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
Indian bread

(71) Galya Thepla

Sweet Thepla.( 5 pieces)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup wheat flour.
  • ½ cup finely chopped Jaggary.
  • 2 tbsp oil for moin.
  • 4 tbsp. water.
  • ½ tsp. salt.
  • 1 tbsp.white sesame seeds.

Method

  1. Melt finely chopped Jaggary in 2 tbsp.water.
  2. Strain the Jaggary water with strainer and keep aside to cool.
  3. In mixing bowl mix wheat flour, oil , salt and sesame seeds. Mix thoroughly.
  4. Add cooled Jaggary water slowly spoon by spoon in flour and knead dough.If required add more water for kneading. Knead smooth dough ( like paratha dough).
  5. Make 8 equal portion of the dough.
  6. Roll each portion with the help of rolling pin and roast with ghee.
  7. Enjoy your sweet thepla with boondi raita and chhundo or gol keri.
  8. Serve with love and smile.
Categories
onepot recipe

(70) Kanki- Ghes

Rice Porridge

Ingredients

  • 1 cup broken rice( kanki)
  • 4 cups water.
  • 2 cups curd ( if sour then 1 cup).
  • Tempering ingredients.
  • 3 tsp salt.

Tempering ingredients

  • 3 tbsp. ghee.
  • 1 tsp. cumin seeds(jeera).
  • 3 cloves( lavang)
  • ½ inch Cinnamon stick (Dalchini).
  • 8-10 curry leaves.
  • 3 less spicy green chilis breaks into two.

Method:

  1. Wash broken rice for one time with gentle hand.( hard and over washing of broken rice looses nutrition). Keep aside for 30 mins.
  2. In deep pot heat ghee for tempering.
  3. Once ghee heat up add cumin and wait for crackling sound. Now add Cloves, Cinnamon, Curry leaves and green chilies.
  4. Add Water in it and wait for one boil.
  5. Add washed broken rice and salt,stir and give one more boil. Now add 1 cup whisked curd and mix thoroughly.
  6. Put this pot in pressure cooker and cover the lid.
  7. Cook rice porridge upto 5 whistles.
  8. Open cooker lid once it cool down and mix remaining cup of curd and serves hot with Celery soup or Tomato soup,Papad and Sweet Lemon Pickle, Gol keri.
  9. Serve with love and smile.
Broken rice – kanki
Rice porridge pot in cooker
Removed green chilies and curry leaves
Rice porridge ( Ghes)
Categories
soup

(69) Celery Soup

Serves 4 (250 ml.each)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped fresh celery stems with leaves.
  • 3 medium size tomatoes.
  • 2 tsp. salt.
  • 1 tsp. Sugar.
  • 250 ml water for cooking.
  • 750 ml more water.
  • 1 tsp. black pepper powder.

Method

  1. In a saucepan , add Celery, tomatoes, salt, sugar and water. Keep this pot in pressure cooker .
  2. Cook upto 3 whistles and switch off the flame.
  3. After pressure releases open the cooker lid . Strain excess water which is a clear stock or broth, keep it aside and blend the contents in the blender.
  4. Strain the blend by continuously stirring and adding broth.
  5. Add extra water to it for making 1 liter soup.
  6. Give 2-3 boils to soup after adding black pepper powder.
  7. Celery soup is ready. Serves hot.
  8. Serve soup with handavo, khichadi, pulao, Kanki-ghes or as your desire. Serve with love and smile.

List Of My Recipes

Categories
chutney

(68) Coconut chutney

Idli-dosa’s chutney

Ingredients

  • 10 coconut cubes.
  • 1 cup curd.
  • Tempering ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. salt.

Tempering ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil.
  • ½ tsp. Mustard seeds (rai).
  • ½ tsp. Udad dal.
  • 6-7 Curry leaves.
  • 2 byadgi chilis.
  • 1 tbsp. Coriander leaves.

Method

  1. Defrost cubes in one bowl.
  2. Add whisked curd , salt and mix it.
  3. Heat tempering vessel with oil and add mustard seeds.
  4. As mustard seeds crackled add udad dal and stir continuously till it turns colour. Add chili , curry leaves and coriander leaves. Give 1-2 stir and pour this in coconut chutney bowl.
  5. Mix thoroughly and coconut chutney is ready.
  6. Enjoy with Idli,Dosa, Uttapam and other South Indian dishes.
coconut chutney
Categories
Daal

(67) Chhuti Moongdal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow Moongdal.
  • 2 cup water.
  • 1½ tsp salt.
  • Tempering ingredients.
  • 3 tbsp. oil.
  • 1 tsp. Ginger paste
  • 2 green chilli halved lengthwise and deeseeded.
  • 1 tbsp.freshly chopped coriander leaves.
  • 6-7 curry leaves.
  • ½ tsp. red chilli powder.
  • ½ tsp. Coriander-Cumin powder.
  • ½ tsp. turmeric powder.

Tempering ingredients

  • ¼ tsp. Mustard seeds.
  • ¼ tsp. Cumin seeds.
  • ½ inch Cinnamon stick.
  • 2 Cloves.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida.

Method

  1. Wash Moongdal 2 times .
  2. Heat oil in kadhai .Add mustard seeds and wait for crackling sound then after turning gas stove on slow flame add cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick,curry leaves,green chilies,ginger paste and coriander leaves. Stir occasionally.
  3. Add washed Moongdal .
  4. Add all dry spices like turmeric powder,chili powder and coriander-cumin powder. Mix thoroughly and add water ,turn the flame fast and wait for water to boil.As water boils turn the flame slow and cook Moongdal. It takes 15-20 minutes.
  5. This is dry Moongdal so check in between and as water evaporates just press moongdal in between your thumb and first finger. If it pressed then Moong dal is ready.
  6. Enjoy with Aam ras, Kadhi, Roti and Rice.
Categories
vegetables

(66) Valor nu shak

Dry vegetable Gujarati style.

Ingredients

  • 250 gms valor.
  • 2½ tbsp. oil.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida.
  • 2 tsp. Salt.
  • 2 tsp. Sugar.
  • ½ tsp. Turmeric powder (Haldi).
  • 2 tsp. Coriander- Cumin powder (Dhanajeera).
  • 1 tsp. Red chili powder (mirchi).
  • ⅓ cup water.
  • ½ cup coconut (optional)
  • ⅓ cup fresh chopped coriander leaves.
  • 1 tsp.ginger paste.
  • 1 tsp.green chili past

Method:

  1. Firstly rinse 250 grams flat beans (valor papdi) very well. Then string each flat bean and pull the pods apart. You have to open the pods to see if there are worms or mould in them. Discard the beans if they have a mould or worms in them.
  2. Chop or break each pod into 4-5 parts.
  3. In pressure cooker take oil and add asafoetida , chopped valor,water,salt,sugar, turmeric powder,chili powder, coriander cumin powder, chopped coriander leaves,ginger and chili paste.
  4. Cover the pressure cooker lid without mixing all ingredients.
  5. Cook valor shak upto 3 whistles.
  6. Once cooker cool down , open the lid and check valor papdi and seeds of valor are cooked or not before mixing .
  7. If cooked then mix thoroughly and again cook on fast flame for one minute to reduce remaining water in the shak.
  8. Enjoy valor nu shak with Fulka roti ,Bajri roti,Bhakhri or Paratha, Tur dal , Moongdal dal or Masoor dal and steamed rice.
Uncooked valor shak in cooker
cooked valor shak
Reduce water on fast flame
Valor nu shak
Categories
Sweets

(65) Churma na Ladoo(Fried)

Deep fry 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. ghee for melting Jeggary.
  • 4 cups melted ghee for frying muthiya.
  • ½ tsp. finely grated nutmeg (grate with cheese grater).
  • 1 tbsp. poppy seeds for ladoo mix.(optional)
  • 2 tbsp. poppy seeds for rolling Ladoo.( optional)

Method:

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 8 equal parts and give shape of muthiya.
  6. Heat ghee in kadhai and fry all muthiya on slow flame till it becomes golden red colour. Each batch of muthiya takes 15 minutes on slow flame.
  7. After completing frying break all muthiya with spatula and keep aside for cooling.
  8. Grind all muthiya into grinder and we 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 and nutmeg powder and 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.
Ladoo dough
Muthiya from dough
Frying in ghee
Ready to remove from kadhai
Ladoo mix from muthiya
Finely chopped Jeggary
Melting chopped Jeggary
Jaggery liquid on ladoo mix
Nutmeg powder
Making of Ladoo
Rolling ladoo in poppy seeds
Churma na Ladoo

For preparing shiyalu pak ( winter tonic or food) add 3 tbsp. Ginger(sunth),1 tbsp Piprimul( ganthoda),1 tsp.cinnamon(taj) powder,1 tsp. clove ( lavang) powder,½ cup gum(fried and powdered) and 1cup extra jaggery in ladoo mix.

Categories
Quick Cooking Tips

(64) Chili flakes

Ingredients:

  • 100 gms. Kashmiri chilis.
  • 50 gms. Byadgi chilis.

Method:

  1. Dry roast both chilis in non-stick pan on slow flame.
  2. After 5-7 mins. switch off the flame and cool down completely.
  3. Wear gloves and then remove stem,veins and seeds from each chili.
  4. In dry grinder pulse it for 1-2 times and chili flakes are ready.

Kashmiri chilis give colour and flavours whereas Byadgi mirch gives pungency to your chili flakes .So according to your choice ,you can change proportion of chilis .

Categories
Quick Cooking Tips

(63) Mix herbs

Ingredients:

There are many readymade mix herbs are available in market but if you buy pure dry herbs and mix together all above in equal proportions at home then this magic bottle can turn any dish (Soup, salads, Sandwiches, veggies, pizza , pasta… endless possibilities) from blah to Wahh.

Categories
pasta

(62) Basil pasta

Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 10 cubes (¾ cup )Basil pesto.
  • ½ cup fusilli any gluten free pasta.
  • 2 cup mix vegetables ( sweet corn,baby corn,red and yellow bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini).
  • 1 tbsp.mix herbs.
  • ½ tsp.salt for vegetables and 1tbsp.salt for pasta.
  • 1 tbsp.virgin olive oil.
  • ½ tsp. chili flakes.

Method:

  1. Take 3 cups of water in deep sauce pan and add 1 tbsp. salt in it. Put pan on fast flame for boiling.
  2. As water boils ,add pasta and cook for 12 mins. Stir occasionally.
  3. Drain water.
  4. Side by side in pressure cooker add olive oil and washed vegetables . Sprinkle one fist of water on it. Add salt and cook for 1 whistle.
  5. As soon as whistle blow switch off the flame and release pressure from whistle.Open the cooker and you will get crunchy vegetables.
  6. OR
  7. In microwave cook vegetables for 6 mins.
  8. Now in mixing bowl mix hot pasta, vegetables and defrosted basil pesto cubes. sprinkle mix herbs. If you want spicy then add chili flakes in it .
  9. Serves hot. Serve with love and smile.