WESTERN INDIA

Diversity in the geographical area in this zone from the most arid
to the wet and coastal makes this zone most versatile in terms of
cuisine.
It contains a wide range of both simple vegetarian and delectable
non-vegetarian inclusive of the exotic and world famous sea food.
Mouth waters even at the very name of Maharashtra's bhel puris,
Gujarat's dhoklas ,Rajasthani bati choorma and Goa'sVindaloo.

Staple diet of the people of this zone is rice. Wheat, bajra and
jowar are also consumed in regions such as in Gujarat and
Rajasthan.
A bounty of sea food in Goa and Maharashtra ensures that the
fish and other sea food is the invariable part of the meal for the
non-vegetarians.
Subzi, dals along with rice and rotis constitute a vegetarian plate.

The state of Gujarat excels in the preparation of vegetarian

dishes. The greatest asset of the cuisine here is the unparalleled
variety of snacks called 'farsan'.
Picturesque Goa has stolen the heart of lovers of sea food across
the country and even beyond. Recipes of chickens, prawns, fish,
pork and even pastries of these land of beaches are simply mind
blowing.
Cuisine of the state of Maharashtra is extremely versatile .
Rajasthan boasts of their own special cuisine.

RAJASTHAN
Culinary art of the princely state of
Rajasthan is judged as the most
majestic and royal by the
connoisseurs of food.
Greater use of milk, butter milk and other milk products can be
seen in Rajasthani cuisine.
Use of beans from locally grown plants like sangri, ker (a hard
desert berry) etc besides dried lentils is also popular here.
Gram flour is also a major ingredient of the Rajasthani dishes.
Most Rajasthani curries appear red in colour and appear to be
very hot but that is not so in taste. Pure ghee or butter is used as
a medium of cooking.

The Marwaris were quite lavish comparatively in their kitchens

A typical meal for them would consist of pista lonj served
with a glass of milk laced with cream. Then puris fried in hot oil,
made both with plain wheat flour or then with matar added to it to
make it green. Rotis are also commonly eaten.
Fresh ginger, lime, green chilies and radish form the salad. There
are normally two varieties of vegetables and dals. The meal ends
with a sweet meat .
Wedding feasts would include Lapsi as the auspicious offering to
The Gods, folllowed by sweet yellow rice being served to the
guests.
Kadhi known as Khatta is a staple today. Marwaris prefer the use
of hing over garlic,

Princely states gave rise to Royal cuisine as they went

Hunting and ate the meat they brought back. Cooked over
live fires this gave rise to Soola Kebabs , where the poultry
Or game was skewered and cooked.
Certain game birds were cooked in trenches in a large pots .
The meats would be marinated with a mix of cloves, ginger,
cardamom, mace coriander etc . Mince meat would be
stuffed in the cavities and the pot would be sealed. The
cooking would take a long while enhancing its flavor and
aroma.

BATTI
Wheat flour is kneaded into a
dough with plenty of ghee. They
are made into pedhas and baked
in a slow oven. It was ideally baked
in hot charcoal ash, the ash being
dusted off prior to serving.
Once cracked open they are
doused with ghee.
Enjoyed best with dal and
choorma.

DAL BATTI
Battis served with a
dal made of
Split channa and
urad with spices
and
Tomatoes.

CHOORMA
Can be made with either atta or makki ka atta.
Balls made from a dough of these with ghee and are fried .
These dumplings are then crushed and fried again in ghee.
Its then mixed with sugar , khoya , cardamom and
cinnamon.
Chopped almonds are added lastly.

LAPSI
Sweetened daliya cooked sugar , ghee
and water.
Finished with almonds and pistachios.
GATTE KI SABZI
Gram flour dumplings are made by making a dough of
besan, yoghurt, water and seasonings , shaping them into
logs and poaching them. Then cutting them into short
lengths.
These are then cooked ( they may be previously fried ) in
a tangy curd, cumin and asafetida gravy.

PAPAD KI SABZI
Bits of fried papad, simmered in a yoghurt gravy
flavored
With cumin, coriander, chilli powder, ginger and garlic.
DAL DHOKLI
Dhoklis are made with a dough of flour, salt, turmeric,
chilli powder, asafetida
and water. These are cut into
shapes and cooked in a
boiling dal mixture of toover
dal flavored peanuts ,
garlic and cocum.

KAER SANGRI
Both the Kaer and the Sangri are boiled in separate handis in
Buttermilk.
A tempering of hing and whole red chilies is done and then
powdered
Red chilli, amchoor and coriander is added.
The boiled Kaer and sangri is added to this. It is garnished with
copped coriander leaves.

SOOKHI ROTI KI SABZI

Sookhi roti pieces simmered in
a tomato gravy.
MANGODI KI KADHI OR MONGODI KI SABZI
Grape sized dumplings of moong dal made by grinding it
with red chilies and salt into a coarse paste and then
allowing them to dry.

MOONG DAL KHILMA

A fluffy moong dal preparation tossed with a tempering of
Cumin seeds, hing, turmeric and chilli powders, garam masala
And lemon juice.
AMRUD KI SABZI
A delicacy of guavas, simmered in a tangy tomato and
yoghurt masala, flavored with fennel powder, amchoor powder
, garam masala and limejuice. Eaten with poories.

ALOO CHUTNEY WALA

Stuffed baby potatoes with grated cheese, cashew nut, raisin,
salt, coriander leaves and turmeric powder , cooked in a
yoghurt gravy with flavorings of sweet mango pickle, mixed
pickle and sweet chutney.

 PITHOD DAHI ME
Besan paste cooked and
set in a thali, cut and
simmered in a coriander
flavored yoghurt gravy.

MAAS KA SOOLA
This is the most famous Rajput kebab made from game, lamb
Chicken and fish. There are 11 different ways of making Soola.
Some simple, others exotic .
Here the lamb is cut into boti. And given the first marination
with raw papaya, garlic paste, chilli powder and salt.
It is then marinated again with yoghurt, onion paste, garlic,
ginger and clove powder.
Char grilled and basted with clarified butter.

SAFED MAAS
Lamb cooked in a rich white gravy made with curds,
white pepper powder ,ginger , garlic and a paste of
almonds and coconut, finished with cream . Handi is
cooked in Dum.
LAL MAAS
It is one of Rajasthans hottest dishes . Lamb is cooked
with onions and cardamom, along with yoghurt that has
red chilies paste, cumin, coriander and turmeric mixed
into it..
The Rajasthanis make a bed of Phulka, pour on the Lal
Maas, crumble papad on top and eat after the phulka is
soaked with the gravy

KHAD
A multi tiered cake of lamb mince and Phulkas. A meal in
itself. Khad means a hole in the ground . Originally it was
baked in the mud with charcoal and hot sand providing the
heat.
About 11 layers are made and then this is wrapped in foil
and baked. Cut into wedges or desired sized pieces and
Served with kachumber, mint chutney and lime wedges.

MAAS KI KADHI
Here the lamb is cooked in a yoghurt and besan gravy along
with boiled onion and garlic pastes. Flavored with cumin
powder and green chilies .
MAKKI KA SOWETA
Lamb chunks are first cooked with whole spices and bay
leaves and a marinade of yoghurt with garlic and green chili
paste. Coriander, turmeric and red chili powders.
Later corn kernels and milk is added. It is finished with lime
juice and coriander leaves.

MALAI GHEVAR
This is a typical Rajasthani sweet where a mixture is made by
whisking together desi ghee, with ice and water. Then maida is
added and it is whisked well. Chilled milk is then added and it is
whisked again.

It is then fried in hot ghee in which moulds are placed. When half
done a small hole is made in the centre. It is lifted out when done
with a skewer.
It is then dipped in a sugar syrup and almond slivers are put on
top

SOOJI LADOOS
Made with khoya and almonds,
Sugar syrup and cardamom

MITHI KACHORI
Kachoris filled with mawa and
dipped in sugar syrup .

GUJARAT
Vibrant Gujarat has a lot to offer to a lover of vegetarian
cuisine .
Food is not over-cooked in Gujarati cooking which helps to
retain the flavor and texture of the component vegetables in
a 'shaak' (sabzi) and also in 'kathol' (pulses).

A good Gujarati Maharaj also makes subtle use of spices to keep

the integral taste of the vegetables which otherwise gets lost in
the mix of spices.
However, the greatest contribution of Gujarati cuisine to the rest
of the country are a huge variety of scrumptious snacks. Known
as 'Farsan' in Gujarat .
Chiwra, papri, sev, khakhras are common.

KHANDVI
Besan, ginger, green chilli, red pepper, salt, hing and
turmeric are made Into a smooth paste with some
water till no lumps are left . Brought to a boil and
made to a paste like consistency.
With a rubber spatula it is spread onto an un greased
surface, as thin as possible and left to cool.
Oil is heated and sarson, kadhi patta and sabut lal
mirch are added to it. It is spread over the layer.
Layers are cut into strips and each strip is rolled like a
scroll, firmly.

BATATA VADA

DHOKLA

Besan, ginger paste, chilli paste,

salt, turmeric, sugar and oil are
beaten in the curd .
Fruit salt is addded and it is then
steamed.
Tempered with rye, curry leaves.
green chillies.
Topped with coriander leaves and
grated coconut

BHAKKERVADI
A stiff dough of flour and water
Is made . It is rolled into circles.
A filling of grated or mashed
potatoes, besan, hara dhania,
sugar, salt, dhania powder,
chilli paste, garlic and ginger
paste is made and spread on
this.
The edges are sealed after
rolling up like a Swiss roll.
Then cut into slices and fried till
crisp.

THEPLA

Wheat flour and gram

flour rotis made with
methi,
Coriander, green
chillies, ginger, garlic,
Yoghurt and oil.
Cooked on the
griddle.

UNDHIA

Vegetables like yam, small

potato, raw banana, broad
beans, (surti papdi ), tender
green beans( lilva dana)
baby brinjals, sweet
potatoes, cooked with green
onion, onion and garlic ,
coriander , chilli and cumin
powders with a ground
paste of grated coconut,
ginger, garlic and chillies.
and lots of coriander leaves
Lastly muthias
( made form a dough with
atta and besan, methi,
seasoning, and little ghee )
are added into it.

GUJARATI KADHI
Tempered with whole red chilies, curry leaves and cumin
These are slightly sweet.

HANDVO

A batter is made of flour , salt, soda bi

carb, and and set aside for 6 to 7
hours.
To this grated bottle gourd, coriander
and chilies are added.
The batter is tempered with urad and
channa dal seeds and then it is put
into shallow trays and baked in a slow
oven.
Cut into pieces and served.

DAHI BHINDI

GUJARATI DAL

This is a watery toover dal that

Has been made with turmeric
and coriander
Cumin powders, chopped green
chillies
And methi seeds along with
peanuts.
The dal is beaten and then
tamarind water and
Jaggery are added.
It is then tempered with methi
seeds,
Hing, ginger and curry leaves.
Garnished with fresh coriander
leaves

SHAAK
Any dry preparation of potatoes, green vegetables or
combination of them

SHRIKHAND
Completely drained yoghurt that has been sweetened
And flavored

DOODHI HALWA
Grated doodhi cooked in ghee
With milk, sugar, khoya and
flavorings.

ANGOORI BASUNDI
Sweet thickened milk flavored with
saffron, dry fruit and cardamom, with
sweet cottage cheese dumplings

KUTCH
The food in Kutch region is simple. A breakfast would
consist of roti and milk with Khakhras ( paper thin crisp
roasted chapatties with home made butter and curds.
Lunch would be Bajra rotis or double Roti commonly called
Dhabeli , a vegetable, curds and onion.
The dinner would contain kitchdi and kadhi.
DHABELE (DOUBLE ROTI, KUTCH STYLE )
Buns filled with a potato mixture, with peanuts, garlic and
imli chutneys and spices.
KHITCHDI is made with rice and moong dal, turmeric and
salt

GODIA LADOOS usually made in winter with atta, sooji,

ghee and dry ginger powder.
GUD PAPRI Roasted wheat flour in ghee mixed with gur,
flattened in a thali, sprinkled with poppy seeds, cut into
squares and served.
KHAJOOR PAK Cooked mixture of dates, mawa and dry
fruit, cooked together in a little ghee. Set in a thali, cut into
squares and served.

The BOHRI s are the Muslim community of Gujarat.

They are non vegetarian , barring pork.
Some of the most commonly used spices are cinnamon,
Cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns, mace,
Nutmeg, saffron, mint and coriander .
Food is made in copper vessels.

The one enduring

characteristic about any Bohra
meal is the principle of
'Families that eat together stay
together'. All meals are taken
together in a large dish called
the 'Thal', with the intention of
promoting a spirit of sharing
and equality. The Thal is
usually placed upon a raised
metal or wooden round called
the Kundali.

The first food to be eaten is salt after uttering the words

Bismillah. Then comes custard or icecream, followed by dry
eat dishes like seekh kebabs, cutlets or boti kebabs .
Then come some sweet halws, followed by some savory
items.
Then come the main course which is usually a biryani
accompanied by raita and soup . The meal ends again with
a
Grain of salt .
Vegetarian dishes
are
Also served.

DAL CHAWAL PALIDA

Boiled rice and toover dal are tempered with garlic, cloves,
cinnamon and cumin.

The Palida is made with drumsticks boiled in the preserved d

water with garlic, jeera, methi and besan.
Cocum is added lastly.

KHICHDA
Wheat is washed and soaked over night in water, The next
day toor and channa dals are added into it ( at times also
masoor and urad). Meat, rice, ginger, chillies, caraway seeds,
salt, coriander and cumin seed powder are added in and it is
cooked for a long time.
Lastly a ghee tempering of jeera and garlic are added to it.