• AlifBe - Curries/Vegetables - Dal/legumes/pulses

    Raanh/Chauran ~AlifBe~24

    As mentioned many times in the AlifBe series, the 52 letters of Sindhi Alphabet are divisible into 16 shape groups and so far four shape groups are done and dusted! For the recap of the alphabets covered so far, please check this list! In the 5th shape group there are three letters and the first one in this group isر  in Arabic Sindhi, र in Devanagari, while in Roman Sindhi it is R as in Ratnagiri/Rajasthan etc. And the corresponding Sindhi dish is Raanh, also called Chauran and Chawli for AlifBe of Sindhi Food #24 Raanh or Black eyed beans…

  • AlifBe - Jams/Pickles

    Kagzi Lemon Pickle for Alifbe~23

    The 23rd letter in Sindhi Alphabet (AlifBe) is  ذ  i.e  ज़  in Devanagari and in Roman Sindhi it is Z as in  Zebra ! Ideally this Z i.e ذ  is used in words that are not of Sindhi Origin. This Z is known as ‘Zaal‘ and is used in words like ‘Zaro‘(means ‘little’) or  Kaagaz (Paper). Since no Sindhi Vegetarian dish starts with this particular Z (There are 3 more ‘Z’s in Arabic Sindhi) I was about to skip this one . But I realised that there is one traditional Sindhi pickle called ‘leemun Ji Khatain~’ (Lemon/lime Pickle) made using…

  • AlifBe

    AlifBe Of Sindhi Food~ Recap of 4th Shape group

    In my first post of AlifBe series I have mentioned that the 52 letters of Sindhi Alphabet, known as AlifBe or Alaph Ambh~u, could be divided into sixteen basic shape groups. So far I have covered 22 alphabets that come under 4 different shape groups! To check the recap of 1st, 2nd and 3rd shape group, kindly check this  link! And now the recap of 4th shape group: د    (द/D~) as in Dehradun or as in Dal Dimma ڌ    (ध/Dh~) as in Dharamshala  or as in Dhaage Waara Karela ڏ    (ड/D^)  as in D^othiyun ڊ    (ड/D)…

  • AlifBe - Breakfast - Roti/Flatbreads

    Dhodho Chatni~ Alifbe~22

    Parsad (Prasad or an oblation) distributed in Sindhi temples or Tikana could be as unpretentious as Misri (rock candy) or as eye appealing as D^othee , it could be as sacrosanct as the Karah parsad (Kadah Prasad) or as revered as the Dona parsad of the Puj Chaliha Sahib Mandir (in Ulhasnagar). Mostly anything sweet is offered to the deities and a prasad is generally made from different kind of flours, ghee, sugar, jaggery, used in various combinations and proportions  and cooked in varying ways to make sweets of infinite flavors and textures. Fresh fruits too are abundantly distributed in…

  • AlifBe - Breakfast - Snacks - Street Food - Vegan

    Dabal Pakora~ AlifBe~ 21

    Alifbe of Sindhi Food, the series about A-Z of Sindhi food is now at the 21st letter; ڊ or D in Roman Sindhi and ड in Devanagari ! D as in Daddy, Dairy, Daily etc! And I couldn’t help but pick one of the most popular Sindhi street foods, the Dab^al Pakor^a (In Roman Sindhi) or Dabal Pakora (Pakora pao/sandwich) for ڊ ! The term Dabal is used for Double roti which could mean Pav/Pao or even the sliced bread, in Sindhi! Bread is being commonly used in Sindhi households since past many decades (probably even before the Partition happened)…

  • AlifBe - Festival - For Kids - Sweet Dishes - Temptation

    Dothiyun~Sindhi Saata~AlifBe~20

    Dothiyun (singular – Dothee) or Saatta, the popular Sindhi sweet, similar to Kutchi Saata or Gujarati Devada are highly addictive and a delight to relish. Basically a dothee (D^othee in Roman Sindhi) is a fried, sugar glazed cookie made from all purpose flour and ghee/vanaspati. Dothiyun are generally send in to married daughters and sisters on Vadhi Thadri . These are also a part of the ‘Phula Jalan’ or ‘Phula bhugra’ ritual after a child is born, when the mother is given Puffed rice, roasted chana, Mesu (Mysore Pak) and D^othiyun by the parents (maiden family of the new mother),…

  • AlifBe - Side dish - Vegan

    Dhaage Waara Karela~AlifBe~19

    I have been cooking food since last three decades or so. In all these years I have cooked for family, friends, relatives and even strangers.Have shared home made cakes, cookies, pickles, jams, curries, koki, snacks, Pulav and Biryanis with many of those whom I came across but none of these ever fetched me as many applauds as this humble, often uncherished, ignored and despised dish; stuffed bitter melons/bitter gourds! Of course this dish is on the menu only if I know that the person likes bitter gourds. I know many who love to hate this bitter tasting vegetable but thankfully…