Begun Bhaja (Roast Eggplant)

I had never been a fan of the large, round eggplant. That’s primarily because it is most often used to make bharta (mashed eggplant), which I am not very fond of. I subscribe to an organic food basket where I get 10 kgs. of vegetables every week – whatever is grown in the farm. And…

Kollu Dosai (Horsegram Crepes)

Horse gram is often classified as a superfood. It has several health benefits. It is anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-hyperglycemic, amongst several other benefits. It contains 3x more calories than chicken, 2x more protein than eggs, 10x more calcium than dairy milk and 1x more phosporous than soy. Sadly, it is not widely used even…

Gazpacho

The credit for this recipe is entirely to Sharan India. I followed the recipe on the Sharan website to the letter. To say that it tasted wonderful is an understatement. My helpers at home stick to traditional Indian food (especially North Indian) in their homes. My driver, Madan Mishra, had therefore never tasted a soup….

Elavan Mor Kootan (Ash Gourd In A Yogurt Based Curry)

I love yogurt based dishes in any form. Of course, I have been having the Palakkad mor kootan (curry in a yogurt base) since childhood. But it is only after moving to Delhi about 38 years ago that I discovered that almost all states in India have some form of a dish with a yogurt…

Aloo Mattar (Potato And Peas Curry)

This is a classic dish that, I suspect, originated from the North Indian state of Punjab. It is now more or less a national dish. Each region in the country have their own minor variations. But the basic dish is the same. It is a favourite in every household and , in days of yore,…

Nonbu Sweet Adai (Cakes Using Rice And Dates)

Karadaiyan Nonbu is a festival celebrated mainly in Thamizhanadu. As offering to the Gods, sweet and savoury cakes are prepared. They are often paired with butter – but nowadays, one can substitute this with vegan butter. I love both the varieties of the adais and look forward to the rice cakes. This is true for…

Stuffed Capsicum Salad

I began exploring different kinds of salads only from April this year. When I turned vegan a decade ago, I was advised to have a salad with every meal. So, I developed a set of about 10 different kinds of salads – and rotated them regularly. To the point where I began to actively dislike…

Banaras Ka Tori Chana (Banaras Style Sponge Gourd And Black Chickpeas)

Banarasi cuisine is supposed to be very famous. Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with this cuisine since I have visited Banaras only once. Even on that trip, my food was very restricted since I was on a pilgrimage and did not have any opportunity to savour the local cuisine. Where I stay (Delhi/NCR), the…

Indian Chopped Salad

And yet more salads! I seem to never tire of trying out new salad recipes – and, invariably, they all turn out to be fantastic. But I have mixed grains into my salad only once, if my memory proves right. With the pasta salad. I have seen western consumers make a whole meal of a…

Lobia Masala (Black-eyed Bean Curry)

There are several types of beans used in Indian cuisine. I am not very familiar with the American terminologies such as refried beans. But I am quite sure that this is called black-eyed beans even in America. There are several dishes that can be made with this versatile beans. I normally stick to the tried…