From Pioneer, Aug, 20, 2004....
Garba grub
Dining at village theme restaurants in Ahmedabad is like eating on the sets of Lagaan. And the traditional Gujarati cuisine served here has more takers than that of tandoori chicken and chowmein, says Prerna Singh Bindra
How did our ancestors eat minus the modern day conveniences of mixers, grinders and microwaves? Before the British imposed their regime of table etiquette and a confusing array of cutlery, when Maggi-two-minutes had not invaded kitchens and food simmered in handis for hours over a sigdi? My rustic culinary passage finds an unexpected destination in Ahmedabad. The metropolis is a classic study in urban chaos, but in this concrete jungle exists an ethnic Epicurean oasis.
Village chic is hot in Ahmedabad. There are plenty of restaurants - may I say bhojan nivas instead - set in picturesque rural environs. Of course these places are just too perfect to be real and resemble a Lagaan set. These make-believe villages have put traditional Gujarati cuisine on the map, holding its own against veg chowmein and tandoori chicken.
Vishala is the pioneer and gave birth to various me-too clones like Rajwadu, Goras and Gamthi, making the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar highway consist of little more than tiny village replicas where the customer can eat <b>undhiyo, gathiya </b>and such like on a charpoy, served by men who look as though they would burst into joyful garba at any moment.
Today Gujarati cuisine might be a success story, but when Surendra Patel created Vishala more than two decades ago, everyone wrote it off. Who, said the wise men, would want to eat a meal cross-legged on the floor and off a plate crafted from leaves? Patel thought otherwise. When everyone was aping the West, he went back in time - only organic chemicals are used, milk is straight from the udders on campus, there are kerosene lamps instead of jarring tube lights and liquids are served in kulhars. Yes, they existed before Lalu Prasad Yadav.
No mixers, the spices and chutneys are ground on stone. The phone is only a recent entrant and a concession to the staff. It is a tough call, but well worth it since it is the highlight of Ahmedabad's tourist map. It's difficult to ignore. Indira Gandhi visited it scorning security restrictions, Amitabh called it a night to remember while "master-blaster" Sachin Tendulkar surrendered to the food.
I realise much of the myths surrounding the Gujarati palate are just that - myths. Everything is not dipped in oil, nor is it a queer mixture of sweet and spice. The menu is exhaustive and men in colourful attire persistently replenish the 60-odd items on the menu. It is impossible to remember them all; <b>baked dhokla spiced with til and herbs, bajra na rotla cooked on a clay tava, gavar with gathiya (a sort of lightly fried and spicy bajri pakoras), garlic chutney, dahi kadhi served gently streaming, bakhri, stiff rotis served with pure ghee.</b> Sinfully delicious.
Agashiye is a uniquely different experience, combining a traditional meal with rich history. Sitting on the agashiye, which translates as terrace, the haveli seems right out of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, minus the glamour of Aishwarya Rai but credited with playing host to Mahatma Gandhi. The haveli belongs to the Mangaldas family, textile tycoons instrumental in convincing Gandhiji to set up the Sabarmati Ashram. It lay misused for years, till the prodigal son, Abhay Mangaldas, returned and converted it into Ahmedabad's only heritage hotel.
The haveli is located in the heart of the of the city near the historic Lal Darwaja and with a view of the 16th century Sidi Syed Mosque. The best way to describe the food and its ambience: A typical Gujarati home a hundred years ago, discreetly made contemporary. The thali is made of kansa, an alloy of seven metals and beneficial to your health. Forget Coke and Pepsi, they don't exist here. Have Kutchi beer instead, that's a nickname for lassi in dry Gujarat.
Or the house speciality, nariyal adu limbu, tender coconut milk flavoured with ginger and a dash of lime. The meal is a pleasant deviant from routine. <b>Among the innovative items I liked was bhindi stuffed with paneer, panchvati, a combo of five veggies, padya bhaat which was rice wrapped in leaves and apple jalebi. </b>
Most recipes are pages from the diary of Abhay's great grandmother, a closely guarded secret with an occasional modern, low-cal twist.
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rajeshG, Any hope of getting some sort of recipes for the bolded items?
arrey somebody from AP can put up the details abt how to prepare telgu "Curd Rice" and prepartion of "Gun Powder"
I eat to live onlee and such simple things are delight for a person who live on ghaas-phoos ( veggise ).
Thanks
RajeshG
You can perhaps post abt "Daal-dhokli".
I had / have to starve when I am in Guj ... everything is cooked in sugar/jaggery <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
And man , you are &&*#^^%^# if you are stuck between to Gujju Bai's phaiting it out ... unless you have those "daal pakoda's" , shld go well with daroo .....
Bhootnath,
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I had / have to starve when I am in Guj ... everything is cooked in sugar/jaggery<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Says who ? We dont add sugar - its the sweet environment around you that makes everything taste so shweet... <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Ramana,
Undhiyoo is a classic surati (from Surat) dish. This is a dish that is especially made on makar-sankranti (14th Jan). People fly kites, eat undhiyoo-puri and have fun.. My problem (as also supreme HQ's ) is that we dont know what most of the things are called in english. Moreover this is a pretty involved thing - women folk get together and prepare this - lots of timepass and in the end worth it. But be aware you might not find all you are looking for..
Here is the recipe anyhow with the gujju/hindi names.. I have seen most of it in frozen section these days.
2 potatoes
1 sakaryoo (sweet potato ?)
1/4th piece ratalu
1 raw banana
10/15 surti papdi
10/15 valore papdi
10/15 simple papdi
200 gms tuver danaa
1/4 pieve gud <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
5-6 ravaiya
25 gms vatana
for muthiyaa
____________
6 tbsp besan
1/4 jhudi of methi nee bhajee
1/4th jhudi kothmir
2 tbsp undhiyoo masala (available in indian store)
2 tbsp dhana jiroo
3/4 green chilli
- mix methee nee bhajee (washed and thinly cut) and besan. add salt, lemon juice, sugar <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> , garam masala, 2 green chilli,, ginger, kothmir, dhana jiroo, some oil.
- prepare the dough with some water. medium firmness.
- make small oval shaped balls out of this.
- deep fry this.
- crush about 150 gms of tuver danaa and 25 gms vatanaa, add chili, ginger, pepper, dhanaa jiroo, salt, sugar <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> , lemon, kothmir, garam masala and 1 tbsp besan. Mix it so this can be used as stuffing.
- stuff ravaiya
- take a pan and some oil and sautee the ravaiya properly - just like any other veg.
- fry the potatoes, ratalu, sakaryaa, raw banana after cutting them all in small cube shapes. (all deep fry).
- take some oil , 1/4 tea spoon eating soda , some salt according to taste and 1-1.5 glass water and heat it. After this becomes warm then add all 3 kinds of papdis and tuver danaa (the remaining 50 gms) described above. Proper way would be to break the ends of the papdi then open the papdi and break the papdi into 2 - resulting in 4 pieces. Boil this. Take this out after it has boiled properly - you still have to make sure that the mixture doesnt become too mushy (?) - IOW dont overboil this..
- add the deep fried potato/ratalu/sakarya/banana to this. Also add stuffed ravaiya, muthiya to this mix. you need to be careful so the stuffed ravaiya doesnt fall apart. This requires practice.
- no add salt, dhana jiroo, undhiyoo masala, garam masala, and mix it. slowly again to the vegetables retain their shape.
- take another small container for tadka. take 3-4 tbsp oil - add taj, laving, elaichi, big elchaa (tastes like elaichi but are big) and tamal patra to this. This is your tadka so when the tadka is ready add this to our mixture.
- Let the whole mixture on slow boil and add lots of kothmir. If some stuffing is still left over from stuffing ravaiya you can this to the mixture.
- HQ says lemon + sugar <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> can be added according to taste on top.
- some folks also stuff big green chilli just like ravaiya.
Bon Appetit !!
________________________________________
Recipe for 1 Bajri rotlaa is easy but this requires some skill and practice...
- take a cup of bajri flour, add some salt according to taste.
- add water and mix thoroughly - bajri flour is kind of hard to make dough out of so you have to use palms to sort of crush the mixture to make good dough.
- take the clay tavaa and let it heat.
- you cant use belan on this so your dough has to be of proper firmness so that you can put this on flat surface and use your hands to make a chapati out of this.
- spread this on tava. After some time turn the roti over and this time let the roti get crisp. This way one side will be crisp while the other not so crisp.
- once the side gets crisp you can then take the roti and put it on your stove directly and let it swell
- when served this is served with ghee after removing the soft side of roti.
Bajri roti goes well with baingan bharthaa, punjabi kadhi/sabjee, just plain with jaggery <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> and milk or with aloo-pyaaj sabji.. When i was a kid i used to eat this with one glass of milk and some jaggery mixed with ghee..
_________________________________________________
Some of the other names are not known to me - people are getting pretty innovative these days. For example, I have never heard of paneer getting used in gujju dishes but now we have bhindi stuffed with paneer.. <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rolleyes.gif' /><!--endemo-->
_________________________________________________
I have eaten at many of these places. Both Vishala and Agashiye - they are awesome. Go with hungry stomach. I think these days Vishala charges 180 something per dish but man they fill you up..
Bhootnath,
Sorry confused whether you wanted to ask about daal-dhokli or daal-pakora (its called daal-vadaa in gujju-speak).. Daal-dhokli is where you have daal and you mix it with dhokli - you basically make chappatis out of wheat dough and put it in daal and boil. Daal-vadaa are like pakoras. Dont know which one you were interested in.. Daal-vadaa comes without jaggery, dhokli would suck without jaggery.. <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Hi Rajesh ..
No I dont want , I just thought talk abt it so that ppl with taste may know more abt it.. I have enjoyed both of them , but now prefer dal-vaddas onless...
> Daal-vadaa comes without jaggery, dhokli would suck without jaggery.. <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
That make me a sucker ..<!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
PPl with sweet tooth shld try the following each is in the class
of its own ....
1. Vasundhi -- Rajasthani stuff
2. Ghevar --- --do-------
3. Dhoda -- Panjabi stuff ---
4. Baal Mithai --- its from Nanital/Almore ( Uttranchal ) stuff
5 All Gujju stuff --- all of them --- ( okay this to pull gujju ppls legs ) <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Paneer is a so called "post-modern" innovation onlee...
PS : I am no foodie ..( all is based on memories when I enjoyed consuming ..)
OK Bhootnath,
Here is a completely different recipe for reusing baasi roti. This aint got no jaggery. This used to be my dad's favorite thing. He would insist that mom make extra roti everyday so he can eat this with vaasi roti.. <!--emo&:o--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ohmy.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Here goes.. <!--emo&:drool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/drool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='drool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
old rotis (1-2 days old - the more the merrier) 6-7
1/2 onion
3-4 cloves (?) of garlic
1/4th cup yogurt
red chilli (mirchi)
salt
haldi
dhana-jiroo
garam masala
little bit of kothmir (coriander ?)
4-5 tbsp oil
rai
jiraa
1/4 tea spoon methi-masala (red coarse grained)
- make small pieces of vaasi roti (1-2 days old)
- in frying pan take 1 teaspoon oil and put vaasi roti in that - heat it up - sek lo (sautee?) - depending on thickness of roti it might take more/less time to do this.
- take another pan and take somme oil, rai, jiroo - after the crackling sound stops add methi no masalo, finely grated onion, finely grated garlic - let the onion sautee until it turns pink - your normal gravy techniques
- add water - let it boil - add garama masala, salt, haldi, mirchi etc.
- when it comes to boil then add the sekee hui roti (sauteed vaasi roti)
- after 2-3 mins of roti boiling in our gravy add finely whipped yogurt to it.
- after 2-3 mins of this turn off your stove.
- add some finely grated kothmir (coriander ?)
________________________________________
BTW..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->5 All Gujju stuff --- all of them --- ( okay this to pull gujju ppls legs ) <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
We take this as complement.. <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Anyone know the ingredients of PV Sauce from Venkatachalam's from Madras? And can you get the sauce in the US? It goes very well with cutlets etc.
I successfully pulled off the Undhiyo. It was a major hit, especially given that I am not very famous for my cooking. I used the soy bean instead of what the gujjus call Vatana. Rajesh mentions some Ravayi? Wonder what that is? I used coconut gratings <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Rajita Rajvasishth+Oct 19 2004, 09:08 PM-->QUOTE(Rajita Rajvasishth @ Oct 19 2004, 09:08 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> I successfully pulled off the Undhiyo. It was a major hit, especially given that I am not very famous for my cooking. I used the soy bean instead of what the gujjus call Vatana. Rajesh mentions some Ravayi? Wonder what that is? I used coconut gratings <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&:rocker--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rocker.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rocker.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Rajita,
Ravaiya - ra-vai-yaa - are small round shaped baby-brinjals/eggplants/baingan/ringanaa the size of laddoos. Usually they are made by making 2 vertical cuts (not completely) and then stuffing them with masala.
Came in via email
----
Indian menu over the ages, Qouted by D.Balasubrahmaniam in his article from among the books-- indian Food- a historical companion; The Food Industries of British India; A Historical Dictionary Of Indian Food, be Dr. K.T.Achaya, Died about two years ago, ( all pub;oshed by Oxford University Press , India).
While Dosai and Vadai have a hoaey two thousand year history, Idli is a foregn import, brought by the cooks who accompanied the Hindu kings of Inonesia between 800-1200 A.D.-Kedli intheir language prepared by fermentation and steaming methods (Chinese Chronicler Xuang Zzang of 7th century A.D., categorically stated, that there were no steaming vessels in India).
The Rigveda mentions about_-- rice, cereals and pulses, masha(urad),mudga (moong) and masura (masoor), green leafy vegetables (spinach) , melons, pumpkins, gourds, in particular lotus-stems, cucumber, bottle-gourd, water chestnut, bitter-gourd (karavella), radish, brinjal, some aquatic pants(avika, andika) and fruits such as mangoes, oranges and grapes. Spices such as corinder turmeric, pepper, cumin, asafoetida, cloves, sesame, and mustard,
By the Dharma-Sutra times food habits changed. the threeguna components sattwika, raajasika, and thaamasa entered into evaluation and forbidding caertain items of food,and many anima food items. And the preference of Jainism and Buddhism (in India) for vegetarianism and against meat eating contributed to this change also.
Meat eating was is very much prevelant --- in Gujarat 69% are vegetarian, 60% in Rajasthan, 54% in Punjab Haryana, 50% in U.P., 45% ln M.P., 34% in Karnataka, 30% in Maharashtra, 21% in Tamil Nadu, 16% in A.P., 15% 1n Assam, 6% in Kerala, Orissa, and West Bengal ( probably taking fish and eggs and sometypes of meat which are considered not as nonvegetarian).
Even among non-vegetarians and meat eaters beef was and is taboo, at least 2000 years old. Economic, ethical and respect for its use are given as reasons. Emperor Humayun avoided it. Much of India and certainly many Hindu communities avoid beef eating..---------
x-post from another thread by bengurion:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->About the food habits of Ancient indians...
Changes in indian menu over the ages
I don't think D. Balasubramanian has any kind of leaning (Left or Right)
Bengurion.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Another article by DBS on Dr K.T. Achaya from Hindu archives
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Thammu Achaya â tribute to a gastronome scientist
ON THE 5th of September, India became poorer by losing a distinguished citizen â the food and nutrition expert K. Thammu Achaya of Bangalore. Born 79 years ago, of Coorgi parents in Kollegal, Tamilnadu, Dr. Achaya distinguished himself as a scholar, specialist in oils and fats, historian, writer, music analyst, photographer and conversationalist. The term `renaissance man' is no longer used in the media â and for good reason since there are so few of such people who excel in diverse fields; he was one of them.
Dr. Achaya was known for many things but for scientists, historians and gastronomists, he was famous for his books. Some such as Cottonseed Chemistry and Technology (co-authored with K. S. Murthy), Every Day Indian Processed Foods, Oilseeds and Oil milling in India- A Cultural and Historical Survey, and Ghani: the Traditional Oil Mill of India were for the specialists. But others such as Your Food and You (NBT 1974), Indian Food: A Historical Companion (OUP 1994), A Historical Dictionary of Indian Foods (OUP 1998) and The Story of Our Food (UPIL 2000) were for all, and the impact of these has been remarkable. Indian Food: A Historical Companion has, at my last count, been favourably reviewed and cited in more than 650 journal articles, books and websites. A Historical Dictionary of Indian Foods is a handier and easy-to-refer (but certainly not a `dumbed-down') version. And if there is a gift you wish to give a youngster, may I recommend the eminently readable little book The Story of Our Food? It delights as it instructs.
The most impressive thing about Achaya was his disarming simplicity and friendliness. He could roast you alive for your errors without hurting you! When, in one of my articles on the introduction of chillies into India, I had suggested that perhaps Marco Polo might have done it, he wrote me a beautiful (collectible) letter. In it he said: "You will probably one day put together these fine essays, and may consider deleting the possibility of Marco Polo bringing the chilli to India, since he had no contact with the New World that might have made this possible". Touché!
What did Rama and Sita eat?
It was with the same grace, facility and scholarship that he shattered many other myths and ill-proven beliefs. He did it with thoroughness, appropriate references to original literature, and by writing in a gentle way that offended none. He had no axe to grind or an agenda to push. I have always been interested in knowing what our ancestors had for their daily meals or on special feasts. We know that Lord Krishna was fond of butter. But what did Lord Rama and Devi Sita eat when they were banished into the forests? Or what did Kannagi and Kovalan of the ancient Tamil epic poem Silappathigaram have for supper? Sure enough, the man to turn to was Dr. Achaya, who researched into the ancient texts and commentaries to find answers. For example, what was served as a meal in the court of the Kingdom of Ayodhya was highlighted by him by digging into the Ramayana, and narrated in his book The Story of Our Food. Tamil Sangam poems and epics mention quite a few dishes, both as meals and as snacks. Meat, fowl and fish are written about but strangely enough, the vegetable spread in all these â be it Ramayana, Silappathigaram or Manimekalai, appears rather sparse. What were the vegetables that Lord Rama and Devi Sita ate? Or Kannagi, Kovalan, Madhavi and King Nedunchezian, for that matter? Alas, it was rather bland fare on this score â brinjals or eggplant, okra or ladies' fingers, drumsticks, gourds of various types, spinach and related greens, onion and ginger, and of course black pepper. Certainly not many that we eat today â potato, tomato, peas, tapioca, groundnut, chillies, cauliflower, cabbage and so forth; Dr. Achaya points out that all these are `exotic' imports, brought by the Portuguese and later.
Good Lord! Idli is not Indian!!
But where he really pricked my Tamilian bubble was with his well argued case that Idli is not really an Indian invention, but might have been imported from Indonesia! In Box 19 of his Indian Food: A Historical Companion, on the snacks of the South, he first points out that while early Tamil Sangam literature talks of Dosai, reference to Idli comes only after 920 AD. Even as late as the 17th century, the Indian Idli missed three elements of its modern version â use of rice grits, fermentation overnight and steaming of the batter. Steaming is an ancient Chinese method and Xuan Zang, the Chinese traveller to India in the 7th century, says that India did not have a steaming vessel. Apparently, cooks who accompanied the Hindu kings of Indonesia during their visits home during the 8th to 12th centuries AD brought fermentation techniques with them, as also perhaps steaming methods and vessels.
As can be seen, his research into food science was thorough and imbued with a sense of historical continuity. <b>For example, he points out how in 300 BC, the Arthasastra described the balanced meal of a gentleman as 500 g rice, 125 g dal, 56 g oil and salt. This is the same in essentials as the recommended balanced diet that the Indian Council of Medical Research laid down in 1987 AD.</b>
Mr. Oils and Fats
Specialists in the field regarded his professional books Fats and Oils in Human Nutrition (written a s the FAO Food and Nutrition paper 57), Indian Dairy Products (coauthored with K.S. Rangappa), Interfaces between Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Science, his chapters in the book Textbook of Human Nutrition, as well as his articles in the NFI journal (Concerns over vegetable oils, July 1984; Fat intake in India, April 1986; Fats in breast milk, October 1986), as authoritative, well-researched and advancement to our knowledge in the field. Indeed, the saying in the field was "when in doubt, ask Thammu". (Though, as Runku Advani wrote in the February 25, 2001 issue of The Hindu about him: "Slim and dapper, he has does not seem to have overly partaken of the substances upon which he has glinted through the microscope").
Dr. Achaya had a cosmopolitan, yet demanding taste in art and music, and readily told apart the inspiring from the imitative or the inflicting. Listening to some pleasing film songs of Ilayaraja, he at once pointed out to me how they were direct lifts from the Brazilian Samba and Bossa Nova songs. I am told that while at Hyderabad he was one of the singers of a city choir.
The legacy that he leaves behind
More often than not, we sing the praises of those who made a mark in `basic' or `pure' sciences, and tend to sideline or ignore equally valuable ones who toiled in the softer sciences such as food and nutrition, agriculture and veterinary sciences, and the like.
Dr. Achaya had to his credit his 150 research publications, 11 patents, 8 books, 19 Ph. D students, and the walloping citation number of over 650 for his major book. And he was honoured with several national and international professional awards and prizes.
Despite these, I feel he should have been recognised even more both by the scientific establishment and by the government. Here was a man who should have got at least a Padma Bhushan, for the effective way in which he made us understand our rich heritage in food and nutrition.
Recognition of this type sends signals that we hold such scholars and such research in high esteem, and motivates others. We need more Achayas in our country to point out to us what are valuable in the traditional Indian diets, and how we can conquer impaired and unbalanced nutrition in Indians using these time-tested and affordable items of native cuisine.
There are but a handful of such scientist-advocates left, and Achaya's legacy will need to be carried forward. We look to institutions like the home science colleges and universities across India, the National Instititute of Nutrition, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Defence Food Research Institute, Nutrition Society of India, Nutrition Foundation of India and similar organisations to carry the torch forward and make it shine brighter for a healthier nation and the world.
D. Balasubramanian
dbala@lvpeye.stph.net
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Indian Zeera (Cumin) Cookie </b>
(Salted Cumin cookies)
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour (unbleached for better taste)
3/4 cup vege oil minus 1 tbl spoon
1/4 cup sugar (ground)
1.5 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon zeera
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
How to Cook:
1. Mix ground sugar and oil. Add one egg and mix well.
2. Add plain flour, cumin seeds, salt, baking powder and mix well.
3. Shape the cookie cutter or roll it and cut in square.
4. Put on the greased baking sheets and bake at 350F for about 12-15 minutes or until light brown.
5. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Cooking Time: 30 minutes.
11-25-2004, 03:17 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-25-2004, 03:39 AM by ramana.)
For rajesh G: Gujarati Dishes
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
<!--QuoteBegin-ramana+Nov 24 2004, 02:47 PM-->QUOTE(ramana @ Nov 24 2004, 02:47 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> For rajesh G: Gujarati Dishes
Happy Thanksgiving!!! <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&:drool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/drool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='drool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Ramana garu..
For those not familiar the recipes on this link are the Jain versions. Meaning no onion, no garlic, no potatoes, etc.. Gujarat has a big Jain population and in all restaurants you can order the Jain version just like in the US you can order burger-without-patty or chicken-quesadilla-without-chicken.. <!--emo& --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Happy thanksgiving everybody .. <!--emo&:rocker--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rocker.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rocker.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Does Achaya' s book mention who invented the Papad and when? It seems to be evenly present across a wide part of India in many forms so it must have been invented early. The only other people I have seen having something vaguely like Papad are the Chinese. Actually what they have is more like fried sago fritters.
Can anybody help me? Looking for Ameri Khaman's receipe.
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