Not Like Patel Samaj Patel Samaj in Mombasa is very famous for its Khichdi, kadhi and shaak. The shaak or vegetable is made of potatoes and brinjals. The khichdi is made of rice and tuvar dal (split pigeon pea lentils). Its the most yummiest I have ever tasted. 30 years in Mombasa and the khichdi still tastes the same. Food cooked for the community always tastes the best. The whole meal is usually made by the men. Patel Samaj does have at least 4 to 6 khichdi programs every year. It usually takes place on a Sunday at lunch time. After the heavy meal, one wants to just take a siesta. Good way to spend a Sunday. The khichdi is usually a bit gooey with…
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Continue Readinga very common shaak At the moment most of the green vegetables or rather the indian vegetables are priced sky high. Nothing costs less than Ksh 200 and it does get a bit frustating especially even after paying so much, the freshness of the vegetable is missing. The greengrocers complain that they have no choice as their lorries are getting stuck for long periods because of the axle weight issue the government is trying to sort out with the transport companies. Yesterday, I didn’t get any fresh vegetables so landed up buying some brinjals. Not that they too were absolutely fresh but anyway looked better than the rest. So, I decided to make the most common shaak, ringad bateta nu shaak i.e. brinjal potato vegetable.…
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Continue ReadingI hated tindoras Before going to Sophia High School, Mt Abu, I was not too fussy about my vegetables. I pretty much ate whatever my mum cooked. Living in a large family, one did not have the luxury of being fussy. Whatever was served, one ate. However, taste buds changed the minute I stepped into the dining hall of the boarding school in Mt Abu. My once favourite vegetable became my enemy. I loved the way my mum made tindora or ivy gourd (indian gherkins) in a simple gujju manner. But at school it was just a mass of boiled tindora with no flavour and just too soft for my palate. So there began a mission to get rid of the tindora as fast…
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Continue Readingaromatic delight A few weeks ago I had a request from one of my neighbours… can you please teach me how to make an egg biryani. That got me thinking. When was the last time I actually made egg biryani? I just couldn’t remember. It’s also not a recipe that I had written down so I couldn’t just give it to her to follow. So we got tinkering in the kitchen and as we went along, wrote down the ingredients we used. I must say it turned out pretty yummy and the neighbour’s family too were happy with the end result except that they found it mild. Cooking rice has its own charm. After the smell of bread, I think my other favour aroma is…
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Continue Readinggetting high on protein Finally the rains have decided to pay us a visit and the temperatures have dropped, it’s cool but a bit humid and the evenings are very pleasant. A rainy day calls for pakoras, soup or some delicious hot dal (lentil curry). I decided to make mixed dal with rice. I love making mixed dal because it does taste different from the other dals. This dal is also known as panchmel, panchratna or panchkuti dal. This simply means a mixture of five different dals or lentils. Don’t need to soak any of the lentils overnight. Different regions of India make mixed dal in different ways. Some add more onions or more tomatoes. Some make it really spicy. Some make it…
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Continue Readingrich and creamy A few days ago my sister in law Rakshabhabhi sent a few pieces of the granola bars she tried out and a very tender and fresh bottle gourd. The granola bars were yummy and tasted different from mine as she had added dried apricots and dried dates (khajur) to the mixture. As for the bottle gourd, doodhi or lauki, it probably landed up at my house for a specific reason. The reason was a kofta curry. twice I had bought doodhi or lauki from the market and twice it was a bit seedy so it was used up in dangellas and theplas. This time, the lauki was really nice with no seeds and very tender. So today, I gathered rest of the…
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Continue ReadingDrumstick Curry/ Saragva Nu Shaak Drumstick Curry/ Saragva Nu Shaak is a gluten free, delicious, side dish prepared using drumstick pods in a yogurt curry. Notably, this Gujarati style curry or shaak is commonly enjoyed with hot plain parathas. In fact, drumstick curry is a delicious way to enjoy the superfood. What is Drumstick? In general, drumstick is a long slender and triangular pod that grows from the branches of a tree whose biological name is Moringa Oleifera. Also known as moringa tree, drumstick tree, horseradish tree (the roots taste like horseradish) or benzolive tree (named so because of the oil from the seeds). Generally, these trees are commonly found in the tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia, Middle East and some parts…
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Continue ReadingRECIPE : Bajri Na Dhebra/ Millet Fenugreek Flatbread What is Bajri Na Dhebra/ Millet Fenugreek Flatbread? Bajri na Dhebra/ Millet Fenugreek Flatbread is a famous Gujarati snack prepared from pearl millet flour and loads of fresh fenugreek. Generally enjoyed hot for breakfast or as a snack. Usually Bajri na dhebra are served with some pickle and plain yogurt or masala tea. Bajri na dhebra can be carried as travel food. Long journeys many years ago meant that one had to carry travel food to enjoy on the way. Generally, Bajri na dhebra stay fresh for 2-3 days depending on the weather. However, if prepared as travel food, tamarind pulp is added instead of yogurt. Memories I remember my mum packing a pile of the dhebra…
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Continue ReadingMy dear husband loves any south indian dish. He was missing medu vadas and was wishing he could be in India to have them. He loves the medu vada at the famous Ram Krishna restaurant in Vile Parle (E) Mumbai. The two famous Indian restaurants in Mombasa, Bombay Bistro and Bollywood Bites serve idlis, dosas but no medu vadas. Nunu had bought a medu vada machine (by Anjali) years back from India. Its looks very much like a doughnut machine. She used it a lot but for the past 14 years it was just sitting pretty in my store cupboard. So last week, out came the machine and my hunt for a better medu vada recipe as Nunu’s recipe made the vadas a bit too…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIES_REDOING OLD POSTS KODHA NU SHAAK/ PUMPKIN STIR FRY Kodha Nu Shaak/ Pumpkin Stir Fry is a simple, but very flavourful way of preparing an easy side dish or sabji, Gujarati style. Served hot with some roti or paratha and a dal it is a complete meal. What is Pumpkin? Though we all call pumpkin a vegetable, in reality it is a fruit. Yes, a fruit. It’s the seed bearing structure of the plant. It is categorized as a vegetable as it’s sweet and usually used cooked. Pumpkin belongs to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, same as melons, cucumber, gourds and squashes. Why you should include Pumpkin in your diet? Did you know that pumpkin is full of Vitamin A. Its an excellent source…
