The hearty flavor of gluten free Bajra combined with the slight bitterness of Methi and the crunch and slight sweetness from sesame seeds, it’s a beautiful healthy combination of seasonal ingredients, designed to perfection!
Gujaratis are known for their variety of farsan – snacks – dhokla, khaman, shev-khamni, khandvi, gote, lochyo, kachori, mathiya, muthiya …. it’s a long list. I have previously posted two recipes for muthiya – dudhi na muthiya and palak-methi na muthiya. Handvo or Handawa is yet another healthy Gujarati snack which is not deep fried. It’s actually baked! Traditionally this savory lentil cake is baked in an aluminium pot filled with sand in the bottom, which when heated, provides dry heat just like our modern ovens. I found it quite interesting. It’s prepared with a mixture of different dal flours such as chana…
My primary school had a unique tradition of biding farewell to 4th grade students by taking them on a two-day trip to Mahabaleshwar. It’s a hill station situated amongst Sahyadri range and it’s about 115 km from Pune. This used to be the only two-day school trip and I still remember all the planning and plotting we did to decide who all would stay in one room and how we would convince out favorite teacher to stay with us in our room. of course, food was an important part of discussion and also a prestige issue as to who gets what from…
A Diet Friendly Recipe Moist and fluffy inside; golden crispy outside; the Muthiya make a perfect pairing with a cup of tea! ‘Muthi’ means fist in Gujarati and it’s called Muthiya because the dough is turned into cylindrical shape using fist. Made with whole wheat flour and grated dudhi with very little oil, since the dough is steamed and then sauted in a typical Indian tempering, this dish is perfect for those who are on a “diet”. I love Spinach and Cilantro in my Muthiya, it adds moisture and flavor and color. So I actually made Dudhi Palak (Spinach) Muthiya…
Comfort, redefined! There are times when we eat to find a feeling beyond fullness. We eat looking for a feeling of joy, a momentary salve for sore spirits, a feeling of goodness. At times like these, we usually turn to what we call “comfort food”. वरण भात (Varan Bhaat), rice and dal in its simplest cooked form rates high on my list of “comfort foods”. Then comes the khichadi and my all time favorite – थालीपीठ (Thalipeeth) with metkut and yogurt! It’s a very common and very typical Maharashtrian recipe and it’s speciality is that it’s a perfect menu for morning,…
तीळ गूळ घ्या गोड गोड बोला! Makar Sankranti, marks the transition (Sankraman) of the Sun into Capricorn (Makar) rashi on its celestial path. Traditionally this has been one of many harvest seasons in India and being agriculture based community, harvest season and festivals always go hand in hand. Known by different names, it’s celebrated all over India. In Maharashtra, we celebrate it by exchanging til-gul laddoo and halwa as token of goodwill and we fondly say “तीळ गूळ घ्या गोड गोड बोला” which means “Savor this sweet Til-Gul and may the sweetness fill your thoughts and speech”. The Til-Gul literally translates to Sesame…
When I saw a small red pumpkin in farmer’s market, it reminded me of my childhood. My gradma (aajji) used to make gharage (घारगे) and dhapate (धपाटे). I used to love eating gharage after coming home from school. ‘Gharga’ is a sweet pumpkin puri and of couse a deep fried puri. Dhapata on the other hand, is a savory version and it’s not deep fried, so it’s more like a paratha or thepla. It must be healthy as there is nothing unhealthy – either ingredients or the process. Give it a shot. [purerecipe]
Eggplants in Creamy Sauce loaded with Healthy Fats! I have adapted my mom’s recipe of “bharli vangi” (भरली वांगी) to make it super simple and extremely delicious. The one thing I like about eggplant is it’s readily available in all grocery stores and this curry does not need any special ingredients. It’s super easy and super delicious. Ingredients 5-6 medium sized eggplants 2-3 small potatoes (optional) For masala – 1 tb spoon cumin-coriander powder 2.5 tb spoon peanut powder (दाण्याचे कूट) 1 tsp kala masala (गोडा मसाला) 1 tb spoon shredded coconut 1/2 tsp red chili powder 1/2 tsp sesame seeds…
Healthy twist to a traditional Maharashtrian dessert Satori (साटोरी) is a traditional Maharashtrian dessert prepared with khoya, coconut and suji (semolina) stuffed in a poori made with maida. I have given a healthy twist to this traditional sweet dish by adding khajoor (dates), poppy seeds, sesame seeds and dried coconut stuffing inside a puri made with mainly whole wheat flour and some maida. Instead of deep frying, I lightly roasted them with ghee. The result was delicious yet healthy khajoor satori ! [purerecipe] Method Stuffing – Chop pitted dates as small as possible. Roast sesame seeds in a small frying…