GMT: Rajasthani Kadhi

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Rajasthani Kadhi | The Novice Housewife A good part of my childhood was spent in Rajasthan. Two of my best friends are also from Rajasthan. One I met in school at Jodhpur and the other during college in Delhi.  Luckily for me, both my friends’ mothers were amazing cooks and I was treated to amazing dishes every time I paid my friends a visit. Neela aunty’s Bhutte ki sabzi was one such recipe. This rajasthani kadhi was another.

Kadhi is a dish made from gram flour (besan) and sour curd/yogurt and actually originated in Rajasthan.Unlike punjabi kadhi, no pakodas (or gram flour fritters) are added to the rajasthani version of kadhi, making this recipe both light to eat and easy to make.

When I was a child, the only reason I was not fond of kadhi (the punjabi kind) was because- one, it used to be laden with pakodas, and two it was too thick. This recipe is neither. And that’s why when I first tried it, I fell in love with it. Read More →

Thai Glass Noodle Salad

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Gluten free, Vegan Thai Glass Noodle Salad | The Novice Housewife Things have been a little busy at my end and I will be updating you soon about that, but lets talk about this Thai glass noodle salad first.

Trying to lose weight? Trying to eat healthier? Looking for salads that don’t include mayo based dressings but still taste as great? Then look no further my dear lovely faithful readers, this glass noodle salad will answer all your woes. Well, most of them anyway!

Its light, refreshing and its gluten free, fat free, nut free, vegan and thus every reason why you should be making this. Gluten free, Vegan Thai Glass Noodle Salad | The Novice Housewife Made from mung bean starch, glass noodles (or cellophane noodles) are rich in iron and zinc. But lets be clear they are not a low carb option. They have their share of carbs, but its not white carbs and they have almost zero fat. Plus, if you have your glass noodles with a good serving of the veggies (like in this salad), I think this dish pretty healthy and fresh to include in your meals.

The salad is easy to make and pretty quick to put together. The only technique required is the cooking of the glass noodles, rest is chopping and mixing.

To cook glass noodles, soak the stiff mung bean noodles for about 15 minutes in hot water. Drain and wash it with cold water and cut the noodles to a smaller size. Then boil them for 30s- 1 min and drain again. If using in soups you can skip the second step. But if using noodles for this salad, you will need to boil them till tender. Read More →

Maharashtrian Varan/Dal: Vegan Indian dish

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A light and easy to prepare vegan Indian dish (varan) made of split pigeon peas/toovar dal from the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Maharsahtrian varan/Dal | The Novice Housewife #vegan #glutenfree #dairyfree

The days leading up to my dad’s retirement were full of farewell dinners hosted by many of my dad’s friends and colleagues. Each day my parents had a dinner engagement either at somebody’s house or the Mess and to a few of these dinners I, too, was invited. In that one month of dining out almost everyday, we tasted a variety of menus, ranging from a cheese and wine dinner to Kashmiri food to traditional Maharashtrian fare. I don’t think I have ever eaten so much, and of course the weighing scale made sure I never forgot it either. But then, I got to taste so many different things- some new, some old, some good, some very good. In the end it was all worth it.

Maharsahtrian varan/Dal | The Novice Housewife #vegan #glutenfree #dairyfree

As mentioned before, at one of the dinners we were served traditional Maharashtrian cuisine. It was all beautifully served, pre-plated in a Thali, a total of close to 15 dishes, each prepared by our very gracious hostess. My mom particularly loved the dal and the kadhi and asked for both the recipes, which the hostess was kind enough to share. While certain Indian dishes have been made more popular worldwide, there are a lot of Indian dishes that are unknown to most people and what you see being served in restaurants abroad are mostly North indian favorites. So, I hope you enjoy this recipe that I am sharing with you today, which comes from the western state of Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital, Mumbai and to the famous Bollywood industry. Read More →