Odisha is a small state in the eastern part of India. It has rich cultural, religious and historical heritage. However, the cuisine is not much known outside the state. I have tried some recipes from this state and really love the dishes.On another note, most of the East Indian states use a spice mixture call…
Category: Main Dishes
Tomato Pappu (Tomato Lentils)
Dals (lentil dishes to go with rice or Indian breads) are normally associated with North India, especially Punjab. But other parts of the country too have several dal varieties, though much lesser known. Each state have their own versions – and all of them taste different. And equally tasty. In my childhood years in Singapore,…
Nellikkai Arachu Kalakki (Indian Gooseberry Curry)
My post today is a very traditional dish from Palakkad district of Kerala, a Southern Indian state. This dish is so simple that many of you would wonder why I even bothered to post it. For me, this dish transports me to seventh heaven. It’s simplicity is deceptive. An ideal summer dish, packed with all…
Capsicum Masala (Bell Pepper Curry)
We recently made a vegetable biryani (recipe already in this blog). The usual dish served with biryani is a kurma. But I was not in a mood for spices such as cinnamon and bay leaves. I therefore googled for a gravy dish – spicy, yes. But not overpowering spices. Came across a video on YouTube….
Pumpkin Sabzi
My basket from my organic farmer is a real boon. But, there is a real challenge in concocting different dishes using the same vegetables. Take, for example, the striped green pumpkin. I get this every single week of the year. Seems my farmer has planted loads of it. I get tired of making the same…
Chettinad Vegetable Biryani
South India has a vast variety of flavoured rice – lemon, tamarind, coconut, peanut, sesame, mango, eggplant… A ‘flavoured’ rice in the rest of the country is largely biryani or pulau. All these wonderful preparations need the cooked rice to be separate and grainy. This is normally achieved by roasting the rice in a little…
Vegetable Kurma (Spicy Mixed Vegetable Gravy)
I do not often have kurma – rather laborious to prepare. But those who have tried a kurma once will not rest easy. The taste will return to haunt them. As is the case with me. So, every once in a while, I ask Hari to prepare a kurma. And pair it with rice (very…
Spicy French Beans
I find that there is not a lot that one can do with French beans, especially in Indian cooking. Unless I have not discovered many magical recipes using this vegetable. I normally end up making an usili or a thoran (check my blog for details). Or add it in pasta or Chinese food. So, discovering…
Sindhi Moong Dal
Food tastes keep evolving, especially for me. For years, I avoided dals except when eating out. I was used to have something sour with my rice – and the South Indian dishes invariably used tamarind as a base. For the past two years, however, I have begun enjoying dals with no tamarind. Rajma (kidney beans)…
Bengali Potol Bhaja (Pointed Gourd Stir Fry)
I have often mentioned that I used to avoid pointed gourd like the plague, in years of yore. Until Hari arrived and made a dish using this vegetable. Since then, I have transformed into an ardent fan of this humble gourd that is abundantly available in summer. This vegetable is not much used in South…
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