Vateli Dal na Khaman Dhokla

This is a very popular snacks from the state of Gujarat.. I have grown up enjoying this with fafda and Jalebi from my childhood days, this was my father’s favourite combo… very often this was our breakfast in the morning specially on weekends as I have grown up in Gujarati neighbourhood… 

Lots of Chana dal was there in my pantry, so had to make this recipe.. Here the Chana dal has to be fermented overnight.

 

Here is the recipe - 

Ingredients 

1 cup Chana 

1 tsp Ginger - Green Chilli paste

1 Green chilli cut into half and slit

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Few Curry leaves 

2 tbsp Fresh grated Coconut 

2 tbsp Nylon Sev (optional)

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 Mustard seeds

Pinch of Asafoetida 

1/2 tsp Eno 

2 tbsp Curd

1 tbsp Sugar 

1/4 cup Water

1 tsp + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Oil

Method 

Soak the Chana dal for 5 to 6 hours. Grind the Chana dal into smooth paste, the batter should be of thick consistency. Let the batter ferment overnight. Take the batter, add ginger- green chilli paste, salt, turmeric powder, curd and 1 tsp oil. Beat the batter well. Add eno, mix the batter once. Take a steamer, grease the dhokla vessel, pour in the batter, fill 3/4 of the vessel. Steam the dhokla for 20 minutes,  insert a toothpick to check. Once done, remove the dhokla vessel and keep it aside to cool, meanwhile take a small pan, add 1 tbsp oil, let the oil heat, add the mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilli, once the mustard seeds splatter, switch off the flame. Take 1/4 cup of water and add sugar. Once the sugar dissolves add the sugar water into the seasoning. Cut the dhoklas into diamond shape, drizzle the seasoning over the dhokla, garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut. Serve with green chutney and nylon Sev. 

Methia Keri

It’s a Gujarati Raw Mango pickle made with fenugreek seeds or fenugreek dal. It doesn’t need cooking, mix the spices and keep it in a corner. In 2 weeks time the pickle will be ready to eat. Enjoy with thepla, dal rice or paratha. 

Ingredients 

 1/2 kg Raw Mango washed, dried and cut into small pieces 

2 tbsp Split Mustard seeds 

1/4 cup split Fenugreek seeds

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 cup Red Chilli powder 

1/4 tsp Asafoetida 

1 cup Sesame Oil

Method 

    Add the mangoes in a mixing bowl. Add the split fenugreek seeds, spilt mustard seeds, turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder and asafoetida. Mix all the ingredients well. Add the pickle in a clean glass jar. Pour the oil. The mango pieces and the spices has to be cover in the oil. Cover and keep the jar in one corner of the house. Stir the pickle with a clean ladle every day. The pickle will be ready in 2 weeks time. 

Chunda

It’s a popular Gujarati spicy sour and sweet pickle. It doesn’t require any cooking. It’s a very easy delicious pickle that goes will with Paratha and thepla. 

Spice Powder 

Ingredients 

1 tsp Cumin seeds 

4 Red Dry Chillies

2 Cardamom pods

Method 

Take a pan and roast the cumin seeds, let it cool down, coarsely grind the cumin seeds with red chilli and cardamom. 

Chunda 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup Mango washed, peel and grated 

1 1/2 cup Sugar

Spice powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

Few strands of Saffron (Optional)

Method 

Take the grated mango and add salt and turmeric powder. Keep it aside for 30 minutes. Squeeze the excess water out. Take a clean glass bottle, add the mango, sugar and spice powder and saffron (optional). Mix it. Leave it in the sun for few days. Keep a check. The sugar will dissolve and will cook up with the mango to a one string consistency. Enjoy the chunda with the paratha and thepla . 

Watermelon Rind Muthiya / Tarbuze Chal Na Muthiya

Watermelon Rind Muthiya  / Tarbuze Chal Na Muthiya   

As we talk of zero wastage... here is an interesting traditional Gujarati snack recipe with grated watermelon rind. Muthiya can be had steamed or fried. It’s a delicious, healthy and a filling dish. It’s perfect to enjoy with an evening cup of chai..

Ingredients 

1 cup Grated Watermelon Rind

1 tsp Ginger and Green Chilli paste 

1 tsp Lime Juice 

1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves 

Few Curry Leaves

1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour 

1/2 cup Chickpea Flour

1/4 cup Fine Semolina 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

2 pinches of Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp Sesame Seeds

3 tsp Oil 

Method 

Take a bowl, add the grated watermelon rind, whole wheat flour, semolina, chickpea flour, ginger - chilli paste, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, lemon juice, sugar, coriander, baking soda, salt and 1 tsp of oil. Knead the ingredients into a soft dough. Keep it aside for 5 minutes. Apply oil on the palms and divide the mixture into 2 portions. Shape each portion into a cylindrical roll. Arrange the rolls on a greased sieve and steam in a steamer for 20 minutes. Once done, insert a toothpick and check. Remove and cool the muthiya,  cut the rolls into slices and keep aside. For the tempering, heat the remaining oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, sesame seeds and asafoetida and sauté it for few seconds. Add the muhiya pieces and toss them for a minute. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve it hot. 

Classic Dhokla, Schezwan Vegetable Dhokla and Vattayappam with a twist

These 3 healthy quick snack recipes are a twist from classic recipes of India made from the same basic key ingredients... Lapsi and Suji.  Do try out at home....

Suji and Lapsi Batter
Ingredients
2 cups Lapsi ( broken wheat)
2 cups Suji
1 cups butter milk or more to make a thick batter
2 tsp soda bi carb or yeast or Eno

Method
Wash the Lapsi and soak it in water for 2 to 3 hours. Then throw the water in which the  Lapsi was soaked. Now put all the ingredients except for the salt and soda bi carb or yeast or Eno in the grinder and grind it into a fine paste. Take the batter out of the grinder and if required add more butter milk to get a thick consistently. Add soda bi carb or Eno or yeast as desire. If yeast is added then add the yeast in 1/4 cup of Luke warm water with 1 tsp sugar and keep it for 10 minutes for rising. Then add the yeast water to the batter. Let the batter stand for 30 minutes to an hour.

This batter is the base for the 3 following recipes. Divided the batter into 3 parts.

Classic Dhokla
Ingredients
1 part of the batter
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp chilli paste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp oil
1 pinch of hing
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
5 to 6 curry leaves
4 tbsp water
1/2 tsp sugar
Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing

Method
Add ginger, salt and chilli paste to the batter. Grease the dhokla plates and fill 1/2 of the dhokla plates with the batter. Sprinkle chilli powder and roasted cumin powder and steam the dhoklas. Check the dhokla with the help of the tooth pick. If done the tooth pick will come out smoothly. Take the dhokla out of the steamer and cool it. Now take oil in a small vessel and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds starts to crackle add hing, curry leaves and sugar. Keep it for a minute and add water and let it bubble. Now add the tadka on the dhokla and garnish with coriander leaves. Cut it in to square or diamond shapes and serve it with green coriander chutney.

Schezwan Vegetable Dhokla
1 part of the batter
1 tsp oil
Salt to taste
1/2 pepper powder
1/2 tsp soya sauce
1 tbsp Schezwan sauce
1 onion sliced
1/2 small capsicum slice
1/2 tsp garlic crushed
1/4 cup cabbage sliced
1 tbsp carrot sliced
1/4 cup spring onion chopped
Coriander leaves and spring onions for garnishing

Method
Take the batter and add salt as required. Take a pan and add oil. Add crushed garlic and sauté for a minute. Add all the sliced vegetables. Add the soya and the Schezwan sauce. Sauté the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chopped  spring onions the vegetables and keep it aside. Now grease the dhokla   plate and fill 1/4 of the plate with the batter. Half steam the batter. Once half steamed and the top of the batter has harden spread the vegetables on the batter. Now fill the rest of the plate with the rest of the batter and sprinkle pepper powder on top. Put the plate back into the steamer and steam the dhokla till done. Take it out from the steamer and garnish it with coriander leaves and chopped spring onions. Let the dhokla cool and then cut into shapes as desire.

Vattayappam with a twist
1 part of the batter
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Sugar as per the sweetness required
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp broken kaju
1 tbsp raisins
1 mashed banana
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp Saffron syrup
1 banana sliced for decoration
1/2 tsp ghee

Method
Take the batter and add all the ingredients except Saffron syrup and sliced banana. Mix the batter well. Now grease the plate with ghee and add the batter. Steam the batter till done. Take the plate out of the steamer. Cool the Vattayappam. Garnish it with Saffron syrup and sliced banana.

Instant Baked Dhokla

Instant Baked Dhokla

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup Chickpeas flour / Gram flour / Besan

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

1/ 2 tsp Green Chilli paste

Few Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

1 cup or more Butter Milk to make the batter

Salt to taste

1/2 tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida / Hing

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Eno

OR

1/2 Cup Soda ( Adjust the butter milk quantity accordingly) 

1 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp chopped coriander

Method

Take mixing bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder, turmeric powder and mix the flour. Add the butter milk, ginger paste and green chilli paste. Whisk the flour into a smooth thick batter. Add Eno or Soda. Mix the batter. Grease the baking tray and pour the batter. In a pre heated oven bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 200 degrees. Take it out.  Let it cool a bit. Cut in to pieces. In a small pan the heat oil, add mustard seeds, let it crackle. Add the curry leaves , asafoetida and chilli powder. Quickly add 1/4 cup water and sugar. Mix the seasoning and slowly pour over the dhokla. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.