Gujarati food at the Mango Vegetarian

Today we were off to a cooking demonstration/instruction with Chef Rekha of Mango Vegetarian Restaurant in Wetherby, a short distance from where my in-laws live.  They have been here several times before and have found the food fantastic and the chef and staff willing to help you learn more about Indian food if you've ever had questions.

The focus today was on Gujarati food, from the western part of India.  She demonstrated how to make gujarati rotli, methi na gota, vatana ringhan, and a Gujarati daal.  She started with the methi na gota, a pakora made with a large measure of fenugreek leaves which added a unique flavor compared to other pakora you may have tried.  We learned a few tricks for how to make the batter lighter so that they make a soft and light pakora.

 

Joining us were Richard's brother David and his partner Maggie (at left above) and his father Rob and mum Pam.

I've tried making rotli/roti before as well as chapati, but it's tough with the unleavened Indian breads to make them not be too dense.

The next step was the breads, where we first learned a basic recipe foundation on which to make many different Indian breads.  We made a Gujarati rotli where everyone took a turn at rolling out the dough to make an even piece to place in the pan for cooking and then directly onto the burner for it to puff up and steam the inside. She taught us a few tricks, and everyone took a try including Richard and his dad.

 Alongside the breads were two other dishes heavy on fenugreek/methi.  The first was a gujarati dal which was a bit sweeter than other dals I've tried.  They used jaggery to enhance the sweetness, and in the end it was fantastic.  As the curry we had vatana ringhan, made with potatoes, peas and eggplant (aubergine) which was spicy but not too much.

We finished with a peshawari naan, made with coconut, milk powder, saffron, pistachios, sugar, and ghee, which was quite sweet and probably good occasionally but I liked the plainer breads a bit more.

The town of Wetherby is beautiful, with its own yellow bike (on top of a pub).

As we left town there was an unexpected surprise of a local brass band playing in a gazebo just below the bridge and alongside the river.  It was a scene of serenity to see people gathered below the bunting enjoying the music.