Kankotri

 

 

 

 

Hete lakhiye re Kankotri re lol, avsar aviyo che rudo anganey re lol..
Amara Akash na kaka kaki ,mama mami,  veera bhabhi, beni, faiba, masi, saga  sambandhi, sau vela avjo re lol, hete lakhiye re kankotri re lol….and so the preparations for my son Akash’s wedding have begunManu and I have great respect for tradition so we even made the supda for the moong vidhi.  We want to embrace this occassion with attention to detail and this even included the moong bhat lapsi that were cooked on the day.

We have many family and friends around the globe and so the invites have to be sent earlier to give guests a chance to book their flights and plan their visit and of course their wedding wardrobe. It also allows us to plan the seating arrangements, catering, transport to and from airports etc.

With the wedding date set Manu, I and the Vithlani family will now send out the Kankotri (wedding invitations) to our near and dear.  This is a huge task and there is of course a ritual / ceremony for the writing of the Kankotri.

Kanku chanti kankotri mokaljo, kesar chanti kankotri mokaljo ema lakhjo Shree Ganeshji na naam, Ganeshji vehla avsho….this has lately become my favourite song.

The kankotri was traditionally written on a piece of paper with the details of the ceremonies and times for the mandap ropan and hasta melap.  Then this kankotri would be sprinkled with kanku (red powder colour), kesar (saffron) chokha (rice grains) and we carry on this tradition albeit that the kankotri is now in the form of a heavily embossed card.

The ritual:
It  starts with invoking and inviting Lord Ganesha and his consorts  Riddhi ,Siddhi, Kul devi, and our beloved Jalaram Bapa.  The very first kankotri is issued to the Lord and the temple (temple being our in house shrine) then, grand parents (in our case our sister in law Manju bhabhi, Akash’s in laws and maternal uncles/aunts, close relatives and then the rest of the invitees.   The first dignitaries should receive kankotri’s by hand and the names of the guests always written in red ink, red being an auspicious colour.

Each member of the family has their name mentioned in the traditional song “kanku chanti” as to stress the importance that the marriage is more than just the union of the bride and the groom. It brings together all the family in a very happy way.  Akash is the youngest boy in our family and very much adored! I am told that his cousins have already begun planning their wedding outfits and are looking forward to the big day.  My brothers, sisters in law and sister send me regular messages and clips of lagna geet.

I have posted these pictures so our non gujarati friends can get some insight into the ceremony.. Its true that Gujarati weddings go on for several days!!!

 

 

Farari chevdo

FARARI CHEVDO

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Falahari chevdo has got be on top of the list when it comes to food for vrat (fasting).  The carb laden deep fried grated potato or mogo, peanuts, cashews, chillies, limbdo, and then the black pepper, salt, sugar as masala. There are many variations our there, some people add fried raisins, some don’t add sugar, some add citric acid or fried cilantro. Then again, some add not only grated potato but also sliced potato to add a bit more texture.  I guess it all depends on what recipe has been handed to you by friends or family members.

This chevdo is best served with a squeeze of lemon although in the Vithlani household they eat this with tangy yoghurt. There is something about the Vithlani’s and their need to have yoghurt with pretty much every meal; they will somehow convince themselves and you that dahi goes with everything!!

I don’t often make this chevdo as we tend to indulge a bit too much when it is available and our waistlines would not be so happy but when I do fry this gorgeous concoction, then I will have the guilty pleasure of consuming far too much chevdo (a little of what you fancy once in a while can’t be bad for you right?)

Here is my recipe.  Do try this and I promise you that the effort is well worth it. You will want to indulge.

 

 

2 cups cassava chips

4 cups potato chips

1/2 cup pea nuts

1 cup cashew nuts

1/2 cup almonds ( cut in to half)

1/2 cup raisins

2 teaspoons salt

4tea spoons black pepper powder

2 1/2 tea spoon sugar

 

Oil for deep frying

Fry each item separately ,cassava chip, potato chips, peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts and raisins. Every thing need to be fried in separate batches and drain on the paper towel. Add the above masala. Black pepper, salt, and sugar.

 

Temparing

2 table spoon oil

hand full curry leaves

4/5 green chili cut round.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan ,add green chilies and curry leaves. As it starts to crackle ,pour over the chewdo , and gentle toss this mixture to ensure its thoroughly blended. Let the chewdo cool completely .Store in an air tight container.

 

 

 

Chai Masalo

 

CHAI MASALA

 

Masala chai or tea infused with spices is pretty much a standard in most Indian homes.  It is perhaps the ultimate comfort, a hug in a mug (or cup or a clay vessel) that can be found in many homes across the globes each morning.  The tea with masala is generally sweetened with sugar but these days as people are becoming health conscious, the sugar is often omitted. Nonetheless, the chai needs masala to hit the spot. It is almost a ritual. Masala for chai is mainly aromatics but these have healing properties too and it is said that it keeps bugs at bay in the winter if you drink this sweet, spice infused chai.The masala chai is generally made by boiling a pan of water with tea leaves / bags. Chai Masala and sugar are added to the pan and the water is brought to the boil. Milk (generous amount) is then added and the whole thing brought to a rolling boil for a good few minutes and then strained into cups or mugs and drunk steaming hot.  Indians love their masala chai at breakfast, with snacks during the day. In our home tea is served with parotha, thepla, gujarati snacks, toast and even cookies.. basically, a cup of masala wari chai is hardly ever turned down.

The chai masala recipes vary from household to household but basic ingredients are cardamom and ginger.  Some people add cloves, some a bit of mace, and black pepper. The quantities of the spices also vary according to taste whilst some people add fresh ginger and mint to their tea along with the masala. The masala is best if it is fresh and I do not recommend making a year’s supply.  Make it in small batches to last a few weeks and then repeat.

 

I am sharing here my recipe for the perfect blend of spices for your cup of chai.

 

1/2  lb driend ginger

1/2 lb black pepar

1/4 lb cinnamon

2 whole Nutmeg

2 oz cardamom

handful clove

1 table spoon mace (javintri)

Grind all the above ingredients and make fine powder. Store in an air tight container.

 

PANEER QUESADILLAS

Quesadillas are a Mexican speciality however, with fusion food in vogue and paneer being an all time favourite of my nephews and our friends here in Charleston, I decided to add a twist to the traditional quesadillas.

Now I make paneer at home from whole milk.  I prefer the freshness of the home cooked paneer however store bought paneer also works well.  I gently crumble the paneer and add green chillies (chopped finely) and chopped cilantro, small diced capsicum, onion, mushrooms, salt and taco seasoning.  This mixture is then spread onto half a  tortilla, some shredded Mozzarella is added onto the paneer and then the other half of the tortilla is folded over the paneer mixture to create a semi circle.  I then heat a griddle pan and roast this tortilla until crispy. Quick and easy fusion food for paneer lovers in a few minutes.

 

 

 

1/2 cup crumble panir

2 table spoons taco seasoning

1 green chili ( finely chopped)

1 cup tri color bell pepper (cut in to small cubes)

1 small anion (  finely chopped)

1 small tomato ( cut in to small cubes)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)

1 table spoon oil

oil or butter for rosting

Mix 1 table spoon  taco seasoning  and finely chopped green chilies to the panir and keep on the side. In a pan add oil and soute the above vegetables , add a table spoon of taco seasoning  and soute for couple minutes and turn off  the heat.

Heat the oil or the butter in a shallow pan, put tortilla and laydown the panir first. add the vegetables,  and top with cheese. Fold in half or you can roll it too. r on low heat .

Jalaram Jayanti Charleston

       

 

 

So its Jalaram Jayanti again and the Jikoni has been rather busy.As per my previous post, we sponsored this event at the Charleston Gujarat Samaj on Sunday 2 November 2014.

We decided to serve the traditional fare of  garma garam kichdi, shak, rotla, papdi, gajar marcha nu athanu, ganthia and boondi all washed down with a glass of chhash.

So I was up at 6am starting on the rotla and then making the shak and khichdi.

I have really been blessed as things progressed like clockwork.  The excitement had been building up for days as I planned for the event right down to the aarti, haar (garlands) etc.

A huge thank you to my friends for coming up with the big cooking vessels etc, you guys rock.

Oh and just to top things off, I am also posting picture of the Jalaram Jayanti cake baked by my niece Minu Vithlani from the UK for the Lohana Community of South London.  She sponsors this  pretty much each year and we spend a lot of time discussing details and the design. We are so grateful for technology to allow us to see each others work in progress and to be able to discuss our relevant events at great length.