Kachi Keri nu Gadwanu — a recipe I should have shared a day earlier, but one that still belongs to this season.
The intense summer heat, coupled with a day spent on the farm performing rituals to herald a new farming year, called for foods that could provide both energy and protection from the harsh sun. Kachi keri nu gadvanu was one such preparation, designed with purpose. A simple ghau ni raab, enriched with raw mangoes, aromatic spices, grated kopra, and poppy seeds, transforms into a festive dish, usually eaten with whole wheat rotis as a traditional lunch on Akha Treej.
For farming communities across Gujarat, Akha Treej (Akshaya Tritiya) marks the beginning of the agricultural calendar. It was once a day filled with celebration, bullocks adorned with care, ploughs worshipped with reverence, and offerings of ladoo or lapsi made in gratitude.
I requested Navghanbhai to share how this festival was once celebrated, when such rituals and the foods associated with them were an integral part of everyday life. Somewhere along the way, as these rituals faded, so did the foods that once held them together
