Recipe: Vegetable Poha Vegetable Poha is a version of the popular traditional Indian breakfast, lunchbox or snack food known as Bateta Poha. Instead of adding only potatoes to the flattened rice, I like to add mixed vegetables. This makes it more healthier and an excellent way to get more veggies in one’s diet. What Is Poha? Poha is flat, pressed or beaten rice. The rice is de-husked, parboiled and flattened.The flattened or pressed rice is dried. The flakes have rough edges and the thickness of the flakes depends on the pressure it was flattened. Thin poha, powa or chiura can be paper thin or thicker than a rice grain. Poha is used for making both sweet and savoury dishes. It’s also used to to thicken…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: White Dhokla White Dhokla also known as Idra, Idada, Idla or Khatta Dhokla is a traditional Gujarati steamed snack made from a batter of rice and lentils or dals. Enjoyed usually as a snack or as a part of a thali, it is commonly served with mango ras and puri. It is different from idli in the ratio of rice to urad dal. Also my mum would add a bit of chana and moong dal. Some add flattened rice or poha too. Khatta means sour, so the batter is allowed to ferment overnight so that it becomes a bit sour. A Bit About Gujarati Food Let us get one misconception straight – Most believe that Gujarati food is very sweet. Yes we do…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Ragda Pattis Ragda Pattis is a popular street food from the states of Gujarat and Maharastra. Dried peas curry is poured over potato pattis, topped with some chutneys, sev and chopped onion. Usually served hot, it is a filling, healthy and delicious dish. I usually make it not as a snack but for dinner. This dish is also served in many fast food restaurants. Ragda Pattis was my father in law’s favourite dish. He would request us to make more of the ragdo as we call the pea curry. Next day he would enjoy it without the potato pattis. Sprinkle a bit of chopped raw onion, chutneys and a generous helping of chevdo on top. Chevdo is a popular dry snack made of rice…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Vegetable Masala Sandwich Vegetable Masala Sandwich is a toasted sandwich stuffed with a variety of spicy vegetables. Generally, these sandwiches are made in sandwich maker or toaster. This sandwich full of vegetables can be enjoyed as a snack. for breakfast or as a light dinner option with some salad or oven baked fries on the side. Memories My mum use to make these sandwiches not for breakfast but for dinner for all of us – 12 of us in total or 21 when my aunts and cousins would visit. Now multiply by 2 as that is the minimum all of us would eat. And at that time we didn’t have the electric sandwich maker but a gas sandwich toaster. We called it a sandwich…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Papdi No Lot | Khichu Papdi No Lot | Khichu is a popular Gujarati spicy steamed rice flour dish that is usually enjoyed as a snack with some red chilli powder or pickle masala and drizzled with oil. This steamed snack is usually enjoyed by all kids and adults. Known as papdi no lot by the Charotar Patels and rice khichu by the rest of Gujarat. Please do not confuse it with the rice moong khichu which usually is made in a pot and not steamed. Memories Saturdays was when the women of the house had late lunch. That is when the men folk would come home for lunch. They would takes turns as the toy shop was kept open throughout. That meant that…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Vegetable Cutlets Vegetable Cutlets is a popular deep fried snack in India. It is usually made of cooked and mashed vegetables with some spices. The mixture is shaped into discs or heart shapes, coated with breadcrumbs and fried. It is usually served with some chutney and /or tomato ketchup. To make the vegetable cutlets more healthier I opted to air fry them and love the extra crispy coating without it being too oily. What Is A Cutlet? You may think that what I have described above is more like a pattie than a cutlet. Well, lets delve into this eternal confusion where certain terms or words differ in the western world from what is means in India. Cutlet in the western cuisine refers…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Parle Cheesling Bhel Are you wondering what Parle Cheesling Bhel is? Well, first of all let me tell you that this easy to make mixture is bursting with flavours and textures – sweet, spicy, salty, crunchy, cheesy, tangy, soft. Actually it is so difficult to describe the flavours of a bhel or a chaat. It generally has a balance of salty, spicy, sweet and tart flavours. What Is Parle? The word Parle here has nothing to do with the French word Parle though it is pronounced in the somewhat in a similar way – “paa-r- le. ” Except that the the r is stressed. There is a famous area in Mumbai called Vile Parle ( pronounced as veeley paarley). And no it does…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Vegetable Upma Vegetable Upma makes a filling, nutritious and healthy breakfast option. I also add some yogurt to make the meal more wholesome. Upma is a popular South Indian breakfast dish made from semolina. To make it protein rich I like to add cooked chickpeas,beans or paneer. Today I am sharing a recipe where besides a mixture of vegetables I have added cooked chickpeas. Memories Growing up had no idea what upma was. My mum never made it and it wasn’t a dish you would at the Indian restaurants. My first introduction to this dish was in Vrindavan at the ISKCON temple around 1978/79. We had done a road trip from Ahmedabad to Mussorie with my dad, mum and aunts. A memorable holiday as…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Plantain Paneer Tikki Plantain Paneer Tikki also known as cutlets or patties is made from plantain, paneer, potatoes, spices and herbs. It is a delicious, gluten free, protein rich and filling snack that is usually enjoyed with some chutney or yogurt. This tikki can be enjoyed during fasting days like Ekadashi, Navratri, Ram Navmi or Janmashtami where usually one abstains from grains and legumes. Memories Those were the days when one would visit a beauty parlour or saloon and have a huge pile of magazines both from India and UK. I loved going through them and usually would open the page for the recipes first. During one such visit to the parlour, I came across the recipe for tikki or patties using plantain and…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Ragi Shavige Uppitu Ragi Shavige Uppitu is a healthy, vegan, delicious breakfast or lunch box meal made from ragi vermicelli and vegetables. Also known as ragi semiya, ragi semiya upma or simply ragi vermicelli. Ragi is finger millet. Ragi vermicelli is widely used especially in South India as a breakfast or snack ingredient. Add vegetables and make an upma, add it to idlis, make kheer. So In short Ragi is finger millet. Ragi is healthy, gluten free and ideal for diabetics as cooke ragi has low glycemic index. Shavige is the kannada word for vermicelli Uppitu is the kannada word for upma. Generally upma refers to a thick porridge like popular breakfast dish made from semolina. However, here the consistency of ragi shavige is…
