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Gujarat Day, also known as Gujarat Foundation Day, is celebrated every year on May 1 to mark the formation of the state. Besides several important cultural milestones, Gujarat has also given us a diverse and nutritious roster of dishes which can be made at home. Gujarati cuisine offers plenty of light, digestible recipes which are good for summer. The best part is that they utilise local produce and gentle cooking techniques.
Many underrated Gujarati recipes use green leafy veggies, pulses, seasonal veggies and natural ingredients that aid digestion and help keep your energy up during summer. Here are some underrated Gujarati dishes you’ll be making all year
Kanda Keri Nu Kachumber
This tangy and spicy salad is made from grated raw mangoes, seasoned with mustard seeds, asafoetida, and green chillies. This simple yet flavorful dish is a popular accompaniment to main courses since it’s quick to assemble and adds a burst of freshness to any meal. This mango salad is believed to aid digestion and boost immunity and can be enjoyed on its own or paired with traditional Gujarati dishes like Khichdi or Thepla.
Suran sabji
This traditional Gujarati dish is made from suran, also known as elephant foot yam. It involves cooking the yam with a blend of aromatic spices such as turmeric, coriander, and cumin. The yam is usually cut into cubes or slices and then sautéed with onions, tomatoes and this sabji is known for its hearty texture and mild flavour which makes it ideal for summer.
Fajeto
The unique and flavourful dish perfectly balances sweet, sour, and spicy flavours. It is essentially a mango and yoghurt-based curry usually made with a blend of a few spices. To prepare Fajeto, ripe mango pulp is mixed with yoghurt, besan, and water to form a smooth base. This mixture is then seasoned with a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chillies, which infuses the curry with aromatic flavours. Fajeto also has digestive properties which makes it popular during summer.
The addition of jaggery lends a hint of sweetness, while the tanginess from the yoghurt and mango creates a refreshing and vibrant taste profile. Fajeto is often served as a side dish alongside steamed rice or khichdi.
Gujarati Fada Lapsi
The traditional sweet dish made from broken wheat, ghee, and sugar, and flavoured with cardamom and nuts is a popular dessert in Gujarati cuisine, made for summer. To make Fada Lapsi, broken wheat is roasted in ghee until golden brown, which imparts a nutty aroma. Then, water is added to the roasted wheat and cooked until it becomes soft and mushy. Sugar is added to sweeten the mixture, along with crushed cardamom for flavour.
It’s enriched with a generous amount of ghee and garnished with chopped nuts like almonds, cashews, and raisins. Fada Lapsi is known for its comforting and wholesome profile and helps keep your energy levels up in the summer.
Tindora Nu Shaak
Tindora Nu Shaak is a simple yet flavorful dish made from tender ivy gourds sautéed with spices and seasonings. The ivy gourds are thinly sliced and cooked until they are tender yet retain their crunchiness. Commonly seasoned with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, and green chillies, this dish offers a burst of tangy and spicy flavours. Tindora Nu Shaak is not only delicious but also nutritious, as ivy gourds are rich in vitamins and minerals, making it an ideal choice for a summer meal.
Khatta Meetha Chana
The unique dish combines the richness of black chickpeas with the tanginess of tamarind and the sweetness of jaggery. The chickpeas are boiled until they are tender, then simmered in a flavorful gravy made from tamarind pulp, jaggery, and spices like cumin, coriander, and ginger. It’s quite light and digestible despite being full of flavours and offers a great medley of sweet, sour, and spicy notes.
Turiya Patra Nu Shaak
Turiya Patra Nu Shaak is a lesser-known Gujarati dish that combines ridge gourd (turiya) with colocasia leaves (patra) in a flavorful curry. The ridge gourd is sliced and cooked with colocasia leaves, along with a blend of spices like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, and green chillies. The resulting dish is a delightful medley of textures and flavours, with the tender ridge gourd complementing the earthy taste of the colocasia leaves. Turiya Patra Nu Shaak is often served with rice or roti and can be terrifically nutritious for the summer.
