Category Archives: Breakfast

Dhokri or Dhokla – Steamed Savoury Cake

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Dhokri is my comfort food… I ate a lot of it whilst growing up and could count on there being a plateful of dhokri at any given event.  Apart from being a delicious mouthful Dhokri does make for the perfect finger food.  The lemony yellow snack would shine away as if peeking out from behind a cloud – heavy with rain. The tangy sponginess accompanied by the snappy crunch of the sesame seeds, laced with the herby aroma of the cilantro will have you salivating unapologetically.

Dhokri is a slightly spicy and tangy savory snack mostly made in Gujarati homes.  It has the texture of a light sponge cake.  The bulk of the recipe is made with chickpea flour and the dough is tied with either buttermilk or yogurt, along with several spices and left to ferment overnight.  It’s then steamed in trays, cooled, cut and garnished with fresh cilantro, sesame and black mustard seeds.  It does seem kind of daunting at first, but believe me once you get the hang of it, it’s ‘putsy peasy’. Continue reading →

Chocolate Malt, Almond and Ghee Banana Cake

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Everyone claims to have that perfect banana cake or banana bread recipe and of course, I had to get on that band wagon too…. BUT WAIT! Before you hit the back button. Read a my slightly creative approach on writing this recipe, it’s a fun recipe you will love reading… as well as making… come on it has GHEE in it!!  I’ve been working on writing this recipe for a bit and I absolutely loved it! so here goes…

Once a Week Banana Cake

I burst through the garage door into the warmth of the laundry room, simultaneously shrugging off my jacket, tugging off my shoes and dumping my bag in its spot. I stop for a brief moment to toss my coat onto the rack and correct the alignment of my shoes, perpendicular to the door – ok… that’s good.
I step into the kitchen and slow down just enough to let the warm sudsy water rid the unseen dirt off my hands, before engulfing them into the plush yellow towel – hey, they deserve luxury too.
 I yank open the fridge and pull out a stick of butter* from its boxed container and rip off the paper its so carefully encased in. A quick zap, maybe 9 seconds? Yes, perfect – it’s at room temperature. I unduly toss the stick into the beloved stand mixer and turn it on low.

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Ghee Goor and Roti – Crumbled Roti Sweetened with Jaggery

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Ghee, goor and roti is my go-to comfort food.  I’ve turned to it on countless occasions to pacify my emotional well being.  This is such an endearing sweet meal and is close to my heart.  It gently screams to me of family, togetherness, good friends and most importantly being loved.  And with Valentines Day around the corner, Ghee, goor and roti makes the perfect dish to be shared amongst the people you care most about.

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Ghee, goor and roti was my all time favorite as a little child and still is… and I’m sure will remain so, for as long as I can chew.  Wait a minute – Continue reading →

Moongh Daar – Split Green Lentils Curry

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Moongh Dhar Curry is absolutely delicious eaten as a main course, especially on a blustery cold winter day.  Therefore, recently I have been making it pretty often .  This lentil curry can be eaten with rice or with warm rotis accompanied by a green chilli pickle called Raito.  This will probably the fastest curry you will ever make, perfect for a weeknight!  As long as you’ve made your rotis for the week you are set, I promise.  Out of roti’s for the week?   No problem, spread whole wheat toast (or toast of your choice) with ghee or butter, preferably ghee, then pile on the Moongh Daar and devour!  It’s purely addictive.  Try it out and taste it for yourself, you will not be disappointed 🙂

I guess I should explain a little about the bean itself.  First of all theres are countless ways of spelling so I chose to spell it ‘moongh’, although it’s mostly spelt ‘mung’.  It is a little dried green bean if used whole.  In this recipe I have used split mung beans with the skins removed.  If you prefer, by all means use them whole.  You may have to add a little more water during the cooking process.

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Oats Porridge – Cooked Oatmeal

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My Grandmother’s Recipe
 

The leaves are changing from emerald green they once were in summer to the most beautiful hues of fall.  The golden yellows, chili pepper reds and sunset orange leaves blowing in the cool wind make me yearn for the comforting foods of my childhood.  What shall it be – warm chicken soup, or perfectly scrambled eggs smothered in ghee, chicken potpie or just a good old bowl of oats porridge.  Porridge has been my pick more often than once, so I thought I’d share it with you.  It’s so quick to make and it definitely “hits the spot”.  It’s warm, velvety, creamy texture with hints of ghee is just perfect for a day like this.  So don’t blame me when you grab a warm cozy blanket, curl up and maybe take a little snooze to the sound of the rustling fall leaves outside your window.

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