Entrée
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Thepla
Thepla is the Gujarati staple known to most people. The recipe is for 30-35 thepla, however you can easily dial this down. We make this in bulk all the time at our house and it is very easy to go through 30 in a week with a family of 6! A morning with a hot mug of chai and thepla is so comforting for me, it reminds me to take a minute and just slow down to savor the moment. Also the kid in me loves having a bag of thepla in the fridge or a stack of them on the counter because its such a great way to shake…
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Vada/Samosa Pav
My in-laws home in Navsari has some of the best Vada Pav ever. Everyone always tells me their favorite memories from eating at that stall. It is one of the things that Hardik would probably eat any day of the week. My dad is also a huge fan of Bataka Vada and my mom has since become a master at making them. This sandwich is also great with samosa as well. It is my favorite snack from any chaat house and I love the sweet, herbacious, spicy mixture of all the chutneys. Definitely a top ten for me! Ingredients: 12 pav rolls or hamburger buns 12 bataka vada/samosa tamarind chutney…
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Bataka (Bateta) Vada
Bataka Vada is my dad’s favorite desi fried food. This with fruit salad is every Gujarati dad’s dream for lunch. It is probably the one food that they could eat in every meal of the day. My masi has the best recipe for these (shout out to Rita Masi!) but when she is not here us amateurs have to fend for ourselves. This recipe turned out delicious and we made Vada Pav the next day to close out our wonderful cholesterol filled weekend. Next time there is a rainstorm, hunker down and make some Bataka Vada. Ingredients: 3 Russet potatoes, peeled and boiled 1 cup frozen green garlic 1/2 c.…
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Thikhi Bhakhri
A hot, crispy, slightly spicy bhakhri is the perfect compliment to chai-naasto any time of day. I could munch on these any time of the day and love to eat it as an alternative to roti or paratha. As little kids this was a great snack in the car on long road trips or something that used to fill my stomach when I wasn’t feeling well. My grandmother makes them so well and this is my attempt to get as close as I can to her taste. Ingredients: 2 cups atta or wheat flour 1 cup. + 2 tbsp. warm water 2 tsp. ghee 2 tsp. neutral oil 1/2 tsp.…
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Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Nothing says comfort food like a giant casserole dish of stuffed shells. Some days I just want to go all out with a hot, cheesy, rich meal and this is a one-way ticket to cheese heaven. This meal isn’t super spicy and it is extremely kid friendly. I found ways to incorporate more vegetables in the filling to make the meal heartier. I paired this with garlic toast and sautéed asparagus for a full meal! I definitely recommend making a big plate of this and either freezing the rest or using it for lunch the next day. It will definitely feed a crowd! Ingredients 45 oz. jar of marinara sauce…
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Aloo Paratha
Aloo Paratha is a super simple way to use up leftover potatoes in your fridge. If you have leftover mashed potatoes or leftover samosa filling I would definitely recommend using it up this way! I love to eat these when they’re super crispy right off the frying pan. I pan fry it in a ton of ghee and its never steered me wrong. This recipe isn’t super traditional but it always comes out exactly how I like it, so definitely feel free to adjust according to your own tastes. I pair this with achar and my red garlic chutney for a yummy, quick lunch! Ingredients: For the dough: 2 cups…
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Hatch Chili Mexican Bhel Beans
If you grew up a Gujju kid in the States you had this thing called “Mexican Bhel” all the time. Its basically a glorified Taco Salad, and every auntie in town had their own recipe on how to make the beans. This is my version of how to make the beans, it is super easy and flexible. My aunt puts in some veggie purées to boost the nutritional content for her kids. You could also use cook this with quinoa or rice for a quick, one-pot meal. Ingredients: 2 16 oz. cans of chili beans ( I highly recommend a mixture of Bush’s Chili Beans-Kidney Beans and Bush’s Chili Beans-Pinto…
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Bhel Pita Pockets
My dad is an undercover wizard/chef in our household. He doesn’t cook very often but when he does he always makes something that is magical. He combines that old school college-kid diet with Desi flavors and something delicious always comes of it. For me, this is his crowning glory creation. I can gobble up at least 2 of these at any point in the day. You could wake me up in the middle of the night to eat this and I would polish off a few of these in a heartbeat. In fact, he made this for my fiancé when he was in town and to this day he still…
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Saadi Khichdi and Kadhi
Kichdi, Kadhi, and Kanda Bataka nu Shaak is the timeless Gujarati classic in most households. The iconic silver thaali meal is what most of us crave for when we are back at Mom’s house. I grew up being a kadhi girl but slowly over time I converted to the dark side of being a dal girl. I figured for the first of the #bhaktabasics series I should teach you all how to make both sides of the coin so you can all decide for yourselves. So have at it folks, are you dal people or kadhi people? Ingredients: Saadi Khichdi Ingredients: 3 c. water 1 c. of long grain rice…
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Quick and Easy Papdi No Lot (Steamed Rice Flour)
Growing up in Minnesota, I didn’t have a lot of access to Indian grocers. I remember driving 8 hours to a grocery store in Chicago every few months to get the supplies we needed for meals. Papdi is something that is eaten very often with a meal. This dough is rolled out into a tortilla basically and then it is dried on sheets in the sun until it is very hard like plastic. You eat it by microwaving it, roasting it on an open flame, or frying it! They puff up and become very crunchy, its a great snack, kind of like a chip. We would wait until August and…
