One Day At A Time

I am a person who likes to wander in a supermarket. That gives me a chance to try out new ingredients. This week, I picked buttermilk in the dairy isle for making Rava Dhokla . Up until now, I used to make Dhokla with yogurt. But, dhokla with buttermilk turned out even better. Buttermilk is comparatively sour than yogurt, which makes instant dhokla soft and fluffy. The best part is the health benefit, buttermilk has far less fat content than yogurt. 

In summer, I don't feel like spending too much time cooking. All I need are some no fuss, no cook recipes. Today's dessert is a traditional Marathi Mango yogurt delight, well known as Aamrakhand or Mango Shrikhand. My Mom used to make Aamras Puri , Aamrakhand and many other mango delicacies for us every summer. This year I made it for my little girl.

Everything about a weekend is so laid back. Relax and enjoy! Its the same with my cooking. Most weekends we eat out, try some exotic food. Tea is the only reason I enter the kitchen. But today happens to be one of those Sundays when I cooked an Instant brunch for us - steamed savory chickpea flour cakes, popular as Khaman Dhokla or Dhokla  in Gujarati. Ingredients: Besan/Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour - 1 cup Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1 cup Green Chilli Paste - 1 tsp Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 1 tsp Salt Tempering/Tadka: Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 5 leaves Green Chillies - 2 Asafoetida/Hing - 1/2 tsp Oil - 2 tsp How to cook Instant Khaman Dhokla: Grease a steel vessel with cooking spray or oil. In a mixing bowl, add besan, turmeric, chilli paste, ginger, salt and sugar. Add yogurt (preferably slightly sour), and mix all the ingredients well. Whisk it well.  Now a...

Fresh Fenugreek leaves, also called as Methi, are commonly used in Gujarati Cuisine. As I have mentioned earlier, my family loves Methi. Be it Thepla or a curry or these Muthiyas.  Generally, Gujarati Muthiyas are deep fried. But, I prefer a steamed version, just the way my Mom makes Kothimbir Vadi (Steamed Cilantro Savory Cakes). Today's low calorie gluten free, herbed appetizers are perfect for vegans and vegetarians. Ingredients: Chopped Methi/Fenugreek Leaves (tightly packed) - 2 cups Besan/Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour - 1/2 cup Jowar/Sorghum/Jwari/Jola Flour - 1/2 cup Rice Flour - 2 tbsp Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - about 1/2 cup Green Chilli Paste - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 1/2 tsp Tamarind/Imli/Chinch Paste - 1 tsp Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 1 tsp Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Oil for Shallow frying Salt Tempering/Tadka: Sesame Seeds/Til - 2 tsp Oil - 2 tsp How to cook Steamed Meth...

Whole Wheat Methi Thepla, a Gujarati Paratha is well known to many of us. Jowar Methi Thepla is not so famous as the wheat one, but its our family favorite.  Whenever I find a fresh Methi bunch, I know exactly what to cook. This paratha is more like a multi grain one.. you get to use a number of flours... corn flour, oats flour.  Skip wheat, oats and you have a nutritious gluten free bread . Ingredients: Fenugreek/Methi Leaves - about 4 cups Jowar/Sorghum/Jwari/Jola Flour - 1 cup Besan/Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour - 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - 1/2 cup (optional) Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1/4 cup Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1 tbsp White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 1/2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Green Chili Paste - 1 tsp Green Onions/Scallions - 5 Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 1 tsp Salt How to cook Jowar Methi Paratha: Heat a pan and dry roast the sesame seeds for about a minute, just until you get the roasted sesam...

Lately, I have been cooking lots of protein rich beans and dals. Two dal based new recipes were on my mind - Rajasthani Dal Baati and Gujarati Dal Dhokli . My experiment of baking Baati with less oil was a complete failure. But this Dal Dhokli, also known as Chakolya or Varan Phal in Marathi was a hit. Chakolya is a desi version of whole wheat pasta in a lentil/dal sauce. For the sauce or Amti, instead of the regular Toor Dal, I used Panchmel Dal . Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Salt Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 2 tbsp Mung Dal/Split Green Gram - 2 tbsp Masoor Dal/Split Red Lentils - 2 tbsp Chana Dal/Split Bengal Gram - 2 tbsp Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 2 tbsp Tomato - 1 medium Tamarind/Imli/Chinch - 1 tsp Ginger - 1 inch piece Green Chilies - 3 Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Dry Fenugreek Leaves/Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera See...

Shrikhand is an easy, effortless dessert made of thick yogurt. Ingredients: Yogurt/Curds - 4 cups Sugar - 2 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands Pistachios/Pista - 2 How to prepare Homemade Shrikhand: Arrange a sieve/strainer with 2 layers of a thin cotton cloth. Place a bowl below the sieve to collect the water from the yogurt. Pour yogurt in cloth lined sieve and wrap the cloth on the yogurt. Keep this yogurt overnight in the refrigerator so that all the water from yogurt drips down in the bowl. Alternatively, you can hang the yogurt in a cloth as well. You will get about 2 cups of thick yogurt. This hung thick yogurt is also called as Chakka . Crush cardamom seeds in a mortar pestle. Chop the pistachios or any other nuts of your choice.   Mix sugar, saffron and thick yogurt in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Add more or less sugar to suit your taste. Garnish with cardamom and pistachios. Enjoy Shrikhand with Puri .

Kachi Dabeli is a Gujarati snack, now a popular street food in most Indian cities.  Dabeli is a potato sandwich with a fruity sweetness, a tangy tamarind flavour and a crunchy masala peanut taste.  A onion free, garlic free Dabeli recipe. In an authentic recipe, pomegranate/anar/dalimb seeds are used, but sweet grapes work perfectly fine as a substitute.

Khandvi is a tasty Gujarati appetizer made of chickpea flour.  In Marathi these soft besan rolls are well known as Suralichya Wadya .  Vegans can substitute curd with lemon juice.  Calorie conscious foodies can use buttermilk/taak/chaas instead of curds.

Undhiyu or Oondhiyo is a Gujarati mixed vegetable curry. Fresh winter vegetables make this delicacy highly nutritious. Thanks to the frozen vegetables, Undhiyu can be relished all year round. Preparing Undhiyo involves three major steps - making Methi Muthiyas, chopping vegetables and making gravy/sauce. To save some time, you can use store bought Muthiyas and frozen chopped vegetables . Some Indian grocery stores have all mixed veggies with muthiyas together known as 'Surati Undhiyu Mix' . Ingredients: Fenugreek/Methi Leaves - about 1 cup Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour/Besan - about 1/2 cup Green Chillies (minced) - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - about 1 cup Grated/Shredded Coconut - 1 cup Roasted Peanuts/Groundnuts - 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds/Dhane/Dhania - 1 tbsp Ginger (minced) - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp Jaggery or Sugar - 1 tsp Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala - 1...

I am reminiscing the day when I entered my Mangalore kitchen for the first time. I wanted to cook something special for my husband and in-laws. With a little nervousness I served Basundi as a dessert and it was a hit. Every time I prepare this sweet I am reminded of that day and I keep thinking how could I forget Puri with Basundi. This is my story about Basundi and hope you create a cherishable memory for yourself with this recipe. Ingredients: Whole Milk - 4 cups Sugar - 1 tbsp Saffron/Kesar - few strands Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Almonds/Badam - 2 Pistachios - 2 Charoli/Chironji - 1 tsp How to prepare Basundi: Crush cardamom seeds and saffron in a mortar pestle to a fine powder. Chop the nuts of your choice and whole charoli. Boil milk in a thick bottom vessel, keep stirring.  The thicker the milk, the quicker it will reduce. I prefer whole milk or full fat milk. As such, Basundi is quite easy to make and nothing is tricky here. But to av...

Hello Readers! Remember the Pumpkin Paratha I blogged earlier. Today's flatbread recipe is of aromatic fresh fenugreek/methi leaves, well known as Gujarati Methi Thepla. Once you try these parathas, you will realize that these do not require any fancy curry and taste great with just plain curds, mango pickles. Ingredients: Wheat Flour - about 1 1/4 cups Besan/Gram Flour - 1/4 cup Methi/Fenugreek Leaves - a bunch Cumin/Jeera - 1 tsp White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur - 1 tsp Curd/Yogurt - 1 tbsp Green Chili Paste - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil How to prepare Gujarati Methi Thepla: In a mixing bowl, add finely chopped fenugreek leaves (with tender stems), green chili paste, turmeric, cumin, sesame seeds, garam masala, salt and sugar. Mix all the ingredients well and keep it aside for about 20 minutes or longer. This will soften the fenugreek leaves a little and relea...