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
Faral

(82) Kand ane sabudana na vada

Ingredients

  • 2 cup steamed and smashed (purple yam) surati kand.
  • 2 cup soaked sabudana.
  • 1 cup coarsely crushed khara singdana( salted peanuts).
  • 1 tbsp. Ginger paste.
  • 1 tbsp. Green chilli paste.
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice.
  • 2 tsp. sugar.
  • 2 tbsp.finely chopped coriander leaves
  • salt to taste.

Method

  1. Previous night wash 1 cup sabudana and soaked in 1 cup of water.
  2. Next morning sabudana becomes soft and fluffy. check with your finger and thumb .If one soaked sabudana is smashed with your fingers then it is perfect for vada or khichadi.
  3. Peel skin of kand .Wash properly and cut into pieces.
  4. Steam kand upto 3 whistles.
  5. Once pressure released remove kand strainer from cooker.
  6. Smash kand with potato smasher.
  7. In one plate mix mashed kand, sabudana and all other ingredients thoroughly
  8. Make 3 inches size balls.
  9. Gently press each ball in between you palms .
  10. Deep fry all vadas.
  11. Serve with Green chutney, farali chutney and Dahi ni chutney.
Cut and peeled purple kand pieces cook in pressure cooker.
Steamed kand smashed with potato smasher.
Previous night soak sabudana .
Morning or after 8 hrs.check softness of sabudana with fingers.
Kand sabudana vada
Deep frying
Categories
Pickle

(81) Keri Gunda Athanu

Mango and Gumberry pickle

Ingredients

Method

  1. Wash keri and cut into 1 cm. small pieces.
  2. Add 2 tbsp. salt and 1 tsp.turmeric powder . Marinate this for 24 hrs.
  3. After 24 hrs. remove keri pieces in strainer. You can use this strained salt turmeric water in pickle like khati gurmar,dara, kerda,lila mari and gunda.
  4. Wash gunda thoroughly and wipe with cloth so no water content remains.
  5. Gently smash gunda and remove seeds .Cut each gunda into 4 pieces.
  6. Mix sambhar, keri and gunda in one big vessel.
  7. Next day add oil in it and again mix thoroughly.
  8. Keri gunda pickle is ready.
  9. Fill up this pickle in clean ,dry and air tight glass jar .
  10. Serve with love and smile and enjoy this pickle whole year.
keri tukda from vendor
cut and separate seed portion from keri tukda
Each big piece cut into small 1 cm. cubes
Marinated keri
Athana no Sambhar
Gunda
Deseed gunda
Keri,gunda and sambhar in sauce pan
Keri gunda nu athanu
Categories
Pickle

(80) Gol keri Athanu

Mango Jaggery Pickle

Ingredients

  • Gol keri sambhar masala readymade 250 gms.(1 cup)
  • 1 kg.raw mango.
  • 250 gms. kharek.
  • Finely chopped jaggery 4 cups.
  • ½ cup sugar.

Method

  1. Buy readymade golkeri sambhar masala,raw mangoes and Kharek.
  2. Wash mangoes and cut into small pieces without peeling. Keep the seeds aside . You can use for making mango jam later on.
  3. Cut Kharek into small pieces with the help of beetal nut cutter.
  4. Mix 1 tbsp. salt and ½ tsp. turmeric powder with mango pieces. Keep aside for 24 hrs.
  5. After 24 hrs. remove mango pieces from turmeric salt water . Dry mango pieces under fan for 1 hr.
  6. Add pieces into turmeric salt water and keep aside for 1 hr.
  7. After one hour.
  8. Remove kharekh from turmeric salt water.
  9. In big kadai or sauce pan mix gol keri sambhar with mango pieces and kharekh pieces.
  10. Add jaggery and sugar in it. Give nice stir and keep aside for 24 hrs.
  11. Next day again mix thoroughly .
  12. Store in clean,dry,air tight glass jar after jaggery and sugar dissolves completely.
  13. Enjoy with thepla,puri,roti, paratha or as you like.
Golkeri sambhar with Kashmiri chili powder
Mango pieces mix with salt and turmeric powder.
Kharek
Jaggery and sugar.
Jaggery mix with mango and kharek
Bottled Gol keri
Categories
Pickle

(79) Athana no Sambhar

Pickle masala

Ingredients

Method

  1. Clean both rai and methi kuriya .
  2. Dry roast salt on slow flame.
  3. In one big kadai ( wok) mix all dry ingredients .
  4. After mixing thoroughly add oil and again mix with hand so no lump will form.
  5. Now it is called sambhar ( pickle masala)
  6. You can store it in air tight container for year or more.
  7. You can make any pickle with this masala and use in vegetables and roti or paratha for making achari dishes .
Rai kuriya
Methi kuriya
All ingredients
sambhar
Categories
soup

(78) Vegetable stew

Ingredients

  • 4 cups water
  • ¼ cup green peas.
  • ¼ cup pea sized cut carrots.
  • ¼ cup pea sized cut onion.
  • ¼ cup small florets of cauliflower
  • 1 cup fine paste of tender coconut or 1 cup paste of Shrifal after removing brown colour skin.
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil.
  • 2 cloves.
  • ½ inch cinnamon stick.
  • 4 coarsely grind black pepper.
  • 2 bay leaves.
  • 8-10 Curry leaves.
  • ½ inch finely diced or paste of ginger.
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped coriander leaves.

Method

  1. Heat coconut oil in saucepan.
  2. Add all dry spices and saute for 1 minute.
  3. Add curry leaves and ginger paste .Mix it quickly.
  4. Add all vegetables .Saute for 2 minutes. Add salt and 3 cups water.
  5. Side by side boil 1 cup water and add coconut paste in it.
  6. Strain coconut paste water in saucepan .
  7. Boil for 5 minutes so vegetable stew is ready.
  8. Garnish with coriander leaves.
  9. Vegetable Stew is ready .
  10. Serve with love and smile.
Mix vegetables for stew.
Soute vegetables for stew.
Tender coconut cubes
Soak coconut cubes in boiled water.
Categories
salads

(77) Lila lasan nu kachumber

Ingredients

  • Green garlic 100 gms.
  • ½ tsp ghee.
  • ½ tsp cunin
  • ⅓ tsp salt.

Method

  • Seperate white hairy roots from the garlic pods.
  • Wash thoroughly and finely chopped green leaves as well as garlic pods.
  • Heat ghee and cumin seeds in saucepan.
  • After crackling sound add freshly chopped materíal in it.
  • Saute for 2 minutes.
  • Add salt.
  • Accompanied with roti,paratha and rotla or as your desire.
  • Serve with love and smile.
Categories
Home remedies

(76) Sunth ni goli

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Dry Ginger Powder.
  • ¾ cup finely chopped Jaggary.
  • 1½ tbsp melted ghee.

Method:

  1. In mixing bowl mix all three ingredients thoroughly.
  2. Make round small ladoo with ½ tbsp size spoon .
  3. Consume 1 sunth goli every day 1st thing in morning after drinking 1 cup of plain hot water.
  4. Sunth goli is very effective in this pandemic situation. It is also helps in cough and cold.
  5. Serve with love and smile.
Categories
water frying recipe

(75) Rasiya Dabka.

Bhat na rasia dabka, water frying recipe

New dish from leftover food

Ingredients

  • 1 cup leftover Rice/ Khichadi/Pulao/ Biryani/ Ghes.
  • 2 cups Chickpeasflour ( besan) if leftover food is Ghes or khichadi
  • or
  • 1 cup besan if leftover is Steamed Rice/Pulao/Biryani as these rice items are dry so less flour is required.
  • ½ cup curd.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Dry spices like turmeric powder ½ tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. 1 tsp coriandercumin powder,¼ tsp whole coriander seeds (course powder).
  • ½ inch grated ginger piece.
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Tempering ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp. oil.
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds.
  • ¼ tsp. Cumin seeds.
  • ¼ tsp.white sesame seeds.
  • 1 dry red whole chili.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida powder.

Method:

  1. Crush vegetables with hand if leftover food is pulao or biryani.
  2. Remove curry leaves and whole chilis if any.
  3. In one big mixing bowl mix leftover food item and all spices .
  4. Now add flour ,mix thoroughly and check the batter is thicker than pouring consistency.
  5. In a deep sauce pan boil 3 cups of water.
  6. Once water boils turn the gas stove on slow flame and start dropping ½ tsp. size dabka with hand or with spoon.
  7. After dropping all dabkas ,add curd and 1 cup water in same mixing bowl as remanent flour in the mixing bowl will help prevent curd from separating out. Whisk and add this buttermilk in the boiling dabka’s saucepan.
  8. Put tempering vessel on next stove .Heat up oil and add mustard seeds and wait for crackling sound then add cumin seeds,curry leaves and red chilli and sesame seeds and pour it in dabka’s saucepan.
  9. Give 2 boils and then switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves .
  10. Hot rasiya dabka taste best with crispy papad and onion tomato salad.
  11. Serve with love and smile.
Categories
Sweets

(74) Churma na ladoo ( Roasted)

Roasted recipe.

makes 27 Ladoo. each ⅛ cup size

Ingredients:

  • 2 cup wheat coarse flour.(Jadda atta)
  • ½ cup melted pure cow ghee for flour.
  • 185 ml. hot water.
  • 2 cup finely chopped Jaggary.
  • 40 ml. (2 tbsp.)ghee for melting Jeggary.
  • 1 tsp. finely grated nutmeg (grate with cheese grater).
  • 1 tbsp. poppy seeds for ladoo mix.(optional)
  • 1 tbsp. poppy seeds for rolling Ladoo.( optional)
  • 2 tbsp. ghee for mixing ladoo mix

Method for preparing ladoo mix.

  1. Heat  water in one pan.
  2. In one mixing bowl take whole wheat course flour  add melted ghee and mix thoroughly.
  3. Add hot water in it and mix flour with spoon.
  4. As flour is mixed with water , dough is little warm . Knead the dough with hand for 1 minute.
  5. Divide dough into 4 equal parts and roll each part with the help of rolling pin and shape into 1 cm.thick bhakhri.
  6. Dry roast each bhakhri on slowest flame till it turns biscuit colour.
  7. After cooling, grind all bhakhries in grinder and will get ladoo mix.

Method for making Ladoo:

  1. Heat ghee in kadhai for melting chopped Jaggary.
  2. As soon as jaggery melts switch off the flame and pour jaggery liquid in ladoo mix.
  3. Add poppy seeds , nutmeg powder and 2 tbsp extra melted ghee in it. Mix thoroughly all these ingredients with spoon. As all the ingredients are mixed and your ladoo mixture is also cooled.
  4. Take ⅛ cup of ladoo mix in your palm,press in your fist and give shape of ladoo.(see video)
  5. In one plate roll all ladoo one by one in poppy seeds.(see video)
  6. Store in air tight container and  consume for one month.
  7. Serve with love and smile.
Thick bhakhri for churma na Ladoo
Roasted bhakhri
coarse powder of Bhakhri.

Melted Jaggary
Ladoo mix with Nutmeg powder and liquid Jaggary
Shaping of ladoo
Rolling of ladoo in Poppy seeds
Categories
Raita,salad

(73) Boondi raita

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plain curd.
  • 1 tsp. mustard seeds powder.
  • 1 tsp.salt.
  • ⅓ cup salted bundi.
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Method:

  1. Whisk curd and add mustard seeds powder in it. Keep it in fridge for 4-5 hours.
  2. Remove curd vessel from the fridge at the time when you want to consume.
  3. Add salt and coriander leaves and mix well .
  4. Add bundi and mix well .
  5. Serve chilled bundi raita with galya thepla,methi na thepla, sada thepla, ponk thabda or as your desire.
  6. Serve with love and smile.