mahalakshmi Archives | Sindhi Rasoi |Sindhi Recipes

A to Z Of Sindhi Food

Alka Keswani — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 13:46:01 +0000

When I started working on my project about documenting ancient, traditional as well as lost recipes from Sindhi cuisine, a few years ago, the biggest challenge I faced was the lack of accessible information about the same. The limited documents that I could access, were in Arabic Sindhi, a script that I never could learn, despite of trying umpteen number of times, since my childhood. I felt stuck up. So the only way to move forward was to learn the Arabic script and to make sure that I don’t give up this time, I took up a challenge; The AlifBe of Sindhi cuisine i.e A-Z of Sindhi food. You can read more about this project here! It was a roller coaster ride and I ain’t exaggerating! The challenges I faced while trying to understand the basics of the scripts, the consonants (52 alphabets!!!!), the vowels, the formation of alphabets, the corresponding alphabets in Devanagari and Roman Sindhi, to find apt dishes, the recipes etc were immense and as if the stress was not enough, I took a plunge and started creating recipe videos too despite of knowing that I will have to learn shooting a video, to manage recording and cooking at the same time, to edit the video (biggest challenge) and to publish it, on my own.I was a nut case! Though I did end up taking a lot of help from my better half but still I managed to pull most of the things on my own. I feel accomplished! I am still not well versed with the script as the word formation is bit difficult to understand unless you are able to remember how each alphabet appears in any word depending on its position in the word. For Example look at the جهہ (Jh/झ) and its various avatars… I need to put more efforts to learn, to memorise and to understand the nuances of the language and the script but I am feeling hopeful! I cannot move ahead without thanking those who played an important part in this project of mine! A big thank you to Shobha Lalchandani Di, Barkha Khushalani Di, Amrita Lal, Surraya Kapri and Deepak Keswani for being always there to help me understand the script, to clear my doubts and to encourage me to keep marching on. Thank you Asha Chand Di, for your ‘Learn Sindhi’ App as it helped me in practising the alphabets in a fun way. Thank you Deepak Keswani, yet again, for creating easy to use Sindhi Dictionary and Sindhi Keyboard Winding up the project AlifBe with this handy, easy to refer list of all the dishes. Do click on the links provided, to get the recipe. Please note that out of 52 alphabets of Alif Be (The Arabic Sindhi script) I had to skip three alphabets; ظ ,ح ,ث since I couldn’t find any Vegetarian Sindhi dish with the names starting with these particular alphabets. So here we go!!! A to Z of Sindhi Food (AlifBe of Sindhi food): ا (अ/A) as inAhmedabad or as in Atte Ja Ladoon ب (ब/B) as in Baby or as in Besan Ji Aani ٻ (B^) as in B^aaru (child) or as in B^itto Lolo پ (प/P) as in Parrot or P as in Pali ڀ (भ/Bh) as in Bharat or as in Bheendi Khatti ت (त/T~) as in Taiwan or as in Tosha ٿ (थ/Th~) as in Thirsty or as in Thumaro ٽ (ट/Tt) as in Towel or as in Tamate Ji Chutney ٺ (ठ/Th) as in Thakur or as in Thab^ak Vadiyun ث (स/S) as in Simple or as in Saandhano ج (ज/J) as in Japan or as in Jwar Ji Tikki ڄ (ॼ/J^) as in J^ibh or as in J^eth Ji Sesa جهہ (झ/jh) made by combining ج ( J) and ھ (h) as in Jhansi or as in Jhang Pulao ڃ (ञ/J~) as in J^aj`a Ji Roti چ (च/Ch) as in Chair or as in Chetichand Ji Sesa ڇ (छ/Chh) as in Chhattisgarh or as inChhola Dabhal خ (ख़/Khh) as in Khalifa or as in Khhoraak 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^aha (Ten in Sindhi) or as in D^othiyun ڊ (ड/D) as in Daddy or as in Dabal Pakora ڍ (ढ/Dh) as in Dhaka or as in Dhodho Chatni ذ (ज़/Z) as in Zaro or as in Kagzi Lemon Pickle ر (र/R) as in Rajasthan or as in Raanh ڙ (ड़/R^) as in लड़का, पेड़, लड़ाई or as in Rabdi ز (ज़/Z) as in Zanzeer or as in Zaefrani Kulfi ش (श/Sh) as in Shimla or as in Sharbat ص (स/S) as in Summer or as in Misri ض (ज़/Z) as in Zaroor or as in Zaroori Masalha ط (त/T~) as in Tara or as in Ta’am ع (अ/A) as in Arab or as in Arq غ (ग़/G̣) as in Gazal or as in Magaz Ja Ladoo ف (फ़/F) as in Faluda or as in Faludo ڦ (फ/Ph) as in Phone or as in Phepho Mirch ق (क़/Q) as in Qatar or as in Qeeme Jo Lolo ڪ (क/K) as in Kashmir or as in Kokum Waari Dal ک (ख/Kh) as in Khajoor or as in Khoyo گ (ग/G) as in Ganga or as in Gyarsi Khado ڳ (ग्/G^) as in G^aaro (Red) or as in G^ach For Mahalaxmi گهہ (घ/Gh) as in Ghee or as in Ghotyal Saag^ ڱ (ङ/ng/G~) as in Singing or as in Singyun Tamate Mein ل (ल/L) as in Love or as in Lor^h م (म/M) as in Mithai or as in Majoon Barfi ن (न/N) as in Nagpur or as in Nasarpuri Seyal Bhaji ڻ (ण/N~) as in Brahman or as in Batan Papdi Chaat و (व/V) as in Varanasi or as in Vataran Ji Lilotari ھ (ह/H) as in Haridwar or as in Hurbe Jeere Mein Patata ء (अ/A/Hamzo/Amdhro) as in Mau or as in Gogrun Ji Khatain ي (य/Y) as in Yam or as in Viyam Ja Khaada

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Dhodho Chatni~ Alifbe~22

Alka Keswani — Sat, 22 May 2021 08:14:44 +0000

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 temples! The basic concept is to offer a devotee, visiting from far and near, some food that is either a source of instant energy or some nourishment or both. Many devotees visit temples early morning before consuming anything and hence breaking a night long fast with some Kada prasad, daakh bugada (black raisins and roasted chana) or a fruit is an ideal practise followed by many. In the modern era, not many understand the basis of the rituals and hence it is not uncommon to find packaged food and junk being served in the name of prasad by the devotees. So while the sweets and fruits are immensely popular, there is a unique prasad, the Dhodho Chatni, that is served in Sri Sadhu Bella Ashram, also known as Sadh Belo, meaning the ‘Woods of the Sage’ or the ‘ Hermitage of a Monk’, founded by Yogiraj Sadguru Acharya Swami Bankhandiji Maharaj in the Year 1818 A.D. at Mahalakshmi, Mumbai! I am thankful to Mr Prem Hariani and Mr Ashok Lalwani for sharing with me, the history of Sri Sadhu Bella Udasin Ashram along with interesting anecdotes (that I plan to share in the near future) and I am looking forward to learn more about this wonderful place of worship, from Ashok Ji, in the coming days, as promised by him! Ashok Ji told me that the Parsi Philanthropist, Dadibhai Noshirwanji, popularly known as Dady Seth, as a token of gratitude for Sadguru Bankhandiji Maharaj, donated a sprawling plot of land in Mahalakshmi area in Mumbai and the Ashram was then made on that piece of land. The ‘Dhooni’ (sacred flame ) lit by Acharya Bankhandiji Maharaj in 1818 A.D. is still burning there, spreading the message of peace, empathy and spirituality . In around 1823, Sadguru Bankhandiji Maharaj moved in a forested Island called Menak Parbat, in Indus river, Sukkur (Now in Pakistan) and built a simple hut, which over the years, was reconstructed in a magnificent shrine built with white marble and buffed sandstone and was named Sadh Belo. Bankhandiji Maharaj belonged to Udasi panth, a sect that flourished under the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in late 1700s. The founder of Udasi panth, Baba Sri Chand, the eldest son of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, believed in monasticism i.e living a disciplined life devoid of materialistic pursuits while being spiritually devoted and hence the followers of the sect detach themselves from the worldly pleasures. Bankhandiji Maharaj, one of the greatest visionaries of the 19th century is remembered and respected for his spiritual prowess and the Sadhu Bella is a medium for spreading peace and spiritual wisdom! And as I mentioned above, Sadhu Bella is also well known for its divine prasad of ‘Dhodho Chatni ‘ i.e patted Sorghum roti with green chutney. This prasad combination is also served in many Tikana. A Tikano is a place of worship where you will find idols of many deities along with Guru Granth Sahib, teaching us to co-exist harmoniously. Mr Ashok Lalwani confirmed that this prasad (or Parsad) is made without onions or garlic. The Dhodho Chutney Parsad at Sadhu Bella is a fine example of how the simplest of foods, without overpowering ingredients, if cooked with devotion and gratitude can satiate your senses and nourish your body and soul! And with this Dhodho Chatni we are covering the 22nd letter of the AlifBe series which is ڍ in Arabic Sindhi and ढ in Devanagari. In Roman Sindhi it is Dh as in Dhaka/ or Dhokla. The Dhodho Chatni at Sadhu Bella is satvik but at home you can add pounded garlic, chillies and chopped onions along with coriander leaves while making the Jowar dough. Also you can add onion and garlic to the green chutney. Do share your memories about having this prasad or any of your favorite Prasad from any temple, in the comments ! Thanks in advance! Print Dhodho Chutney Patted Sorghum roti served with green chutney, a revered prasad of Sadhu Bella Ashram! Ingredients For Dhodho: 1.5 cups of Jowar flour Salt as per taste 1 tsp ghee or oil Water to make the dough 3-4 tbsp ghee or oil to cook the rotis For Green Chutney 1.5 cups coriander leaves ¾th cup Mint leaves Black salt/Rock salt ½ tsp Roasted cumin seeds ½ tsp Black pepper corns 4-5 Green chillies 3 or as many needed A half inch piece of ginger Tamarind (ping pong ball sized) soaked in 2-3 tbsp of water Sendha namak or regular salt as needed Method In a parat/thali or a large bowl, add jowar flour, salt and a tsp of ghee. Mix everything and gradually add water, a little at a time and bring the flour together to make a dough. No need to knead the dough. Make sure the dough is pliable. Divide the dough in to two portions. Heat a flat griddle . Take one portion of the dough. First bring together the dough to make a ball shape, flatten it in between your palms and then place it on the hot griddle and start patting the dough in circular motion ( can refer this video) to make a thick roti. Alternatively you can cut open a ziplock bag or take a (transparent) plastic sheet and pat jowar roti on the sheet and transfer it carefully on the hot griddle. Allow it to cook on one side for a minute or so and then flip over. Smear some ghee or oil and flip again after few moments. Cook till done. To make chutney just blend all the ingredients (listed under 'For Green Chutney') to make a smooth paste. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. You can add a tbsp of dalia dal or even some thin sev to the chutney. Please note: This may or may not be the exact way the Dhodho chatni is made at Sadhu Bella. The recipe shared here is based on bits and pieces of information shared by Ashok Ji and some devotees! 3.5.3251 And for those who may be curious about how to write in Arabic Sindhi script here is a short video for today’s alphabet ڍ

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