Tag: Gujarati

Thepla thali

6 Comments

BM #116 : Week 3, Day 4
Theme : Indian Flatbread Thali

One of our friends is from Gujarat and they make amazing theplas. Their food is delicious in general, but the theplas are on a whole different level. I have gotten the recipe from my friend’s mom who is an expert in this, but my trials haven’t been anywhere near hers. I have forgotten her recipe now and what I make now just has a mix of masalas with a paste of ginger, garlic and green chilies. They are now in India and I am planning to write down the recipe next time I meet my friend’s mom.

My friend’s kids and shreyas play for the same cricket team. So when she makes thepla as an after practice snack for her kids, she would always pack some for shreyas too. He would finish how many ever theplas she had packed. No need for any side dish, they are yummy on their own.

Though theplas don’t need any side dish, I always prepare a curry just in case. I also prepare rice and Gujarati dal too. A couple of theplas followed by rice and dal is a really good meal.

Read on for the recipe and the pictures.

The thali has

  1. Thepla
  2. Sev Tamatar
  3. Green garlic chutney
  4. Gulab Jamun (readymade)
  5. Gujarati dal
  6. Rice
  7. Yogurt
  8. Mango chundo (readymade)
  9. Salad and green chilies

Thepla recipe:

  • 2 cups wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 2 teaspoons of ginger- garlic- green chili paste
  • 2 tablespoon oil
  • salt to taste
  • Water to knead to a dough

Method:

  1. In a mixing bowl, add flour, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger garlic and green chili paste, salt. Mix so that everything uniformly distributes. Add oil and water slowly and knead it into a dough. Rest for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Take a small lime sized ball off the dough. Roll into a circle using a rolling pin, using some flour to help with rolling and to avoid the dough sticking to the rolling pin.
  3. Cook on a heated tawa using a little oil or ghee. Flip and cook the bottom side too. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#116

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=9c9b10dbdecdfb9300b0

Fansi Dhokli Nu Shaak

5 Comments

BM #109 : Week 2, Day 3
Theme : DEF – Curries

My family loves Gujarati food and that’s how I decided on this curry for today. Trust me – it wasn’t easy to find a dish starting with the alphabet F. Fansi is beans in Gujarati. There seems to be many versions to the basic beans curry, I went with the one with dumplings.

I have followed the method in this YouTube video for most part. The recipe usually involves making the dough for dhokli and the cooking it with beans and spices. The video I followed had onions and tomatoes in it too, so that’s what I did. Because of the wheat flour, the curry has a tendency to thicken up if you keep it for long. You might have to reheat it with some water to break it at the time of serving.

Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

For dhokli

  • 3 tablespoons chickpea flour/Besan
  • 3 tablespoons wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • Salt as needed
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Water as needed to make dough

For Fansi

  • 2 teaspoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon jeera seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon carom seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon hing
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1.5 cups French beans, diced
  • Salt as needed
  • 1.5 cup water or more, as needed

Method:

  1. Make the dhokli first. In a mixing bowl, add the besan and wheat flour along with the spices, salt and oil. Mix to combine. Add water in steps and knead to make a soft smooth dough.
  2. Pinch off small balls from the dough. Keep the ball on your left palm and press it with your right thumb. You will get a small disc this way. Repeat with the rest of the dough and set the discs this aside.
  3. For the curry, heat oil in a pan. Add the Jeera, hing and carom seeds. Sauté the onions and when it turns pink, add the garlic paste. Now add the tomatoes, salt and the spices. Mix well, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and mushy. Add the beans and 1.5 cups water. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the beans are almost done.
  4. Add the dhokli discs and add one more cup of water if needed. Cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the dhoklis are done. Taste test a piece to see whether it’s cooked through. Once it’s cooked, remove from heat and serve hot with rotis.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this Week

Dhokli Nu Shaak

10 Comments

BM# 101: Week 2, Day 3
Theme : Cooking with Chickpea flour

Long post alert!! Scroll down for the recipe.

Growing up in India, birthdays weren’t celebrated the way we do it now. It would be just another ordinary day but with friends and family wishing you a great day. And in my case, the husband and kid would wish if they remember it. It never bothered me that my birthday was forgotten half the time, because it was never celebrated in a great manner ever.

After coming to US, all of this changed. Birthdays are like mini weddings, I mean, there is a constant reminder that it is a very very special day and that you have to celebrate it. Every year now, my husband buys me expensive gifts and I always wonder whether it’s the same person who regularly forgot my birthdays until 5 years back :-)). More important than the gifts is eating out because that means I don’t have to cook :-D.

I turned an year older in March. My birthday was on a Monday, but we had our friends over on Sunday itself. So I was surprised when my husband said that we are going out on Monday for dinner. Against my character, I told him that I can make something simple for dinner. But he insisted on going out. It was only when we reached the destination that I realized that we had come to our friends place for dinner.

My husband and my son were coordinating with them to keep this as a surprise. It was one of the sweetest and yummiest gifts I have ever been given :-)!! She is from Gujarat and she had prepared a thali for us. Rice, roti, Kadhi, Undhiyo, homemade gulab jamun and then this dhokli nu shaak. It was a working day for her and yet she came early to prepare dinner for us. She made this dhokli nu shaak quickly while waiting for her husband to come from work. Ever since then this has been on my list to prepare at home.

So long story short, I ate a great meal with great company for my birthday and it is one of the wonderful memories that will stay with me forever. As I was making this dish today, I remind myself that the best things in life are not the ones bought from a store.

Coming to the recipe here, I would suggest looking at the video before trying to make it. Read on for the recipe.

Recipe source : Trusha’s kitchen

Ingredients:

For the dhokli

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • A good pinch hing
  • 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 2 cups water
  • 3/4 cup chickpea flour/ besan
  • Salt as needed
  • For the curry
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • A good pinch hing
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
    • 2 cups thin buttermilk
    • 1 cup water
    • Salt as needed

    Method

    1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing. Once it splutters, add 2 cups water, salt, chopped garlic, turmeric, chili and coriander powders. Let it boil for 5-6 minutes. Sift besan first and Add it to the water. Mix well with a ladle so that there are no lumps. Cover and cook for a few minutes.
    2. Transfer the batter mix into a greased plate and level it with the back of a greased bowl. Set aside to cool. Cut into cubes using a knife once cool.
    3. Heat oil in another clean pan. Add mustard seeds, jeera and hing. Once the seeds splutter, add one cup of water, salt, turmeric, chili and coriander powders. Add two cups of thin buttermilk and let it cook for a few minutes. Add dhokli pieces to it and cook for another few minutes. Take off the heat and serve hot with rotis.

    Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the recipe from other Blogging Marathoners.