Mostly vegetarian, Gujarati cuisine is delightfully delicious with a combination of leafy vegetables and pulses subtly flavoured with spices to the accompaniment of rice and a variety of breads. The typical Gujarati meal basically bland, served traditionally on large silver or stainless steel platters; thali consists of one variety of dal, Kadhi- a curd preparation, two to three vegetables and pulses, salad savories, sweets, puri or chappati, rice chutneys, hot pickles and papad. There are slight differences in the modes of preparation and eating habits in the main three geographical regions of Kutch, Saurashtra (kathiawad) and Surat. 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. Some common delicacies include 'Khaman Dhokla', a salty steamed cake, 'Oondhiya' a vegetarian dish with potato, brinjal, green beans and other vegetables, 'Khichdi' a mixture of lentil and rice, 'Kadhi' curd with bay leaves, 'Debra' flour mixed with spinach and yoghurt etc. Gujarati 'farsans' or crunchy fried snacks like Chakli, Sev Ganthia and sweets like Doodh Pak, Gharis, Nankhatais etc are also delicious.

‘Variety is the Spice of Life’, it would not be an exaggeration if we say that Gujarati Cuisine offers a lot of variety and the Gujaratis love to eat. In our country through the length and breath we find distinct tastes and customs and these have all evolved over a period of time on the bass of local availability of food items and climate.

The Gujarati Thali consists of all the four components, Cereal, Pulses, Vegetables, Rice- with supplements like pickle, chutney, papad, buttermilk and salad and therefore it makes a balance diet. There is wide use of ginger, garlic and green chillies, more use of jaggery instead of sugar and therefore with the right kind of blend of Masalas with vegetables and dals the food is easily digestible. The staple dal in Guajrat is tuver dal, normally served with rich. But the use of moong dal in certain regions is found. The consumption of chana dal is widespread in the form of besan – used in farsan and sweetmeats.

We begin with wheat preparations sweet dishes which are made on auspicious occasions viz. kansar, lapsi, sheera. Wheat ground to a very fine powder is called loat which is used for making bhakbri, or sheera or ladva. Coarsely ground wheat of the size of sugar grains or (small moong dal) is also called fada. The proportion of water required in the recipes mentioned below vary to some extend depending upon the quality of wheat. Some category of wheat may require a little additional water. The quantity of sugar may be increased or decreased as per taste.