Gujarati Cuisine

Gujarati cuisine (ગુજરાતી ભોજન) refers to the cuisine of the Gujaratis from India, who are predominant in western-India. It is primarily vegetarian. The typical Gujarati Thali consists of Roti (a flat bread made from wheat flour, and called rotli in Gujarati), daal or kadhi, rice, and sabzi/shaak (a dish made up of different combinations of vegetables and spices, which may be stir fried, spicy or sweet). Cuisine can vary widely in flavor and heat, depending on a given family's tastes as well as the region of Gujarat they are from. North Gujarat, Kathiawad, Kachchh, and South Gujarat are the four major regions of Gujarat that all bring their own style to Gujarati food. Many Gujarati dishes are distinctively sweet, salty, and spicy at the same time.

Staples include homemade pickles, Khichdi (rice and lentil or rice and mung bean daal), and chhaas (buttermilk). Main dishes are based on steamed vegetables and daals that are added to a vaghaar, which is a mixture of spices sterilized in hot oil that varies depending on the main ingredient. Salt, sugar, lemon, lime, and tomato are used frequently to prevent dehydration in an area where temperatures reach 50C (120F) under the shade. It is common to add a little sugar or jaggery to some of the sabzi/shaak and daal. The sweet flavour of these dishes is believed to neutralize the slightly salty taste of the water.

The cuisine changes with the seasonal availability of vegetables. In mango season, for example, Keri no ras (fresh mango pulp) is often an integral part of the meal. The spices used also change depending on the season. Garam Masala and its constituent spices are used less in summer. Regular fasting, with diets limited to milk and dried fruits, and nuts, are commonplace.

In modern times, some Gujaratis have become increasingly fond of very spicy and fried dishes. There are many chefs who have come up with fusions of Western and Gujarati food.

A very healthy meal popular in the villages near Saurashtra during the cold winters consists of thick Rotis, termed Bhakhri, made of Wheat flour, garlic chutney, onion pieces and Buttermilk. It is a good source of energy which suits low-income villagers working on their fields in the cold days.

Sweets (desserts) made from such ingredients as local sugar cane, jaggery (a solid made from unrefined cane sugar), milk, almonds, and pistachios were originally served at weddings and family occasions as an instant energy booster for relations travelling long distances to attend. These days, sweets to be served as part of a Thali are more typically made from milk, sugar and nuts. "Dry" sweets such as Magas and Ghooghra are typically made around celebrations, such as weddings, or at Diwali.

Gujarati cuisine is also distinctive in its wide variety of Farsan - side dishes that complement the main meal and are served alongside it. Some Farsan are eaten as snacks or light meals in their own right.

Gujaratis will often refer to Daal-Bhaat (rice)-Rotli-Shaak as their standard, no-frills, everyday fare. For special occasions, this basic quartet is supplemented with additional shaak, sweet dishes and Farsan. A festive Gujarati Thali can easily contain a dozen or more separate items. Dietary rules dictate the acceptable combination of dishes. For example, if kadhi is to be served, then a lentil preparation such as chutti daal or vaal will also be included. The sweet dish acompanying kadhi will likely be milk or yogurt-based, like doodhpak or shrikhand. However, a yogurt-based raita would not be served with such a meal. Festive meals based on daal will typically have a wheat-based sweet dish like lapsi or ladu as the sweet accompaniment. Similarly, there are established combinations of spices, thought to facilitate digestion, that are used with different foods.

With so much variety in vegetarian food, the Indian British cookbook writer Madhur Jaffrey has termed Gujarati cuisine as "the haute cuisine of vegetarianism" in 'Flavours of India', one of her TV shows about Indian food. Yet, Gujarati food remains relatively unknown outside Gujarat, despite the Gujaratis being "one of the important regional Indian diasporic communities...Gujaratis, the people from the central western parts of India, are one of the early Indian communities who have ventured out to different parts of the world for multiple reasons. Today, as one of the prominent Indian diasporic communities in the world, Gujaratis are successful not only in business, which is their first love, but also in professional fields such as technology, science, medicine, and business management."

Some of the more popular Gujarati dishes are mentioned below.

List of Gujarati dishes
Breads
 * Fulka rotli, also called Rotli or Chapati, made with whole wheat flour, rolled thin
 * Puri, made with whole wheat flour, deep fried
 * Thepla, also called Dhebara, made with a mixture of flours, mildly spiced, usually contains shredded vegetables
 * Bhakhri, made with whole wheat flour, thicker than Rotli, crispy
 * Bajri no rotlo, thick millet flour flatbread usually grilled over coals
 * Juvar no rotlo, thick sorghum flatbread
 * Parotha, similar to the North Indian paratha
 * Puran Poli(Vedmi), whole wheat bread with sweet moong dal filling usually made for special occasions

Rice
 * Plain rice
 * Pulao ( Rice with vegetable )
 * Khichdi ( Rice & Dal cooked in a porridge style )

Vegetables Shaak (Subzi/Vegetables/Curries)
 * Undhiyu, a combination of eggplant, tubers, slow cooked with special spices traditionally in a clay pot
 * Sev Tameta nu Shaak (Sev Tomato Curry)
 * Bateta nu Shaak (Potato Curry)
 * Bateta Sukhi Bhaji (Dry Potato Curry)
 * Ringan nu Shaak (Eggplant Curry)
 * Dudhi nu Shaak (Bottle Gourd or Squash Curry)
 * Ganthiya nu Shaak
 * Guavar nu shaak
 * Tindola nu shaak
 * Bhinda nu shaak (Okra Curry)
 * Kobi Bataka nu shaak ( Cabbage Potato vegetable )
 * Dudhi Mag ni dal nu shaak
 * Dudhi Ganthia nu shaak
 * Dudhi Bataka nu rasawalu shaak ( Bottle Gourd & Potato curry in a gravy )
 * Chola nu shaak ( lentil curry )
 * Mag-Math nu shaak ( lentil curry )
 * Mag nu suku shaak ( dry Mung curry )
 * Tameta Bataka nu rasawalu shaak ( Tomato Potato gravy vegetable )
 * Kantola nu shaak ( one type of slight bitter tasting vegetable )
 * Karela nu shaak ( Bittergourd vegetable )
 * Ringna no oolo ( meshed Eggplant curry )
 * Methi nu shaak
 * Parwal Bateta nu shaak
 * Fansi nu shaak ( French beans vegetable )
 * Palak Bateka or Palak Paneer nu shaak
 * Suva ni bhaji nu shaak
 * Kanda Bateka nu shaak ( Onion Potato vegetable )
 * Gajar no sambharo ( Stirred Carrot vegetable )
 * Fansi ma Dhokli nu shaak ( delectable combination of french beans and spiced dumplings )
 * Panchkutiyu shaak ( Five vegetables curry )

Farsan (Side Dishes)
 * Bhajiya
 * Dhokla
 * Khandvi
 * Patra
 * Khichu
 * Sev Khamani
 * Lilva Kachori
 * Chaat
 * Methi na Gota
 * Soonvali
 * Kachori
 * Muthia
 * Paani Puri
 * Handwo ( steamed dish )
 * Rasya Muthia, a spicy yogurt dumpling soup
 * Daal Dhokli

"Nasto" (Deep fried snack foods made with besan/gram or a similar type of flour)
 * Sev
 * Ghanthia
 * Chakri
 * Khakhra
 * Cholafali
 * Mathia

Daal (Soups)
 * Moong Daal
 * Meethi (Sweet) Kadhi

Mithai (Sweets)
 * Sutarfeni
 * Kansar
 * Halvasan
 * Malpua
 * Keri no ras
 * Basundi
 * Ghari (sweet from Surat)
 * Ghebar or Ghevar (sweet from Surat)
 * Son Papdi
 * Magas (or Magaj)
 * Sukhadi
 * Mohanthal
 * Gud papdi ( Gol papdi )
 * Penda
 * Barfi
 * Ladu
 * Shiro, roasted semolina/flour/dal with milk, butter, sugar, nuts and raisins
 * Ghooghra
 * Jalebi
 * Shrikhand, a thick yogurt-based sweet dessert garnished with ground nuts, cardamom, and saffron
 * Laapsi, coarse ground/ broken wheat cooked with butter and sugar
 * Doodhpak, a milk-based sweet dessert with nuts
 * Shakkarpara, a deep fried snack made out of sugar and wheat
 * Copra paak - Coconut halwa/barfi: Halwa is soft, barfi more like cake
 * Gajar Halwo - Carrot Halwa
 * Dudhi no Halwo - Bottle Gourd Halwa
 * Gur - unrefined brown sugar sold in blocks