blue skies, crystal clear glistening waters of the Arabian Sea at Mandvi, Gujarat
the coast at mandvi
typical saurashtran meal
Gujarat is the land mf myriad shades….the land of beauty…..in people and nature….of rich cultural heritage…of arts and crafts….of a community that is knit together….of festivals and colours…and fabulous food….K’s parents migrated to Ahmadabad in 2003, K himself spent 6 years of his childhood growing up in Kutch in a place called gandhidham…that’s where his parents now live….since then we make one trip a year to spend with them ….i can go completely berserk shopping at law garden, rani ka ajeera or lal darwaza at one of the hundreds of shacks/shops selling crafts, arts, clothes and jewelry ….. not be disappointed at 2 a.m if I want to eat cheese sandwiches, or chaat or have an ice gola….… I love the place before this my only connection with Gujarat was that my mother studied there….graduation her career there…she always speaks glowingly of the people and the culture and the way it shaped what she became….so much was her love for the food from Gujarat, that khichdi and kadhi, shaaks of different kinds, shrikhand, aamras, khaari seeng and chunda was what I grew up on…..sadly, I don’t make much of these except for khichdi and kadhi which is on my top five comfort foods list…..
I was obviously very happy to see RCI – Gujarat…. instead of any of the elaborate dish, I planned to post of this fabulously versatile, thirst quenching drink “chaas” which no gujarati meal is without…..infact in households and restaurants alike, your glass of chaas will be refilled if you so much as tilt it half way through…..a super summer cooler….it can be your best friend if you want something light yet nutritious to fill you up…..
these beads are a thoran (wall / door adornment), made of beads and bells, their colours and tinkling bells are a delight as they sway in the breeze….i picked these up on my last trip from an artisan’s co-operative unit
Chaas is made of yoghurt …it is a spiced buttermilk….to be had on its own or to wash down a full meal….chaas can be mildly or strongly spiced, seasoned or not….the avatars it can take on are many….all delightfully satisfying …..this is off to RCI – Gujarat, hosted by Mythili of Vindu this month, and the brain child of Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine…. Read the rest of this entry »
