Gujarathi Gathiya

For this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, Srivalli got the recipe for Gujarathi snack Gathiya from Vaishali who got it from her friend. Gathiya is a savoury snack which is almost like the south Indian kara sev. The only difference is it is mildly spiced whereas kara sev is extremely spicy. I made this two days back. Sruti is not a great fan of savoury snacks but hubby dear loved it. We are having a nice time during coffee. They pair up perfectly. The addition of baking soda to the dough is very quite interesting. We need to roast baking soda until brown and then add it to the flour. This makes sure that the gathiyas melt in the mouth. The addition of ajwain/ omam gives it a nice flavour.

Read more »

Dhokar Dalna

For this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, Srivalli chose a Bengali delicacy from Sandeepa's Bong Mom Blog. I have made dhokar dalna previously for another monthly challenge. So I was in two minds to prepare it again. But still I went through Sandeepas's recipe. She has also listed some of the variations of dhokar dalna in the blogosphere. I read all the recipe links she has given and chose one which was very different. The recipe is from One Hot Stove. I liked the recipe as it had coconut, one of our favourite ingredients, in it. And it also didn't have potatoes. I though this would be perfect for my DH. I prepared it in the morning, had it for breakfast along with dosa and also had it for lunch with rice. Both combinations were tasty and I think it would taste good with roti too.The preparation of the lentil cakes/ dhokas is quite elaborate but the result was very good. Try it once and you will surely love it. 

Read more »

Chatti Pathiri

For this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, Srivalli chose a multi layered sweet from Kerala. Chatti Pathiri - sweet version is from Anita of Slice Of My Life. Usually chatti pathiri is made as a savory dish with layers of pathiri sandwiched between meat fillings. It is like the Indian version of Lasagna. The fillings differ in the sweet version. Lots of nuts and coconut are added to make this delicious and rich treat. Both hubby and daughter liked it but we couldn't have more than a small portion as it is very heavy because of the nuts, coconut, coconut milk and poppy seeds. Refrigerate the remaining chatti pathiri. If you have many guests, then it would be the perfect treat for them.

Read more »

Raj Kachori

It has been nearly a week since I last posted here. My daughter was on her vacation and I was feeling so lazy to do any cooking, clicking or posting. For this month's Indian Cooking Challenge, which was supposed to be posted on 15th, I am posting it a week later. But it is better late than never. Srivalli  chose the famous Rajasthani Raj Kachori for this month on Vaishali's suggestion. Before marriage, I used to make Raj Kachori frequently. Even my brother's friends would come home with family and we used to relish it a lot. But after marriage, it was a shock that PK was not a great fan of chaats ( I am talking about 9 years earlier, but now he is a great fan of the chaats I prepare at home). He hated pani puris and the only chaat he used to eat was the masala puri from a nearby vendor but it never tasted like masala puri. I was so sad that I even stopped eating chaat. But when I started blogging, the chaat fan in me came to life and I started preparing varieties at home. I was not worried that PK will not eat but atleast I could eat. The scene changed drastically and PK became a great fan of my home made chaats. And when Valli announce this month's ICC, I remembered the good old days. But what I used to prepare was a little different from Vaishali's recipe. As Vaishali is the queen of chaats in our group, I just followed her recipe without altering. Will be posting my version later. The chaat turned out delicious and we devoured it happily. Sruti even tasted it but with out any chutneys. I made it according to her wish. She chose the fillings and topping. Kids today know how to get mama to the job...

Read more »