Elephant yam is plentifully available throughout India. But I suspect that it is not a very popular vegetable in most parts of the country – at least to serve guests. Probably because it may cause itching (in raw form, not when cooked) for some people. I have lived in North India for almost 37 years…
Category: Main Dishes
Sesame Soba Noodles
I have been out of stock of noodles for some months now. I was therefore really delighted to visit the shop a couple of weeks ago and pick up my stock. I wanted to try something different with the soba noodles, but the challenge was that many ingredients arHoe not readily available. I therefore decided…
Mixed Dal
I am a great fan of Indian dals. They taste fabulous and go well with both rice and Indian breads. While the South Indian wet dishes like sambar can also be had with rice, the combination with breads isn’t that great. Though many people do pair these with breads too. But I prefer the North…
Watermelon Rind Curry
I never knew that watermelon rind could be used to prepare curries – though it seems pretty obvious that the rind should be edible. I first heard of this in a FB group on cooking that I belong to. I was fascinated and began researching the topic. There were several recipes, almost from all the…
Pudavalangai Usili (Snakegourd Crumble)
I had previously posted a cabbage usili recipe and mentioned that several vegetables can be used to make usili. Usilis are from Thamizhnadu. It basically means that a vegetable is mixed with a lentil crumble. These dishes are very tasty and nutritious. Today, my post is on snakegourd usili. Ingredients5 cups finely chopped snakegourd (chichinda,…
Capsicum & Potatoes
I must make a confession. I am a hoarder of cookbooks. I have books that I have bought, been presented to me – all over several decades. There are some very traditional recipes that are almost lost – my cousin has done me yeoman service by photocopying these recipes in books. So, I have several…
Stuffed Jalapenos
Jalapenos are quite popular in several states of the country, mainly as a fritter or pickle. But it is also used for chutneys and several other dishes. The relatively mild spice quotient makes it a ideal ingredient for these dishes. I often buy it either to pickle or make the fritters. Recently, my friend Shubha…
Pachmela Dal
I do not often make dals. Mainly because they are bland and do not pair well with rice. But, they go extremely well with Indian flat-breads. Since I have rice in the afternoon and a palaharam (dosa, idli, roti…) for dinner, the wet dish to accompany both meals is always a problem. The ones that…
Chana Dal (Split Chickpea Curry)
North India has numerous and very tasty dals (lentil curries). This dal recipe is a very basic one that is prepared in homes across the country. It is easy to prepare and tastes excellent. Packed with proteins, this is a staple in homes whose main cereal is wheat made into Indian flat breads. But I…
Elavan Kootu (Ash Gourd Curry)
Kootu (a wet curry) is almost a staple in most South Indian homes. It is invariably bland and there are several types of kootu. Often paired with a sambar (or any other spicy curry that is mixed with rice), kootu is the perfect counterbalance to a spicy curry. There are several ways of preparing kootu…
wholefoodplantbased 