Koftas are fritters, served immersed in a wet curry. They are absolutely delicious. Normally, koftas are deep-fried, but this oil-free recipe is as delicious as the fried ones. The most common kofta is made with lauki (bottle gourd). Once, several years ago, Hari said that he would make a kofta with carrots – and he…
Category: Main Dishes
Baked Cauliflower
In the mid and late 80’s, my weekends were always spent with two good friends and their families. We would rotate the venue amongst our homes – and whoever was the host had to prepare lunch and dinner for the group. It was always such great fun. On one such occasion. my friend’s wife (she…
Mixed Vegetable Pulusu (Curry)
Pulusu is the Andra Pradesh equivalent of the sambar of Thamizhnadu and Kerala. This dish is spicy, tangy and slightly sweet. I love pulusu of any kind. I first got a taste of this dish at my friend’s home in the late 80’s. His wife, also a dear friend, used to make this for us…
Onion Chila (An Indian Flat Bread)
I love my paranthas during winters. Especially with a raita and a pickle. But we very soon run out of ideas on what kind of paranthas to make. I suppose I am difficult to please. I was discussing the menu for the following day when Hari suggested a potato or radish parantha. I told him…
Maa Ki Dal (Black Lentil Dal)
This traditional recipe from the North Indian state of Punjab uses whole black lentils. This is not a lentil that I normally stock in my pantry. The urge was upon me to have maa ki dal – which I requested Hari quite a few times. Every time, the response was that we did not have…
Baked Cauliflower
I get loads of cauliflower in the Delhi winter. So much so that I get tired of the vegetable by the end of winter. But start missing it again during the hot summer months. Its not that I do not get the vegetable during the hot summer months. It’s just that I prefer to eat…
Vazhaithandu Mulakootal (Banana Stem Dal)
Mulakootal is a typical and traditional dish from Palakkad, a district of the Southern state of Kerala. You can use any one of several vegetables to prepare mulakootal – spinach, ash gourd, snake gourd, elephant yam, pumpkin, Chinese potatoes, any greens, raw banana, cabbage… The one I am presenting here today is prepared using vazhaithandu…
Motaikose Poduthuval (Cabbage Stir Fry)
A poduthuval is basically a stir fry garnished with grated coconut. Therefore, one can use any of several vegetables – cabbage, snake gourd, beetroot, French beans…. The method of preparation remains the same, only the vegetable varies. These dishes are very mildly spiced, but very tasty. I therefore prefer to pair them with a spicy…
Paruppu (Dal)
When I was a kid, both the main meals in my home were invariably rice, with accompanying kootan (dish to be mixed with rice) and a vegetable side. That’s because South Indians were primarily rice eaters. It was only on rare occasions that an Indian flat bread was made, always for dinner. None of the…
Tamater Ki Tari (Tomato Curry)
I make several kinds of tomato dishes – from just simple cooked and mashed tomatoes to gothsu. I like tomatoes, irrespective of whether it is with breakfast, lunch or dinner. Often, my tomato dishes are spicy, but the beauty of these dishes are that you can make it as spicy (or not at all) as…
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