My foray into Gujarati Food and Jihva

I have always liked Gujarati Food.The amazing variety and the amazing taste-slightly sweet.... YUMMY! My first taste of this wonderful food was in school, sharing a lunch box. My parents also love Gujju food and so frequenting the restaurants in Mumbai happened a lot. My Favourite joints are "Maharaja" in Chembur and "Rajdhani" near Crawford market (though I have not gone here for a year and more :( ..
Oh the taste of Undhiya! ummmmmm.... !!!

Though I have often eaten Gujarati food, I had never seriously attempted cooking it, so when I came across 'Jihva' and the ingredient this time was Flour... my mind sprang to Daal-Dhokli.. why not use a combination of Flour and lentil....? Oh there are lots of ways of using flour (I thought of many recipes later)and a variety of flour to choose from, but my mind had already latched on to Daal Dhokli :)
So I just went ahead and made it... Hey, I still have loads of time to make all the other things that came to my mind!!

For the Daal:
The portions are small (for 2 people)

¼ cup Tuvar daal
1 green chilly (slit lengthwise)
4-5 Curry leaves
¼ sp Turmeric
Dash of asafetida
¼ sp Tamarind paste
½ sp jaggery powder
¼ sp garam masala
8-10 nos. Peanuts
Salt to taste
½Tomato chopped
1 tsp.Oil / Ghee
A little less than ¼ sp red chilly powder (optional)

For the Dhokli:
¼ cup wheat flour
3 pinches Turmeric
3 Pinches Red chilly powder
Salt
Little Ajwain
Oil
Water

Prepare a dough by mixing all ingredients for the dhokli, similar to roti dough. Keep aside for a while.
Cook Tuvar daal in a pressure cooker (3 whistles).
Heat Ghee, add mustard seeds. Once the seeds crackle, add asafetida, turmeric, green chilly & curry leaves.
Add daal, water & mix well. Add the tomato pieces, peanuts. Add tamarind paste, jaggery, salt, bring to a boil, add Garam masala, red chilly powder and bring to a boil.
Roll out the dough like a roti, cut diamond/ square shape pieces and add to the daal. Boil for 10 mins.
Serve hot. DaalDhokli can be enjoyed as it is, or with rice.

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Pav Bhaji

It's raining in good ol' Mumbai...how I wish I could enjoy the rain!! This brought on a surge of memories of rain....smell of wet earth... rain drops falling on my head and splashing my face... chill in the air..... drinking HOT masala chai sitting at my old window seat with my hands wrapped around the hot cup... eating a SPICY pav bhaji.. walking along the wet seashore (chowpatty).... looking at people sheltering under trees, shop awnings... dogs shaking 1000000's of raindrops from their wet bodies.... picking up a poor little wet kitten shivering at the curb and cuddling it under the umbrella...
Yes, I do miss the rains....!!
And I miss Mumbai Pav-bahji... my favorite type of street food.
Originally sold as street food in Mumbai (and still is) it is one of the most popular of fast food and still ranks very high as compared to the burger joints!A medley of vegetables and spices with a generous dollop of butter, is eaten with pav (buns of unsweetened bread) lightly toasted in butter with a slice of lemon and some finely chopped onion.
I remember my childhood trips to a then famous joint opposite V.T (now C.S.T) station, 'Cannon' where we would wait impatiently for our turn to eat the mouth-watering pav-bahji! One joint where I thoroughly recommend eating is 'Achija' in Ghatkopar (E), on 60 feet road in Mumbai. The taste of pav-bhaji is the best I've eaten (and I can hardly wait to return to India and eat it)! Imitation is the best form of flattery.... here is my imitation :)

Pav Bhaji
3 potatoes
1 bell pepper
1 ½ cup of cauliflower florets
2 large tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic- I have the large ones (can use garlic paste)
¼ cup green peas
2 onions
4 tsp. Pav-bhaji Masala (available in Indian stores, MDH, Everest, Badshah..)
1 tsp. Red chilly powder (optional)
Salt to taste
Butter(loads of it!!)
4-5 tbsp. Oil
Fine chopped cilantro
Pav / slice bread

Boil the potatoes and vegetables (separate). Peel and mash potatoes, mash vegetables
Chop the onion and tomatoes. Peel and crush garlic (finely)
In a wok / kadhai, heat oil add the crushed garlic, add onions and let it cook till onion is soft.
Add chopped tomato and cook till tomato is very soft and can easily be smashed with the back of the spoon. Add Pavbhaji masala and red chilly powder (optional), mix well.
Add vegetables and potato, mix thoroughly add half a cup of water, salt and cook well for 3-4 mins.
Heat a flat griddle, apply butter and lightly toast the pav/ slice bread.
Serve hot with a slice of lemon and fine chopped onion on the side.

Here's how it turned out...
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My dear, I love you ardently

Adore your charm, the way you look,

I'm captivated by your voice,

And yet I will not marry you

Until, sweetheart, you've learned to cook.

How true.... the age old saying.... The way to a man's heart is thru his stomach! Mom was right!

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