I have been having a soup a day right through this winter. While I really enjoy my soups, I do hanker after something different every once in a while. It’s during one of those ‘dissatisfied’ moments that I began to browse for something really different. And turned my attention to Africa. I promptly landed on…

I am not fond of bottle gourd (lauki, doodhi, ghia, sorakkai) at all. It is one vegetable that is available abundantly throughout the year. And it promptly arrives in my vegetable basket once a week! When I was home cooking for my dog, I used the bottle gourd up by putting it into his food….

I had experimented with several soups last winter. Unfortunately, I forgot the recipes once I made them. I am therefore spending a lot of time re-creating the recipes. This vegetables and cowpea soup is one of them. Like all soups, it is quite easy to prepare. It is a clear soup loaded with vegetables. My…

Till recently, I did not know much about celery. Of course, I’ve heard the name and had a vague idea of what it looked like. But it is not one of the vegetables that was available either in India or the Far East when I was growing up. And, therefore, I did not have any…

Let me, at the outset, clarify that by drumstick I mean the vegetable. It’s the pod from the moringa tree. Called Sajjan Ki Phali in Hindi and Murungakkai in Thamizh. While eating this excellent vegetable, the pod is cooked with the skin on. It is only when served that the pod is chewed upon and…

This is another wonderful soup by the prolific Tarla Dalal, may her soul rest in peace. Corn is plentifully available in Northern India from late monsoon right through winter. Of course, it is available throughout the year – but not through natural farming methods. So I tend to avoid buying corn in summers, trying to…

Chayote squash is widely available across India, commonly called chow chow. It is also widely used in the cuisines of East and South India. But I have never seen it used in North Indian cuisine. I buy this gourd quite often, but must admit that I am not a great fan. I eat it rather…

This is another classic soup, though I am not sure whether it is only in India or across the world. In my mind, this is more like a summer soup. Perhaps because the association of lemon is often with summer and lemon juice. But I made this soup in winter and thoroughly enjoyed it. The…