1 teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of coriander and cumin powder)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon sugar or to taste
Directions
Soak tindola in water in a mixing bowl. Remove ⅛ inch of from both ends. Cut tindola in half and slice into two to three slices. Transfer to colander.
In a wok or a frying pan, heat oil on medium high heat, about 2 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle, 30 to 40 seconds. Lower the heat to medium. Add turmeric, chili powder and asafetida. Add tindola, season with salt and stir everything well. Cover and let tindola cook for 10-12 minutes or until tindola are tender, stirring occasionally.
Once tindola are cooked, add dhana-jeeru and sugar. Stir everything and let it cook uncovered on low heat until tindola become almost dry, about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve warm with any type of Indian flat bread.
Bhel is a street food mostly available all over India. Bhel mix is mixture of puffed rice, crispy chickpea flour noodles and whole wheat flour crackers. It's party favorite food.
Ingredients
6 cups bhel mix
1 large russet potato, boiled and cut into ½ inch dice
1 cup thin sev (crispy chickpea flour noodles) (optional)
Directions
To serve, first put one cup bhel mix, top with ¼ cup each potatoes and chickpeas. Next top with 1 tablespoon each of onion, tomato, carrot and beet. Top with 1 tablespoon cilantro chutney, 1 teaspoon garlic chutney and ¼ cup date tamarind chutney. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon thin sev and then cilantro top. Everything should be mixed before eating. You can add more chutney and other ingredients according to your taste. You can also let everyone serve themselves according to their taste. You can increase amount of ingredients depending upon number of guests.
Notes
You can buy all ingredients for bhel in Indian grocery stores.
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening or softened butter
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Neutral oil for frying
Directions
Combine flour, shortening or butter and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add water and knead into hard and smooth dough. Cover with a towel or a plate and set aside.
Combine lilva, chili and ginger in a food processor bowl. Pulse until lilva, chili and ginger are minced.
Heat olive oil in a frying pan or a wok on a medium high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Lower heat to low and add sesame seeds. Add asafetida, turmeric and let spices cook for 30 seconds. Add minced lilva and stir to combine with spices. Add mashed potato, rest of the ingredients and stir to combine everything. Cover pan or wok and let filling cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Let filling cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Knead dough for few times and divide into about 20 equal parts and roll into balls.
Roll out a ball into 3 inch diameter circle. Keep rest of balls covered while you make kachori. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center. Fold the edges of circle on top of filling and twist folds and remove extra dough. Gently press and pinch dough over filling to completely seal filling. Gently roll kachori with palm of hands to make a ball. Transfer to a plate and cover with a towel while you make rest of kachori.
Heat oil in a frying pan until ready to fry. Fry kachori in batches of 5 to 6 until golden brown. Serve warm with cilantro chutney and date and tamarind chutney. Can be served as an appetizer.
This Gujarati dish can be found all over Gujarat in shops called khaman house or farsan (savory) mart. It is eaten as a snack or with a meal as a farsan on special occasions.
Ingredients
2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
1 cup yogurt (not Greek)
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno or serrano chili
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon grated fresh coconut, for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, for garnish
For tempering (Vaghar):
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon asafetida
1 jalapeno or serrano chili, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon water
Directions
Whisk together besan, yogurt and warm water in a medium mixing bowl until smooth batter. Cover the bowl with a plate and let it ferment for 4 to 5 hours.
Once batter is fermented, add turmeric, salt, chili and ginger to batter and stir to combine.
Grease two metal pie dishes with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Start heating steamer on medium high heat.
Whisk lemon juice, oil and baking soda in a small mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously to emulsify oil and lemon juice and to aerate. Immediately add to fermented batter and whisk vigorously.
Pour batter into pie dishes and steam it for 10 to 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from steamer and cut into squares. Keep it in pie dishes.
While khaman are steaming, prepare vaghar. Combine sugar and water in a small mixing bowl until sugar dissolves. Set aside. In a small heavy bottomed sauce pan heat oil on medium high heat until shimmering. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle. Lower heat to medium. Add asafetida and let it cook for 10 seconds. Add sesame seeds and chili. Let chili cook for 1 minute. Pour sugar water into vaghar. Take off heat.
Pour ½ of vaghar on one pie dish and other ½ on second pie dish. Transfer khaman from pie dish to serving bowl. Stir gently to evenly coat vaghar. Garnish with coconut and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can also make this recipe from ready to make packets available in Indian grocery stores.
Combine chickpea flour, spices and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Make a batter (slightly thinner than pancake batter) with water. Let it stand for 20 to 30 minutes.
Cut potatoes in half and boil them with skin until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Peel potatoes while they are still warm. Immediately mash potatoes with a ricer or masher in a large mixing bowl. Season mashed potatoes with salt, sugar, lemon juice, dry spices, chilies, ginger and cilantro. Mix everything well. Foam into 24 to 25 golf ball sized balls by hand or with a small ice cream scoop.
In a frying pan, heat oil until ready for frying. Dip potato balls (bataka vada) one by one into batter, covering the entire surface. Let the excess batter drip, drop it in hot oil and fry it until light golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. You can fry 6 to 7 bataka vada at a time depending on the size of frying pan. Serve warm with cilantro chutney or ketchup or tamarind date chutney. Can be served as an appetizer or horsd'oeuvres.
Make Syrup: Combine water and sugar in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil on a medium high heat. Open cardamom pods slightly. Turn heat to low; add saffron and cardamom pods to syrup. Let it simmer on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
While syrup is cooking, first combine milk powder, flour, arrowroot flour (or corn starch) and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Add ricotta, one tablespoon of yogurt and with your hands knead into soft dough. If mixture is too dry, add one more tablespoon of yogurt. To avoid dough sticking to hands, spread butter or ghee on your hands.
Divide the dough into 30 or so equal portions and form into balls (gulab jamun). Keep it covered with a kitchen towel.
Heat oil or shortening in a frying pan on medium-high heat until hot enough for frying. Reduce heat to medium. Fry 6 to 7 gulab jamun at a time, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain excess oil on paper towel and immediately drop them into sugar syrup. Repeat process for rest of gulab jamun. Let gulab jamun soak in sugar syrup for at least 3 hours before serving. Can be served warm or at room temperature as a sweet or a snack.
Notes
Gulab Jamun in made with milk fudge, known as mava, in India. Replacing it with ricotta cheese and milk powder gives same flavor and texture.
This sweet snack (Empanadas) is made during the festival of Diwali.
Ingredients
For Filling:
⅔ cup or more Ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup fine ravo (crème of wheat)
¼ cup coconut or almond flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup confectioner sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
For Dough:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons Crisco Shortening, cold and cut into ½ inch dice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½ inch dice
¾ cup or more cold water
For Frying:
1 ½ cups Crisco shortening (or neutral oil)
Directions
Make dough: In a bowl of food processor combine all-purpose flour, salt, Crisco and butter by pulsing 10 to 12 times, until mealy. With a processor running, gradually add water until soft dough comes together. Remove from bowl and knead the dough until smooth. If dough sticks use some flour. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour while you make filling.
Heat ghee in a wok or a frying pan on low heat, 1 minute. Add crème of wheat and combine with ghee. If the mixer looks dry, add more ghee, one tablespoon at a time. Increase heat to medium high. Sauté crème of wheat until it becomes very light, fluffy and light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. You will also see separated ghee, which is fine. Off the heat, add coconut or almond flour and cardamom. Let it cool down for 30 minutes. Add both sugars to filling. Adjust sweetness. If the mixer looks dry, add more ghee, one tablespoon at a time. The filling should stay together.
Knead the dough couple of times. Divide the dough into 25 to 26 equal portions. Make rounds by rolling between palms and keep them covered with a kitchen towel. Roll it out one round into a thin circle, about 3 inches in diameter. Put about 1 tablespoon of filling on one side and fold it into a semi-circle. Seal the edges either with a fork or a hand and create a scalloped edge with fingers. Transfer to a plate and cover with slightly damp kitchen towel. Repeat the process for the remaining rounds, about 1 hour.
Heat Crisco or oil in a frying pan. Deep fry the Ghughra, in batches of 4 to 5 until they are light golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Can be served as snack or light dessert at room temperature. Store in an air tight container. It can last for a week with coconut and two weeks with almonds.
Indian long green beans, called Choli in Gujarati, are not easily available fresh here. You can use frozen choli available in Indian grocery stores or Chinese long beans.
Ingredients
1 bag of frozen choli (Indian long green beans), thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon asafetida
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
1 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar or golf ball size piece of jaggery
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, for garnish
Water as needed
For Muthia (dumplings):
½ cup chickpea flour
1 tablespoon coarse bhakri flour or cream of wheat
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Pinch of asafetida
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon chili powder
½ cup thinly sliced ribbons of spinach
1 tablespoon yogurt or buttermilk
Water as needed
Directions
Make dough for Muthia: Combine two flours, oil, dry spices and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add spinach and yogurt or buttermilk. Add water gradually and make soft dough (like dumpling dough). Set aside.
In a wok or a frying pan, heat oil on a medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and let it sizzle. Add asafetida, turmeric and chili powder. Add choli and ¾ cups of water. Season with salt and let water come to boil.
Using two spoons drop small muthia (about 1 teaspoon in a shape of oval) in the water. Cover the wok or pan and let choli and muthia cook, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir gently few times; add more water if shaak is too dry.
Uncover the wok or pan; add sugar, dhana-jeeru and stir. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with Rotali or Paratha.
Cut off greens from radishes or daikon. Cut into thin ribbons and wash it thoroughly and let the excess water drain.
Prepare flour mixture: Mix chickpea flour along with oil and spices in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a non-sick pan or a cast iron pan heat oil on a medium high heat. Add fenugreek seeds and let it sizzle. Add asafetida and let it heat for 10 seconds. Add greens and cover the pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes or until wilted. Uncover the pan and stir the greens. Spread the flour mixture evenly on top of wilted greens. Cover the pan again and let it cook for 5 more minutes or until the flour mixture is cooked.
Uncover the pan and stir the greens with flour mixture. Let it cook uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes or until shaak is almost dry and bhaji is crispy. Serve warm with rotli.
Notes
You can also make same recipe with beet greens, curly kale like greens.
This recipe is made with taro leaves, which are not easily available in Indian grocery stores. If you find it use it otherwise use collard greens or chard.
Ingredients
1 bunch collard greens
2 cups chickpea flour
3 teaspoons salt or to taste
5 teaspoons sugar or to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
1 teaspoon garam masala
⅛ teaspoon clove powder
2 teaspoons green chili, minced
3 teaspoons ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 ½ cups water or more
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish
2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut, for garnish
For Vaghar:
3 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, optional
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
⅛ teaspoon asafetida
Directions
Wash collard greens and drain water as much as possible. Dry each leaf with paper towel. Cut each leaf from each side of stem, discarding the stems. Make three piles of half leaves, big, medium and small. Cover with kitchen towel while you make chickpea flour paste.
Make paste: Combine chickpea flour, dry spices, salt and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Add green chili, ginger, garlic and lemon juice. Gradually add water and make a thick paste.
On a flat surface, spread a big size half leaf and generously spread chickpea paste on the leaf with a hand or a spatula. Add a medium size half leaf on top of paste. Spread chickpea paste on the leaf. Take a small size half leaf, put on top of paste and spread chickpea paste on the leaf. Fold about 1 inch of left and right side of leaves inside (the paste side). Spread chickpea paste on the folds to tightly seal them. Tightly roll the leaves to resemble a small cylinder. Repeat the process until all the half leaves are used. If there are small pieces of leaves, you can spread it out on larger leaves and seal it with paste before rolling out. Try to make a roll with at least two half leaves. You will get 15-18 rolls.
In a steamer pan, arrange the rolls in a single layer. If all the rolls do not fit, let the first layer steam for 5 minutes and then stack remaining rolls. Steam the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until rolls are fully cooked. Let it cool down for 30 to 40 minutes. After this the rolls can be frozen. First freeze on a baking sheet, leaving some space in between, then put in a zip lock bag. Before using them thaw them for 1 to 2 hours.
Cut the rolls into ¾ inch wide pieces. Heat oil in a wok or a frying pan. Add fenugreek seeds and let it sizzle. Add mustard seeds and let it sizzle. Add asafetida and sesame seeds. Immediately add the rolls and stir everything. Let Patra heat on low heat until the bottom layer is golden brown, stirring few times. Garnish with cilantro and coconut flakes. Serve warm as an appetizer or a side dish.
This is my sister-in-law Bharatiben's recipe of chickpea flour noodles (sev) with tomato (tameta).
Ingredients
6 medium Roma tomatoes cut into ½ inch dice
1 jalapeno or serrano chili, cut into 4 pieces lengthwise
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon asafetida
1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons dhana-jeeru (spice blend of ground coriander and cumin)
1 golf ball size piece of jaggery (Indian raw sugar)
1 ½ cups water or more
1 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish
Directions
Prepare sev (noodle) dough: In a mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon asafetida and ½ teaspoon salt. Add water gradually and make a thick paste. Set it aside.
Heat oil in a wok or a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and let it sizzle. Add green chili, ⅛ teaspoon asafetida, 1 teaspoon of turmeric and ½ teaspoon chili powder. Add 1 cup of water and let it come to a boil, about 5 minutes.
Once water is boiling, add tomatoes, dhana-jeeru, jaggery and remaining salt. Stir everything and reduce heat to medium. Add more water if tomatoes are not submerged in water.
Divide sev dough into four parts. Using a späetzle maker or a ricer with large holes, take one part of dough and drop 1 to 1 ½ inch long sev into simmering tomatoes and water. Once the sev floats on the top, about 2 to 3 minutes, stir the contents. Repeat the process with next part until all four parts are done.
Switch off heat and garnish the shaak with cilantro. Serve immediately with rotli or paratha.
Notes
Instead of making fresh sev, you can also use ready-made thick sev, available in Indian grocery stores. In that case, you can skip step 1 and step 4. Add sev in step 3 and let it float to top.
Dal vada (Mung Dal Fritters) are street food available all over Gujarat, but in city of Ahmedabad those are the best. Street vendors make batter in advance and fry vada in a cart to order.
Ingredients
1 cup mung dal with skin
1 jalapeno or serrano chili, roughly chopped
2 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon turmeric
Water as needed
Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Directions
Rinse mung dal in a strainer with water. Soak mung dal in 3 cups of water for 4 to 6 hours or until dal is soft.
Drain most of the water from mung dal, keeping as much skin as you can. Grind mung dal in batches of ½ cup in a blender along with chili, ginger and garlic until it makes a soft batter, leaving some texture. Gradually add tablespoon of water to move contents of blender. Once mung dal is grinded, add turmeric to batter and season with salt.
Heat oil in a frying pan until ready for frying. Using two spoons or a small ice cream scoop drop about one tablespoon of batter in the hot oil. Drop 6 or 7 more vada in hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Let excess oil drain on a baking sheet with a wired rack to keep it crispy. Keep frying until batter is gone, about 20 to 25 vada. Serve warm as an appetizer or a snack.
Dal Vada are usually served with thinly sliced red onions season with salt and lemon juice and sautéed green chilies in oil seasoned with salt. To make chilies, take 4 or 5 chilies, if jalapeno then cut in fourths, serrano cut in half, lengthwise, with seeds removed. Sauté chilies in 1 tablespoon of oil for 2 to 3 minutes and season with salt. You can also serve with cilantro chutney and/or ketchup.
