#gujarati

Vaishali A. Patel

Aug 19, 2021
1 min

Familiar Desi Indian Phrases

#WhyDoWe What is a Desi phrase you heard all the time growing up?⁠ ⁠ "MARA MATHA PAR MOOK"⁠ ⁠ Whenever I asked my mommy where should I put something growing up, that's the answer I usually got... "Put it on your head!"😃 There are quite a few phrases like this that are part of our daily vocabulary as Gujarati folks! Others I hear all the time include:⁠ ⁠ 💮 Tel levaa jaa (Literally go get oil, meaning do whatever you want)⁠ 💮 Maathu naa khayish (Stop eating my head - leave m

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Car Pooja - What, Why and How to bless and protect your vehicle?

Vaishali A. Patel

Jul 16, 2020
3 min

Car Pooja - What, Why and How to bless and protect your vehicle?

Yes! Car Pooja is a thing (sometimes misspelled Puja). Many of us desi folks value and treasure our cars and being able to afford one and buy one is considered a blessing. These traditions and rituals are simple and you don't have to dress up like I am in this picture. This just happened to be on the same day we had a Satyanarayan ni Katha at our house so I am all decked out. Many Hindus around the world perfrom this ceremony to bless the vehicle that will take them safely fr

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Vaishali A. Patel

Jul 15, 2020
3 min

Celebrating Moon Cycles

The first time I got my period, my best friend Aditi and I were going up the stairs at school. She said to me, "I think you sat on something, you have a little stain on your uniform". I moved my palm across it to shake whatever was stuck to my skirt and saw that my fingers had blood on them. We looked at each other and knew what this was, we ran to our teacher and told her what happened. I went to an all girls school in India so in our sewing class the teacher had showed us h

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Vaishali A. Patel

Jun 26, 2020
2 min

Chanaa Methi nu Athaanu/Pickle

by @laviextraordinaire Loving this recipe collaboration with Pankti @laviextraordinaire. She is an amazing momma of two with a love for cooking and sharing her passion. Here is her Chanaa Methi Pickle recipe: Making a pickle is really a step-wise approach. This one is not an instant pickle so it takes time to get the final product, but trust me it's very easy and delicious. The best accompaniment to your rotis, puris and everything. Ingredients - 1 large mango (or 2 small man

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Vaishali A. Patel

May 25, 2020
1 min

GF Bell Pepper nu Shaak

Bell Pepper Sabji Need: 2 large Green Bell Peppers 2 large Red bell peppers 2 tbsp oil (yes this one takes oil but the chanaa no lot will soak it all up) 1tsp Cumin seeds (Jeeru) 2tsp minced Garlic 2tsp minced Ginger 1tsp Dhaanaa Jeeru (dry coriander powder) 1tsp Haldi (Turmeric) 2tsp Red chili powder 2tsp or more salt based on your taste 1tbsp Chickpea flour (Chanaa no lot) 1tbsp roasted peanuts grounded (Sekelaa singdaanaa no bhukko) 2tsp Sesame seeds (Tal) 1tsp Poppy seeds

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Vaishali A. Patel

May 21, 2020
2 min

Gluten Free Gor Papadi

What if I tell you, Gluten Free folks can also enjoy this Gujarati Treat?⁠ .⁠ 🔆 GOR PAAPADI - Gluten Free⁠ .⁠ I grew up eating Sukhadi and did not know about Gor Paapadi's existence until I got married. They are similar and different. This is normally made with wheat flour, ghee and gaud.⁠ .⁠ 🔆⁠ .⁠ When you get to go to India next time and are traveling around Gujarat be sure to go to Mahudi and visit the Jain temple there because the "SUKHADI" Prasad there is really good a

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Vaishali A. Patel

Feb 13, 2020
1 min

Khaman Kakdi -- Gujarati Food Friday

Khaman Kakdi This Gujarati dish originates from the state of Maharashtra. ⁠ ⁠ Did you know that until 1960 states of Gujarat and Maharashtra were part of one bilingual state - Bombay state? ⁠ ⁠ In 1956, the movement known as MahaGujarat Andolan started that eventually led to a separate state of Gujarat for all Gujarati speaking folks. There are many families in Maharashtra who are Gujarati and are fluent in both languages and vice versa for the Marathi families living in Guja

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Vaishali A. Patel

Sep 24, 2019
2 min

Basundi -- Gujarati Food Friday

Basundi is a rich and delicious Gujarati dessert especially popular during the festive season. As we enter the cool and crisp Autumn weather, Ayurveda advises us to change our eating habits to fit the season. This season is governed by Vata, the elements of air and space. Just as the air becomes cool, dry, and windy in our external environment, the same happens in our inside our body. If imbalanced, we may find ourselves more forgetful, restless, with insomnia, constipation,

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Vaishali A. Patel

Jul 26, 2019
1 min

METHI- FENUGREEK

Methi- Fenugreek Methi na thepalaa, methi na dhebraa, muthiya, khaakharaa, gaanthiya, biscuit, and more are words you have heard if you grew up in a Gujarati family. It is used in every form possible. Dry (Kasoori methi), fresh green leaves, dry leaves, powder form and seeds. By itself it is bitter but cooked with other flavors it gives you the balance and flavor in your food. Health benefits of this special plant are many. In India, women drink methi-infused water after givi

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Gujarati Numbers - Learn Gujarati Online

Vaishali A. Patel

Jul 22, 2019
1 min

Gujarati Numbers - Learn Gujarati Online

It's important to learn Gujarati Numbers for fun things like shopping, saying your age, learning to tell time. And plus, it's the easiest thing to learn in any language so it's an awesome place to start! Here's how to say the numbers 1-10 in Gujarati. 0. ૦ - ŚŪNYA 1. ૧ - EK 2. ૨ - BE - as in Better 9. ૩ -TRAN 4. ૪- CHAAR 5. ૫ - PĀṄCH 6. ૬ - CHHA 7. ૭- SAAT 8. ૮ - AATH 9. ૯ - NAV 10. ૧૦ - DUS Below is our Sanskar Teaching tracing paper to learn to write number 1. If you'd lik

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Vaishali A. Patel

Jul 19, 2019
1 min

Most common sentences in Gujarati

Many times, the first few things we learn in a new language are how to say, "Hi" and "How are you?" so that we can easily introduce ourselves to new people in their own language. Here are some easy-to-master Gujarati Greetings and Phrases that will enable you to hold a simple conversation in Gujarati. When you're ready to take your Gujarati learning to the next level, check out www.learngujarationline.com where I take you through more Gujarati words and phrases. 1. Hello/Na

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Vaishali A. Patel

Jun 23, 2019
2 min

Magas / Magaj - History & Recipe

Magas in Russia is a small capital town for republic of Ingushetia. Magas is the name of a royal family in Venice, Italy and Magas in Gujarati is a type of mithai (sweet)/ Difference between Magas, Magas Methi, Udadiyu methi paak, Besan ki barfi, Chickpea flour fudge is that they are all different variation of this dense sweet and rich sweet: Roasted Coarse chickpea flour(channa no lot), sugar and ghee some mix in mawa or khoya or little bit of milk, almonds, dates, pistachio

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Vaishali A. Patel

Jun 23, 2019
1 min

KADHEE -- Gujarati Food Friday

Kadhee for 4 people Need: 1 tbsp of sourcream 2 tbsp of Yogurt 1 tbsp of grahm flour / chanaa no lot 1 tsp of cumin 1 tbsp of ghee 1 tbsp of ginger minced 1-2 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder or fresh turmeric minced 1 tbsp of pigeon peas blended 1 twig of curry leaves 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro Method: Take a small pot mix in the grahm flour with the yogurt and sour cream, use a hand blender to mix. Take a small pot and put the ghee and cumin seeds, once they pop add t

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Vaishali A. Patel

Jun 23, 2019
1 min

Poodla / Pooda with @milkandcardamom

Milk and Cardamom Recipe Need: 1 cup chickpea flour (besan/chana no lot) 1/3 cup onions, finely diced 1/2 tbsp minced ginger 1 tsp green chile paste 3 tbsp cilantro (spinach if you’re not a fan!) 1/2 tsp ajwain/carom seeds 1/4 turmeric 1/4 red chili powder 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional) Salt to taste Method: Whisk in 3/4 cup of water with the above mentioned ingredients. The mixture should be slightly thicker than crepe

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Vaishali A. Patel

May 2, 2019
1 min

Kutchhi Dabeli: History + Recipe

Recently one of our live class student said, “Koro thoyh”? when I asked them how do you say in your family “What happened?” Others said, “Shu thayu?” Many were confused at the first students’ response. That student speaks Kutchhi at home. Kutchh is a western region of state of Gujarat in India which neighbors the Sindh region in Pakistan, thus these two languages Sindhi and Kutchhi are similar. Kutchhi is a mix of Gujarati, Punjabi and Marwari (Rajasthani dialect). As with qu

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 16, 2019
2 min

SO WHY DO I HAVE TO LEARN GUJARATI?

Do you… Unconsciously take your shoes of when you enter a home? Bow down your head when you meet older family members? Greet them with “jai shri krishna” or similar God names? Offer pani and tea when someone comes over? Take your tikhi puri and thepla when traveling? Love your keri no ras (Pulpy mango juice) Have a Tulsi plant in your front yard? Eat gaud and dahi before any important work? If you do, it is because you grew up in a Gujarati house in India or anywhere in the w

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 16, 2019
1 min

GUJARATIS GREET EACH OTHER WITH….

Jai Shree Krishna Kem cho? Jai schhidanand Ramkabir Jai Jinendra Jai Swaminarayan Normally we greet each other with: Kem cho? Which means: how are you? Depending on your family’s religious preferences you are taught to greet others with the name of one of the Gods. Vaishanavs(followers of Lord Krishna) greet each other with: Jai Shri Krishna, which means: praise lord Krishna. This is used most commonly in Gujarat. Jains prefer: Jain Jinendra to praise Lord Mahavir. The follow

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 16, 2019
2 min

GUJARATI POSTNATAL CARE

If you are one of the lucky ones who was fortunate enough to have a mom or mother-in-law around after you delivered your baby and if you are Gujarati, you ‘had’ to –rather ‘got’ to– do the following: You were forced to drink suuva methi (water boiled with Dill seeds and fenugreek leaves) nu pani… You had to eat methi (fenugreek) or soonth (ginger) na laadva…You had to eat coconut and jaggery ( Koparu and gaud)… You were not allowed to leave the house for savaa mahino (5 weeks

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 16, 2019
2 min

THE GUJARATI FESTIVAL BREAKDOWN

Festivals are socially and culturally significant, and this is especially true in Gujarat. Celebrations of any kinds bring people together by creating a sense of cultural unity and brotherhood. They develop in individuals a sense of community and belonging. When our daily lives are filled with things that have to get done and things we have to do, we find ourselves working with others, or working alone, doing so in boredom or joy. Festivals, which request or sometimes even r

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Vaishali A. Patel

Apr 14, 2019
3 min

INDIAN (GUJARATI) – SUMMERS

In the afternoon, sitting with your friends on “otla”(front porch), playing games, singing songs, laughing your hearts out, eating snacks, telling and listening to stories while the adults took their afternoon naps (siestas)! Aaah, hearts and minds filled with wonder, curiosity, excitement and tranquility. These were my summers growing up in India. Many of you likely have similar caches of fond memories. We waited for the mailman to bring our report cards with such anxious mi

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