Keri nu kachumber is raw mango salad. Raw meaning still green and tart. Some people would call this “Kachi keri nu kachumber” with means “Raw mango salad,” others might call it “Kanda keri nu kachumber,” which means onion and mango salad. I think of Keri nu Kachumber as the Indian version of one of my… Continue reading Keri nu Kachumbar (Raw Mango Salad)
This Indian recipe for beet greens comes from the dish, “Moola ni Bhaji,” which is one of my favorite recipes of my mom’s for greens. It uses radish greens, which have a little more bite than beet greens. What really makes this recipe is the semolina. The semolina gives greens a whole new texture. They… Continue reading Beet Greens Curry (Beetroot Ni Bhaji Nu Shaak) Recipe
This is a recipe for Gujarai Dangela, which are savory zucchini pancakes, with sesame seeds. This recipe tastes a little like the traditional handvo, a famous Gujarati dish but only takes a fraction of the time to cook. Gujarati dangelu are great to make when you want to use up items in your pantry, and… Continue reading Zucchini Dangela (Savory Zucchini Pancakes)
Mung beans are a legume used frequently in Indian food. They make a great snack raw, like popcorn with substance. They have a freshness and a bit of sweetness that makes them addictive. They also sauté really well for an easy meal. Sautéed mung beans were a staple breakfast of my childhood. My mom always… Continue reading Simple Sprouted Mung Bean Sauté
Dudhi channa nu shaak is a staple Gujarati shaak (subzi) made from dudhi, which is a type of squash. Dudhi is known as bottle gourd or opo squash in english, and lauki in Hindi. Dudhi is a type of squash that should be eaten young while the flesh is still soft. It’s called “bottle gourd”… Continue reading Dudhi Channa nu Shaak Recipe
Dhebra are a savory cross between a flatbread and balloon bread. Also known as bajri na vada, they are little fried flatbreads made from bajri no lot, which is pearl millet flour, a Gujarati specialty. Dhebra are a Gujarati snack most often made for the festival of Kali Chadush. Kali Chadush is the day before… Continue reading Dhebra, A Traditional Gujarati Bread
We Indians love our mango, but mango season only lasts from April to July. How do we get our mango the rest of the year? Inventive Indians solved this problem long ago by finding ways to preserve mango so they could eat it all year. One answer is chundo. Chundo, or chunda, is one of the… Continue reading Chundo, A Sweet Gujarati Mango Pickle
Tindora nu Shaak is an example of a typical Gujarati recipe. This is a simple recipe, the way my mother makes it. The simplicity keeps the emphasis on the tindora and lets the tindora shine. This shaak is sometimes served as part of a Gujarati thali. Tindora is a neat little vegetable, common in India… Continue reading Tindora nu Shaak
My family always had pickled marchu (peppers) around. Lal Marcha nu Athanu was a condiment at every meal. My mom would pretty much automatically add two chilies from the jar to every plate she prepared. It’s not hard to understand why pickled marchu was so important. Can you imagine life without a refrigerator? Where do… Continue reading Lal Marcha nu Athanu (Chili Pickle)
Sabudana Khichdi is a khichdi-like dish made with tapioca pearls. Khichdi is a dish that is normally made with rice and dal, but in this case, the rice and dal are replaced by tapioca. “Subudana” means “tapioca” in English. It can also be called “sago” or “sagu” in different Asian and Southeast Asian countries. Sabudana… Continue reading Sabudana Khichdi (Tapioca Khichdi)
Karela is a melon that looks similar to a cucumber, but with a distinctive warty flesh (think of the warts on some gourds). Other names for karela are “bitter melon”, “bitter gourd” and “bitter apple.” One major characteristic of Indian food, especially Gujarati food, is that each dish tends to appeal to all five tastes.… Continue reading Karela nu shaak (Bitter Gourd Curry)
Papdi is not a common ingredient in Europe, but it is found in dishes throughout India, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. The plant is originally from East Africa. It is an important ingredient in many Gujarati dishes. Papdi is a lentil, it is also called hyacinth bean, or lablab. Each pod contains 2-4 beans, which… Continue reading Papdi nu Shaak Recipe
