Edible gum and wheat fudge
When the first cold mornings reach Rajkot and Junagadh, Kathiawadi kitchens fry a big batch of gundar, the edible acacia gum, in ghee and set it into this dense, crunchy pak, eaten one square a day with tea through December and January. Here the gum is the star: it puffs into crisp white popcorn-like pieces that give the fudge its crackle, while wheat flour, jaggery, dry ginger and coconut hold it together. The common mistake is frying the gum in ghee that is too cool, so it stays hard and glassy and sticks to your teeth; it must puff fully within seconds. Chef's tip: crush the puffed gum only lightly with a rolling pin so you still bite into small crunchy nuggets.
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Fafadia gathia are pale, airy strands of gram flour dough rubbed through a gathia jara straight into hot oil. Beating the salt and kharo water until white and frothy, then kneading the dough hard, makes them light and melt-in-the-mouth. Serve with fried green chillies, papaya sambharo or jalebi. For fuli (puffed) gathia, use coarsely ground black pepper instead of white pepper and press the dough through a fuli jara.
Sanchar papdi are thin diamonds of rice, gram and urad flour dough that blister and bubble as they fry, then get a dusting of sugar, chilli and sanchar (black salt). They are crisp, light and tangy, and a lovely tea-time snack. Pounding the dough until pale makes them extra crisp.
Uppma is a soft, savoury semolina dish cooked with vegetables, onion, green chilli, ginger and curry leaves. This version cooks the semolina in tangy buttermilk and finishes it with lemon, coriander and cashews. Toasting the semolina first keeps the grains separate. Serve it hot for breakfast or tea, with plain yogurt.
Dahi vada are soft, spongy dumplings of ground urad, moong and black-eyed bean lentils, fried, soaked and then covered in a cool spiced yogurt with cumin, chilli and tamarind chutney. They are a cooling, tangy party dish. Instead of soaking the fried vadas in hot water, you can soak them in thin buttermilk for an hour for an even softer, tangier vada.
Soft, white steamed squares of ground rice and urad dal, spiced with black pepper and green chilli and topped with a mustard and sesame tempering. They're a classic Gujarati farsan. Serve with green and red chutneys. For yellow dhokra, use bengal gram lentils (chana dal) instead of black gram lentils, and add a pinch of turmeric and some garlic paste to the batter.
A favourite chaat: golden potato patties stuffed with spiced crushed peas, topped with hot ragda (a tangy dried-pea curry), tamarind, green and red chutneys, fine sev, chopped onion and coriander. Make the jini sev from the recipe in the Nasta section, or use ready-made fine sev.
Papdi atta (papdi no lot) is a soft, steamed rice-flour dough cooked in water seasoned with cumin, ajwain, sesame, cinnamon and cloves, then shaped into little rounds and steamed until tender. It's a much-loved Gujarati snack, eaten hot with a drizzle of raw oil and khichi sambhar masala.
Soft dumplings (muthia) of boiled rice, dhokra flour and gram flour, flavoured with garlic, ginger and chilli, simmered in a lightly tempered broth and finished in a thin, tangy yogurt sauce. It's a comforting one-pot meal. Serve hot with bread. It can also be cooked in a pressure cooker.
Little crisp puris flavoured with green chilli, fresh coriander, sesame, lemon and a touch of sugar. They're fried slowly over low heat so they stay crisp for weeks, ready to serve as a snack with tea.
A family-style vegetarian take on enchiladas: crisp fried maize tortillas dipped in a home-made tomato and red chilli sauce, stacked with a paneer, onion and capsicum filling, topped with cheese and baked until bubbling. Serve hot with chilli sauce. You can use 2 cups ready-made grated paneer instead of home-made.
The classic comfort dish: elbow macaroni in a smooth, rich cheddar sauce, topped with more cheese and grilled until golden and bubbling. Serve it with a green salad.
Mumbai's favourite street food made at home: a rich, buttery bhaji of mashed cauliflower, peas, potato, aubergine, carrot and capsicum, cooked with onions, tomatoes and pav bhaji masala, served with butter-toasted buns. This version adds a spicy garlic and tomato sauce on top. Serve with chopped onions and tomatoes on the side.
A quick, light pasta of penne and broccoli in a tangy garlic, chilli and yogurt sauce, finished with toasted pine nuts or cashews. Ready in under half an hour.
A hearty, family-friendly bake of shell pasta and baked beans in a spicy tomato, ginger and garlic sauce, topped with cheddar and capsicum rings. Serve hot with garlic bread.
Gujarati-style samosas: thin, crisp pastry pockets folded into triangles and filled with peas, potato and carrot, sweet, sour and spicy with lemon, sugar, chilli and cinnamon-clove powder. Make the samosa chapaties (pastry) from the recipe in the Basics section. Serve with lemon wedges and green, red and tamarind chutneys.
Soft, fluffy steamed idlis of rice and urad dal, served with a tangy, lightly sweet pigeon pea lentil sambhar full of vegetables: aubergine, drumsticks, bottle gourd and potato, tempered with mustard, fenugreek, curry leaves and kokum. Serve with coconut chutney. The batter is ground the day before and left overnight.
Thin potato slices and onion baked in fresh cream with plenty of garlic and coarse black pepper until tender and browned at the edges. Serve as a side dish with pizza or pasta, or as a snack with chilli and tomato sauce.
Mixed vegetables in a mild, creamy coconut gravy, spread over milk-soaked bread, topped with a buttery tomato sauce and cheese and baked until melting. Serve hot with naan or pitta bread.
Golden fried paneer cubes layered with a creamy, nutmeg-scented spinach sauce and a garlicky tomato gravy, then baked under cheese. Serve hot with naan or bread.
A golden baked dish of sweetcorn, mashed potato, peas and carrot, spiced with green chilli, ginger and lemon, and tempered with sesame, cumin, curry leaves, cashews and raisins. A ketchup and breadcrumb topping goes crisp in the oven. Serve hot as a snack or with soup.
Chatako is a festive Gujarati mixed dish: slices of patra (steamed colocasia leaf rolls) tossed with potatoes and fresh green pigeon peas in a whole-spice tempering, then folded into a tangy yogurt masala with coconut, ginger, tomato and coriander, sweet-sour with jaggery and tamarind. Serve hot as a side dish with dinner or at tea-time parties. Ready-made patra from an Indian grocer works too.
Instant dhokri are soft, spongy steamed squares of gram flour and dhokra flour, raised in minutes with fruit salt instead of an overnight ferment. They're finished with a crackling tempering of mustard seeds, sesame and curry leaves. Serve with green and red chutneys. To make dhokra flour, coarsely grind 1 cup long-grain rice with 1 cup bengal gram lentils (chana dal).
A spiced vegetable filling of potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, beans and peas with tomato, spring onion and warm cinnamon-clove, baked in a potato and bread crust and piped with a potato topping. Dotted with chilli sauce and ketchup, it makes a colourful centrepiece.
An Indian twist on spaghetti and meatballs: soft paneer kofta, fried until golden, served on buttered spaghetti with a sweet and tangy tomato gravy and a sprinkle of cheese. Children love it.
Layers of pasta, a mushroom and courgette tomato sauce and a spinach and ricotta filling, finished with white sauce and cheddar and baked until golden. A generous dish for a family meal; serve it hot with garlic bread.
Sata are rich, flaky rounds made from a ghee dough. Half the dough is cooked with extra ghee until golden and worked back in, which gives them their crumbly, layered texture. Fry them slowly over low heat. For salted sata, add ¾ teaspoon salt to the dough. For sweet sata, dip the fried sata in a thick sugar syrup and sprinkle with almond and pistachio flakes.
Patta gathia are flat, ribbon-like strips of gram flour dough, rolled paper-thin under the palm on a wooden board and fried until crisp. Black pepper and ajwain give them their flavour. They are a classic Gujarati tea-time snack and are great with fried chillies and papaya sambharo.
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