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Livemint article by Jahnabee Borah

https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/enter-the-gujarati-monsoon-kitchen-11596168768498.html

July 31, 2020 By Sheetal
0
Ratalu ane Suran no Handvo - layered Purple Yam and Elephant foot Yam Bake Chokha nu Khichu - Gujju style edible rice dough

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About Me

About Me

Namaste! I am Sheetal and theroute2roots is the journey I have embarked upon to document the local and native foods, the rapidly fading food practices and traditions of Gujarati cuisine.  Along the way, I talk about the joys of home cooked foods made using local and seasonal produce...

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Breakfast chocolate chutney coconut coconut milk curry Dal Dates deep-fried dessert dip easy festive flat bread fruits garlic gujarati Gujarati food Healthy homemade Indian International cuisine jaggery Kadhi leftover millet mithai native no sugar one pot meal peanuts pickle quick Rice shaak simple snack sugar free summer sweet traditional traditional sweet winter yoghurt yogurt
Sheetal Bhatt

theroutetoroots

On a journey to document Gujarat’s micro & macro cuisines & traditional culinarily practices.Immersive culinary experiences @rootedculinaryexperiences
Last summer, our work with women farmers took Purv Last summer, our work with women farmers took Purvi @farmingmatters and me to the remote regions of Navsari. The interactions allowed us to document some recipes of these Adivasi farmers. I had shared one in May 2024, this post too had to follow but life happened and this remained in draft folder. Summers are back, and the Aambil had to be shared. Tribal cuisines across various regions are simple in many ways. First, they rely on a minimal list of ingredients. Second, they require little to no elaborate preparation. Third, most dishes cook in under 15 minutes. Traditional practices like soaking beans, fermenting batters, or lengthy preparations are largely absent from these culinary traditions.   This is why encountering a dish like Aambil in Kukna households was surprising. In southern Gujarat, Aambil is a staple summer drink among Adivasi communities. Made primarily with jowar or ragi flour—though rice flour can also be used—it is a millet-based preparation designed to provide nourishment and hydration in hot weather. The key to making Aambil lies in fermenting a flour-water mixture before cooking it into a thin, soup-like drink.   Fermentation is not typically a part of Adivasi cooking, yet somewhere along the way, traditional wisdom recognized its benefits—especially for millets. Fermented foods contain gut-friendly microbes that aid digestion, and given the high fiber content of millets, soaking them for 8-10 hours improves their digestibility.   Once prepared, Aambil is consumed in small portions throughout the day. Adivasi wisdom suggests that drinking Aambil helps prevent heatstroke and keeps the body energized during scorching summers. It’s common to find a pot of Aambil placed in a corner of the kitchen, allowing family members to help themselves to an unlimited supply throughout the day. Slide through to watch Anjali Mahla demonstrate the recipe and share the wisdom behind Aambil.
When I asked Bhumika @limeandlettuce to pen someth When I asked Bhumika @limeandlettuce to pen something on Dal Pakwan – the much-loved Sindhi breakfast, she promised to share something. When I finally received the essay in my inbox, I thought the timing couldn’t have been better as Chetichand, the Sindhi New Year, is round the corner. Bhumika shares, Every Chetichand, my thoughts inevitably turn to Dal Pakwan—the iconic breakfast dish that holds a special place in my heart. But it’s never just about the crisp, golden pakwan or the spiced chana dal. It’s about the memories woven into every bite—the hands that prepared it with love, the laughter shared around the table, and the comforting familiarity of tradition. Some of my fondest childhood memories are woven into the making of Dal Pakwan, a ritual that turned the kitchen into a lively, bustling space. My mother led the process with precision and grace, but it was never a solitary task. Instead, it became a collaborative effort, a coming together of mother and daughters. One of us would knead the dough, another would roll out delicate, thin discs, while a third would take on the careful task of frying them to golden perfection. The air would fill with the inviting aroma of deep-fried Pakwans, mingled with the sound of bubbling oil and the laughter that echoed as we worked together. It was more than just cooking; it was a moment of connection, a tradition passed down through generations. Continue reading on the blog… #sindhicuisine
આજે વાત ઘૂઘરલપ્પા વિશે!! ઘૂઘરા,ઘૂઘરી,ઘૂઘરલપ્પો !જો હું તમને કહું કે આ બધાં રમકડા નહીં, પણ આપણી વાનીઓના નામ છે,તો!? મજાના નામ છે,ખરું ને? શુક્રવારીયા,ફટાકડા,ઓલા-ઝોલા,પ્રેમપત્રો-આ બધાં વાનગીઓના નામ બોલતા ગમ્મતનો આભાસ થાય. ઘૂઘરલપ્પો ,નામ સાંભળીને ખ્યાલ ન આવે કે આ ઘઉંના દૂધપાકની વાત થઈ રહી છે. પહેલા ફક્ત વાનગીઓમાં જ નહીં, તેમના નામમાં પણ કેટલું વૈવિધ્ય હતું. જ્યારે હું દક્ષિણ ભારતના વિવિધ પ્રકારના પાયસમ વિશે વાંચતી, તો મનમાં થતું કે આપણાં ગુજરાતી પાકશાસ્ત્રમાં દૂધપાક અને ખીરનો વારસો કેમ આટલો નબળો છે?પરંતુ જેમ જેમ ગુજરાતની culinary legacy વિશે સંશોધન કરતી ગઈ, તેમ તેમ અજબ-ગજબના દૂધપાક જાણવા મળ્યાં. અને એને ઉત્તમ રીતે બનાવવાની સુચનાઓ પણ વાંચી. દૂધપાકનું દૂધ હંમેશા સારી રીતે પકાવવાનું હોય. દૂધ ઘટ્ટ કરવાનું,પતાશા પડતુ (as shown in video).કેસરનો આગ્રહ નથી પણ ચારોળી,એલચી અને જાયફળનો છે. પોસાય તો બદામની કતરણ પણ નંખાય.આવી નાની નાની સુચનાઓ ના આધારે જણાય કે ૭૦ -૮૦ વર્ષ પહેલાં દૂધપાક કેવાં બનતા. નવા ઘઉંની ભરણીનો સમય હવે આવશે,નવા ચોખા માફક નવા ઘઉં પણ ચીકણા (glutinous) હોય, તેના ફાળા અને થૂલીનો ઘૂઘરલપ્પો બનાવી જોજો, બધાંને ખવડાવજો અને જણાવજો કે કેવો ભાવ્યો !
Bhal, my native, was once known for its ancient va Bhal, my native, was once known for its ancient variety of durum (now GI tagged) wheat called Bhaliya, Chasiya, or Daudkhani. This particular wheat variety is said to produce the best ladoo, lapshi, and bhakhri. I’ve spoken about this hardy wheat in several of my previous posts, where I delve into the legacy of recipes like Jadariyu, Velan Lapshi, and Ghau no Ponk (Freekeh in middle east). In Gujarati, ‘Ponk’ refers to the tender, immature grains of crops like wheat, jowar, and bajri. For agrarian communities, it is a seasonal delicacy they eagerly await. In Bhal, there is a unique culinary tradition of transforming Ghau no Ponk into an emerald-green, smoky-flavored sweet called Jadariyu (I have a detailed blog post on this). It was once common to receive cardboard boxes filled with chunks of Jadariyu, their smoky aroma filling the air as soon as the box was opened. My 85-year-old father still looks forward to Jadariyu whenever a family member visits from the region. It’s a joy to hear him reminisce about Jadariyu and Ghau no Ponk, sharing stories from the past. Since it’s the season for Ghau no Ponk and we’re already on the subject of Doodhpak, I wanted to share one of the lesser-known variations I came across while studying Gujarat’s Doodhpak traditions. The smoky depth that roasted tender wheat berries lend to Doodhpak is phenomenal—combined with the creamy richness of thickened milk, it’s a flavor experience like no other. My very reliable team helped me with finding perfectly tender wheat berries and processing it into Ponk. Slide through to watch them roast and clean the Ponk. #culinarytraditions #microcuisinesofindia #foodsofgujarat #heritagefoods
The fruit-based Doodhpaks I have been discovering The fruit-based Doodhpaks I have been discovering lately bring back fond memories of the fruit-salad dessert we grew up with in the 1970s. This delightful combination of evenly diced seasonal fruits topped with custard (thickened with vanilla-flavored custard powder) was simply called fruit salad. Those who grew up in the 1960s, 70s, and mid-80s will recall the relief of indulging in copious bowls of chilled fruit salad during scorching summers. It was a time when air conditioners were nonexistent, and ice cream wasn’t as affordable, so mothers found creative ways to keep us cool and happy with homemade ice creams, jelly-custard, china-grass puddings, popsicles made with khus or rose sherbet, and, of course, generous servings of fruit salad. In Gujarati cuisine, Doodhpak is a thinner version of kheer—at least, that is how it is commonly prepared in most households and commercially. Until I studied the cuisine in depth, I believed this to be the standard. However, the very name “Doodhpak” suggests prolonged cooking of milk, so how could it remain thin? The version of Doodhpak I grew up eating did not align with its traditional preparation. As I explored Doodhpak recipes from the 1930s, 50s, and later decades, I found that they specifically call for cooking the milk until it thickens, changes color, and reduces by 30 to 40%. This means that true Doodhpak should be thick enough to hold its inclusions firmly. The prolonged cooking also caramelizes the sugar, giving Doodhpak its characteristic pale brown hue. Over the past few years, I have been preparing Doodhpak this way, and it has completely transformed my preference for this iconic Gujarati mishtan. From being indifferent to it, I have grown to absolutely love the Doodhpaks I now cook and document. While grains like rice or wheat are added while the milk is cooking, fruits such as custard apple, orange, or rock melon (in the image) are folded into the Doodhpak after it has been cooked and cooled to room temperature. The resulting Doodhpak, enriched with charoli and almond slivers, offers a mildly caramelized, luxurious mouthfeel, while the addition of seasonal fruits enhances its flavor and texture. Try it!
This came as a pleasant surprise. Not a chef but h This came as a pleasant surprise. Not a chef but honoured to be in such an august company! Thank you @timesnow for the feature and @pahadipattal for sharing.
Look who @farmingmatters and I came across! મથ Look who @farmingmatters and I came across! મથુરીયુ/Mathuriyu/Mathuru (local name) a yam we discovered near the forests of Vijaynagar. According to the farm-forest dwelling tribals of the region, it needs to be prepared/treated just like suran (elephant food yam) or ratalu (purple yam). Unfortunately, these yams (because of their unusual shape) don’t make it to the markets and are consumed by the growers themselves. Naturally growing roots and tubers along with local seasonal greens are an integral part of Adiviasi diets during winters. But these foods are being rapidly replaced by cultivated produce and Mathuriyu too is fading away from their diets. I am sure it belongs to Dioscorea family of yams, but am not sure of the sub spices. It doesn’t seem to be Dioscorea alata kinds. Have been trying to find more information about it, but Google hasn’t been much help. If anyone knows more about this yam, please share! #localyam #localproduce #forestfood
If you can resist getting addicted to scrolling th If you can resist getting addicted to scrolling through endless reels or feeling the pressure to create content non-stop, and instead stay content with your own pace of growth, Instagram truly becomes a wonderful space. Honestly.    Through Instagram, my work has connected me with some incredible people who have grown to become dear friends. Bhairavi Naik @bhairavinaik is one such kindred soul. For a while now, we’ve been chatting on Instagram about our shared love for Gujarati cuisine, the foods I write about and the memories they evoke. Recently, I finally got the chance to meet her, and it felt like we’d known each other for a veryyy long time.   As we talked about our respective work, Bhairavi casually said, “Dhekhra vishe lakho ne” (please write about Dhekhra). I replied, “Why not? But only if you’re willing to share your memories around it.” Dhekhra is a dish from Bhairavi’s native Anavil Brahmin cuisine, and since I’d never made or even tasted it, I needed some guidance. Bhairavi graciously walked me through it, and here we are—bringing seasonal favorite Dhekhra to life, paired with Bhairavi’s cherished memories.    Cooked by me, captured in the stunning handmade pottery (she gifted me and I have been a fan for a very long time) she co-creates @curatorsofclay
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