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
Healthy food onepot recipe

(158)Dhokli nu Shak

Any beans you can use in this recipe like Cluster beans( Gavar), French beans(Fansi), Lobia beans(Choli) and Broad beans( Val papdi).

Ingredients

  • Ingredients of dhokli:-
  • 1¼ cup coarse Wheat flour.
  • 4 tbsp. Oil.
  • ½ tsp. Salt.
  • 1 tsp. Chilli powder.
  • 1 tsp. Coriander Cumin powder.
  • ½ tsp. Turmeric powder.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • ½ tsp Carom seeds ( optional).
  • 2 tsp. Sugar.
  • ⅓ cup water.
  • Ingredients of shak:-
  • 1 cup  beans of your choice.
  • 2 tbsp. Sesame seeds oil.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • ½ tsp. Turmeric powder.
  • ½ tsp. Salt.
  • ½ tsp. Carom seeds.(Optional)
  • 2 tsp. Sugar.
  • ½ tsp. Green Chilli paste (optional)
  • ½ tsp. Ginger paste.
  • 1 tsp. Red chilli powder.
  • 1 tsp. Coriander Cumin powder( Dhanajeera powder)
  • ½ cup water.
  • ¼ cup finely chopped coriander leaves.
  • Ingredients to add after the cooking of dhokli:
  • 1 tsp. Jaggery.
  • 6 kokum or 2 tbsp. Lemon juice( 2 lemon juice cubes)

Method

  1.   Wash and Chop beans of your choice.
  2. In a pressure cooker  add oil, Asafoetida powder and washed beans , salt and sugar. This is called cold tadka. As we are not heating oil .
  3. Stir once and add remaining ingredients of shak in the pressure cooker. Add ¼ cup water. Again stir and switch on the flame.
  4. Pressure cook upto  two whistles. Keep aside.
  5. In mixing bowl mix wheat flour with oil and then mix remaining  ingredients of dhokli and knead into soft dough. Keep aside for 1 hour.
  6. After 1 hour due to the coarseness  of the wheat flour,soft dough now turns into medium hard dough.
  7. Hold a small portion of dough and roll over a wooden  board  or mat and make a long cylinder. Now hold this cylinder with one hand and with the other hand fingers, pinch a small portion of dough.  Roll the dough portion with your fingers and then press with your thumb. This way makes all dhokli and keep aside.( see Video).
  8. Open the lid of the pressure cooker. Stir and mix the cooked beans.
  9. Add 3  glass (1½ lit.)of water in same cooker and boil on high flame.
  10. Once it starts boiling add all dhokli , give one quick stir and close the lid and pressure cook upto 2 whistles.
  11. Once pressure releases, open the lid and adjust the consistency by adding water,
  12. Add jaggery and kokum,  give one boil on high flame. If you want to add lemon juice instead of kokum then mix juice only after switching off the flame.
  13. Taste the dish before serving. Serve hot dhokli nu shak with Fulka Roti, bhakhri, paratha, rice  or as you wish.
  14. Serve with love and smile.
Proper quantity of oil in the flour hold the shape.
Dhokli
Cooked beans.
Making of Dhokli
French beans and dhokli.
Categories
Pickle

(154)Amla Gunda nu Athanu

Indian Gooseberry and Gumberry Pickle

Ingredients

Method

  1. Wash and wipe Amla and Gunda.
  2. Cut each amla in to lengthwise wedges and keep aside.
  3. Cut each Gunda into 4 and remove seeds and keep aside.
  4. If we measure after cutting Amla and Gunda whole content is 7 cups.
  5. In big vessel , mix amla, gunda and athana no sambhar . Also mix seeds of gunda.
  6. As mucilaginous pulp of fruit, which remains stick with seeds, having medicinal value and when pickle will season in a week time whole mucilaginous pulp will mix with pickle.
  7. Store in air tight glass jar at room temperature. After tightly fill jar with pickle, pour extra oil on the top and make sure that layer of the oil is above the pickle layer but if you are storing pickle in refrigerator then no need to add extra oil.
  8. Enjoy pickle with any of your favourite food but it taste best with steamed rice, khichadi or with plain Roti, Paratha, Bhakhri and Rotla.
Categories
Healthy food

(149)Kerda Pickle

Ingredients

  • 500 gms. Kerda.
  • 5 tsp. Salt.
  • 1 tsp. Turmeric powder.
  • 6 lemons

Method

  1. Wash Kerda thoroughly for 2-3 times.
  2. Soak kerda for 3 days and change water two times a day.
  3. On the 4th day cut the stalk of each kerda with the help of scissors ( optional).
  4. Wash thoroughly after cutting stalks.
  5. Spread kerda on cloth for drying for 15 minutes.
  6. In a mixing bowl, mix kerda with salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice( optional).
  7. Keep aside for 4- 5 days and stir properly for two times a day.
  8. On 5th day Kerda pickle is ready.
Kerda
After 3 days
cut stalk of kerda
Kerda Pickle
Categories
Healthy food

(254)Oats Chila

Ingredients

  • 1 cup oats coarse flour.
  • ⅓ cup Udad flour.
  • ¼ cup Barley flour or Wheat or Chana flour.
  • 1 Onion.
  • 1 Tomato.
  • 1 tsp Salt.
  • 1 tsp. Cumin seeds.
  • 1 tsp. Black pepper powder OR 1 tsp. Green chillies paste.
  • 2 cups of water.
  • Chat masala or Milagai podi

Method

  1. Grind Oats into coarse flour.
  2. In a saucepan mix all dry ingredients together. Either you make a paste of onion and tomato and mix in flour or finely chopped and keep aside .
  3. Make a thick batter ( see video) and keep aside for 10 minutes to set.
  4. After 10 minutes check the consistency of batter and if ok then start making chilas otherwise add water spoon by spoon and make desired consistency.
  5. Pour batter on non stick tawa and spread evenly in a circular manner. Drizzle ghee and cook on a slow flame for 4-5 minutes. Flip the side and now spread chopped onion, tomato and coriander evenly over it and sprinkle chat masala. Cook this side on a slow flame till it turns light golden brown. Generally it takes 4-5 minutes.
  6. Serve hot with Coconut chutney
Categories
Healthy food

(244)Ponk

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Ponk.
  • ½ cup Limbu mari ni sev.
  • ½ cup Pomegranate seeds.
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice.

Method

  1. Boil water in a pressure cooker.
  2. Place the ponk in the colander with the stand for 1 minute in the cooker without a whistle so that we can give steam heat to the ponk .
  3. Serving idea:- Serve steamed hot ponk , sprinkle limbu mari sev on it and pomegranate seeds. Mix lemon juice with it and enjoy steaming hot ponk with crispy sev and crunchy Pomegranate seeds with aroma and taste of lemon.
  4. Enjoy with love and smile.
Categories
Healthy food

(239)Rasiya Dhokla

Ingredients

  • 8-10 pieces of Khaman dhokla or Moong dal dhokla
  • Rasso(Ingredients for making liquid) 3-4 tomato puree cubes, 2 cups water, 2 tbsp. finely chopped Jaggery, 1 tsp. Red chilli powder, ½ tsp. Turmeric powder, 1 tsp. Coriander Cumin powder, 1 tsp. salt.
  • Tempering Ingredients 1 tbsp. Oil, ½ tsp. Cumin seeds, ¼ tsp. Asafoetida, 8-10 Curry leaves, 1 tbsp. finely chopped Coriander leaves.

Method

  1. Cut each dhokla piece into 4 parts and keep aside.
  2. Defrost tomato puree cubes.
  3. Heat oil in steel kadhai and add cumin seeds, wait for a crackling sound and add Asafoetida powder, dry masala, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Give a quick stir and add tomato puree, jaggery and water.
  4. After 2-3 boils add dhokla pieces and boil for 1 minute.
  5. Serve hot with bhakhri, paratha, roti or as you wish.
Rasso
cut into small pieces
Rasiya Dhokla

Categories
Healthy food

(237)Instant Soft Dosa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup tender coconut.
  • 1 cup of Rice flour.
  • 2 ¾ cup water.
  • ½ tsp. Soda bi Carb.
  • 1 tsp. Salt.
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped Coriander leaves.

Method

  1. Make a smooth paste of tender coconut.
  2. In a mixing bowl mix rice flour and coconut paste thoroughly by adding water. Add salt and soda bi carb and prepare the flowing consistency of the batter.
  3. Spread either on non stick tawa or in an appum vessel and prepare instant soft dosa.( See vidio)
  4. Serve with Coconut chutney.
Making soft dosa in Appum vessel
Categories
Healthy food

(236)Mamra ni chiki

Rice puff crispy bars

Ingredients

  • 3 cup Mamra.
  • 1 cup finely chopped Jaggery.
  • 2 tbsp. chopped Pistachio.
  • Pinch of baking soda.
  • 1 tsp. Ghee.

Method

  1. Dry roast mamra on a slow flame. Check after 2-3 minutes and if a single piece is powdered by pressing with your thumb and finger, it means mamra is properly roasted. Keep aside roasted mamra.
  2. Grease steel plate and keep ready.
  3. In a non stick pan add ghee and melt jaggery on slow flame.
  4. check after every 2 minutes the consistency of jaggery syrup and when droplet breaks easily at that time add baking soda, mix thoroughly and switch off the flame.
  5. Mix crispy mamra thoroughly and quickly.
  6. Spread mixture quickly on a greased plate, sprinkle pistachio and pat gently with greased palms.
  7. Immediately cut into square pieces with the help of a sharp knife or steel spatula.
  8. Enjoy mamra chiki any time of the day but health conscious people don’t forget to eat before workout. This will boost your energy.
Crispy mamra
Mamra ni chiki
Categories
DIY

(235)Dusting Spray

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water.
  • ¼ cup Olive oil.
  • 8-10 Camphor tablets.
  • 10-12 drops of Lavender oil.
  • ½ cup white vinegar.

Method

  1. Heat oil and melt camphor tablets in it and keep aside to cool down.
  2. Fill the spray bottle with water, olive oil, lavender oil and white vinegar.
  3. Shake well every time while spraying on wooden furniture and wipe with cotton cloth.
  4. This spray reduces the mixing of dust in the room atmosphere while dusting the furniture.
Categories
DIY

(233)Cow Ghee Diya Batti

Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp. Cow ghee.
  • 12-15 Camphor tablets.
  • Diya batti.
  • Ice tray.

Method

  1. Arrange all cotton home made diya batti in an ice tray and keep aside.
  2. Heat cow ghee and camphor tablets in thick bottom kadhai on fast flame.
  3. Once fumes out from the ghee, switch off the flame and stir continuously so that camphor tablets melt.
  4. Pour 2 tsp. of hot ghee on each batti and keep aside for 10 minutes to cool down.
  5. After 10 minutes refrigerate for 5-6 hours.
  6. Unmould all diya batti from an ice tray and store in the fridge
  7. If you want to keep outside the fridge, at room temperature then during melting add one 9 inch colourless candle. So due to the wax , ghee batti remain hard at room temperature .
  8. Light during prayer or in the evening in the kitchen for a refreshing aura or during candle light dinner or when you desire peace and tranquility.