Jackfruit is a popular fruit/vegetable in many parts of the country. The unripe jackfruit is used to make many different kinds of dishes. The ripe version is eaten as a fruit – really delicious. The ripe fruit is also used to make sweet pastes and jams. The seeds are also consumed. My biggest disappointment is…
Category: Recipes
Adai (Rice & Lentil Pancake)
Adai is a South Indian breakfast dish that is rarely found in restaurants. At restaurants, it is more common to find dosa and its variations, aapam, rava (semolina, suji) dosa and other such dishes. I cannot understand why this is so, since adai is really a lip-smacking dish that is healthy, packed with nutrition. It…
Murungaipoo Vadai (Moringa Blossom Fritters)
Vada is a savoury fried snack from India. Different types of vadas can be described variously as fritters, cutlets, doughnuts, or dumplings. Alternative names for this food include wada, vade, vadai, wadeh and bara. The various types of vadas are made from different ingredients, ranging from legumes (such as medu vada of South India) to…
Beetroot Cutlet
I am not very fond of beetroot as I do not have a sweet tooth. However, this is one of my favourite cutlets. This recipe was taught me by my friends Nandini Gulati and Mala Barua. It also features in their fabulous WFPB cookbook. This cutlet is filling, healthy and tastes wonderful. Though potatoes are…
Podi Podicha Pulinkari (Ground Spices In A Tamarind Base)
Podi Podicha Pulinkari was one of the best kept secrets of Palakkad. At least until the internet became a force. What sets it apart from other ‘kootans’ (wet main dishes to be mixed with rice) is that it has no lentils or coconut. This is indeed a rarity in Kerala cuisine. It is a simple…
Farali Pattice
Farali Pattice is street food from Mumbai, India’s largest commercial city. It is often consumed when fasts are observed and only specific kinds of food are eaten. This is normally a breakfast dish, but I like it as a tea-time snack. In the Mumbai street food version, it is deep-fried. But it need not be…
Whole Wheat Bread
I had always disliked bread. Because it was the only breakfast we used to get five days a week during my childhood. Being vegetarians in Singapore, there was little opportunity to eat a school tuck shops. So my mother used to wake up at the crack of dawn and make lunch for her six children,…
Eggplant Chutney
I never tire of reciting this anecdote. A few years ago, I had a young colleague over for lunch. Amongst other dishes, Hari had made an eggplant curry. When my friend saw this, he declared that he HATED eggplant. And refused to touch it. I felt really bad that I could not serve my friend…
Idli (Rice & Lentil Dumplings)
Like the dosa, idli has also become a kind of a national dish in India. Though originating from South India, if has aficionados all over the country. It is normally had for breakfast in South India (though occasionally for dinner too). In the rest of the country, it is an anytime snack or a meal…
Dosa (Rice & Lentil Crepe)
Dosa has become almost a national dish in India. It is widely available all over the country, even with street vendors. Though the basic ingredients are the same, the preparation varies widely to suit individual tastes. Some like their dosa soft, others crisp. The homemade ones are about 6″ in diameter whereas the ones served…
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