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.

Categories
salads

(212)Matki ni Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked sprouted matki.
  • ¼ cup Dadam Dana (Pomegranate seeds).
  • 2 finely chopped onions.
  • 2 finely chopped Tomatoes or 1 tbsp. fresh Lemon juice.
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Pinch of Red chilli powder.

Method

  1. In a mixing bowl mix thoroughly salt and chilli powder and lemon juice  in chopped onion.
  2. Now mix Dadam Dana and Cooked Matki.
  3. Serve with roti, bhakhri, nan, paratha or as you wish.
Categories
salads

(211)Kamrakh ni Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 Kamrakh (star fruit)
  • Pinch of Salt.
  • Pinch of Red chilli powder.

Method

  1. Wash and cut five ridges of star fruit.
  2. Slice the fruits into thin slices,
  3. Sprinkle salt and red chilli powder.
  4. Serve either with other fruits or with meals.
Categories
salads

(210)Amla Dadam nu Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 Amla( Goose berries)
  • ¼ cup Dadam Dana (Pomegranate).
  • 15-20 Phudina pan(Mint leaves).
  • No need to add salt otherwise ½ tsp. salt.

Method

  1. Chop Amla into very small pieces.
  2. Finely chop Phudina pan.
  3. Separate seeds from the Pomegranate.
  4. In a mixing bowl mix all ingredients.
  5. Serve with roti, bhakri, paratha, nan or as you wish.
Amla, Phudina, Dadam
Categories
salads

(209)Khaman Kakdi nu Salad

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup Dariya dal.
  • 200 gms. Cucumber.
  • 1 tsp. Salt.
  • 1 tbsp. Lemon juice( fresh).
  • 1 tbsp. Freshly chopped Coriander leaves.
  • 1 finely chopped green Chilli or ½ tsp. red chilli powder.

Method

  1. Dry roast dariya dal on slow flame and keep aside.
  2. Peel, wash and chop cucumber into ½ cm. cubes. Marinate with salt and keep aside.
  3. Crush roasted daria dal with a rolling pin on the chopping board.
  4. Squeeze the excess water from cucumber pieces.
  5. In a mixing bowl mix crushed daria dal with squeezed cucumber and remaining ingredients thoroughly.
  6. Serve with roti, paratha, kulcha, nan  or bhakhri.
  7. Instead of daria dal you can also use peanuts and the remaining recipe will be the same.
Categories
salads

(207)Aachari Gajar ni Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 Carrots.
  • 4 Bhavnagari chillies
  • 1 tsp. Oil.
  • Pinch of Mustard seeds.
  • Pinch of Asafoetida powder.
  • Pinch of Salt.
  • 2 tbsp. Athana no sambhar (Pickle masala)
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice (fresh)
  • 2 tbsp. freshly chopped Coriander and Curry leaves.

Method

  1. Peel carrots, wash and cut into 2 -3 inches long slices.
  2. Wash chillies,remove seeds and cut into slices.
  3. Heat oil in iron kadhai , add mustard seeds and wait for a crackling sound. Add asafoetida powder and chili slices.
  4. Soute on fast flame for 30 seconds and then add carrot slices. Add salt and stir.
  5. Saute for 1 ½ minutes. Stir continuously.
  6. Switch off the flame and mix sambhar masala thoroughly with carrot slices.
  7. Mix lemon juice, coriander leaves and serve with Roti, paratha, bhakhri, puri or as you wish.
Carrots , Bhavnagari chillies, chopped Coriander and curry leaves.
Pickle powder
Aachari Gajar
Categories
Healthy food

(205)Immunity booster Tea

Ingredients

  • 2 cup water.
  • ½ inch grated Turmeric or ¼ tsp. Turmeric powder
  • ½ inch grated Ginger or ¼ tsp. Ginger powder.
  • 1 freshly ground Cardamom with skin
  • 1 freshly ground clove
  • 2 freshly ground Black pepper.
  • ¼ inch freshly crushed Cinnamon stick.
  • 1 freshly cut Bay leaf.

Method

  1. In tea pan mix water with all dry ingredients.
  2. Boil for 5 minutes.
  3. Strain and serve hot.
Categories
Healthy food

(204)Coconut Ladoo

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Fresh grated coconut ( 200 gms.)
  • ½ cup Sugar.
  • ¾ cup milk.
  • ½ tsp. Cardamom powder.
  • ⅛ tsp. Saffron stands.
  • ½ tsp. Cow Ghee.

Method

  1. Heat nonstick pan with ghee.
  2. Mix grated Coconut, Sugar and Milk in heated greased nonstick pan.
  3. Reduce milk on high flame. Stir continuously otherwise coconut mixture will stick to the bottom of the pan.
  4. When mixture starts holding shapes in nonstick pan at that moment add saffron and cardamom.
  5. Stir continuously and test the mixture by rolling small ball with wet hands.
  6. If you can make perfect ball ,it means your mixture of coconut ladoo is ready.
  7. Switch off the flame and transfer ladoo mixture in steel plate.
  8. When it is warm, divide mixture into 11 equal portions to get 11 ladoo.
  9. Store in air tight container in refrigerator. Self life is one week .
Ingredients for Coconut Laddo
Ghee separates from Laddoo mixture
Saffron added and mixture started holding shape.
Saffron Coconut Ladoo
Categories
Healthy food

(203)Rabdi Malpua

Ingredients

  • Ingredients for Malpua batter
  • 1 cup All purpose flour (Maida)
  • ½ cup Suji (Rawa)
  • ¾ cup Milk
  • ½  cup water (  extra water for adjusting the pouring consistency)
  • 5 tsp. Sugar powder.
  • ¼ tsp. Cardamom powder (optional).
  • ½ tsp. Fennel seeds(optional).
  • Ingredients for Rabdi
  • 1 liter milk
  • 5 tsp. Sugar
  • Ingredients for Sugar syrup
  • 1 cup Sugar.
  • 1 cup water.
  • 1 pinch Cardamom powder.
  • 4-6 Saffron stands.
  • Ingredients for garnishing
  • Shredded Almonds.
  • Shredded Pistachio.
  • Cardamom powder.
  • Saffron srands.

Method

  • Preparation of Malpua batter
  • Mix maida and rawa with milk, sugar powder and water.
  • Mix thoroughly with the help of blender and add extra water to adjust to pouring consistency. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
  • Preparation of Rabdi
  • Wash nonstick sauce pan with plain water and add ¼ cup water in it.
  • Pour milk and boil till it reduces to 250 ml. Stir continuously and keep scrapping the dried layer of cream with wooden spatula.
  • Add sugar and allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes. Stir continuously. Rabdi is ready. Keep aside.
  • Preparation of Sugar syrup.
  • In thick bottom pan mix Sugar, Cardamom powder, Saffron stands and water .
  • Boil for 10 minutes. Stir continuously . Check the syrup with the help of finger and thumb . If you feel sticky then syrup is ready otherwise continue boil for couple of minutes . Check the stickyness of syrup and switch off the flame. Keep aside.

Preparation of Malpua

Check the consistency of malpua batter and adjust it by adding water ( see video).

Heat 1 tbsp. ghee in nonstick frying pan on medium flame.

Pour ¼ cup batter in ghee and roast till one side of malpua turns golden brown.

Slowly flip (with the help of 2 spatula, otherwise hot ghee will spash on you) the Malpua.

When both the sides of Malpua turns golden brown lift the Malpua with the help of tong so that extra ghee will drizzle out and place in sugar syrup.

Pour another spoon of batter for making Malpua and when this Malpua is ready replace new malpua in sugar syrup. Repeat this process till you finish the batter.

Serving suggestions

Take a glass plate and keep Malpua on it.

Spread rabdi over malpua.

Sprinkle shredded almonds and pistachios, Cardamom powder and Saffron stands.

If you don’t want to serve with rabdi, you can also serve plain sugar syrup malpua garnish with shredded almonds and pistachios.

Serve with smile.

Consistency of malpua batter
Making of Malpua
Plating of Malpua
Malpua
Categories
Healthy food

(198)Tomato ketchup

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Red Tomatoes.
  • 1 tbsp. Oil.
  • ½ inch Cinnamon stick.
  • 6 whole Clove.
  • 6 whole Black pepper.
  • 1 Onion( optional).
  • 3 Garlic pods (optional).
  • 1½ tsp. Salt.
  • 3 tbsp. Sugar.
  • 1 tbsp. Red chilli powder.

Method

  1. Wash and cut each tomatoes into roughly 8 parts.
  2. Peel onion, wash and cut into roughly 8 parts.
  3. Cut Garlic pods into 2-4 parts.
  4. Heat oil in nonstick sauce pan.
  5. Soute Clove, Cinnamon stick and pepper corns for 30 seconds and add onion pieces, garlic and tomato pieces.
  6. Cook for 15 minutes on slow flame.
  7. Switch off the flame and once whole content has cooled down, grind into fine puree.
  8. Strain the puree and again heat to reduce water to get saucy consistency .Stir continuously otherwise it will stick to bottom of the pan.
  9. Store into air tight jar for 3-4 weeks in refrigerator.
  10. And if you want to store more, make cubes and store these cubes in deep freezer for 3-4 months.
Categories
Healthy food

(196) Palak Moongdal

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of Spinach (approx 250 gms.)
  • ½ cup Yellow Moongdal.
  • 1 tsp. Salt.
  • ½ tsp. Turmeric powder.
  • 2 cup water for cooking.
  • 2 washed kokam.
  • Tempering Ingredients (Vaghar)
  • 1 tbsp. Oil.
  • ½ tsp. Cumin seeds.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • 8-10 Curry leaves.
  • 1 tsp. Ginger paste.
  • ½ tsp. Green chilli paste.
  • 1 tsp. Red chilli powder.
  • 1 tbsp. freshly chopped Coriander leaves.

Method

  1. Pluck leaves of spinach and discard stalks. Wash thoroughly, finely chop and keep aside.
  2. Wash Moong dal two times.
  3. Mix Moong dal, Spinach, Salt, Turmeric powder and water in pan and pressure cook upto 2 whistles.
  4. Arrange dal mix spinach pan at the bottom and kokam vessel on the top with 3 tbsp. water.
  5. Open the lid when pressure is released.
  6. Heat oil in nonstick pan or thick bottom pan.
  7. Add Cumin seeds and wait for crackling sound and add Asafoetida powder, Curry leaves, Ginger paste and green chilli paste. Stir quickly and add Red chilli powder and Coriander leaves. Saute for 10-15 seconds and pour dal-spinach mixture and kokam. Close the lid and simmer for 5 minutes on slow flame. Stir occasionally.
  8. Taste the dish before serving.
  9. Serve hot with steamed rice and Fulka roti or Bhakhri or Jowar roti or Bajra roti or as you desire.