoked Eggplant)

Ringan no Ohloh made in the Gujarati style is quite different from the 'Baingan Bhartha' served at Indian restaurants.

When made in the traditional Gujarati manner, there are no heavy creams,or fancy "Shahi" ingredients used.....this is simple, rustic, "Kathiawadi" regional cooking at its best.

I have two versions of this recipe, the first is the quick one, for busy nights and the second one is how I made mine, by smoking the eggplant in the oven.

This dish is best paired with some Buttermilk, Garlic Pickle, Bajra Rotis and some Spicy Urad daal....( recipe coming soon on that daal).



Here is what you need:

• 2- Large Eggplants: Peeled and Cooked in the pressure cooker till soft.
• 2 -Small Bunches of Spring Onions- Chopped
• 1- Large tomato- Chopped
• 1- Large Clove of Garlic- Grated,
  
• Paste made of Ginger and Green Chilies - to your taste
• A pinch of your favorite Masala- Optional
  
• Oil- to temper
• Jeera, Asafoetida, Turmeric,Dhania-Jeera Powder, Salt, Chili Powder and a pinch of sugar to taste.

This is the Faster Version of cooking the eggplant:
Peel and Cut the eggplant in small pieces. Cook in the pressure cooker till soft, making sure to drain the bitter water out of the eggplants. Cool and Set Aside.

For the Traditional Version:
Wash the eggplant, coat it with a thin layer of oil on the outside. Place in the oven at 400F for around 35-40 minutes or until soft. Peel the skin off and then mash it in the usual way. This will give the Eggplants a smoky traditional flavor.

In a pan, heat oil. Add the asafoetida and the turmeric. When it sizzles, add jeera and the spring onions. Now add the ginger-chili paste. Add the tomato and cook until the oil starts leaving the sides of the pan. Add the mashed eggplants now and mix well. Add the grated garlic and the rest of the seasonings and Cook on low heat for another 10-12 minutes.

Serve Hot.

This recipe is going to Nupur of One Hot Stove for the "A-Z of Indian Vegetables" Event.

Upcoming Post Preview: Weekend Lunch Series: "Puff Pastry Samosas with Roasted Red Pepper Chutney, Cilantro Chutney and Spinach-Artichoke Dip".

Adadiya

A very Happy New Year to all of you!

I wanted to start off this new year's post with a sweet called Adadiyas. These are quintessential in a Kathiawadi household during the chilly winter months. Supposedly, these little mountains of goodness increase the heat in the body,and are very healthy- despite the amount of ghee that goes into it. When I was growing up in Rajkot, these were made by my mom and grandmother in the winter months to keep us kids warm!

These delicious adadiyas were made by a family friend, Jayshree aunty who sends us these treats every winter without fail. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
500 g- Coarse Urad daal flour,
500 g- Sugar, powdered
15 g - Edible gum (gundar) available at any Indian grocery stores - pounded lightly and fried in some ghee until it puffs up. Set aside.
300g- Pure desi ghee
1/2 cup of Milk,
1 tbsp- Black pepper powder, 1tbsp- Cardamom powder, 1/2 or 1 tbsp- Ginger powder, 1 tbsp- Nutmeg powder,
Pistachios, Cashews, Almonds- chopped - 1 cup in all.

Add 1 tbsp ghee and some milk to the coarse urad daal flour and mix well. Set it aside for 30-35 minutes at least. Take the rest of the ghee in a heavy flat bottomed pan and on medium heat, slowly add the flour mixture. Keep mixing this rapidly so it doesn't burn. This will take around 15 minutes until it turns a pinkish-red color. Now add the black pepper, cardamom. ginger. nutmeg powders and mix thoroughly and then add the powdered sugar. You'll see the mixture turning thick. This is what you want. Now add the gundar that had been fried in ghee in the beginning. You might want to add more ghee to the flour mixture if it seems too dry. Add the
chopped pistachios, cashews and almonds now. Mix well and transfer into another container.
When it is slightly cool, make the adadiyas into small mountain like shapes (like those in the picture) on a greased plate. Once these are cool, they will become hard and ready to go into a storage container. These will keep fresh for about three weeks. Usually, I store these in the fridge and when ready to eat, I warm them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds.....these taste the best when slightly warm. Have one of these early in the morning or around snack time with some chai or hot cocoa....a sure way to chase the winter chills away!

Cheers,Trupti
Music of the Moment: "Ballad"-Pt.Shivkumar Sharma