Dhokra

DHOKRA       

A firm favourite in most Gujarati households, this steamed dish is made with fermented gram and rice flour mix.  The Dhokra mix is ferented with sharp tasting yoghurt (this gives the dhokra its tangy flavour). 

There are many varieties of dhokla, made with different lentils, spices and even semolina however, in our household, the dhokra is  made to the traditional recipe and quite often on the menu. During Fall (Autumn) on a crisp cold morning, nothing beats the comfort of savouring garma garam Dhokra with a cup of steaming masala chai.

1 cup dhokra mix                                     

1/2 cup yogurt                                     

1/2 tea sp salt                                     

3/4 tea sp ginger paste                                     

3/4 tea sp garlic paste                                     

1 1/2 tea sp eno                                     

1 tab sp oil 1cup

dhokra fl mix with yogurt and ferment over night. (This makes 2 trays of dhokra) Add all the above ingredient while making dhokra except eno.Put water in the steamer ,turn the heat on let the steamer get hot. Oil the tray,make 2 parts of the mixture add 3/4 tea sp eno mix well  pour the batter in the  tray slowly put the tray  in the steamer let it cook for 15 min.                    

                 

Summer Cooler with Fennel Seeds

An amazingly cooling, refreshing zingy drink served with lots of ice makes a fabulous summer cooler.  The drink has no harmful colorants or additives.  Fennel seeds are the main ingredient in this cooler and these seeds have many benefits.  Fennel seeds help freshen breath and aid digestion and often these are used in desi mukhwas as a breath freshner and an aid to digestion.

In Dar-es-Salaam it is almost always very warm and I used to make this cooler very often for the Chinmaya Mission meetings that I led and the Gayatri Parivar events at our home.  We never served shop brought drinks at these events and the ladies that hosted these events always came up with an amazing array of refreshing drinks that helped keep everyone cool and hydrated.  This drink is also served at engagement ceremonies in Gujarati households although I dont quite know why or how this became a tradition.

Whilst reminiscing about Dar, I had mentioned this to my Charleston friends and my friend Sadhna who was hosting a get together over the weekend, suggested I make this cooler for all the guests.    We wanted to serve a drink that was interestingly different and at the same time appetising and refreshing.  Judging by the fact that there was only half a glassful left over, the drink was a deemed to be a sure hit with the guests. So a big thank you to Sadhna for suggesting I make this drink; it definitely reminded me of my time in Dar and I loved making this cooler.

How to make Varyali nu pani:

1/2 cup waryari (fennel seeds)

3 cups fresh lemon juice

3 cups sugar

hand full rose petals

few drops rose water

soak the fungreeg for 2/3 hrs .Crushed the seeds and rose petals,pass it through tea strainer.add few drops of rose water and all above ingredients .Mix well and top with crushed ice.

Bharu bateta shak

Bharu bateta shak

This is a traditional Gujarati curry (Shak).  Small potatoes (new /baby potatoes) are scrubbed, peeled and slit  3/4 of they way through the middle so that the potato remains whole but can hold the crushed peanut stuffing. If you have ever visited a Gujarati household during meal times, you may have come across this particular Bharyu Shak. The method of stuffing the potato is something you will gain expertise on once you have made this a few times.  Having said that, if the potato falls apart while you try to fill it with the masala, don’t discard these..simply put the halved potatoes in the pan with the stuffed ones and sprinkle the peanut masala on top. 

The stuffing is mainly peanuts and the masalas from the Masala Dabba amongst a few other pantry ingredients.

Often this curry is made with a combination of baby (purple) eggplant and potatoes.  This is a vegetarian dish that is great for get togethers and a total crowd pleaser.  I sometimes add, onions and bell peppers to this curry but it all depends on who is going to be present at dinner, my son and his friends are not partial to the baby eggplants so I will avoid these when they are dining in.

   A word of warning to the novice cook – watch the cooking process as the peanuts do have a tendency to settle at the bottom of the pan.

10 small potatoes

2 tab sp ground pea nuts

2 tab sp dhana jeeru

1 tab sp gram flower

1 tea sp turmeric powder

1 tea sp chilli powder

1 1/2 tea sp salt

1/2 tea sp sugar

1/2 tea sp lemon juice

1 tab sp oil  ( will need 5 tab sp oil to cook potatoes as well)

1/2 tea sp rai

pinch of asafoetida

2 tab sp crushed tomatoes

Mix pea nuts,dhana jeeru,gram fl,turmeric powd,chilli pow,salt,sugar,1 tab sp oil,toghter and fill the half splited potatoes. in the pot add 5 tab sp oli,heat the oil add rai & asafoetida cover the lid add stuffed potatos add the extra masalas.add 1/4 cup water and let it cook on medium heat.add crushed tomatoes & lemon juice when potatoes half cooked. An easy way is to presher cook.Once the oil gets hot add rai,asafoetida add potatoes and all the above ingredients with 1/2 cup water and in just one whisel is done.Garnish with cilentro. can also microwave : just cover the dish,cook for 3 min  mix toghter microwave for appx 3 more min or until its cooked.Garnish with cilentros.  

                                   

The Zanzibar Mix – Vithlani Style

Over the past few weeks, I have had a lot of requests from family and friends to share with you my recipe of what is termed the “Zanzibar mix”.
The mix as I shall be calling it from hereon, is a combination of chana bateta, dal bhajia, batatawada and cassava chips, peanuts, garnished with nariyal chutney (see previous post).

In our household this used to be on the menu most weekends.  The great thing about this dish is that each person has to create their own “mix” from the several items provided so each and every bowl of mix will vary slightly in taste even though the same ingredients are used.  Start to fill your bowl with boiled cubed potatoes, the chickpeas (grams) cooked in the gravy, then proceed to add the mini dal bhajias, batata wadas and top up with the Nariyal chutney, mogo chips and fried peanuts.  You may want to add chilli powder, more lemon/lime etc the creation  of this taste sensation is entirely yours.  You decide what flavours you like most and fill up your plate accordingly.

In Tanzania, there are some very popular vendors selling their version of the “mix” some made with coconut milk, some using boiled peanuts and potator crisps etc.  I think the name “mix” was given to it because of the obvious method of presentation;  a mixture of various foods.  I’m thinking that the vendors that sold chana bateta, dal bhajia, bateta wadas must have decided to use up all these items, add some sauces, and serve it up and thus this dish was born. An experiment that was sucessful and now a popular brunch menu. In Mwanza, my brother has “mix for his brunch on most days and I remember in Dar, people queue up for the famous Akhada Mix everyday.

As usual, I have added my own twist to this dish and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as all of our friends and family do.  It is a party favourite and I am sure you will be asked to share the recipe over and over again

There is quite a bit of preparation to do beforehand for the mix bit it really is worth the extra effort..

Firstly, soak your dal for the mini dal bhajia and the black gram ( see previous post for bhajia) the night before.    Also ensure you have the ingredients for the Nariyal Chutney and follow previously posted recipe for this.

Aside from the above, you will need a packet of mogo chips, and peanuts as well as enough oil for deep frying the bhajia, batetawada and peanuts.

Thus your main ingredient list should be:

oil for deep frying

black grams (soaked overnight and pressure cooked)

potatoes (steamed)

split black eyed beans (for bhajia) -soaked overnight and then ground

freshly grated coconut

white flour

gram flour

lime/lemon juice

peanuts

mogochips

Other ingredients from your pantry – turmeric, salt, chilli powder, citric acid.

 

 Chana Bateta                                                                        

1/2 cup whole gram (kala chana or brown chickpeas). Soaked overnight in 3 cups water before you plan to make the mix

2 cups water (appx) for boiling

3/4 tea sp salt

4 medium / large potatoes

Pressure cook gharm & potatoes. (you may wish to do these separately as both have different cooking times)

Set on the side.

Use 3 of the cooked potatoes for mix ( cut in to small cubes)

Mash 1 boiled  potato for making batetawada.

 Batetawada

 1 boiled potato smashed

 1/8 tea sp turmeric powder

 1/2 tea sp salt

 2 tab sp gram fl

 1/2 tea sp citric acid

make small round balls like marbel deep fry.

Dal Bhajia – follow the recipe from the previous post but make marble sized bhajias this time.

 Sauce:

3 cups water

3 tab sp white flour

1/2 tea sp turmeric powder

1/2 tea sp chili powder

 3/4 tea sp salt

Mix white flour with water add above ingredients boil add boiled potatoes & gram lemon juice

In the picture above you will see mini dal bhajia, potato and chickpeas (in gravy), mini btatawada, coconut chutney, deep fried peanuts and mogochips – all these are combined to form the perfect mix!

                                                                   

 1/2 cup pea nuts

Deep fry peanuts sprincle pinch of salt. Casava chips(mogo chips)

coconut chutny. see prevoius post