I used to dislike salads, in my earlier days. Of late, however, I have really fallen in love with them. But more than the salads themselves, I enjoy the process of creating a salad recipe. There are potentially so many permutations and combinations in using various ingredients. I also try to customise salads that are…
Tag: #gluten-free
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….
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…
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…
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…
Bengali Aam Dal (Red Lentils With Raw Mango)
I have often asked Hari to make Bengali dishes for me. But he always averred that Bengali food cannot be oil-free. I have to agree to that statement somewhat. The unique taste of Bengali food comes from the use of mustard oil. However, the unique taste of Kerala cuisine comes from the use of coconut…
Carrot Chutney
I have a book with over a hundred chutney recipes. I therefore do not experiment with chutneys often. However, I recently had a lot of carrots lying around. I therefore asked Hari to prepare a carrot chutney for breakfast with my dosa. I never thought that it would be so tasty. It paired excellently with…
Raw Papaya Salad
In days of yore, when I used to travel to at least 2 countries every week, I had occasion to sample dishes from each of these countries. I was always vegetarian, though not vegan in those days. It is only in the past decade that I have adopted a vegan and WFPB diet and lifestyle….
Bharwa Karela (Stuffed Bitter Gourd)
Bitter gourd (also called bitter melon in many parts of the world) tastes exactly as the name suggests – bitter! It was, therefore, not one of my favourite vegetables in my formative years. I evolved from active dislike, to stoic acceptance to real appreciation, as I became older. I suppose it a question of training…
Jackfruit Curry
I am quite a fan of jackfruit. But I have only had it cooked as a dry dish. Most often, as a thoran. Sometimes, a North Indian preparation. There are several types of jackfruits. For thoran, the best results are with elongated, tender jackfruits called idi chakka. This variety is not available in North India…
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