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Chai Spice or Cha No Masalo

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February 23, 2016 By Sheetal

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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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Documenting foodways, micro cuisines, hyper local and folk foods of Gujarat; Saveur Finalist

Many years ago, a blog post by @sangeetaamkhanna a

Many years ago, a blog post by @sangeetaamkhanna about the tradition of eating Suran/elephant foot yam on Diwali made me curious about similar customs among Gujaratis. I searched for information but found little until a couple of years ago, when a dear friend shared an article from a local daily about how the Bramhakshatriya community in Gujarat celebrates Suran during Diwali. The article detailed various culinary traditions, but the one that captured my interest was સૂરણ શેરડા નું શાક/Suran-Sherda nu Shaak. It also sparked my curiosity about શેરડા/Sherda—what does it mean?

Although I’ve grown up eating suran, I’ve noticed its popularity on decline among urban Gujaratis, especially compared to how it’s enjoyed on fasting days. Therefore, discovering a community that cooks Suran for an entire week deserves to be celebrated, documented, and shared.

Since I am lucky enough to have a very good friend from the Bramhakshatriya community, I thought documenting Suran-Sherda nu Shaak would be easily achievable. However, finding a mutually convenient time to document this shaak has taken two years. I’m grateful to Kanan @pathstotravel and Mihir Lakhia for hosting me and cooking the dish for me to learn and to Yogini auntie (Mihir’s mother) for sharing her insights about this revered dish.

Moving on to the recipe, I searched for the word Sherda in Gujarati Shabdkosh to find its precise meaning. It seems that “Sherda” (the plural form) comes from “Sherdo,” which means a long streak/line or narrow lane (sheri). The colloquial meaning became clear when Kanan started shaping the Sherda dough into ropes.

Suran Sherda nu Shaak is a delicacy made from besan dough rolled into rope-like strings, twisted into spirals, stewed in water, cut into pieces, and then cooked with Suran in a classic Gujarati gor-amli (tamarind-jaggery) curry. For the Bramhakshatriyas, this dish is essential for Diwali and is traditionally enjoyed with વેઢમી/Vedhmi instead of Puran-poli, as Yogini auntie points out. While Puran Poli is usually thin, we prefer ours thick—about વેઢ/knuckle thick (meaning it should be generously filled with Puran); we never skimp on the puran! Recipe in stories.

May our tables always be abundant with nourishing

May our tables always be abundant with nourishing food, and may our hearts be forever filled with humility and gratitude.

The elegant Kansa Kaana Platter @studiocoppre holding the classic Magaz, Mung dal Magaz and Golpapdi ladudis. લાડુડી/lady’s are baby ladoos we make as offering to our deity. I have been awe of seasoned home cooks who are pro at making small batch ladudis every morning as Prasad. Magaz is the Gujarati take on besan laddoo and the first food item we make to welcome Diwali.
#homemadefood #diwali

નવરાત્રી ના વધામણા

નવરાત્રી ના વધામણા

I have been eager to repeat something similar to the Navratri Prasad series @shwetalbhatt and I did in 2020. Last year, I had listed simple parsed recipes to showcase during the festival, but the universe had other plans, and I could not bring the list to life. To Gujaratis, Navratri is synonymous with Garba, a riot of color, divine energy, a seasonal shift, a nip in the air, and festivities. It is hard not to fall in love with this festival that unites its communities.

This year, I have made a list of some sweet and savory Navratri/fasting recipes, or Falahar as we call it. It is time we bring a variety of tubers, certain kinds of gourds, minor millets, and nuts into our diets, scale down on spices and give our digestive system a chance to a-tune itself with the changing season.

One of the most sought-after items on a Falahar plate is the mithai/sweet treat. Halwa and Kheer feature regularly on the menu. Traditionally, a variety of Kheer-made sago pearls, sweet potato, elephant foot yam, purple yam, bottle gourd, andminor millets are made and served with rajgira or singhara puri.

Featured here is doodhi/bottle gourd + sabudana kheer. The seasonal bottle gourd grated in delicate straws provides a vermicelli-like smooth texture to the Kheer, while the sabudana has all the bite.

The simple and elegant Kansa serving bowls from @studiocoppre are perfect to herald the season of festivities, feasting, and fun. Even the small serving bowl featured here is deep enough to hold 5-6 servings. What I liked the most was its easy-to-maintain surface.

In a heavy bottom pan, take 4 cups of full cream milk, add 1/2 cup of grated steamed bottle-gourd, 1/4 cup of soaked sabudana. Cook until the bottle gourd and sabudana are completely cooked; add 1 tablespoon doodh-masala or 1/2 teaspoon green cardamon powder, 1/3 cup sugar, and cook the Kheer for 5-7 more minutes. Remember to stir the Kheer continuously to prevent it from catching the bottom of the pan. Remove from fire, when it comes to room temperature, decant in a serving bowl. Serve at room temperature or chilled. #navratri #festival #falahar #traditionalfood #coppreculinarytrail

Siblings! They are our best friends, rivals, suppo

Siblings! They are our best friends, rivals, support systems, or even sources of annoyance. They share memories, create inside jokes, and sometimes drive each other crazy. It’s a bitter-sweet bond that is unique and special, filled with love and understanding, and when you lose a sibling, you lose a very important part of your childhood. Last year, around this time, I lost my younger brother, my only sibling. The past year has been tough and emotionally exhausting.

A few weeks before his unexpected demise, I had listed the recipes I wanted to share during the next few weeks, the Navratri prasad series and other food stories that were an integral part of our childhood. And this Churmu our pappa made for us was on that list. It was nothing fancy, but it was our go-to snack, and Bhailu (that is what I called him) just loved it. It used to be his lunch-box food and also his after-school snack. A bowl of churmu was enough to brighten him up and return to the business of annoying me through the day. In a kathiyawari household like ours it is common to have a stack of bhakhris (evening bread) as leftovers. Bhakhri and Cha still are the most preferred breakfast/શીરામણ combination in many kathiyawari households.

After the iconic Sumeet mixer grinder arrived at our home, making churmu with the leftover bhakhri was a matter of minutes. And our dad made a large batch of it every day. The same churmu can also be shaped as ladoo (Bhailu’s other favourite food), but that was time-consuming for our overworked father, so churmu it was…

It has taken me a lot of time and emotional energy to share this Churmu recipe with you. These simple foods like sukhdi, gathiya nu shaak, raab, vaghahreli rotli, churmu, sev-tameta… are at the core of our childhood food memories! During the times when packaged snacks or takeaways were not an option (thankful for that), these were the foods that kept us happy for a very long time!

Featured here is Churmu in Bhailu’s school lunchbox dated 1977, the lunchbox that has his name Vishal Chauhan inscribed on it!

Memories of life before Maggi 2 minutes noodles!

Memories of life before Maggi 2 minutes noodles!

For each of us, some foods take us down memory lane, rustling up memories otherwise nestled in some corner of our overstressed minds. To me, ‘Gathiya nu Shaak’ is one such dish. It reminds me of my Ba (Dadi). Back then, growing up in a large joint family, we weren’t allowed to fuss over food and eat all kinds of vegetables, but there were times when we did not like the shaak/dry vegetable dish on the menu and wished to escape eating it. These were the times Ba came to our rescue. I distinctly remember some hungry after-school afternoons… me grumbling, mummy instructing me to eat whatever was made for lunch, and Ba coming to my rescue, instructing in a soft murmur to sneak out, “Get some Gathiya from the storeroom; I’ll make you Gathiya nu Shaak/sabzi.” Our Kathiyawari family always had a steady supply of Bhavnagari Gathiya (considered the best Gathiya), so to rustle up this dish was easy. This was before Maggi – the 2-minute noodle-encroached on the market and urban homes. Gathiya nu Shaak was our version of Maggi. A quick and easy dish to make I remember making it when I was a 6th grader. All one needs is some Gathia, regular spices, and water. Sometimes Ba also added her spicy, freshly pounded Garlic chutney to the shaak to add that instant spicy kick to the dish!

The last few days’ incessant rains have made the

The last few days’ incessant rains have made the weather perfect for this Charotari Bajri na Tamtamiya/Bajri Methi fritters @farmingmatters and I enjoyed at @nanditaamin Nandiaben’s farm kitchen. It is a straightforward recipe with fresh methi/fenugreek leaves, bajri flour and some pantry staples. Bajri, methi, and ajwain flavors are incredibly comforting in wet and cold weather. Traditionally, the tamtamiya are deep-fried, but Nanditaben prefers making them in paniyaram pan. I know it is not the season for methi right now; you can substitute it with tender saragva/drumstick leaves; I am sure Nanditaben (an ardent advocate of wild greens) would absolutely approve that.

The recipe flows like so:

The recipe is surprisingly simple. Just mix washed, drained, and roughly chopped methi leaves (or sargva leaves) with bajri flour, yogurt, ajwain seeds, pounded green chilies +ginger, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander + cumin seed powder, a handful of sesame seeds, and salt to taste. The batter should have a dropping consistency. Allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes. Then, you can either deep fry them in oil (preferably groundnut oil) or make them in a paniyaram pan, as demonstrated here by Gordhanbhai.

As Nanditaben explains, this recipe is a variation of the Bajri Vada. I hope you enjoy the Tamtamiya as much as we did!!

ટમટમીયા/Tamtamiya is such an interesting name for this folk recipe, no?

The ignorance of loss!! Growing up in Ahmedaba

The ignorance of loss!!

Growing up in Ahmedabad in the early seventies, it was easy to spot vast open spaces in every neighbourhood, sheep and goat shepherds walking their herds across these unrestricted landscapes, the cattle poop working as seed dispersal agents. Each monsoon these big and small patches and sidewalks came to life. It was a joy to watch thousands of little yellow butterflies hovering over the lush-green wild vegetation that made its way from the untamed, uncultivated soil. Since we did not have TV or mobile screens to glue our eyes into, we were more observant of these ever changing landscapes, the trees around us, and the birds perching on those trees. My house wore a vast canopy of native trees over which the (now endangered) vultures perched at night. We’ve come a long way, but to ensure future generations understand the simple joys of the past and appreciate the contentment of a simpler life, we must educate them about what we’ve lost.

We have transformed our glass, concrete, and tar covered cities into heat islands. Its dwellers, planners and administrators ensure every little patch of open soil is covered either with RCC or tar.

Being a daily witness to this otherwise jarring landscape, imagine my excitement when I see this gentleman plucking greens from a tiny patch of open soil (left open because the tree over it dried and fell) on the otherwise littered pavement near my house. I have not seen someone foraging wild greens in my city for decades. It is a long-forgotten skill, but Kasambhai, who hails from Bengal but has been in Ahmedabad for almost 24 years and calls it home, knew these greens well and has a trail from where he regularly forages (during monsoons) them on his way back from work. Knowing families who cannot afford to eat market-bought greens and vegetables (at Rs.160 a kilo), Kasambhai has the life skill to make nourishing meals from free wild greens. Aren’t these the kind of life skills we will need to survive on this rapidly heating planet? Kasambhai not only knew the wild greens but also educated me on the ways to cook them and their medicinal properties!

જેડા નુ શાક/Jeda nu Shaak/ Lotus

જેડા નુ શાક/Jeda nu Shaak/ Lotus stem subzi the Gujju way!

Ever since Anjubhabhi @anjuchauhan212 mentioned it during one of our cookouts, this is one recipe I was so keen on documenting. Kamal Kakdi as a root/vegetable has not worked its charm over Gujarati cuisine. I have read loads of cookbooks on Gujarati cuisine but am yet to come across a book that has a kamal kakdi/ lotus stem recipe. Although the Sindhi families in my neighborhood enjoyed Bhea/Bhee/Bheya (Sindhi for Kamal Kakdi) in more ways than one, the lotus stem never made its way into our kitchens, and I have always wondered why?!

To those new to this space, Anjubhabhi is helping theroute2roots document some very local recipes from Sabarkatha district of Gujarat. Anjubhabhi’s hometown, Idar, a naturally protected hill fort town situated at the Southern edge of the Aravalli mountain range, is home to a vast lake called Rani Talav. The lake is a biodiversity hotspot and host to rare flora and fauna. Locals selling freshly harvested and processed water chestnuts and lotus stems during the season are common sites. The communities around this lake town have made lotus stems an integral part of their cuisine, a testament to the cultural significance of this ingredient. The locals who have settled in various regions of Gujarat make a point to carry back freshly harvested jeda/lotus stems whenever they visit Idar during the summer. “They are thicker than what we get in markets of Ahmedabad,” Anjubhabhi mentioned, explaining why she insisted on getting lotus stems from Idar.

This year, I had the opportunity to travel to the region even in unbearably hot conditions. I was thrilled to spot jeda being sold at local markets, and a quick call to Anjubhabhi led to a cookout planned to document what could be the first Gujarati-style recipe for lotus stems. Of course, the lotus stems we used were from Rani Talav. The recipe videos are shared as stories!

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