12 March, 2013

Kehra Na Reveya/Green Banana Satay Recipe with Kaushy Patel's Prashad Cookbook Review and A Giveaway

Learn how to make Kehra Na Reveya ~ Raw Green Banana Satay (with spicy peanut paste stuffing)

Apart from family and friends, what one misses the most when they move from their home country? Someone asked me in this question in the first month when I moved from India to UK and I didn’t even blink before saying it’s the Food which I miss the most! Yes, it was the delicious and aromatic food from my vibrant country that I missed a lot; from my mother’s comfort meals to tantalising Indian street foods, from quick breakfasts at Darshini hotels to elaborate north and south Indian Thali meals, from very casual Punjabi Dhaba foods to sophisticated high end restaurants and many more like that!
Britain being a curry loving nation, you will find even the small towns and cities boasting at least one Indian restaurant and/or takeaways promising to serve you the authentic Indian fair! If you prefer bright coloured, mass produced red/orange gravies with ladle full of oil floating on the surface and few sorry looking pieces of vegetables as an excuse for a vegetarian option, then these takeaways are your best friends! Growing up in a house where the fine art of cooking and feeding was considered sacred, my palate refused to entertain such delicacies! With not many restaurants offering the food that I loved, I was left with no option but improve my cooking skills with long distance helpline calls to my mother and grandmother and other sources of information like websites, blogs, cookbooks, and cookery shows. One such day while browsing for the recipes, I chanced upon the list of Indian restaurants in our county Yorkshire and that’s when I came across a small Indian vegetarian restaurant called ‘Prashad’ in Bradford. What surprised me the most was Prashad’s menu not only offered Gujarati food which I believed is a rare thing to find in any Indian restaurants in this country, but also it being ‘all vegetarian’ came as a big surprise! I got really curious and it didn’t take much persuasion from me to book a table for the weekend as DH was equally eager to try some food from the simple but interesting menu.

Kehra Na Reveya/Green Banana Satay served with Kichidi

That weekend when we arrived at Prashad we were surprised to find ourselves in a quiet corner of the main road which looked most like a residential area with few Desi shops around. If it was not for the Sat Nav and the bright orange board of the restaurant, we may have missed spotting it. As soon as we entered the well lit restaurant, we were greeted by a friendly face of Bobby who guided us to our table right next to the mirrored wall. The restaurant ambience was cheerful with bright orange coloured walls sporting Indian art, wooden tables with black leathered chairs, tea light candles flickering on the table with a single red rose bud in a small vase and the Indian music playing softly in the background. We were surprised that it was a small restaurant with just six or seven tables but all the tables were occupied. As we had little experience when it came to Gujarati food, Bobby recommended some of their restaurant’s bestsellers and we were just happy to order them. One look at the food laid out beautifully on other tables and the wonderful aroma of spices teasing our senses, we knew that the food served in Prashad will be far better than what we experienced in other Indian restaurants.

But we were wrong! The food was not just better than any other restaurants, but way superior when it came to taste! One spoonful of food from ‘Prashad’ and we were blown away by the complex flavour combination where every ingredient harmoniously blended with one other. None of the curries we ordered tasted the same or had just one ingredient overpowering the other. The food was hot, fresh, vibrant, and delicately spiced with different textures and flavours making it clear that none of the food served here was mass produced or doused in ready to use spice mixes or sauces. The service was excellent, the choice of food from carefully selected menu was wonderful, but overall it was the way the food tasted that won our heart! The time and the distance we travelled seemed a small trouble to taste something that is much close to home cooked meals by loved ones, someone who really loved cooking for others! From that day Prashad became our first choice to take our friends, guests and colleagues. Every single friends and colleagues who call themselves hard core carnivorous said they didn’t miss the meat while devouring every spoonful of ‘Prashad - a blessed food’!

Rustic and comforting ~ Kehra Na Reveya/Green Banana Satay

We have visited Prashad many times during my pre-pregnancy times, sometimes twice a month just to sample the food cooked by Kaushy aunty. It was Kaushy’s food that helped me overcome my pregnancy cravings for delicious home styled food whenever I craved for my Amma’s food! Over the years we have sampled many dishes from Prashad’s menu and not even once we were disappointed by the way it tasted! Both DH and I are not fond of eating out but we will happily hang our aprons if we were given a choice to eat at Prashad every single day! Here in Prashad every dish is quite unique when it comes to taste, flavour combination and texture, and although the menu doesn’t have huge choice, it is always difficult to choose as everything they have tastes really good! While Kaushy Patel with her daughter-in-law Minal work on creating magic in their restaurant kitchen, Kaushy’s son Bobby and other members of the Patel family help in running the restaurant smoothly. This family restaurant has been serving most delicious and divine vegetarian food for over 22 years. I had the opportunity to meet Kaushy on few occasions where she took time to come out from her bustling busy kitchen to greet and meet the customers. Just by talking to her you can learn about this wonderful woman’s love, passion and dedication for cooking tasty food for all. It is from Kaushy that I learnt to make one of the most loved and tried recipes of Monsoon Spice, Rhengan Reveya. As Kaushy rightly said, it is ‘cooking with Love’ which makes Prashad stand above all other Indian restaurants we visited and makes Prashad one of the finest Indian restaurants in Britain. Gordon Ramsay called them “Smallest restaurant with the biggest heart” and encouraged Kaushy to write a cookbook to “bring the vegetarian cooking to life”! Thanks to Ramsay because of him we have Kaushy’s cookbook amidst us to tease and please our taste buds!

As I had mentioned before, I never buy cookbooks on whim or have habit of collecting them only to put them away after flipping through few pages. Most of the cookbooks I have in my collection are gifts from my loved ones who know my love for cooking and some are sent by the publishers for reviewing. But it was different case when I came to know about Kaushy Patel’s cookbook ‘Prashad’ titled after their restaurant and published by Saltyard Books. I was eager to read the reviews and place an order as soon as possible. Bubbling with excitement, I messaged the Patel family to congratulate them for their brand new restaurant in Darlington (which I am really hoping to visit soon) and the release of Kaushy’s cookbook. I received a quick response from Bobby who mentioned that the cookbook had recipes for two of my most favourite dishes from Prashad, Bombay Bataka and Pethi, and it was enough of temptation to order my copy immediately. Looking at my excitement Bobby requested his publishers to send me the copy of Prashad to review and shortly I got my copy mailed to my office. When I received this parcel I was working on rather complicated piece of code which kind of kept me away from tearing open the package at that instant and flip through the recipes.

Kaushy Patel's Prashad

Once home and after Lil dumpling went to bed, I opened the package and first thing I noticed was the beautiful retro style cover photo. It was simple and elegant which opened up to the good collection of over one hundred mouth watering vegetarian recipes. The recipe section is categorised into starters, street foods, main course, rice and rotli, soups, pickles and condiments and ends with a sweet note of desserts. All recipes are vegetarian but flipping through the pages showed me that almost half of them are vegan or can easily be modified to suit vegan diet. Kaushy has detailed the basic Indian spices and ingredients used in recipes with her 'pracical points', 'top tips' and 'how to' rather beautifully in the beginning which I think will be very helpful in guiding the novice cooks as how these spices are used in Indian cooking. One more thing I want to mention is that like their restaurant menu, Kaushy has clearly marked every recipe detailing its suitability for various dietary needs (Vegan, onion and garlic free, healthy option, zero chilli etc) which I think many will find quite useful without the need to going through the full recipe. Little details like these give an edge over other cookbooks.

Like any Indian regional cuisines, Gujarati cuisine varies widely in flavour from one region to another as well as the preference of family. Gujarati cuisine can be classified into North Gujarat, Kachchh/Kutch, Kathiawar and Surthi Gujarat as the four major distinctive styles of cooking as well the taste and flavour. Kaushy’s Prashad cookbook has Surthi Gujarat style of cooking and has distinct sweet, spicy and salty taste. The main ingredients are lentils, aubergine, potato, peanuts, yams, different beans and pulses with Kaushy detailing the use of fresh ginger, garlic and green chillies that goes into making spice paste. And it is this fresh spice paste, not ready to use bottled or frozen, that gives the final dish really a fantastic flavour.


Almost all of my favourite food blogs not just offer recipes or cooking techniques but has little stories or narratives that lead one to recipes. It’s these little stories and narrative that give us the glimpse into the person’s life and their love, passion and joy that went into creating the food. Not many cookbooks offer this and that probably is the main reason why I don’t have large collection of cookbooks. Kaushy’s cookbook Prashad starts with a chapter of her life from her childhood where she spent her time learning the art of cooking from her maternal grandmother(to whom this book is dedicated to) in a small village. Kaushy’s soulful reminiscences of her childhood where she watched her grandmother’s love for cooking meals for family and friends from sun up to sun down and how by watching her grandma cook so lovingly sparked the passion of cooking in little Kaushy who started to cook for her family when she was just 7 years old. It was the story that I could relate to as I too grew up watching my Ajji cook in our ancestral home churning dish after mouth watering dish of flavourful food! Having come to England from her grandmother’s loving home in Gujarat in 1966 without speaking a single word of English, Kaushy Patel has come a long way. Kaushy chronicles little important details of her life introducing her partner Mohan, her family, their humble beginning as small deli and then a full fledged restaurant and their shot to fame through Gordon Ramsey’s Best Restaurants in 2010 where they bagged first runner-up place. It was a wonderful read which I thoroughly enjoyed. Enticing tales like this along with traditional and authentic Gujarati recipes from home with Kaushy’s little twists, helpful tips, and uncluttered, clean and sharp food photographs (by Cristian Barnett) that is screams delicious and divine is a welcome addition to my humble cookbook collection.

Kaushy Patel’s Prashad is for both novice and experienced cooks who love cooking Indian food, especially the food from Gujarat with few recipes from Punjab and South India like Chole, Paneer Masala, Aloo Gobi, Tarka Dal, Masala Dosa, Samabr and the like. There is a mouth watering collection of appetizers and street foods; especially Prashad’s best selling chaats and award winning Pethis. The recipes are simple for an experienced cook and some recipes may be bit complex for someone who is new to Indian cooking. My suggestion for those who are new to cooking Indian food is to start cooking from range of many simple and straight forward recipes and then slowly move on to the complex recipes like layered Biriyani as you get familiar with the use of spices and cooking techniques. There are no shortcuts when it comes to cooking an authentic Indian food that will seduce your taste buds with such complex flavour combinations. All you need is little planning and preparation which will help you in cooking one of the best tasting foods! Almost all the ingredients listed in the cookbooks can be easily sourced from any good Asian grocers, especially here in Britain.

Kehra Na Reveya/Green Banana Satay served with Kichidi

There are only positives when it comes to Kaushy’s Prashad and if I had to really push myself hard find some negatives, it is like searching for a needle in haystack! Only thing I found bit too much for my taste is the amount of oil used in the recipes. But that again is a personal choice and can be easily rectified by reducing the amount of oil used as I found that the food tasted just as good as the ones served in their restaurant. In last two weeks since I got hold of this gem of a cookbook, I have cooked 5 different recipes and every one of them have come out tasting finger licking delicious. So far I have cooked Bombay Bataka (my most favourite dish from their restaurant), Cauliflower with Peas, Banana and Fenugreek Fritters, Bhakri, and Kehra Na Reveya. After following Kaushy’s recipe from the cookbook I am very happy to say that they all taste exactly like the one they serve in their restaurant! We loved it so much that I have already cooked 2 of the above dishes twice with in a week!

I have lined up some very exciting recipes from Kaushy’s cookbook to be cooked for my family and friends over the couple of weeks and I plan to cook my way through all the recipes this year! With Kaushy guiding me with her little tips and tricks, I am sure enjoying cooking the recipes from Prashad and the end results seem well worth that little extra effort and time into creating something extraordinary! If there is just one cookbook that you want to buy for yourself to master the art of cooking Indian vegetarian food which is a lot different from something you see in every Indian restaurant or takeaways menu, then I highly recommend Kaushy Patel’s Prashad. It is no wonder that Kaushy’s Prashad has received 4.9 stars out of 5 in Amazon and it is one among the Top 5 best selling Indian cookbooks! This unique cookbook is all about family cooking and is written with love for beautiful, homely and delightful food packed with flavours and is a must for any hardcore Indian food lovers. As Kaushy rightly said cooking is not complicated when you follow 4 golden rules: always buy the fresh and best quality ingredients, plan and prepare in advance, relax when cooking and of course, cook with love! This cookbook is for people who love Indian food with burst of flavours, different textures, unique recipes and something that you will not find in the menus of your next door Indian restaurants. This book is for everyone who loves to cook for themselves and their loved ones. Everything you cook from Kaushy’s Prashad will leave you completely satisfied and yet wanting for more!

Kaushy’s ‘Prashad’ is all about good food… Nah, make it a great food!!!


Keeping Kaushy's useful tips in my mind, I made this mildly spiced Kehra Na Reveya or Green Banana Satay for my family. This rustic and traditional food from Surthi Gujarat is uses raw banana or plantains with skin which is stuffed with freshly ground spice mix and peanuts paste. Kaushy’s little introduction before the recipe for Kehra Na Reveya says "My husband's grandfather, Lallu Dada, was famous in his village for two things - his amazing tasting reveyas and his big wobbly belly. Some of his genes have been generously shared with his grandson Mohan and out son Bobby. The green unripe bananas in this dish give it a strarchy sweetness that contrasts really nicely with the spicy peanut sauce. Please note that you don't peel the bananas before cooking, as the skins serve to hold them together around the satay filling. Mohan eats the cooked skins, but I prefer not to." This Kehra Na Reveya turned out one of the best tasting raw banana dish ever. I can see myself using this spicy peanut paste as a stuffing for many other vegetables like baby eggplants, bell peppers, new/baby potatoes and okra.

With this delicious and lip smacking recipe of Kehra Na Reveya or Green Banana Satay, let me leave you with few beautiful lines from Kaushy's cookbook. As Kaushy quotes "We Gujaratis use our hands, combining spices, kneading doughs, working in masalas, to put all our energy and love into our food. We eat with our hands, too, so we can pick up all that cooked-in love. And we always cook a little more than we need, so that we can invite any unexpected guests to share our meal. If no unexpected guests arrive, the extra food simply gives us an opportunity to share with our neighbours, we call this vakti vevar and it helps create great community bonds. Modern life can be hectic, and one of the first things to suffer is often the sense of community and family. But you can restore the balance with something as simple as a shared meal or a chat over a cup of sweet ginger tea. Food can be so much more than just something to fill you up, and cooking can be so much more than getting food on the table." 

Raw peanuts ~ roughly chopped/pulsed

Freshly pound green chilli+ginger+garlic paste

The ingredients for spicy peanut paste stuffing

Spicy peanut paste ready for stuffing

Stuffed green bananas ready for cooking


Kehra Na Reveya/Green Banana Satay (Raw banana or plantains stuffed with spicy peanut paste, a speciality from Gujarat)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Resting Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 25-30 mins
Recipe Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Spice Level: Medium
Serves: 4-6 People
Recipe Source: Kaushy Patel’s Prashad
Shelf Life: Best served fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads (Whole Wheat Naan or Butter Naan or with any stuffed parathas) or plain/flavoured Basmati rice

Ingredients:
4 medium Raw Banana/Plantains in their skins, rinsed and dried
2 cups Boiling Water

For the Stuffing:
¼ cups Raw Peanuts, finely chopped or coarsely blended in a food processor
2 tsp Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour, sifted
1 tsp Sugar
A generous pinch Hing/Asafoetida (Optional)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2-4 tsp Dhania/Coriander Powder
½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder
¾ packed cup fresh Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp Oil
1¼ tsp Salt (As per taste)

For the Masala:
4 cm Ginger, peeled and chopped
3-5 Green Chillies, chopped (Adjust as per taste)
3-6 cloves of Garlic, chopped
A pinch of Salt
Kehra Na Reveya ~ Green Banana Satay

Method:
Prepare the Stuffing:
  1. Take the chopped ginger, green chillies and garlic in a pestle and mortar and crush them to a rough paste. Alternately you can grind them in a mixer grinder or food processor.
  2. Similarly you can either chop the raw peanuts by using a sharp knife or pulse them for few seconds in a food processor. I simply pulsed the peanuts for few seconds in a food processor to get chunky powder but you can go ahead and grind to a fine powder if you prefer it that way.
  3. In a medium bowl take this peanut powder, freshly ground chilli-ginger-garlic paste, gram flour, sugar, cumin seeds, hing, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix them well using your fingers or a spoon. Next add finely chopped coriander leaves and oil and mix them well to form a paste. Cover and keep it aside for 15 minutes for the flavours to infuse.

Stuff the Plantains/Green Bananas:
  1. Since we are cooking the raw banana/plantains along with the skin, make sure that you wash them well before using. The skin helps in keeping the plantains from disintegrating while cooking. Once washed, pat them dry with a help of a kitchen towel.
  2. Trim the end with a help of a sharp knife and cut each plantains into 3 equal pieces of about 2 ½ -3 inch in size.
  3. Next cut each pieces into quarters by making ‘+’ marked incisions 2/3 rd way. Be careful not to cut the plantains all the way through as you will be stuffing the masala paste into these incisions.
  4. Carefully stuff about ½-¾ tbsp of peanut masala taking care not to break them plantains. If by any chance you end up breaking the plantains, use small tooth picks to secure them once you have stuffed them with the masala paste.
  5. Proceed to stuff all the plantains and arrange them in a clean bowl or plate. Save any leftover spice masala for cooking.
  6. I left them to marinate for 5-10 minutes for the flavours to infuse. This is an optional step and you proceed to cook the plantains as soon as you are done with stuffing all the plantain pieces.
Proceed to Cook:
  1. Heat a large kadai or wok in a pan which can hold all the stuffed plantain pieces in a single layer. This helps in uniform cooking of the plantains. Cover the pan with a lid and increase the heat to high. Let it cook undisturbed for a minute.
  2. Remove the lid and add the remaining peanut spice mix in between the plantain pieces and pour in 2 cups of hot boiling water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the lid. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes, turning the plantains at every 4 minutes interval for the even cooking on all sides. Add about ½ cups of water if you find the gravy sticking to the pan and gently mix them well.
  3. After 15 minutes of cooking the plantains covered, remove the lid and increase the heat to medium. Let it cook uncovered for another 7-10 minutes. The extra water in the pan will start to evaporate leaving behind dry curry. Make sure that you flip the plantains now and then for even cooking and keep a close eye to see that the masala is not sticking to the pan and burning.
  4. You can test if the plantains are cooked or not by inserting a sharp knife. The knife should easily cut through if they are cooked well.
  5. Serve this delicious Kehra Na Reveya with any Indian flat breads (Whole Wheat Naan or Butter Naan or with any stuffed parathas) or plain/flavoured Basmati rice.
Kehra Na Reveya served with Kichidi


Sia’s Notes:
  • Since we are cooking the raw banana/plantains along with the skin, make sure that you wash them well before using. The skin helps in keeping the plantains from disintegrating while cooking.
  • If by any chance you end up breaking the plantains, use small tooth picks to secure them once you have stuffed them with the masala paste.
  • You can test if the plantains are cooked or not by inserting a sharp knife. The knife should easily cut through if they are cooked well.


Prashad cookbook author Mrs. Kaushy Patel (Img source: Prashad)

Before pressing the publish button, I have this exciting giveaway to announce!

The word ‘Prashad’ means blessed food and the recipes from Kaushy’s cookbook is such a blessing for every Indian food lovers. The Patel family have decided to giveaway Kaushy’s ‘Prashad’ for the readers of Monsoon Spice. We will be giving away not just one but TWO copies of ‘Prashad' cookbook and this giveaway is open for EVERYONE all over the world! Yes, anyone who is interested in learning or improving your cooking skill, especially the Gujarati vegetarian cuisine, is welcome to participate in this giveaway. This is your chance to get hold of the “Top 5 Best Selling Indian Cookbooks” in Amazon!!! Please mention in your comment if you would like to participate in a giveaway or not so it becomes easier for me to choose the winner.

This Giveaway is closed and the winners are announced here.
Warm Regards
Sia

74 comments :

  1. We Brits love curries! This one looks unique, wonderful and sounds amazing.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. The curry looks simply superb....with Prashad book i may learn lot of new recipes which I may not know ....I can learn lot of new things n tips .....this book will help me to cook more new recipes daily and I can change the routine recipes to new recipes....thanks a lot...

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  3. I would LOVE to get this cookbook for various reasons. One being that I am a big cookbook fanatic. Another being its a Patel's cookbook....I got to earn this one definitely. And last but not the least its YOU SIA who has selected this one so it must be very special one.Thank You for inspiring and motivating me to keep cooking.

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  4. Hi Sia,
    I would love to win this cookbook for various reasons. First being that I am a big cookbook fanatic always looking for new recipes. Secondly, its from a Patel..Being a Patel myself I would be excited to earn this book "Prashad". I have always loved Prashad they serve in our temples and strongly believe that it has some amazing healing powers.So "Never say no to a Prashad". And last but not the least reason being that YOU have personally selected this cookbook so it must be very special indeed. Thank You for being my inspiration and my motivation for cooking.YOU ROCK SIA!!!

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  5. Curry with raw banana looks very inviting. I make only a handful of dishes with raw banana and this dish is on my list to make now. Being from South India, my knowledge of Gujarati cuisine is limited and the cookbook will be a nice addition to expand my knowledge. Count me in :).

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  6. i am a gujju and would love to learn more about desi food. dont have twitter accoun but like your FB

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  7. Thanks for sharing the news about Prashad - the cookbook. Living in USA ,I would not have easily come across it had it not been through you. I offer Indian Vegetarian cooking classes at a local culinary school . My students are people from all over the world and of all abilities and proclivities - those who are avid cooks but want to learn Indian cuisine, those who are Vegans or gluten intolerant and know Indian cuisine offers many flavorful choices for them, those who are newly minted vegetarians or vegans and who want to have access to richly flavored and healthy food all year long. I am very excited to learn Gujarati cuisine since being a Pubjabi, I only know the tip of the iceberg of this flavorful vegetarian cuisine. Thanks again for sharing the news of Prashad

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  8. I want!!
    And coincidence or not! Mrs. Patel looks like one of my favorite school teacher :) if I win, she will be a guide to make yummy vegetarian recipes :)

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  9. I have come across Prashad for the first time,when i saw them on Gordon Ramsay's tv show which they won competing against a hoard of non veg restaurants.It would be great to be able to win their cookbook, a real treat i must say.

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  10. This Dish looks absolutely amazing, Congratulations :)

    I love Gujarati cuisine, and would consider myself very lucky if I get a chance to hold this wonderful book in my hand.

    Also, what a coincidence, just today I've taken down 'Undhiyo' recipe from my neighbor who is from Rajkot. 'Farsaan's, 'shaak's, mithais OMG, everything is so amazing. Being a vegetarian, I love the vast Gujarati cuisine. Gujju cuisine is taking over my own amazing 'Konkani' cuisine these days ;)

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  11. Would love to gift this to my daughter. I hopped over from your fb post since she loves the raw banana. To be honest, it is not my favourite veggie, but since she likes it so much I made it often. And I love having a Gujarati Thali.

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  12. Wonderful post! I would like to win this cookbook as I am a vegetarian and love to explore all kinds of veggie dishes from all over the world. That being said, I would like to know our own cuisine - Gujarati vegetarian - as I believe in "Act global, think local"... I have tried a few gujju dishes and love them. You can see them at my blog- http://poobaatta.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/muthias-steamed/


    Thanks and keep the good work going,
    Swapna

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  13. Thank you for that lovely post - in one reading i could understand more about your style of cooking and about MRs.Kaushey patel. i would love to participate in this giveaway - so there goes my "YES". I Want to win this book for 2 reasons : 1. to proudly hold "Top 5 Best selling Indian Cookbook" being indian and 2. To make some lovely prasad for my ganapathi pappa in our pooja shelf:)
    Thank you sia...

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  14. i want! have tweeted and commented. now keeping fingers crossed. i have a growing collection of cookbooks, the only kind of books i prefer to collect.

    ps: this reminds me of the gorgeous rengan revya that i had tried from your site about 3 years back.

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  15. I'm new to cooking so I would love to recreate some delicious easy recipes from the cookbook angelic8026@hotmail.com

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  16. I love this! and SO glad that it is not eggplant!
    I have grown up eating Gujarati food,mostly in restaurants and some at friends homes. I love the cuisine.
    I like how well they marry the sweet and the heat and present it in a new avatar.

    I would love to delve deeper in this cuisine and discover how taste differs from one region to another in Gujarat, how for example would someone who is Jain make a vegetable and what variation is there for someone who eats say onion-garlic etc.

    Very Glad you did this post, in USA , we would have taken time to know about the cook book.

    Sia, one question, do you leave the peanuts un-toasted thru out?

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  17. Loved the idea of stuffed eggplants...I started loving Gujrati cuisine only after shifting 2 Mumbai and loved the variety of food..i would definitely love 2 own that book..

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  18. I would love to have this book since my knowledge of indian cuisine is limited to predominantly south indian cuisine and a few north indian dishes and i would love to learn about the gujarati cuisine

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  19. Wow! A very different way of cooking raw plantains. You have picked a unique recipe to pique interest in this cook book - So sure would like to participate in the giveaway.

    Sia - Just tell me what to share in the facebook wall - is there a page for the cook book?

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  20. Hi Sia,
    What a co-incidence.. I just got raw mangoes yesterday, which are rarely found in Brazil.. I am so glad to come across this new recipe. I was just going to make a simple South Indian poriyal. I shall try this one now..
    Cooking is my passion and so is collecting recipe books.. I read them like novels.
    I would be thrilled to win them here and add to my collection.
    Warm regards
    Shobha

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  21. it was a nice giveaway............ I had know about prashad from the Ramsay's TVshow , it was a pleasure to know about this lovely giveaway

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  22. What a lovely dish..hope to make this soon. Also a great giveaway, I wish to win this book so that I can cook more variety of yum vegetarian delicacies. Tweeted about this giveaway via @vegtastebuds

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  23. This looks like a wonderful cookbook! I would love to have it in my collection! =)

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  24. Have tried a couple of recipes from the book already..loved it...and to think of having the book in my hands will be Sone pe suhaga!

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  25. I would love to win this book. I want to learn how to make great vegetarian indian cuisine for my family, since my knowledge in indian cooking in nonexistent. LOL!

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  26. Gasp, I want, and HOW!

    Like you, I love a cookbook that has a bit of story--it helps to put he food in perspective and makes a holistic experience of it.

    I believe food from the western coast of India has been neglected, forgotten. It is nice to see people like Ms. Patel working toward bringing it back into the main fold. I'd love to try out recipes and review the book!

    And that looks so delectable, Sia, I am making tempted to go shopping for some green bananas today!

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  27. I only discovered your blog last week, Sia, but already, I'm hooked!

    I love this article (not least because of the photos); I'm definitely going to have to try this recipe!

    I'm currently living in Fort Kochi, and adoring the food here. I've been experimenting with cooking everything I can lay my hands on(!), and now I've had real Indian food, I just know that when I return to the UK for a visit later this year, I'm going to have to try really hard to not come across as a pompous food snob if we go out for a curry with family!

    I've Tweeted a link to this post, BTW, and would love to win a copy of Kaushy's book if there is a Kindle version on offer. Unfortunately, because I live (and cook!) all over the world, physical books are rather impractical... thank goodness for my iPad!

    Looking forward to reading more delicious posts from you!

    ~~~
    Nicole

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  28. I want this book because I simply love cooking Indian food.I am always in the search of authentic Indain recipes.Gujarati food has always been a favourite.Simple and tasty.The review which you have given Sia is very good.You have tempted us into getting the book.Good luck and God bless.

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  29. That is such an awesome recipe Sia. I am sure the raw banana would have tasted yum in the recipe. Bookmarked to try sometime. :-)

    Tweeted about the giveaway. I hope I WIN. *fingers crossed*.

    Siri

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  30. I watched Ramsay's Best Restaurant and, as a vegan, I was rooting for Prashad to win! It was an accomplishment to even be selected as one of the few restaurants to compete with Gordon's notorious low opinion of vegetarian/vegan food. I was SO proud!!

    Ever since I heard Mrs. Patel had a cookbook out, I've wanted it. It's been on my Amazon wishlist for weeks. It would be so nice to win this one because I may never get it otherwise!

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  31. @AA_Mom, just share the link to this post in your FB wall or page :)

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  32. I usually cook green plantain salad or curry with coconut milk. This looks awesome and I have green plantain in my fridge gonna try this recipe. Eager to read more and discover new recipes in prasad.

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  33. This is such an amazing book. I loved the dish you prepared Sia. Iwould love to win this book, work on each recipe and review it as well. I have a Ruchira Videshini page set up just to review another book Ruchira, which has taught me so much about Marathi cuisine. Would love to venture into Gujrati cuisine as well.

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  34. i would love to win this cookbook and learn more indian recipes. My new favorite dishes to cook!

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  35. Your review makes me want to buy this book immediately. I also feel the need for an authentic Gujarathi restaurant nearby compared to the standard desi restaurants. I would love to win this book. Sharing on Facebook.

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  36. Would love to learn authentic Gujarati cooking !!!

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  37. Your Raw Banana Satay looks delis. I would love to win this book as I wanted to learn gujarti cooking for a long time. I love their Dhals and Khadi the most. I know their dishes have a combo of salt and sweet in them. Very much want to try my hands on this cuisine. Thanks for hosting this and good luck to everyone.

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  38. You've elaborated nicely to review this book. Being a Gujarati, I don't have any Gujarati cookbook (not even Tarla Dalal's). I'm from north part of Gujarat and would love to learn other parts' food as well. Thanks for lovely giveaway! :-)

    P.S. I've tweeted about it.

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  39. Wow, mouthwatering pictures and great write up. Thanks for sharing the news. I am very partial to Gujarati food and would love to have that book.

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  40. Thamk you for sharing this recipe. Being a gujarati ,as it is in the blood to cook tasty food and also be a foodie. I was looking in for this green banana recipe that you shared.Even as I stay in Seoul( out of India) the first thing you miss of our incredible India is the food. Hence to sharpen my gujarati cooking skills that will help me getting Indian food taste here in Seoul,I would like to win this cookbook.
    My email id: surabhi.3007@gmail.com.
    My Blog: http://foodhealth-lifestyle.blogspot.kr/

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  41. Tweeted and shared on FB...This is one cuisine I have not ventured into so far...This seems to be the perfect guide..I really , really hope, I win..:)

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  42. I rem watching that episode and falling in love with their rest. right away.i could tell the amount of love and freshness in the food just watching it on tv! There r so many reasons but the best one is I want to.cook every recipe on tht book.

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  43. I rem watching that episode and ha e loved kaushy ever since. and now her cookbook! I want it to try every single recipe.

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  44. I would love to win because I enjoy cooking and I would love to try new recipes from this wonderful book. @dr_reenu

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  45. Till date I never commented but a silent follower of this site, like your recipes as well as the stories behind those recipes....fond of vegetarian food but don't have a collection of wide range of vegetarian fare and that too Gujrati ...I don't want to miss this chance of winning this book.

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  46. What a lovely post Sia! The recipes looks delicious & is healthy too! I would love to add this cookbook to my collection :-)

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  47. Oh this dish looks outstanding! I am so curious about the other ones in the book now!

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  48. Sia
    I would like to win this cook book bcos I want to try out some unique Gujarati recipes.
    I shared about this giveaway on my FB Wall.
    Thanks
    Prajusha

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  49. Sia, book seems so enticing and can't wait to try out the receipes

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  50. Hi Sia,

    Awesome recipe and i got to try it. As always love your clicks :)

    Love love love cookbooks and can't wait to try out from this book if I win it. Thanks a lot for the giveaway and looking forward to it.

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  51. This amazing book has been on my wishlist for ages! I would really love to win a copy. I do like Monsoon Spice, and from what you have shared about the Prashad Cookery Book,it seems just what I am looking for.
    I would like to enter, but i don't do Facebook. I will pin this article on my "LOOK" Pinterest page.
    Thank you!

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  52. Thanks for the detailed and mouthwatering writeup. I am a vegetarian and I would love to win this cookbook so I can try out the recipes, and possibly share the love of vegetarian food with my family.

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  53. Hi, My mom gave me a newspaper clipping of your Speedy Spicy Sweetcorn recipe. I made it and it was very tasty and very quick and easy to make. I am newly married and this recipe went down a treat with my husband. I live far away from my mom and sister who are my inspiration hence am gaining my inspiration from cookbooks. I would love to win your book to have some inspiration to vow my new family with new Gujarati recipes. I have tweeted the message and also posted on Facebook. Fingers crossed. x
    PS: can't wait to try Kehra an Reveya

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  54. Hi, My mom gave me a newspaper clipping of your Speedy Spicy Sweetcorn recipe. I made it and it was very tasty and very quick and easy to make. I am newly married and this recipe went down a treat with my husband. I live far away from my mom and sister who are my inspiration hence am gaining my inspiration from cookbooks. I would love to win your book to have some inspiration to vow my new family with new Gujarati recipes. I have tweeted the message and also posted on Facebook. Fingers crossed. x
    PS: can't wait to try Kehra an Reveya

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  55. @Tina Mehta, I think there is some confusion here! I'm not Kaushy, the author of Prashad but I am Sia the owner of this blog Monsoon Spice. I have just posted the review of Kaushy's cookbook along with the recipe :)

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  56. Hi, I am the mom of a normal(read wont-sit-quietly) toddler. He loves my laptop, we got him a toy one thinking it would save ours. But well, didnt help. He loves to bang my laptop, stand on it, tries removing the buttons etc. And so , it rarely makes an appearance when he is around. I browse and do a lot of blog hopping(mainly food blogs) while he takes a nap. And I make note of interesting recipes and when I want to try, I print the recipes or even write it down( my son even tried to pull down the laptop from my kitchen top and it was the end of it then). And now a beautiful book with so many interesting recipes( I trust your taste Sia) would give some rest to my printer and save some paper in the meanwhile. I would ideally want a board book of this, but will try hard to save this from my dear son :)

    ps: now if you suggest getting a smart phone...well you should see my old phone getting thrown like its a piece of brick :)

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  57. Well, I copied this post link on my fb too

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  58. Awesome Stuffed Plantain curry,we too make different types of Plantain curries for auspicious times in home,but this one is too good and different.Thanks for sharing such a nice book review and wonderful recipes.

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  59. Loved your recipe and clicks. So glad to come over here and see so many traditional and modern recipes. I love the way you've written about your experience with food on landing a new country and how you discovered Prashad and have made them your second home when it comes to food. I totally love Gujarati food, with the fact that they are by and large vegetarians and their cuisine is similar to the palate we Mangaloreans enjoy, a melange of sweet and spice in their savouries, I would certainly love to have this book in my collection. I've hardly come across many Gujarati cookbooks on stands, except for Tarla Dalal's, so I am excited and looking forward to reading this book, recreating as many recipes and making them a regular in my kitchen.

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  60. Would love to try out the mouth-watering vegeterian dishes you have mentioned.

    Your description of the cuisine is what makes me want the book to cook.

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  61. Tweeted about the giveaway - name - saraphysio

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  62. I bought this book based on your review and also gifted it already. Will surely share the love with other friends and family too. Cooked from it a few times already and I just adore it. A pleasure to add to my extensive collection of Indian cookbooks. Thank you Sia!

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  63. Hello Sia,
    I am a one of many silent readers of your blog who have benefitted a lot from the wonderful recipes you post. I love the way you weave stories around the recipes and it makes your blog so unique and interesting from other. I have tried your Rhengan Reveya many times and it is one of the most loved recipes in my family, especially my wife who adores it. It would be wonderful to win Kaushy’s cookbook who shared her Rhengan Reveya with you. Also we at home really love Gujarati food and I would love to learn to cook food from Gujarat which we usually eat at the restaurants. Thank you for your wonderful review and now I am eager to cook from this cookbook.
    - Naveen

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  64. Hi Sia,

    Thank you for replying to my mail. I have been a silent admirer of this blog and always look forward to your recipes and stories.

    I love Prashad's simple food cooked with love. I'm sure Kaushy aunty has put her heart, soul and love into her book and I for one cannot wait to try out new and exciting recipes!

    - Supreetha

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  65. Hi Sia,

    This is an amazing post and homage to the delicacies of Gujarati cooking! I am Gujarati but have little formal "training" by way of my mother or any other family members. I have tried my best to learn many recipes from cook books and blogs but alas a collection of traditional, classic, vegetarian Gujarati recipes handed down from generation to generation is what I want to feed to my family. My DH is originally from Mangalore and he adores Gujarati food as well. Our young daughter is a foodie and she would just love to taste the recipes in the book.

    I've Pinned and added to my FB page as well.

    Thanks!

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  66. Please consider for the giving away that book...

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  67. I would love to win this cookbook for a lot of different reasons. I love cooking but do not know much about the food of other parts of India other than the south and a little of the north. You are an inspiration and I am always looking through your blog to find something new and different all the time. With you providing this review and being so excited about it, makes me want this book to try all the receipes in here. I tried the raw plaintain and it was amazing.


    Read more: http://www.monsoonspice.com/2013/03/kehra-na-reveyagreen-banana-satay.html#ixzz2PsGXIuCf

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  68. Yes, I am in for the givaway:) I like the book because it is similar to Neivedyam and is Vegetarian!

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  69. Sia, I live in Bangalore and I really enjoy reading your blog, not only for the recipes but the STYLE of your writing. I am unable to find the book for purchase in India. Can you please let me know how do I order it here?
    Thanks.

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  70. wow... i always forget to get this book ... read abt it a number of times... i want it coz i have read a few recipes here and there and they all look great... i want to win it and own it finally... sharing on fb.... :)

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  71. Congratulations to Manasi & Naveen. Hw are you & ur little dumpling? God Bless.

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  72. hi sia,

    can you please let me know where or how to order this cook if i need it to be shipped to bangalore. please let me know the same.

    thanks!
    Prathibha

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  73. @Prathibha, sorry but unfortunately I have no idea. You can contact them via email at info@prashad.co.uk to find out about book delivery or other info from them directly. Here is their website ~ http://www.prashad.co.uk/

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Namaste! I am Sia and welcome to Monsoon Spice, my virtual home. Thank you for all your comments, inputs and feedback. I really appreciate the valuable time you spent browsing through my recipe repertoire.

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