On this quest of wanting to raise awareness and introduce my kids to the gamut of taste, colors, rituals and festivals of India, I'm getting quite the education myself. So many nuances and vagaries in cooking styles, textures of food, the flavors and the variety.... OMG the sheer variety! MIND-BOGGLINGLY OVERWHELMING!!!
So this weekend, we decided to take a sneak peek at the western state of Gujarat, a feast for the the grey cells, eyes and of course the sensory experience of taste... spanning the Kachchh (Kutch) region (the most surreal of places, a white salt desert in the state of Gujarat) on the one hand, and flanked by the Kathiawar peninsula on the other. And of course, home to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (people the world over probably know of him as Mahatma Gandhi, or just Gandhi - the gent that won India its freedom, without so much as firing a shot; famous for being a strong proponent of "ahimsa" - the principle of not causing harm to other living beings), an icon known to many generations before us, and will likely continue to remain a legend for generations to come. He is also the reason that Gujarat is a "dry state", primarily out of sheer respect for the man and his views on aqua vitae, but we'll steer clear of that discussion here... perhaps a topic for a different forum!
We talked about the heavy focus on vegetarian food in this state, mainly because of the demographics of the population (leaning towards Vaishnav Hindus), but also because of the climate zone that this state is in... typically a hot weather state, the urge to eat meat (to stay warm) was nearly absent. That, along with the ingrained association with a culture that preaches ahimsa, and deep rooted traditions of being vegetarian together make for a very difficult switch to a carnivorous existence! But we're not complaining... there's quite the spread of vegetarian goodness that we'll explore in our journey today... well, a part of the spread anyways.
For appetizers, we did Khaman Dhokla (a steamed, savory cake, garnished with a tangy concoction of green chillies, asafoetida and mustard seeds), Khandvi (an iconic flavorful snack, made from a batter consisting of gram flour, yogurt, turmeric, and ginger paste), and Lilva Kachoris (a spicy, sweet and savory fresh green pigeon pea based stuffing, loaded into a crispy and flaky pastry);
The main course was simple with Daal (a sweet, spicy and tangy lentil soup, with the sweetness of jaggery), Undhiyu (derived from the Gujarati word “undhu” which means upside down, Undhiyu is a dish prepared with many fresh vegetables and muthiya as a must have item during their kite flying festival), Guvar nu Shaak (Guvar=cluster beans, shaak=vegetable, an everyday preparation, made with cluster beans flavored with carom seeds and coconut) and Pooris (a light unleavened wheat/flour bread, typically deep fried for a crispy finish)
And the couldn't-get-yummier Amrakhand (a delicious, refreshing yogurt and mango based dessert, native to the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, both staking claim to this piece of heaven!)
From Top left to right, row by row: Methi Muthiya (we snacked this yumminess, and of course used this in Undhiyu); Lilva Kachoris; Khaman Dhokla; Undhiyu with daal and pooris; Guvar nu Shaak; Amrakhand
Khandvi
What you'll need:
1 cup besan (gram flour); 1 cup yogurt, whisked to a smooth mix; 2 cups water; 1 tsp salt
3 tsp oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 sprig curry leaves; 3 green chillies, finely chopped; 3 tsp flaked coconut
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
I have a confession to make: I needed all the encouragement I could get from my girls on this one... a delicious delicacy for sure, but had me wanting to give up a few times. Not that it was time consuming, but was fraught with a high consumption rate on my limited supply of patience - folks that know me well, know that that definitely isn't a strong suit of mine!! BUT, absolutely worth the effort in the end!
So here we go: Mix the besan, yogurt, water and salt and whisk the mixture well to remove any air bubbles and clumps of flour that tend to form with this flour. Strain the whisked mixture into a thick base non-stick pan, and cook over medium heat, whisking it constantly so clumps don't form. While this is cooking, you can prepare the tadka... heat the oil and add in the mustard seeds. Once these start crackling, add in the chillies & curry leaves, and then add in the grated coconut and let it saute for just about a couple minutes - you don't want the coconut to turn dark brown and/or burn.
And now for the "build-your-character" part of the process (hats off to all the folks that whip this up on a regular basis!!!). Once the batter is ready (where ready=the batter is not runny any more... if you take some in a spoon and drop it, it should fall like PLOP... I know, I know, not very technical, but hopefully you understand what I mean).... so where was I? Yes, once the batter is ready, take a large cookie baking tray (I used a 13"x9" rectangular tray), and turn it over. Take a generous dollop (or 2) of the batter, and with a flat icing knife, spread it evenly over the entire surface of the back of the tray. You want to form a 1mm thick layer of batter... spread little bits of the tadka over this batter, and once the batter cools in about 5-6 minutes, make vertical cuts with a knife gently, perhaps in 2" wide strips. Now (and this is what may drive you up the wall), gently start rolling the each strip into a roll... G E N T L Y!!! And then again for the next strip and so forth... and then repeat for the remaining batter as well.
VOILA!!!
Khaman Dhokla
What you'll need:
"Talod" mix for Khaman dhokla (clearly, I cheated :)!! A friend of mine suggested that even though she is a purist, she would not shy away from recommending this brand for a ready mix for this fluffy, light gram flour preparation)
For the tadka (tempering), 2 tblsp oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 sprig of curry leaves; 5-6 green chillies, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup water; 1 tsp sugar; 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
I followed the directions on the mix packet to a T, and needless to say, it was an easy shpeezy process. For the tadka, heat the oil in a pan, then add the mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Now add the curry leaves and slit green chillies and let them sauté for about 30 seconds. Follow this up with adding the water, sugar, salt and stir well.
In the meantime, cut the dhokla into small pieces, and spread the tadka over the khaman dhokla. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with green mint chutney on the side, or just on it own... the tadka adds so much flavor that you don't really need anything else to enhance the taste!
Lilva Kachoris
What you'll need for the filling:
2 cups green pigeon peas, frozen; 1/2 cup green peas
3 tblsp oil; 1/2 tsp asafoetida; 1/8 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp green chilli paste; 1 tblsp ginger paste
2 tsp salt; 3 tblsp fresh grated coconut; 1 tblsp sesame seeds; 3 tblsp cashew pieces; 2 tblsp raisins; 2 tblsp sugar; 1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tblsp lemon juice; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Start with grinding the pigeon peas and green peas to a paste. In a pan, heat the oil, and once its hot, add in the asafoetida, baking soda, green chilli paste and the ginger paste and saute on medium heat for a couple minutes. Add in the peas paste, mix and then cook covered for about 7-8 minutes, stirring every now and then so the peas don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Next, add in the coconut and sesame seeds, and cook for a couple minutes before adding in the cashews, raisins and sugar. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has melted and blended in with the filling... add in the garam masala. Switch off the heat, and fold in the lemon juice and cilantro. Your filling for this kachori is ready!
What you'll need for the pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour; 1/2 cup whole wheat flour; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp lemon juice; 4-5 tblsp oil; water for making a smooth dough
Oil for frying
Knead all the ingredients into a dough, that is smooth and soft. Divide the dough into 1" balls... roll them out into 4" circles, and take a dollop of the stuffing, and collect the edges of the circle up towards the center, almost like you're making a dumpling. Pat it down to ensure that the dumpling won't open up during the deep frying process - then deep fry on low--medium heat till lightly and evenly browned on all side... YUMMMMMMMM!!!
Undhiyu
What you'll need:
A whole bunch of veggies for a total weight of 1.5 lbs: little potatoes, cut; little eggplants, diced; yam, diced; sweet potatoes, also diced; green beans; 1/2 cup green peas
Muthiya (similar to what I did for the khaman dhokla, you can use the "Talod" mix for the muthiya as well, though I did make these from first principles - you can refer to the recipe under the Accompaniments section of my blog for the detailed recipe for Methi Muthiya - I'll get to it in the middle of the week for sure!!!)
3 tblsp oil; 1 tsp asafoetida; 1 tsp carom seeds; 1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tblsp ginger paste; 1 tblsp garlic paste; 1 tblsp green chilli paste
1 tsp red chilli pd; 2 tblsp jaggery; 1 tsp turmeric pd; 3 tblsp ghee (clarified butter); 1 cup water; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp sugar
Heat the 3 tblsp oil and once heated, add in the asafoetida, carom seeds and cumin seeds. Let these crackle before adding in the ginger, garlic and chilli pastes, and saute for 3-4 minutes. Next, add in all the dry spice, along with the jaggery and saute for 3-4 more minutes. Then add in the ghee and water to make a gravy. Once the gravy starts bubbling, add in the diced veggies, green peas and the sugar. Cook covered on medium heat for about 20-25 minutes or until the veggies are cooked. Add in the muthiya in the last 5 minutes of the cooking process... and serve hot with pooris!!
Guvar nu Shaak
What you'll need:
1 cup Guvar (Cluster Beans)
1 tblsp oil; 1 tsp asafoetida pd; 1 tsp carom seeds; 1 tblsp chopped garlic;
1 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tsp red chilli pd; 1 tblsp coriander pd; 2 tsp turmeric pd; 1 tbslp wheat flour
In a kadai, heat the oil, and once heated, add in the carom seeds, asafoetida pd and the chopped garlic, and saute for a couple minutes. Now add in the guvar and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add in the remaining spices (except the wheat flour and the coriander pd), and cook for 14-15 minutes, covered, so the guvar is nearly fully cooked. Make a paste of the wheat flour and coriander pd with a tblsp of oil, and add to the vegetable mix, and let this cook for another 4-5 minutes. Serve hot with the pooris!
Amrakhand
What you'll need:
2 lbs whole milk yogurt; a piece of cheesecloth
1/2 lb mango pulp; 5 tblsp sugar (you're welcome to add more if that's what you prefer); 1/2 tsp cardamom pd; 1/2 cup pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped; a few strands of saffron
Empty the yogurt on to a cheesecloth and hand the yogurt overnight over a bowl... the idea is to get rid of the whey in the yogurt, which results in a very thick yogurt base... some folks recommend using greek yogurt, but I just prefer the regular plain yogurt, and it does the trick for me. Add in all the ingredients and mix well with a whisk so everything is blended in. Top it off with some extra pistachios and saffron strands if you'd like. Chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours before serving this simple yet brilliant mango dessert!
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