Sinamon Tales

by Monika

A Hearty Gujarati Meal, Dal Recipe, And Meeting Blogging Friends

When bloggers meet, and there is brilliant food, there is hardly anything else that one needs – amazing conversation and company, combined with finger licking home-made food – a brilliant combo!

The best thing about the Epic Road trip we did recently was meeting people, old and new. People that we hadn’t met in a long time and may be wouldn’t have been able to if we hadn’t gone to Delhi by road. One such person is definitely the ghost who eats aka hitchy aka dhiren. A very dear virtual friend who stays in Bharuch, I mean for what reason I could imagine visiting Bharuch otherwise?(I truly can never forget the Gujarati meal at his place that we, we had, ever!)

 

The Ghost who eats and feeds 🙂

I thought of him the first time I saw the Bangalore-Delhi drive route and realized bharuch falls on the way but held on to the thought zest I jinx the meeting (he has come to Bangalore twice and both the time I was traveling), I asked him a week before that I will be passing that side and can we meet and was so glad to see the excitement that I was feeling that side too 🙂 Foodies that we are very quickly we got down to the fact that what should be had

Foodies that we are very quickly we got down to the fact that what should be had as lunch and I told him I am not settling for anything less than a full blown Gujarati meal. And that’s how the story started. As soon as we reached, hugs exchanged the comfort was found, even N who really hadn’t interacted him as much as I had was comfortable in their warm home and as promised by him, his lovely wife had put together a Gujarati meal for us.

 

 

The table that welcomed us – Doesn’t it look so inviting? and we got to on to the act of eating within minutes of arriving at their house, call it the understanding of the couple that we are in a road trip or call it the hunger of us shameless folks 😉

In a typical Gujarati manner the sweets were served along with the meal and not after it, the light brown is actually a home made traditional sweet that I loved… the mild taste of jaggery made is such a winner

 

 

Sweets, Salad and chutney

Now which Gujarati meal can be complete without some farsaans and we were served – Khandvi, Patra, Nylon Khaman and Petis, I had tasted the patra for the first time and loved the earthiness of it, its made from arbi leaves which really came as an another surprise. The petis also were very interesting – a potato layer with toor dal and green masala stuffed inside it

 

 

Another farsaan that I absolutely loved was Amiri Khaman – a Bharuch speciality, semi cooked khaman stir fried with spices. Lovely texture and taste

 

 

And this is how u eat the yummy stuff

 

 

There were also Chaulafali and Mathiya the two types of papad, I am a papad fan in general and these were delectable. Now I am desperately searching on where to find this in Bangalore

 

 

The main course that followed was Gujarati dal (the first time I could actually eat it, I usually find it very sweet but this was nice and balanced) baigan sabzi, tondi sabzi and rotis… ofcourse there was dal bhat which followed

 

 

This was one of the best vegetarian meal I have had in a long long time, I am usually not a very big fan of thalis and buffets but there is something about home cooked meals that is so heartwarming specially when served with so much love as this family did, Dhiren, Hetal, auntie and dhiren’s sister in law all of them were eager and happy to serve us. Thank you so much folks..

After I came back I asked Hetal for the Gujarati Dal recipe and she was kind enough to send it to me to share with you guys, so here is the rocking recipe. I am making it tonight I think

Recipe – Gujarati Daal by Hetal

A Hearty Gujurati Meal, Dal Recipe & Meeting Blogging Friends

The best thing about the Epic Road trip we did recently was meeting people, old and new. People that we hadn't met in a long time and may be wouldn't have been able to if we hadn't gone to Delhi by road. One such person is definitely the ghost who eats aka hitchy aka dhiren. A very dear virtual friend who stays in Bharuch, I mean for what reason I could imagine visiting Bharuch otherwise?
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup dal Arhar (we call it tuver daal you might also know it as toor daal)
  • 1 tomato small
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 100 gms jaggery (according to taste actually)
  • salt
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 6 - 7 peanuts

Instructions
 

  • The Arhar dal is to be boiled in a Pressure Cooker with 1 and half glass of water. After it is cooked in the pressure cooker you have to blend it and make it in liquid form, unlike punjabi daal we don't let any seeds remain unbroken. Its kind of soup form.
  • Next up in a vessel heat some oil add mustard, slight hingh, slight jeera, kadi patta. When it starts fluttering you add the daal. Then you can add the jaggery, lemon, chilli powder, turmeric tomato, coriander, peanuts. Let it boil for a while and your daal is ready.

Notes

Many people also grate a bit of coconut in it, then some also add methi seeds during the jhoka... all slightly different variants. Some people make it without red chillies and use green chillies also.
Actually in my (hitchy) opinion gujarati daal is never as sweet as all non gujarati's make it out, yes it has jaggery, but its not really sweet it just has a sweet/hot sort of wonderful taste. I can eat piles of fulka roti's with just a gujarati Daal and not even let out my customary BURP ! :P.
 
 
The day we visited them was also our anniversary and they had a yumm Marie biscuit cake ready for us, a gesture that truly touched both of us and man was the cake was yumm 🙂
 
 
Leaving you with a picture of us after the meal (unfortunately hriday isn't there in this snap, the kids bonded so well)
 
 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Comments

  2. Jane says

    I love the way you present your recipe and your food experience. And I am so going to try this dhal today. Seems yum enough and simple enough for even a lousy cook like me to make!

    Reply

  3. Vevisa says

    I make this very dal recipe . I never knew its gujju :O Now I know .. hehe 😀 Lovely food pics.. makes me very hungry!

    Reply

  7. hitchy says

    Excitement is the middle name of moi and crafty ! 😛 😛 lol so finally you have met both of us eh ! 😀 😀 😀

    I am so so glad I could manage to feed you well… for all this is done with full malice… I plan to come to bangalore and have the favour returned and infact triply returned !!!!!!

    You dont know what you are in for ! 😀

    Reply

  9. prats says

    Im drooling so bad that i’m embarassing my own self. This was such a lovely gesture on your friends nehalf. And such authentic stuff…yummm
    The cholafel, my neighbour always makes and gives me..I can get you the recipe from her, or better still get her to make some 😀

    Reply

  10. R's Mom says

    Wow! that is so so droolworthy and you made me so nostalgic 🙁 I am missing Baroda so much more 🙂 Mathiyas and Cholafallis…yummmmmmm

    That dal is a regular at my house 🙂

    I loved that last pic..you guys all look so cute..and Monika..your N looks like Madhavan that actor no?

    Reply

  15. Aparna says

    That lovely dal with hot phulkas just evokes such a great image, I will definitely try it sometime soon! We make a toor dal based dal at home, but have never tried the jaggery, sounds yumm 🙂

    Reply

  17. monikamanchanda says

    u are gonna prove N right aren’t u 😛

    but u know very well that I would be more than happy to feed u, u just have to come

    Reply

  19. Smita says

    wow!!! You know when I had first moved in Gujarat I used to run away from the Guj dall and then when I tasted it once I could not have enough of it!!!

    And you reminded me of ‘Chaulafali’ sigh! I used to take that home! I am missing Gujarat! Looks like I need to plan a trip to my Bro’s place in Jamnagar

    Reply

  20. Deeps says

    That sure looks soooo inviting! What a sumptuous spread there! And those dhoklas especially,yummmmm!

    Lovely pics! Hitchy you look uber cool! And the last snap, Monika, I’m in splits looking at Ojas’s expression! 😆 He is so cute!

    Reply

  21. Ruth DSouza says

    Lovely reading this Monika… The dal is something I am going to try soon.. have some dal fanatics at home who would love it

    Reply

  24. sakshi says

    Damn reader scared the hell out of me today by throwing Hitchy’s pic on my face the moment I opened it 😥

    Ohh for all that delicious food, I am ready to be tortured by Hitchy and his cricket updates 😛

    Reply

  25. B. M. says

    right I am going to ask the pilot to fly via BARUCH Now .. PAAAJIIIiiiiiiiiiiii you listening… or reading thissss…

    Reply

  27. Simran Dhaliwal says

    Ok to reiterate what e’body here is saying – the pics look awesome and are totally drool worthy. 🙂 I love how you told the story behind it and then shared the recipe. Natural talent for story telling I say 😉 I am yet to have an authentic and full gujju thali which I will now have to do soon.

    Reply

  28. Kanchan says

    The second snap with the Menu served on table .. totat yumm .. right from dhoklas to papad .. even the proper thali plates… its been long that I had a full homemade khana !

    Reply

  30. Swati Raman Garg says

    love khandvi and love that pic… its so good to meet ur old blogger frens.. iam still wating to meet rashmi of delhi belly!

    Reply

  34. Pixie says

    lovely!!
    We make Patra too and its a staple in my husband’s home! 🙂
    and I have grown to LOVE it!!
    we get frozen Patra leaves here.. sad really!
    My MIL makes it both spicy as well as sweet and its out of this word!

    Reply

  50. monikamanchanda says

    ha ha ha, u actually dont have to do any of that… the food was cooked by hetal… meet her eat and be happy 😛

    Reply

  63. pinksocks says

    Oooh you most certainly should 🙂 Even thought I am a faux gujju but that the heck food is MIL certified 😛

    Reply

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