Chef Ranveer Brar presents a special festive platter for Savan Shivaratri with six dishes

If you are tired of monotonous food consisting of simple dal, rice, and dry vegetables, it is time to bring a new Gujarati accent to your kitchen. We suggest preparing the famous Kathiyawadi Baingan from the Kathiyawad region in Gujarat, which is known for its tangy, spicy, and aromatic taste.

Kathiyawadi Ringan Nu Shak is a traditional hot Gujarati curry. It is made from small eggplants, sometimes with added potatoes, and simmered in a thick, nutty sauce made from peanuts, sesame seeds, garlic, and local spices. This dish is best served hot with millet bread (bajra).

Ingredients

The following components are required for preparation: 400 grams of small purple eggplants (ringan), medium-sized potatoes (batata), cut; ground peanuts, white sesame seeds, desiccated coconut powder, besan or ground gathi. Garlic paste, ginger paste, green chili paste, cumin seeds (rai), cumin (jeera), asafoetida (hing), Kashmiri chili powder, coriander-cumin powder, as well as a little palm sugar or regular sugar.

How to Prepare Kathiyawadi Baingan

First, prepare the spices: mix peanut powder, sesame seeds, coconut, spices, and garlic-ginger pastes with a little oil to form a thick binding paste. Then, carefully fill the stuffed eggplants and the sliced potatoes with this prepared mixture. Next, fry cumin seeds and cumin along with a small amount of asafoetida in hot oil, then add the stuffed vegetables and the remaining mixture. The dish is simmered by adding hot water for the sauce, covered, and cooked over medium heat or in a pressure cooker until tender.

What to Serve With

This spicy dish pairs excellently with millet or corn bread, as well as sorghum bakri, and is served with white butter and yogurt.

The holy month of Sawan is considered the best time for worshiping and honoring Lord Shiva. There is a belief that Mahadeva greatly enjoys bhang, so offering him bhang during Monday of Sawan or Shivaratri is considered very auspicious.

If you also want to prepare something special, traditional, and crispy as an offering to Lord Shiva during this Sawan, bhang pakoras are an ideal choice. These pakoras are made from a mixture of chopped vegetables and bhang leaves/paste, and they turn out very tasty and crunchy.

Below is a complete guide on how to easily prepare them at home.

The following ingredients will be needed: 1.5 cups of kuttu flour, 1 tablespoon of bhang leaves or paste (freshly ground leaves), 1 potato (thinly sliced or finely chopped), 2 green chilies (finely chopped), fresh cilantro, fasting salt (to taste), oil for frying, and water as needed for the batter.

First, mix the kuttu flour and salt in a large bowl. Then, add the bhang paste (or finely chopped fresh leaves), chopped green chilies, cilantro, and potato to this mixture. Gradually add a little water to make a thick pakora batter so that all ingredients are well coated; it is important not to make the mixture too runny.

Heat the oil in a pan. When the oil is moderately hot, carefully drop small amounts of batter into the oil using a hand or a spoon. Fry the pakoras over medium heat until golden and crispy on both sides. After that, remove the pakoras. They are served hot with green chutney or tea after being offered to Lord Shiva.

If you want to try something more original and authentic than regular dal-rice or khichdi, the Gujarati Khato recipe is perfect. This dish is made from yogurt, fried rice, and moong lentils.

During the holy month of Sawan, people often abstain from eating onion and garlic and prefer light food. In such cases, the problem arises that daily monotonous eating becomes boring. Although khichdi and kadhi are prepared in every home, here is a dish from Gujarat that resembles khichdi in its lightness but has the same delicious taste as kadhi.

If you are striving to cook something light, healthy, and unusual, be sure to try Gujarati Khato. This traditional dish from Gujarat is made using fried rice, moong lentils, whole green moong, and yogurt. Its taste is slightly sour, spicy, and very soothing. The distinguishing feature is that it can be made with a small amount of ingredients, and it is good for digestion.

If you do not have pickle powder (achar masala), you can sprinkle finely ground red pepper on top, which will also enhance the flavor.

Simple Way to Prepare Gujarati Khato

First, thoroughly wash the rice, yellow moong lentils, and whole green moong. Then, fry them in a pot over medium heat without oil until all moisture evaporates and they acquire a light golden color. After this, let them cool completely.

Once the mixture has cooled, lightly grind it in a blender to obtain a coarse powder; it is important that the powder is not too fine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt with water to obtain a liquid buttermilk. Finely chop the green chili, ginger, and garlic to make a paste.

Heat peanut oil in a pot. Add cumin seeds, rai, fennel, whole red chilies, and curry leaves to create an aromatic tempering. Then stir in the ginger, garlic, and green chili paste and sauté for about a minute. After that, add til seeds and turmeric and mix.

Add about half a cup of the prepared mixture and sauté, stirring, for one to two minutes. Then, while constantly stirring, gradually pour in the prepared buttermilk to avoid lumps. Cook over medium heat until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.

Finally, add salt to taste and mix well once more.

How to Serve

Garnish the finished Gujarati Khato with a small amount of pickle powder, a few drops of peanut oil, and finely chopped fresh coriander. If you do not have pickle powder, you can use finely ground red pepper. Serve hot and enjoy the traditional taste of Gujarat.