Dal Makhani (Creamy Lentils)

This is possibly one of the most well known dals of India. It is a great dish with the smooth taste of butter. Any restaurant in Indian serving North Indian food will have this dish on their menu. I have had this numerous times and always enjoy it thoroughly. i, of course, make this very…

Manga Thokku (Grated Raw Mango Pickle)

My post today is a little different. It’s a pickle. I don’t paste a lot of pickles as most Indian pickles use oil as the preservative. On a no-oil diet, it’s difficult to prepare pickles with no oil. When I first turned WFPB vegan some years ago. the only pickle that I could consume was…

Gujia

Gujia is a sweet dumpling made especially for the festival of colours, Holi. Normally, these are made with all purpose flour (maida), deep fried and then dunked into sugar syrup. So, you can guess how healthy the dumpling is. Plus, it is stuffed with thickened or dried milk and other ingredients. Therefore, the traditional gujia…

Oyster Mushroom Curry

I find North Indian cuisine using mushrooms quite often. But not so in most other parts of the country, though this is changing with increased experimentation with food. Mushroom was not my favouite either due to its rather slimy mouth-feel. But a few years ago, my friend asked me to test a mushroom recipe for…

Potlakaya Kura (Snake Gourd Curry)

I like to pair my dal/ kootan (the dish that is mixed with rice) with the vegetable main dish (broadly curry). I will call this dal for the sake of convenience. So, if the dal is bland, then the accompanying curry must be spicy and vice versa. What I have discovered while planning meals every…

Eggplant In Yogurt

Years and years ago, the Indian Express Group of Publications gifted me with a cookbook. It has been a treasured possession since then. It is now badly torn with constant use, but I still keep referring to it. I love many of the vegetarian recipes in the book and try to modify them to suit…

Green Tomato Chutney

The taste of green tomatoes (unripe tomatoes) is a little different from the red ones. I have often had dishes made with the green variety and have enjoyed them thoroughly. So, I was delighted that the Saturday organic market had some green tomatoes to offer. I wasted no time in lapping them up. And promptly…

Mochakottai Kuzhambu (Lima Beans Curr

From a very early age, I have had dishes using lima beans flaming hot. My mind is therefore conditioned to eat this legume really chili hot. When Hari first joined my family, he made a dish using lima beans – and it was not hot at all. My taste buds were left with a sense…

Allam Pachadi (Ginger Chutney)

I do love ginger chutneys, but make them only rarely. That’s because the balance of ginger and other ingredients must be perfect to get a great tasing chutney. Otherwise, the bitter taste of the ginger will come through. This recipe, from the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh/Telengana is a classic. It pairs well with…

Pineapple Rasam (Soup)

I have not had a pineapple rasam for over a decade, even though I really love it. That’s because my vegan doctor told me not to mix fruits with the main meal. Recently, another vegan doctor told me that it is perfectly alright to mix fruits with the main meal. I was confused. When I…