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May 19, 2016 By Sheetal

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About Me

Namaste! I am Sheetal and theroute2roots is the journey I have embarked upon to document the local and native foods, the rapidly fading food practices and traditions of Gujarati cuisine. Along the way, I talk about the joys of home cooked foods made using local and seasonal produce...

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Latest Posts

Sindhi Koki – celebrating flavours and memories from a Sindhi kitchen

April 5, 2024

Arni na phool ni Kadhi

March 29, 2024

Choli ma Makai ni Dhokli

March 19, 2024

Patuda no Lot – from Meenabu’s Keechun Diaries

January 28, 2024

Bataka ni Dhokli; a union of delicate potato dhoklis with a classic gujju style potato curry

August 9, 2023

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Documenting foodways, micro cuisines, hyper local and folk foods of Gujarat; Saveur Finalist

Daabla Keri/દાબલા કેરી, is Gujar

Daabla Keri/દાબલા કેરી, is Gujarat’s version of stuffed mango pickle, it holds a special place in the hearts of crunch (karara) loving Gujjus. Unlike the chopped mangoes of Keri nu Khatu Athanu, the whole mangoes in this pickle retain their crunch for a long time, sometimes even for more than a year. Contrary to my initial belief that this pickle is made from naturally fallen immature baby mangoes, it actually requires a special kind of plump baby mangoes with tender seed. This year, I had the opportunity of observing @artsparksahmedabad mum Meena auntie make a small batch of the Daabla Keri pickle. The name of the pickle, I assume, comes from the word Daabvu/દાબવુ meaning to press (press and stuff properly) or Daabdu/દાબડો meaning a container (the mangoes act as containers for masala)!! Whatever the origins of the name, Daabla Keri is a unique and delicious pickle.

The process of making Daabla Keri follows the basic principles of achar making, some of which are,
Selecting the most appropriate variety of mango.
Insistence on good-quality ingredients, especially hing, chili powder, and oil, and pickling salt, if possible.
Meena auntie uses sesame seed oil because that is what her mother used, as it helps retain the texture of mangoes.

More than the recipe, it’s the stories and memories around the particular food that make these captures truly endearing. I love how Meghna @artsparksahmedabad pops up to share anecdotes around Daabla Keri.
#achar #gujartipickles #mangopickle

Early this month, Nanditaben @nanditaamin hosted P

Early this month, Nanditaben @nanditaamin hosted Purvi @farmingmatters and me on her family farm in the Charotar region of Gujarat. I was thrilled our plan of documenting Charotar’s cuisine was finally coming to life. The few meals we had with her she shared generous insights into one of the most popular cuisines of Gujarat.

It was the beginning of the month of Chaitra, and one of the rituals many elders follow is consuming the tender copper-hued leaves of Neem. Nanditaben taught us her grandmother’s recipe for making a stir-fry with tender shoots of Neem. To date, she has been ritualistically eating this during the first week of Chaitra. “It is the reason I rarely get a fever,” she says confidently. Nanditaben practices a minimalist approach towards food and cooks all her food in ghee, she insists not to skimp on this fabulous fat.

A warm bowl of Kadhi over piping hot ghee-drenched

A warm bowl of Kadhi over piping hot ghee-drenched Khichri is the perfect way to end a cold winter evening; a lukewarm bowl of Kadhi for lunch in summer refreshes the palate like no other! I find dals a little heavy to digest during summers, while kadhi pairs perfectly with aamras. Gujarat has such a vast repertoire of Kadhis that it would be a crime to stick to just the regular Kadhi; from seasonal fruits, veggies, both wild and cultivated greens, flowers, and even dehydrated produce, we have kadhis to match every season and occasion! All we need to do is give them the space on our plates.

Shakkaria/sweet potatoes are in season, and I have been getting beautiful varieties from the local farmers’ market. The Kadhi above has shakkaria added to it, and it tastes bomb! The mellow sweetness of shakkaria nicely balances the sour buttermilk. This Shakkaria ni Kadhi with red jowar roti was my lunch! The recipe is simple: add boiled and grated sweet potatoes to the buttermilk+besan mix and proceed as you make regular Kadhi.

#kadhi #gujarati

This post has taken almost four years to happen. B

This post has taken almost four years to happen. Bhumika @limeandlettuce and I had begun discussing documenting iconic Sindhi recipes on theroutetoroots in August 2020. Although we stay in the same city, we have met only once in person when she happily agreed to host Chetna and me at her beautiful home and showcase some Sindhi vegetarian recipes! I hope we can improve our track record, Bhumika, and the wait for a second post isn’t this long. I distinctly remember the comment Bhumika had left about the terrazzo flooring over one of my stories, how it reminded her of her nanihal, as we shared our memories we realised that her nanihal and my maika were just two bungalows apart. Ours was a neighbourhood dotted with lots of Sindhi homes, and we had grown up enjoying a lot of Sai Bhaji, Dal Pakwan Kadhi. The Sindhis, known for their hardworking and enterprising nature, are an important business community in Gujarat. I am so thrilled that Bhumika agreed to write about the cuisine of her heritage and share memories of some of the trademark Sindhi dishes. The first post on the blog is about Koki, the classic Sindhi breakfast bread.

Bhumika shares,

If you’ve ever had a Sindhi friend, chances are you would have definitely tasted the koki. When it comes to comfort food for Sindhis, Koki tops the charts. Think of it like the Gujju thepla – a simple flatbread packed with great flavour. My earliest memory of Koki is watching my Mumma pack it for our tiffin. Early in the morning, she would make fresh kokis and wrap them in a thin rumaal.

Koki – the ultimate Sindhi comfort food – may be well-known as a breakfast item, but it can be termed as an anytime meal. I say ‘meal’ because the number of accompaniments make it one. With some fresh homemade curd and roasted papad, it’s a staple breakfast in a Sindhi household. On tiring summer nights, when one doesn’t want to cook an elaborate meal, koki and mango makes for a light satisfying eat. Back from a long day of shopping, chai-koki becomes a satiating evening snack. Pack it with chhunda and pickle for long train journeys. And for the kid in me, dip it in some ketchup and roll in bhujia sev.

Continue reading on the blog…

I have met some very inspiring individuals here on

I have met some very inspiring individuals here on the gram, and Nanditaben @nanditaamin is one of them. I did know a little about her through her articles in Mint Lounge and the animal rescue shelter she runs in Baroda, but it was here that we began interacting.

Nanditaben inspires me in more ways than one, and if there is one habit I wish to take from her, it is eating clean, healthy meals. She cooks from her heart, follows her mum’s cooking ethos, and keeps it rooted, honest, and simple!

One of the stories I did on wildflowers got us to document this Arni ni Kadhi. The post was supposed to happen in January, but technical glitches on both parts delayed it. Instead of pushing this post to next season, I decided to share it so that you all can be on the lookout for these wildflowers.

Nanditaben shares,

I am truly blessed that part of my childhood was spent on a rural working farm in Charotar, an agriculturally rich belt of central Gujarat. Our farm had an abundance of leafy weeds in the wheat, bajra ( pearl millet), rice fields and below the canopy of mango, chikoo and guava trees in the orchards. The hedgerows on either side of the narrow unpaved road that approached the farm too hid a treasure trove of leafy edibles, invisible to all but the most razor-sharp eyes. Learning to identify the edible wild weeds on shrubs and vines in those hedges and foraging for them on our weekly farm visits was always an exciting adventure and has stayed with me till this day. The hedgerows were covered with Chanothi (Arbus precatorius) vines, Arni (Clerodendron phlomidis), wild Kankoda (spiny gourd) and Karela (bitter gourd), Varsha Dodi / Fugaa vel (Jivanti), Antar vel (Cuscuta), Dodka, Dodi, Piludi, Fand, Kaanda vel, Paadaa vel, Kali Paath (roots) just to name some. How unfortunate it is then to see the rapid destruction of hedgerows in the name of development, even in rural areas, leading to a huge loss of the culinary and medicinal wealth our elders shared about these plants. Continued in comments.. recipe in stories and blog.

Over the years, theroute2roots has documented a br

Over the years, theroute2roots has documented a broad spectrum of Dal-Dhokli/dhokli recipes. The regular dal dhokli, gavar dhokli, etc, are just the tip of the iceberg. Dive a little deeper, and you will be amazed at the plethora of dal-dhokli combinations enjoyed across the regions of Gujarat. And once you begin to enjoy the more complex flavors and textures of dhoklis made with various cereal grains, the wheat-flour dhokli comes across as a plain Jane. I feel the Dhoklis made with rice, chana, or millet flours are full of oomph. On our recent travel, Paulomee @paulomeemistry and I were discussing makai/maize when she remembered the Makai dhokli her neighbor Binaben had fed her once. Makai ni Dhokli sounded new and exciting, so a quick call to Binaben for the recipe, and we were all set to cook it next.

“I belong to Panchmahal district, where white maize is the staple cereal grain. We are Jains, Dhokli and Kathol/pulses are integral to our diet. Choli ma Makai ni Dhokli is my way of combining these two food groups. The desi makai variety from our native is matchless and our regional cuisine celebrates it like no other. I make this Dhokli without onion-garlic, but you can add it to suit your taste,” Binaben shared about the origins of this recipe.

Desi Lal choli, or the small red lobia, look like infantsized rajma; it is the pulse that gives us the easily digestible’ chola ni dal’ for the vadis, dhokla, pudla, or Vadas of our cuisine. In Binaben’s recipe, the lal choli and makai team up brilliantly. I was surprised at the pillowy softness of makai dhoklis. I am not a Dhokli or pasta fan, yet I reached out for multiple helpings of makai dhoklis. They turned out to be so good. The recipe is very straightforward, but unlike the usual cooking dhokli in the simmering dal here, they are cooked separately, like pasta, and added to the choli curry and simmered a little longer.
Recipe on the blog. #onemoredhokli

This is me. I have always refrained from showing m

This is me. I have always refrained from showing my face on this feed, but when a dear friend (whose photography sensibilities I deeply admire) initiates and volunteers to travel along to document me at work and captures a happy me besides Mahua, one of my favorite trees, ek picture to banta hai! Manish @manishvaidyaa , thank you for this one.

And yes, I am always this happy at work. I am one of those blessed ones who get to enjoy her work, which marries my love for cooking and feeding and my passion for working with rural communities. Ten years ago, when I embarked on the journey to research and document the regional cuisines of Gujarat, little did I know that it would become the purpose of my life and that it would be such an immersive and enriching journey.

As I have always said, it is a privilege to be able to do what I do. I am grateful to all of you for your encouraging support and for making theroutetoroots a meaningful community, and I thank all of you who have been an integral part of this journey.
#gratitude #ilovemywork

In Gujarati, any small lota-shaped vessel is calle

In Gujarati, any small lota-shaped vessel is called a ટોયલું/toylu. Naturally, we began to call these cooking fat containers and dispensers ટોયલી/toyli. The one in the foreground is used for ghee, while the tall one in the background is for oil.

The peacock-capped container with the spout is called વાઢી/Vaadhi. It is used to pour ghee into the serving plate when mishtans like laapsi, ladoo, and Vedhmi are served.

While both the toyli come with special spoons called પળી/pari to decant (images of it in another post), the cleverly designed lip of the vessels made it convenient to hold and pour the contents without worrying about messy drips.

Our traditional પાત્ર/vessels have been an integral part of our foodways. I am documenting them because they share valuable insights into our food culture and our current cooking ans eating practices.
#vintage #vintagevessels #foodways

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