Rasaya muthia - ultimate comfort food

This recipe is so comforting. It is at the same time soupy, starchy and spicy. It's basically a spicy broth with dumplings. I don't know if it's truly a Gujarati or Rajasthani dish because it seems to have elements of both.

I started off by making the dough for the dumplings. I just made dough like I normally do for theplas (a spicy flatbread).

It consists of about a cup of whole wheat flour, oil, salt, red chili powder, turmeric, carom seeds and chopped greens are optional. Mix all this using water and cover dough and let rest.

The second step, just string some valor beans or papdi which you can find in any Indian shop. If you can't find these, just use green beans.

Sauté about a cup's worth of beans for 5-7 minutes in some oil, then add turmeric, red chili powder, some grated ginger, salt and about 5-6 cups water and let it come to a boil and then simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

While the soup base is boiling, make the dumplings. Break off small pieces of the dough and slide them into the rasa (soup). Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Stir once in awhile until the dough is cooked through.

So warming and inviting. Grab a spoon!

Toads in a Hole (vegan)

So you all have heard of toads in a hole right? This is the same thing but a little Indianized and veganized. These are very quick and easy and are lovely for breakfast or brunch. If you have a cast iron griddle, you could do a big batch at one time. They are so much fun to make!

To start off, make your basic pudla batter (this is enough for about 4-6 slices of bread) : 1 cup of gram flour or chickpea flour, salt, black pepper, red chili powder, a tablespoon of lemon juice and whatever else you want to add. I used diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro and ajwain in mine. Mix all this with enough water to make a pancake batter consistency.

Then take a slice of bread and use a knife to cut out a hole in the middle or just use a cookie cutter. Place in a warmed skillet or griddle with a tablespoon of oil. Keep the heat on low. Fill the holes with the batter and don't move around until set, it should take about 3 minutes on each side.

Oh, those little pieces are the rounds bits from making the holes. I had a little bit of batter left over so I dipped them in the batter like French toast and put them on the griddle to cook up as well. Enjoy!

gujarati breakfast: dhoklas

there's this big myth surrounding gujarati food, that they all contain sugar. however, i'm on a mission to dispel this myth. anywho, i've seen far more south indian, konkan and rajasthani recipes call for jaggery than i have ever seen in gujarati food so there! ok ok, i know you don't believe me yet, but as for myself - i don't add sugar or jaggery in my savory recipes unless it is absolutely required. and i wouldn't know about the gujarati restaurants in india because i'm always busy eating chinese, but maybe some of them do add it and so people assume this is so for the entire gammet.

so, enough of me defending the state of my state cuisine, lol. all i can do is share my family recipes with you here and give you a glimpse of the going ons in my kitchen.

i would like to send this recipe over to lovely mythili over at Vindu, for RCI - Gujarat!

dhoklas (steamed pieces of ground rice and lentils) are made frequently in the gujarati household as a breakfast item. they are quite simple but because they take a little more time than pouring a bowl of cereal, these are usually reserved for the weekends.

let's get on with the dhoklas. and while we're at it - start this in the morning. the rice and lentils need to be soaked together for a couple of hours and then left to ferment overnight. basically, it is like making idli's or dosa. i made 2 trays; one tray sprinkled with red chilli powder and the other with freshly cracked black pepper - important!

dhoklas
serves 4-5
prep time: 2 hours soaking time and 1 day fermenting time
cook time: 15 min

• wash & soak: 2.5 cups rice, 1 cup mixed dals and a tspn of fenugreek seeds for 2-3 hours
• grind in a blender with a little water until smooth, should be like pancake batter
• cover and place in a warm place like the oven to ferment overnight
• in the morning, add: 1 tspn of baking soda or Eno and salt to taste
• grease 2 trays or thalis and pour the batter equally into both
• sprinkle one with red chilli powder and the other with freshly cracked black pepper
• steam on high for 15 min
• cool for 15 min, and cut into small squares
• serve with jeeralu** and dip in peanut oil - optional

Notes:

* i usually use chana dal as this is what most gujarati cooks would use, but as recent dal prices have skyrocketed, use whatever you have on hand... a mixture of urad and chana dal would be nice.

** jeeralu is a salty and tangy spice mixture available in most indian grocery stores, if you want it and can't find it, email me and i'll be glad to send you some... alpa_v at yahoo dot com.

Listening to: 'mansard roof' by Vampire Weekend from their album, Vampire Weekend, 2008