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Gyarsi (Ekadashi) Khadho For AlifBe~38

Alka Keswani — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 06:55:45 +0000

Gyarsi Khadho or the Sindhi Ekadashi food is my pick for the AlifBe of Sindhi food~ 38. The 38th alphabet in Persio Arabic script is گ in Sindhi, ग in Devanagari and ‘G‘ as in Ganga, in Roman Sindhi. Gyars: Gyars (Giyaras/ Igyas) is observed on the eleventh day of Hindu Lunar month. In each lunar month two Gyars (Ekadashi) are observed. Like many other communities, even Sindhi people observe the Ekadashi fast. Upvas or fasting as we call it, is an essential part of any culture. There are various ways to observe a fast and there are various types of fasts. Be it Chaliha, Lent/Shrove Tuesday, Roza/Ramadan, Karva Chowth, Teej, Navratri, Paryushan or any other religious or spiritual fast, the beliefs may vary, the rituals may be poles apart but the crux remains more or less the same i.e to connect with the Supreme power and to connect with your own-self in a disciplined way. For many Hindus, Upvas is a synonym of fasting or to abstain from food. For religious folks, Upvas or Upa (near/close)+ Vas (to stay/ live) is the time to get closer to his or her deity while for many spiritual people, upvas means to connect with their own self, to introspect, to control their desires, to stay in solitude and to become a better version of his or her self. Of course not everyone understands the true essence of Upavas and for many it just means indulging in a different way. We tend to look for tempting recipes using pseudo grains when grains are not allowed, we feast on fancy ‘satvik’ food cooked with ingredients that our ancestors never knew about, restaurants and eateries offer ‘fasting’ meals to ‘satiate’ your taste buds, the markets are flooded with all sorts of feasts to break your fast. I feel so amused! Well, I am not the one who believe in the moral policing and I am as much guilty as many of us would be, when it comes to feasting on a fasting day. We surely need to mend our ways! Coming to Gyars or Ekadashi, the day is considered to be a sacred day to worship Lord Vishnu and the Sindhis abstain from consuming meat, grains, beans/pulses, cereals, table salt (sendha namak is used instead) and spices except black pepper and cumin (many even avoid cumin seeds). Leafy greens and vegetables are also avoided in the Gyarsi (Ekadashi) food, by majority of Sindhis observing the fast. For those who observe Ekadashi, the Gyarsi breakfast generally consists of fruits or Kirng (Kin~g) i.e samo porridge. The porridge made from samo seeds could be sweet or savory (cooked with salt and black pepper). It is generally paired with shallow fried potatoes flavored with sendha namak and freshly pounded black pepper. Lunch consists of Gyarsi Bhaji and Dhodho. Video Recipe of Gyarsi Bhaji and Dhodho: Gyarsi Bhaji: A soupy, tangy curry is cooked with roasted samo flour (Bagar/ Varai) known as Sauri (sauvri) to which potatoes and boiled lotus stem are added. The curry is flavored with salt, pepper and tamarind juice. It is paired with Gyarsi Dhodho i.e a patted roti made from Sauri flour to which mashed boiled potatoes are added for the binding. Scroll down for the recipe of Bhaji and Dhodho! If in the season, Lahori Gajar i.e boiled/roasted or syrup sweetened sweet potatoes are also had on Ekadashi. Coconut, sago wafers, dates, peanuts are consumed as snacks or many consume sabudana khichdi in the evening. The above picture is shared by Mrs Urvashi Dama. This is Gyarsi platter and a particular dish that intrigued me was Kuttu Je Daro (dar-ey) Ja Dhokla or the Dhokla made from broken Buckwheat (groats), a traditional dish popular in some Sindhi subcastes (Do Nasarpuri Sindhis make this commonly?Please share any information you have). In the above picture you can see steamed Kuttu Dhokla and also the fried Dhokla. Urvashi Ji was generous enough to share the recipe of this lesser known dish. If you wish to get her recipe, just leave a comment in the comment section! Though Rajgira and Kuttu (Amaranth) puri and pakode are also had by some but many avoid the greasy puri pakoda. These are more popular with those who observe only one Ekadashi in whole year i.e Vadhi Gyars (Prabhodhini Ekadashi) and for many of us it is an occasion to relish Rajgiri and Kuttu (Buckwheat) puri/ pakora, the tempting Gyarsi patties and the tangy, off white colored Beeh alu curry sold in the shops and eateries in Sindhi populated areas on Vadhi Gyars. Print Gyarsi (Ekadashi) Khadho For AlifBe~38 Ingredients For Curry (Sindhi Gyarsi Bhaji/ Gyarsi Beeh patata) 3 medium sized Potatoes 100-150 gm Lotus stem ¼ cup Sauri flour 1 small tamarind ball Salt (preferably sea salt or rock salt ) 1 tbsp Black pepper powder 1 Green chilli (optional) 2 tbsp Oil 2 cups Water For Dhodho (Flat bread) Makes 3 200 gms ( 2 and half cup) Sauri (Bagar.varai/Samo) Flour Salt as per taste 1 tbsp Black pepper (crushed or powdered) 2 tbsp Oil (optional) 2 Mashed boiled potatoes Water as much needed Oil and ghee to cook roti. Method Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water for about 15 min, mash it properly, and discard the fibre and seeds. We will use the tamarind water only. Scrap off the peel of lotus stem and cut in slants (1-2 cm thick). If the stem is very thin in diameter, you can cut it in 2 inch long pieces (not slanted). Clean the stem thoroughly if their is any mud inside the pores. Use running water and tooth picks to clean pores. If you buy the stem that is closed at both the ends, there wont be any mud inside. Boil lotus stem along with water and few drops of oil, in a pressure cooker. You can use some raw papad instead of oil to hasten the cooking process. A good quality Beeh (Lotus stem) will soften in 2-3 whistles of pressure cooker. When pressure subsides, open the lid of cooker and drain lotus stem. Keep aside. Heat a pressure cooker and add 2 tbsp oil. Add add sauri flour. Roast it till slight change in colour is observed. Add water, salt, black pepper powder and potato cubes along with boiled lotus stem, tamarind water, green chilli (if using) and mix properly. Close the lid of cooker and wait for 2 whistles. Later, check the consistency of gravy and adjust accordingly. This curry is supposed to be soupy. It tends to thicken with time. This Sindhi Gyarsi (Ekadashi) Beeh patata are relished with gyarsi dhodha To Make Dhodho Take 200 gm of sauri flour , and mix salt, pepper, mashed potatoes and 2 tbsp oil (optional) Please Note: Adding oil will make Dhodho crisp while skipping oil will make Dhodho softer. Potatoes are added for the binding. So do not skip potatoes. Instead of using boiled potatoes you can use few chunks of potatoes from the Gyarsi Subzi. Mix everything well. Adding little water at a time, knead a soft dough. Grease your palms with little oil, take a portion of the dough and pat it between your palms (refer the recipe) video to flatten the dough ball as much as possible. Now grease a hot griddle (tawa) and gently pat the flattened dough rolling in circular motion with palm of your hand, till a thickness of paratha is achieved (since this is bit tricky, an easy way out is to take a clean polythene bag or butter paper and lay on kitchen platform. Now sprinkle some flour on this polythene sheet and place the dough, and then gently pat it in circular motion till a thick roti is formed and carefully pick it up and place on greased and hot griddle) Pour a little of oil and let the Dhodho cook on medium flame till small brown patches appear. Toss and cook on other side too. Repeat for the remaining dough. Enjoy it hot with gyarsi bhaji or with dahi The dough tends to get loose and difficult to handle with time. Hence make sure to cook the flatbread as soon as you knead the dough. 3.5.3251 And if you wish to learn how to read and write Arabic Sindhi, then you can watch these short videos that I make for letter formation!

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Exploring The World Of Millets With Crazy Kadchi

Alka Keswani — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 11:10:35 +0000

Millets the latest category of superfood, as approved by the West had traditionally been a part of staple food in many regional cuisines but were considered as fodder food by many. Now when the world is waking up to a new era of wholesome, nutritious and ‘real’ food, millets are the new fad. Thankfully few varieties of millets like sorghum (Jowar), Bajra, Samo etc are part of traditional Sindhi cuisine and we have been relishing these in the form of patted flatbreads (Doda/Dodoh), porridge (Samo porridge known as Kirng in Sindhi), for cooking Satvik meals using Sauri (Bagar/Barnyard) for Gyaaras (Ekadashi) and consuming Rajgira (Amaranth) in the form of ladoos, chikki etc. My knowledge about Millets was restricted to above mentioned varieties and honestly speaking, I never could figure out how these could be used in ways that would appeal young and old or how to make variety of appetizing snacks or droolworthy meals by incorporating millets.Then I came across Shalini Rajani, the Recipe Developer, Trainer and Founder at Crazy Kadchi and we talked for hours and hours, about Sindhi food. She was a copywriter by profession then, but her heart was into the fascinating world of food! She quit her full time advertising career as a Creative Copy Supervisor in the year 2013 and since then she has been religiously working on developing recipes using ancient grains and creating unusual or ingenious dishes!Not many have a heart to ditch their flourishing careers and head towards uncharted path, following their dreams and slogging hard, day and night, week after weeks, for years, and yet keep on marching, passionately, despite of all the hardships and hiccups. I have been following her journey… from slogging in the corporate world to organizing cooking workshops covering regional cuisines, soups and salads, Mocktails, baking etc, from catering healthy home made snacks to taking up cooking sessions teaching exciting Navratri food, sans the otherwise omnipresent potatoes (# Potato free Navratra) and by using millets in most amazing ways (how does Kuttu katori chaat and a Barnyard millet fruit tart sound?) and I am truly proud of her. Last year I got lucky and received some of her signature snacks- home made, healthy, delicious and I was so delighted when the otherwise apprehensive family members too relished those goodies like anything. I just wanted to learn those recipes so that I could make healthy and nourishing snacks for the family. Thankfully I got many of her recipes by following her weekly articles in the newspaper that are all about nourishing food and she often uses unexplored ingredients to create dishes that have unique flavors, textures and are usually loaded with oomph factor. You can check her published recipes here ! Till date, Shalini has conducted 188 offline and online workshops introducing millets to the uninitiated and helping others to include millets in their daily diets in unique ways. I always wished to attend one of her workshops but she being in Gurgaon and me, in Mumbai, it was not possible until the covid 19 situation trapped us in our respective homes and forced us to look around for feasible options to carry on our work, online.So recently when I was talking to Shalini over phone about how things have changed in the lockdown, she told me that she is now conducting online cooking workshops and that there is a popular one, called ‘5 day Millets workshop’ that includes a theory session (one to one, over phone/online) and plenty of amazing recipes using millets and other healthy ingredients, in most creative ways. The sessions are spread across the days and if you request her, she does let you follow the classes at your own pace considering that the Covid 19 situation is not easy for many to handle on day to day basis. The recipes are shared via email, along with cooking videos too, to make things easier and more fascinating.I requested her to enroll me too, for the online workshop and she went out of the way to arrange the theory session at 7:30 in the morning to suit my erratic and hectic daily schedule. The session was an eye opener, to say the least, as I already mentioned how restricted my knowledge about millets used to be. I took the liberty of discussing my diet restrictions and she, very patiently handled my doubts and queries. I received the recipes (via email) as per the process of workshop and I am supposed to try out and discuss issues or doubts if any, with her and provide my feedback once I try out her recipes. You can contact her via facebook or Whatsapp and rest assured, every doubt, every query would be answered by her. Do follow her on Instagram @crazykadchi to explore the world of millets. You can thank me later 🙂 Here are some of her wonderful creations!( Veg Millet Biryani with beetroot botis, Jowar and Spinach kadhi, Ragi Papad) Pic Courtesy : Shalini Rajani @ Crazy kadchi! I have started using millets following her recommendations and the first of her recipes that I tried was of Millet Kebab, crisp from outside and soft from inside’ patties with the goodness of millets, dal, herbs, vegetables and desi ghee Also, since we are talking about millets let me share this small video about patting Juar jo dodoh or the Sindhi style patted jowar roti.Take 2 cups of jowar flour, add salt, one chopped onion, chopped green chillies as per taste,some coriander leaves,2-3 cloves of pounded garlic (usefresh green garlic if available), a tsp of oil/ghee and knead a soft dough. Divide the dough in two portions, roll one portion between palms to make a round ball, flatten it and either pat it directly on a heated tawa ( as shown in video) or use a plastic sheet or butter paper to first pat it and then transfer it on heated griddle. Smear some ghee / oil and flip and cook till done, pouring little ghee and flipping intermittently. Serve hot with curds/ chutney/dal/ subzi of your choice. https://youtu.be/k23wTx_L2I

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Chanvaran jo Dhodho (rice flour flatbread)

Alka Keswani — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:09:59 +0000

Sultry summers are gone here in Mumbai and monsoon showers have knocked the parched earth, giving a sigh of relief, from dusty, sweaty, nasty heat of summer. However, I’ll miss some of my favorite summer things, like making falooda icecream, chilled mangoshakes, jaljeera and of course chilled masala chaach (buttermilk). One more food that associates me with summer afternoons is Dhodho, which is a type of flatbread, made from rice flour.It’s bit sticky, light, not too much spicy yet it serves as a delicious accompaniment with any veggie or Dal and I just love to wash it down with some flavoured masala buttermilk This Dhodho (funny name, isn’t it?) recipe calls for a type of rice, called sona mussorie (not sure, how it is spelt). I guess, people from South of India might be aware of this type of rice, as mostly it is used in Idli/Dosa batters Wikipedia says…… Sona masuri (or its original name Swarna Masuri) is a medium-grain rice grown largely in the Indian states of Andra Pradesh and Karnataka. In Telugu Sona Masuri rice is called as Bangaru Theegalu(meaning Golden Ivy).It is lightweight and aromatic, and considered to be of premium quality.By large it is considered to be a healthy diet as it contains less starch and is easily digestible. Ideal for preparing dishes like sweet pongal, biryani, fried rice etc……. So first of all , you will need to hunt for this type of rice, then wash rice thoroughly, dry for few days in sunlight and then take them to your local chaki waala (flour mill) and get it pounded to get the rice flour.My mom used to follow this procedure, but I generally buy the ready made flour. I compromise on the quality, but I can’t help..there is no enough sunlight around to dry rice and neither any local flour mills in close vicinity. Generally all the Indian flatbreads are made, by rolling the dough with rolling pins and then cooked.But Dhodho is a sindhi specialty which is made by patting the dough with palms of your hands.No rolling pins are used.This is bit tricky, but check out the easier option at the end of this post This one is for my yet another, new friend (of late, I am making lots of friends in blogosphere) Srivalli of Cooking 4all seasons who is hosting a Rotimela Print Chaawaran jo Dhodho(rice flour flatbread) Rating 4.0 from 1 reviews Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Serves: 1 Sindhi style patted rice roti! Ingredients Rice flour (a cup for each Dhodho) Chopped onion,a spoonful for each Chopped Green chilly/es Chopped Coriander leaves 1 spoon for each Salt Oil 2 tsp for each Dhodho Water to knead the flour Method Mix all the ingredients except water Now add water little by little, mixing it properly and knead it, till you get a soft manageable dough.Smooth-en it properly Now bring together the dough and shape it in a round ball.Pat it gently on your palms (you can grease or wet your palms before doing so, to avoid sticky mess) Then carefully place it on greased, hot griddle and quickly keep patting it, till it reach the thickness of paratha. Now this could be really tough for novices, as most of the deed will end up with red palms, burnt Dhodho, or some stuff which just refuses to part from the griddle.Don't get disheartened with that.Just try it this way.....Take a clean plastic sheet (or cut open a poly bag or ziplock pouch), sprinkle some dry flour on that and start patting the dough on that till it achieves required thickness.Then carefully transfer it on griddle, let it cook for few seconds and slide it on the inverted flat plate, then transfer it back on griddle ( this is to help flip) and cook on other side Cook it on medium flame on both sides.Apply some oil after flipping sides,so as to make it crisp Enjoy it hot (it only taste good when hot) with any veggie or dal or buttermilk 3.5.3251

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