If you haven't tried traditional and authentic Gujarati food, then you should opt for the Gujarati Thali for the first time. It is a delightful experience with the main dishes being dal, bhaat, kadhi, two-three vegetable preparations, chapatiyan or puriyan, salad savories, chutney, pickles, sweets, papad etc. It has four main components - pulses, cereals, rice and vegetables. Pickle, papad, chutney, salad and buttermilk, etc. are usually served as accompaniments.
Sushila shares with us a quick recipe of traditional Gujarati Kadi taught to her by Sanyukta. Check it out:
Ingredients:
Buttermilk, Gram flour (besan), Salt, Ginger-green Chilli paste, Pure Ghee, Asafoetida, Cumin seeds, Cloves, Cinnamon, Curry leaves, Jaggery (gur), fresh Coriander leaves.
Method:
Mix buttermilk and gram flour in a deep bowl. Add ginger and green chilli paste to the mixture. Whisk well and add salt and water. Now heat pure ghee in a pan and add asafoetida, cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Sauté all ingredients till cumin seeds show colour change. Add the mixture of buttermilk and gram flour and cook on low heat. Stir the mixture continuously for around five-six minutes. Add jaggery and keep stirring. Boil the Kadi for another five-eight minutes. Remove from flame and garnish the Kadi with fresh coriander. Serve hot.
Few other popular Gujarati dishes are:
Dhokla
It is one of the most nutritious and popular Gujarati dishes and is served with mint-coriander and tamarind chutneys.
Khakra
Most of us are familiar with Khakra as a tea-time snack. It is a crispy and crunchy flatbread. You can eat Khakra as chips with a dip or with a topping. It can be consumed as chaat, or just teamed with Masala Chai!
Methi Na Thepla
A simple yet delicious bread, Methi Na Thepla is one of the best ways to get your children eat leafy vegetables. Also, if you don’t get fresh methi leaves for making theplas you can always opt for grated vegetables like potato, milk gourd, zucchini, carrot, etc. Methi Na Thepla tastes good when eaten with Chunda (chutney of sweet-sour mango).
Chunda - This delicious pickle need lots time and preparation, however the results make all the efforts worthwhile. Traditionally, the pickle is kept out in the sun for 20-30 days to 'cook'.
Mukhwas
Usually, Mukhwas is consumed after a meal and helps in digestion. It freshen the mouth. For making a quick mukhwas you can grind Black button supari (betel nut), ajwain (carom seeds), rock sugar (khansari or misri), cardamoms, dill seeds (suva), nutmeg, cloves, black salt, shell nutmeg mace, cashews and almonds. Add raisins and store the mixture in air tight container. You can have 1-2 teaspoons of Mukhwas after lunch and dinner.
You can also check various other dishes shared by our MasterChef contestants. Do try these Gujarati specialties and let us know if you liked them. You can also share with us your favourite Gujarati recipes here.