Author: Rajeshree Gandhi

Life is a journey of evolving roles, each with its own beauty and wisdom. From the structured world of academia to the ever-evolving realm of homemaking, I have embraced each phase with passion and grace. When my children settled into their own lives, I found myself with a renewed sense of purpose—to document and share the wealth of knowledge I have gathered over the years.

During the lockdown, I realized that my experiences in cooking, home remedies, and life’s simple yet profound lessons could serve as a source of inspiration for others. Meticulously and with great concern for the palate, gut health, overall well-being, and the emotional gratification of savoring each preparation, I began crafting a collection of love-filled, cherished recipes, time-tested remedies, and stories woven with warmth and wisdom.

I write under the name "Rajeshree's Kitchen", where I share detailed recipes—the kind that provide exact measurements for ingredients like salt and water, which are often left to personal interpretation in most other kitchen blogs. Additionally, I include practical tips with clear reasons behind them, ensuring that every piece of advice is rooted in understanding and experience. My aim is to make cooking approachable yet precise, helping readers not just recreate dishes but truly connect with the joy of cooking.

This endeavor is my way of preserving traditions, sharing insights, and connecting with those who seek both knowledge and comfort in life's everyday moments.

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(499) Rasawali Matki

Rasawala Math

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup Matki
  • 1 cube Tomato puree cube.
  • OR 3-4 Garcenia (Kokum)
  • 1 tbsp. Jaggery.
  • 1¼ tsp. Salt.
  • ½ tsp. Red Chilli powder.  
  • ½ tsp. Coriander Cumin powder.
  • ¼ tsp. Turmeric powder.
  • 2 Green chilies
  • 1 inch long Ginger piece.
  • Tempering ingredients.
  • 2 tbsp. Oil
  • ¼ tsp. Mustard seeds.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • 8-10 Curry leaves.
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped Coriander leaves.

Method

  1. Wash Matki 2 times and soaked it for 8-10 hours.
  2. After 8 hours discard the water and again wash Matki with fresh water. 
  3. In a  pressure pan  add half liter water, salt,  turmeric powder and soaked Matki. Cook the Matki till 3-4 whistles.
  4. Once pressure released open the lid, check the grains of Matki whether it is cooked or not by pressing one or two grains with the help of fingers. If grains get meshed, it means Matki is cooked and if grains breaks into two to four parts, it means it requires to cook matki for two more whistles.
  5. When pressure released open the lid and again check that grains are cooked or not.
  6. Heat Matki pan again and add all spices, tomato puree or kokum and jaggery.
  7. Simultaneously heat oil in tadka pan and add Mustard seeds.
  8. After crackling sound add Asaphoitida powder, Curry leaves, Red chilli powder, Coriander Cumin powder and Coriander leaves. Stir well and pour this tadka in the Matki pan.
  9. Simmer it for five minutes and then switch off the flame.
  10. Serve hot with roti, paratha, millet roti, bhakri, rice or as you wish but serve with love and smile.
Soaked Matki

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My recipes salads

(498) Fresh Herbs and Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. Lemon juice.
  • 1 tbsp. Olive oil.
  • 1 tsp. Chopped Coriander leaves.
  • 1 tbsp. Chopped Mint leaves or Basil leaves or Parsley
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • ½ tsp. Black Pepper powder

Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  2. Pour over the leafy salads like Spinach, Radish leaves, Baby spinach, Amaranth leaves, Moringa leaves, Microgreen of Fenugreek, Microgreen of pulses.
  3. Serve with love and smile.

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(497) Raw Mango and Cumin seeds Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. Grated raw Mango. Or  1 tbsp. pulp of raw Mango
  • ¼ tsp. Cumin powder
  • 1 tbsp. Sesame oil.
  • ½ tsp. Salt.

Method

  1. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  2. Pour over cucumber Salad or any sprouts or on Onion salad.
  3. Serve the salad with love and smile.

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(496) Mustard seeds and Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp. Yellow Mustard seeds powder.
  • 1 tbsp. Lemon juice.
  • 1 tbsp. Mustard oil.
  • ½ tsp Salt.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida powder

Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  2. Pour it over boiled potato or sweet potato or any whole millet salad
  3. Serve salad with love and smile.

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(495) Tamarind Dressing

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. Orange juice or Mosambi juice
  • ½ tsp. Tamarind pulp.
  • 1 tsp. Jaggery
  • ¼ tsp. Black salt.
  • 1 tsp. Mustard oil

Method

  1. In a mixing bowl mix well all ingredients.
  2. Pour over beetroot or Cucumber or Radish salads
  3. Serve salad with love and smile.


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My recipes Spices

(494) Tamarind Pulp

Ingredients

  • 100 g Tamarind
  • 100 ml water.
  • 1 tsp. Salt.

Method

  1. Wash tamarind and soaked in equal quantity of water for 10- 15 minutes. Add salt in it.
  2. Transfer the mixture in a mixture grinder jar. Blend  it into smooth paste.
  3. Strain the pulp with the strainer and store in the glass container in the refrigerator.
  4. 1 tsp. of pulp is equal to 2 tsp of lemon juice.

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cold drink My recipes

(493) Rose Sharbat

Concentrated Rose syrup.

Chaitri Gulab is a desi gulab, pink in colour with long lasting sweet aroma. These roses are used to prepare concentrated Rose syrup, Gulkand, Rose water, Rose perfume and dry rose petals powder use in cosmetics.

Benifits of Rose syrup.

  • It balances Pitta Dosha
    Ideal for summer and Pitta-related imbalances like heat rashes, acidity, and irritability.
  • Soothes Skin and Reduces Acne
    Internally cooling and purifying; helpful in managing urticaria, heat-induced rashes, and other skin eruptions
  • Improves Digestion
    Acts as a mild laxative and improves appetite when taken in small amounts.
  • Rich in antioxidants; it helps rejuvenate tissues.
  • Aromatic and calming; reduces mental stress and uplifts mood.
  • Cooling effect helps regulate high Pitta-induced palpitations or blood pressure.

Ingredients

  • 50 pcs. Or 250 gms Chaitri Gulab.
  • 1 kg. Sugar.
  • 1 small size beetroot.

Method

  1. Separate petals from each rose flower.
  2. Wash these petals two times and spread on cotton cloth under the fan for 10 – 15 minutes to drain excess water.
  3. In a mixture grinder jar add all petals and 1 cup water. Blend it into fine paste and keep aside.
  4. Grate the beetroot with the help of cheese grater and keep aside.
  5. In a thick bottom sauce pan add Sugar, rose paste and beetroot shredings and 1½ cup water.
  6. Cook entire thing on a 5 minutes high flame and 10 minutes slow flame.
  7. Switch off the flame and let it cook.
  8. When rose syrup cool down completely, strain it with soup strainer and bottle it in glass or food grade plastic bottle.
  9. Rose Sharbat : In 500 ml water add 3 tbsp. of Rose syrup , soaked Gond Katira and 1 tbsp. soaked Tukmariya (Sabja seeds). Mix thoroughly and serve either with or without ice cubes.
  10. Serve with love and smile.
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My recipes salads

(492) Amla Ginger Dressing

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Amla juice.
  • ½ tsp. freshly grated Ginger
  • 1 tbsp. Olive oil.
  • ½ tsp. Rock Salt.
  • ¼ tsp. Black pepper powder.

Method

  1. If you are using Amla juice which is linked then please don’t add Ginger, next ingredient of the dressing. If you are preparing fresh juice then grate Amla and squeeze juice from it.
  2. In a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients.
  3. Pour Amla dressing over Cabbage salad, Raw Papaya salad.
  4. Serve the salad with love and smile.

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(491) Lemon Curry Leaves Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1tbsp.Lemon juice
  • 1 tsp.Roasted curry leaves powder
  • 1 tbsp. Finely chopped Coriander leaves
  • 1 tsp.Olive oil
  • ½ tsp. Rock Salt
  • ¼ tsp.Black pepper powder
  • ¼ tsp. Cumin powder

Method

  1. Heat tawa and turn the flame to slow and dry roast 30-40 Curry leaves. Keep aside to cool down.Then grind it into power.Store in airtight container.
  2. In a mixing bowl mix all ingredients and let it rest for 5 minutes to let flavours blend.
  3. Pour this Lemon juice Curry leaves dressing over salads like chopped Radish and Radish leaves, sliced Carrot, sliced Tomato, Cucumber etc. Serve with love and smile.

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(490) Salad Dressings

Salads are made of  fresh, fibrous and nutritious ingredients which are mixed with some flavoursome ingredients called Salad dressing. So salad dressing is nothing but sauce for salads or you can also say the spicy mixture for salads which improves the taste and texture of salads. There are two types of Salad dressings Vinaigrette dressings and  Creamy dressings.

Vinaigrette dressings are prepared from Vinegar, Olive Oil, Herbs, Spices, Salt, Sugar, Nuts and seeds. Instead of using artificial chemicals in my kitchen I always prefer natural and fresh things . So I used Lemon juice, Tamarind juice, Pomegranate juice, Orange juice and Amla juice instead of Vinegar.

Creamy dressings are prepared from mayonnaise or fermented milk products like Curd, Sour cream and Butter milk.  I always try to avoid the use of mayonnaise or where necessary then use home made Instead of mayonnaise I prefer to use nuts,oil seeds and Avacado for creamy dressings.

Salad dressings can elevate the flavor of any salad while also providing a nutritional boost. By choosing ingredients rich in antioxidants, vitamins, protein, and iron, we can create dressings that not only enhance our meal but also support our health goals, including weight loss. Here are some power-packed dressing ideas to keep you satisfied and nourished during your journey.

Here given salad dressing measurements are ideal for 1 portion of any salad. Ideally 80 to 100 grams.

Vinaigrette style dressing

Creamy dressing

  • Sesame and Cumin seeds dressing.
  • Avacado Coriander dressing
  • Cashew and Lemon dressing.
  • Peanuts and Coconut dressing.
  • Almond Coriander leaves dressing.

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