I don’t like burgers. No, not the people, rather the fast food that is on offer throughout the country. Be they from a multinational or of some local company, burgers, or for that matter fast food of any other variety are just not nutritious. And being the mother of four, this has always been of paramount concern for me. And this is one of the many values that I want to pass on to my daughters. But getting them to sift through recipe books and picking the right one is not easy. Especially if they are glued to the computer throughout the day. So, trying to make the best of the situation, I too switched on the computer one day (yes I know how to use it) and dished out a few recipe sites that I hope would be good use not only in my house, but also to girls of my extended family, living in the US and elsewhere.
Being of Gujarati descent, I obviously managed to find and go for sites that had Gujarati food. And I did find a few, including Gujarati Cuisine http://gujaratonline.com/cuisine/. Part of the larger Gujarati online portal, this is basically a personal effort on part of a certain Roopal Mehta and this site, that she claims she’s been running since 1997, is part of her folio. But that’s not what I was here for. This site has a very well maintained cuisine section that is divided into seven different sections. From rice (Bhaat) to vegetables (Shaak) and sweets (Mithai) the matter here is really good. Apart from the regular recipes, there is also text that makes for good reading. You can of course submit your recipe here as well.
For those who don’t know much about Gujarat, let me tell you that is the only vegetarian state in India as the majority of the Gujaratis are staunch vegetarians. Though, Gujarat can be divided into four regions, North Gujarat, Kathiawar, Kutch and South Gujarat, there are only slight variations in the eating habits and modes of preparation of the people there. However, there are certain things that are common in Gujarati food, like yogurt, buttermilk, coconut, groundnut, sesame seeds, lime juice, sugar etc.
One of the more aesthetically, probably the best site graphically, was http://www.suvir.com/gujaratirecipes.html. However, the biggest disappointment here is that there are only three recipes on display here and these are Kadhi, Bataata Nu Shaak and Sookhee Simla Mirchee. Hopefully in the future, more works of the kitchen will be present here. Till then, enjoy the unique spicy vegetable the site has to offer. By the way, this site is, part of chef Suvir Saran’s web site. And the recipes he has presented here, he has tried and tested them before. So, you do know that you are now dealing with a tried and tested recipe of a pro.
Gujarati cuisine is traditionally served on silver platters and are accompanied with rice and a variety of wheat breads. The famous Gujarati thali consists of farshans, sweetmeats and a variety of sweet and sour chutneys and pickles. This harmony derived from the mixing of the sweet with the salty is what makes the cooking of this state different from the rest of the subcontinent.
Yet another food dedicated portal http://www.indiaparenting.com/cookingclub/list.cgi?cuisine_id=6, there are a lot of Gujarati dishes here. The new things for the taste buds here include Punjabi Kadhi and a whole variety of starters and snakes, which I am sure will not only benefit the cooking talents of my nieces, they will also be of use to my nephews who are studying in universities alone.
Now, of all the sites that I visited, none of them took Gujarati cooking as seriously as the one here. GujaratPlus http://www.gujaratplus.com/g_rec/ has in fact gone to the extent of bringing under the microscope, food from the region and dividing it into specialities of the Southern and Northern parts of the province. Apart form a detailed list of food, mithai, dal and farshan, there are also special links, like Bachelor Dishes, Eggless Cakes and the likes.
Another site that is not kidding when it comes to Gujarati food is the cuisine site of the portal, 123gujarat http://www.123gujarat.com/cuisine/. Apart from the usual dose of recipes, there are also tips and tricks and for the weight and health conscious individuals, there is also a calorie counter. In fact, by and far this site proved to be the most comprehensive of all available. You can even contribute your own tips at the site.
Colourful and quick to download, http://www.food-india.com/region/gujarati.htm offers something entirely different on Gujarati recipes; nothing. Instead, the site has articles highlighting Gujarati food. Good reading for those who are asking the question, why should we indulge ourselves in food from this area?
Though the site administrators have promised that they will have Gujarati Recipes on soon, for some reason, I really doubt it.
More of the Gujarati recipes are here at the Rangat Food Corner http://www.rangat.com/foodcorner/recipe1.asp?catid=2. From the eleven cuisines that are on offer here to prepare, I thought of preparing Papaya Chutney for the coming summer. After all, nothing like a good entree to go with Patra Bhajia and Papdi, both available on the site.
Though there were a few more sites around, but for the moment I think these should suffice. After all, I don’t want the girls around to think that I want them off burgers!
I don’t like burgers. No, not the people, rather the fast food that is on offer throughout the country. Be they from a multinational or of some local company, burgers, or for that matter fast food of any other variety are just not nutritious. And being the mother of four, this has always been of paramount concern for me. And this is one of the many values that I want to pass on to my daughters. But getting them to sift through recipe books and picking the right one is not easy. Especially if they are glued to the computer throughout the day. So, trying to make the best of the situation, I too switched on the computer one day (yes I know how to use it) and dished out a few recipe sites that I hope would be good use not only in my house, but also to girls of my extended family, living in the US and elsewhere.
