Urulaikizhangu Podimas (Mildly Spiced Mashed Potato)

Potatoes are one of my favourite vegetables. When I turned diabetic several years ago, doctors advised me to consume this tuber only sparingly. For me, that meant about one a month. What a disaster!After I adopted a WFPB diet, I was told that I need not be so careful in including potatoes in my diet,…

Punjabi Chana Masala (Garbanzo Beans Curry)

Food habits across India are evolving. When I interact with my South Indian friends and relatives, they invariably want North Indian food. During occasions like eating out or on days when they feel like a special treat. The youngsters prefer North Indian cuisine over the South Indian one. Amongst my North Indian friends, there is…

Chow Chow Kootu (Chayote Squash Curry)

Chayote squash is freely available across the country. It is a fairly bland vegetable and not a particular favourite of many people. I tend to use this vegetable quite a lot – especially to make kootus (a wet gravy dish of South India). The dish is fairly bland – but tastes fantastic when paired with…

Tinda Masala (Spicy Apple Gourd Curry)

I have never been fond of tinda (apple gourd). Even with Hari‘s versatile cooking, I have not been able to overcome my dislike for this vegetable. Bias? Mental block? Perhaps. I have never seen this vegetable in Singapore or South India. Therefore, it was not part of my childhood food training. I was first introduced to…

Avarakkai Thoran (Broad Beans, Semphali Stir Fry)

Broad beans is a wonderful vegetable. Whenever I find it in the market, I invariably pick up about half a kilo. It can be prepared in several ways, but one of my favourites is the Kerala style thoran. You can use several other vegetables to prepare thoran too (cabbage, long beans, snake gourd, French beans…_)….