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beans and pulses, salad
savories, sweets, puri or chappati, rice, coconut, chutneys,
pickles, papad and sweetened yoghurt. There are slight
differences in the modes of preparation and eating habits in
the main three geographical regions of Kutch, Saurashtra (kathiawad)
and Surat. Some of the popular dishes of Gujarat are 'Khaman
Dhokla', a salty steamed cake, 'Oondhiya' a vegetarian dish
with potato, brinjal, green beans and other vegetables
cooked in an earthenware pot in the fire, 'Khichdi' a
mixture of lentil and rice, 'Kadhi' a savoury yoghurt curry
with chopped vegetables and variety of spices, 'Debra' flour
mixed with spinach and yoghurt etc. Surat Paunk is made with
tender kernels of millet, sugar balls, savoury twists and
garlic chutney. Gujarati 'farsans' or crunchy fried snacks
like Chakli, Sev Ganthia prepared from chick-pea and wheat
flour is a speciality of the state. Eating freshly prepared
vegetable snacks from street vendors is popular. Sweets and
desserts like Doodh Pak, Gharis, Nankhatais etc. are also
delicious. Surat is known for the gharis made with butter,
dried fruits and thickened milk and rich halwa. In contrast
to the majority of Hindus who are pure vegetarians, the
Bohras, a community of Muslim traders, are famous for their
beef preparations and a variety of soups. |
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You can experience
all these constituents of the vegetarian Gujarati meal
by having a Thali at Vishala, about 5 kms. from
Ahmedabad. It is a restaurant and part of a complex is
described as a Gujarati village with a small museum,
local crafts and performing arts. In the village
complex, you can also see the craftsmen weaving and
making earthen pots, the puppet show, and dances. The
food is served on platters of leaves stitched together
that includes various vegetables, pulses, salads,
chutneys, yoghurt, rice and wide variety of breads
made of millet and other flours. In the end the
buttermilk and rich homemade ice-creams are served.
Besides Vishala, there are various other good
restaurants in Ahmedabad which offers the Gujarati
food. Chinese
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