TOORI JI BHAJI / BASARA TAMATE MEIN TOORYUN / SEYALA TOORYUN

There are many ways of cooking ridge gourd. This is a simple Sindhi preparation as we call it seyala tooryun.cooked with onion tomato and basic spices. It is very light on your stomach and is usually served with rotis or puris.

Ingredients:

Turai / ridge gourd ... 1 kg.

Onion ................... 1 cup sliced

Tomato ................ 1 

Green chillies ..... 1-2

Garlic ................. 1 tsp (optional)

Turmeric powder .. 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder .. 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder ..... 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder .. 1/8 tsp

Salt ................ to taste

Oil ............ 3-4 tbsps

Coriander leaves .. handful

Method:

1. Peel the ridge gourd and cut into pieces. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion until translucent.

2. Add garlic, green chillies and tomato. Stir fry until tomato gets cooked.

3. Tip in the chopped ridge gourd. Add the salt and spice powders. Mix well and cover it.

4. Cook on medium flame until the water gets dried up stirring a couple of times. Turai leaves a lot of water. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rotis or puris.

MOORI JE PATTAN JO SAAG

We usually eat radish only and the leaves are thrown away. Hence radish greens are not sold separately in the market.  During winter we find tender radishes with bunches of fresh leaves. The saag made with these leaves tastes awesome. Radish greens add nutrition to your diet and also are a rich source of calcium. Apart from  cooking you can also add a few leaves to your smoothies and salads. Wash the leaves thoroughly before using them.

Ingredients:
Radish leaves ....5-6 cups
Spinach ............ 1 cup
Green chillies ..  1 or 2
Ginger .......... 1 tsp grated
Garlic .......... 1 tsp crushed
Onion ....... 1 small (1/4 cup sliced)
Turmeric powder .. 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder .. 1 tsp
Cumin powder ...... 1/2 tsp
Salt ........... to taste
Oil .... 2-3 tbsps

For Tadka / Tempering:
Garlic .... few cloves finely chopped
Kashmiri chilli powder ..... 2 - 3  pinches
Desi ghee / clarified butter - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash the radish leaves and spinach thoroughly and chop them.

2. In a pan heat oil and add the sliced onion. Saute until translucent. Tip in the ginger garlic and green chillies.

3. Now add the mentioned spice powders and salt.

4. Add the greens into the pan, mix everything and cover with a lid.

5. The greens leave out water and there is no need to add any more. Just simmer to cook until the water dries up. It takes about 30 - 35 mins.

6. Let it cool. Lighly grind the saag with a hand grinder.

7. Now heat the ghee in a small pan and add the finely chopped garlic. When it becomes golden brown switch off the gas and add the Kashmiri chilli powder. Immediately pour this over the cooked saag and mix.

CHOORI / CHURMO

Choori or Churma  is the prashad we offer to Lord Shiva. Mom made the best choori, very crisp and crunchy. I have got all the tips from her and I am glad the choori has come out perfect, just like hers. Choori laddos can also be made following the same process and you can add dry fruits to them.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour ... 2 cups
Ghee / oil ... for frying and adding to the flour.
Sugar ..... 1/4 cup ( or as you like it )

Method:
1. Take wheat flour in a deep bowl and add about 1/4 cup ghee or oil. Mix well and it should form a muthia / ball when you press it in your fist. Then the quantity of the ghee added is enough. This is the test. If you add less ghee the choori will not be crisp.
2. Now knead this adding water little by little to a very stiff dough.
3. Make muthias with the dough pressing the dough in your fist as you can see in the pictures.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the muthias on a very low flame to make them crisp and golden brown.
If you fry on high flame the inside part will remain raw.
5. Let them cool and then you grind them in a pestle and mortar or in a mixer.
6. Mix the desired quantity of sugar as per your preference. I have added 1/4 cup.
7. Pour a little hot oil or ghee over this and mix well.

GUR JI KUTTI / SINDHI KUTTI / WHEAT FLOUR CRUMBLE SWEET

Kutti also known as Bhori  is a traditional Sindhi breakfast made out of crumbled wheat flour rotis to which sugar or jaggery is added. The one made with sugar has a crumbly texture as the sugar is just mixed in the crumbled bread and hot ghee is poured over it.  Kutti made with jaggery has a soft rexture as the jaggery is melted and added to the crumbled rotis. This can also be made into laddoos which are made as a prasad for Lord Ganesh.
Kuti is mostly relished in winters and is served with roasted papads.  In Sindhi homes this is considered as one of the a rich breakfast like dal /pakwan/ seero. We make it on special occasions. You may add crushed nuts to it if you like. This is also made for lactating mothers post pregnancy with a lot of ghee added to it along with crushed pepper corns and cumin seeds.
Today I have made gur ji kutti / kutti with jaggery which is my personal preference. Here is a step by step pictorial for you.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour ... 5 cups
Jaggery ......... 2 cups crushed ( which is about 500 gms )
Ghee ........... 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup (total 1 cup)
Water .. as needed

Method:

Take the flour in a big plate and make a well in the middle.
Add 3/4 cup of melted ghee.

Mix it well .

To check whether the moin (ghee added to it ) it sufficient, take a small portion in your palm and press it. If it forms into a lump then it is perfect.

Knead it adding sufficient water to make a stiff dough.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.

Roll each one into a thick roti.

Prick with a spoon or a knife to make incisions on it and roast it on a medium flame turning it a couple of times to cook evenly.

Remove it from the griddle and crumble it using the rolling pin or in a pestle and mortar.

Using your palms crumble it to a fine texture. Repeat the process for all the rotis.

Set it aside in a broad thali.

Heat a sauce pan or kadai and add the remaining 1/4 cup ghee. Add the crushed jaggery to it.

Also add about half cup water and start mixing until the jaggery melts.

 Keep stirring on medium flame until it starts bubbling.

Now pour this little by little to the crumbled roti and keep mixing with a spatula until it is mixed well.

You may find the texture too soft initially but remember that it becomes perfect when it is kept for half an hour or more. If you are serving immediately you may reduce the water quantity.

Remove it into a serving dish. This can be served hot or even at the room temperature.

You can also serve them in the oval shaped laddoos. We usually make these laddoos as a prashad to Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi.

AMBRIYUN JI MITHI KHARAIRN / SWEET MANGO PICKLE / MITHI AMBRI

Sweet mango pickle is a nice accompaniment with parathas, puris, koki, theplas.. Kids love it too. The process of making it is very simple.

Ingredients:
Raw mangoes ... 2-3
Sugar ...... 3/4 cup
Water .... 2 cups
Dry whole red chillies .. 2-3
Bay leaf ... 1-2
Cinnamon stick .. 1 piece
Cumin seeds ... 1/2 tsp
Black cardamom... 1
Green cardamoms .. 3 - 4
Nigella seeds / onion seeds .. 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder .. 1/4 tsp
Vinegar .... 1 tbsp (optional)
Salt .. 2 tsps

Method:
1. Wash the mangoes well. Peel the skin and cut them into thick strips.
2. Sprinkle salt over them and spread them on a cloth. Dry them in the sun for a day or two.
3. In a pan take the sugar, pour 2 cups water and bring it to a boil. If the mago pieces are bigger in size add half cup more.
4. When the sugar melts and it starts to bubble, add the mango pieces.
5. Now add all the whole spices mentioned in the list one by one.
6. Tip in the turmeric powder and red chilli powder and continue to stir until it thickens and the mango pieces become translucent.
7.Stir in the vinegar after it cools. I did not add any.

Note: The sugar content should be adjusted according to your liking and the sourness of the mangoes Keep tasting in between and add more if required.

GUR JO LOLO / SWEET ROTI WITH JAGGERY

This is another version of Sindhi lolo made with jaggery instead of sugar. Using jaggery is a better
option too. We usually make this as a prashad on Poonai (Guru Poornima ) day to break our fast.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour ... 5 cups
Jaggery    .  250 gms  (about 1 and 1/2 cups after crushing)
Ghee / oil ... as needed (you can use half and half too mixed together if you think only ghee will be heavy )

Method:
1. Crush the jaggery. Cook it adding about 2 cups water on low flame until it melts. Remove the impurities. Strain and set aside to cool.
2. Take the flour in a big bowl and add about 1/4 cup ghee or oil and mix well. When you take a small portion in your hand and press it like a muthiya it should be firm and not crumble. This is the test that the ghee (moin ) is sufficient.
3. Now add the melted jaggery syrup little by little and make a stiff dough.
4. Divide the dough into 5 or 6 portions. Roll each portion into a thick roti.
5. Shallow fry it on a griddle spooning a little ghee or oil on low flame until it is crisp and done.

See the procedure of making lolo in the video

AMBRIYUN JI KHATAIRN / SINDHI MANGO PICKLE

This is a Sindhi style mango pickle which is very mildly spiced compared to many other pickles or the store bought ones. It is quite close to Punjabi pickle in colour and taste as the basic masala ingredients are similar. Since it is not spicy even the kids can enjoy it. This pickle takes me back to my childhood days when we used to visit nani's place every summer holidays and would pick up pieces of mangoes from the pickle jars kept for maturing in the sunlight on the terrace and relish them.. While making the pickle make sure you wash the mangoes well and wipe them with a cloth before cutting them. If you have the facility of drying the mango pieces in the sunlight it will be good. Mix salt to the cut mango pieces and spread them on a cloth and dry them for a couple of days. After making the pickle also keep the jar out in the sun daily until it matures. Make sure the oil covers the pickle well to avoid the fungus. Use mustard oil for this pickle preferably. I had to use normal cooking oil as we do not get mustard oil in Brazil. I shall update the post with the new picture after the pickle is ready...
Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:
Raw mangoes ..  4-5
Mustard seeds .. 1 tbsp
Methi seeds / fenugreek........ 1 tsp
Fennel seeds / saunf .. 1 tbsp
Nigella seeds / onion seeds.. 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder ... 1 tsp
Red chilli powder .... 1 tsp  (you can add more if you like )
Mustard oil ......... 1/2 cup
Asafoetida .... 2-3 pinches.
Salt  .......1  and 1/2 to 2  tbsps ( depending on the size of the mangoes. One spoon while drying them and the rest to be added while pickling )

Method:
1. Wash the mangoes well and wipe them with a cloth.
2. Cut them into slightly bigger pieces or as desired. Sprinkle about one tbsp salt and spread them on a cloth to dry in the sunlight for a couple of days.
3. You can lightly dry roast the spices or use them as it is. Just grind lightly to a coarse texture.
4. Mix the asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the remaining salt to the ground spices.
5. Heat the oil to a smoking point and close the gas.
6. Meanwhile in a big vessel mix the spices and the mango pieces to coat them evenly.
7. Pour the oil over them. Put the pickle in a sterilized jar. Keep it out in the sunlight everyday and give it a shake. If you want to stir it use a wooden spoon.

Note: It take a month or more for the pickle to mature. Later you can store it in the fridge and always check that the pickle should be covered with oil to avoid it from getting fungus. If needed you can follow the same method of heating the oil and add when it is cooled.

KACHALU JA TUK / CRISPY FRIED ARBI

In the Sindhi Cuisine there is a popular preparation of crispy double fried potato slices known as Tuk Patata or Alu Tuk .. This is similar to that but made with arbi or arvi which is known as Kachalu in Sindhi language. They are known as Colocasia or Taro root in English There are two ways of making this. You can either boil the kachalu and them press them flat and fry to a crispy texture or you double fry them, i.e. First half fry the slices and keep them covered in a closed container. This makes them soft and then you press them again to fry for the second time. I always prefer the second option as that is actually the traditional way of frying the Tuk . In Brazil we get lovely kachalus which are quite large in size like potatoes so I got nice and big slices.  If they are smaller you can make two halves length wise. These make a perfect accompaniment with dal chawal / kadhi chawal / sai bhaji pulao

Ingredients:

Kachalu / arbi ... as needed

Salt ... to taste

Oil ... to fry 

For sprinkling:

Cumin powder .

Black pepper powder

Red chilli powder

Amchoor powder

Garam masala powder 

(use few pinches of each as per your liking )

Method:

1. Peel the kachalu / arbi and cut them into thick round slices about half an inch thick. If they are small you can just halve them length-wise.

2. Rub salt on them and deep fry them until half done taking care not to make them brown.

3. Remove them in a container with a lid and set them aside.

4. When you are ready to serve the food, heat oil for frying themagain

5. Take each slice on a flat surface and press it with your palm to flatten it.

6. Fry them on medium flame until crisp and crunchy.

7. Sprinkle the mentioned masala powders on them.