Chettinad cuisine is often spicy with any or all of chilli, onion, garlic and black pepper added generously. Though the cuisine is known for non-vegetarian dishes, there are several wonderful vegetarian dishes too. As winter approaches North India, my body craves spicier food that what I normally have. This chutney is spicy (you can adjust…
Tag: #gluten-free
Grapefruit Salad
I have never been a grapefruit lover – until I discovered this wonderful salad. Not that I dislike grapefruit. It is a difficult fruit to clean – and the taste, after all the effort, is sour. But I have often been told that it is great for diabetics. And, therefore, virtuously have it every time…
Ponnangani Keerai Thogayal (Dwarf Copperleaf, Garundi Chutney)
I had recently made a Sri Lankan dish using dwarf copperleaf. The result was outstanding. I still had a bunch of the greens left. Rather than making the usual South Indian dishes using greens, such as poriyal (stir fry), masiyal (mash) or kootu (wet dish), I decided to try something different. I had recently made…
Mukunuwenna Mallam (Ponnangani Keerai, Dwarf Copperleaf Stir Fry)
I have heard a lot about Ponnangani Keerai, but don’t recall ever having consumed it. Probably because it was not available in Singapore when I lived there. Therefore, I was not even aware of what this green looked like. I visited a roadside vegetable vendor last week and saw this green tucked away in a…
Soya Granules Cutlets
Hari used to make a curry using soya nuggets. I used to love this dish as it was healthy, spicy and worked well with either rice or rotis. In those days, there was only one brand available – Nutrela from Ruchi Soya Industries. When I turned vegan some years ago, someone introduced a brand called…
Spicy Urad Dal (Split Black Lentil)
Dals (as opposed to the South Indian kootans) are rarely made in my home. The reason is simple enough. Lunch is the main meal and it invariably consists of whole rice, a kootan, a vegetable and a salad. Since dinner is a simple affair, the kootan gets carried over to this meal. Depending upon the…
Mullangi And Carrot Mulakootal (Radish And Carrot Dal)
Mulakootal is a traditional ‘dal’ native to Palakkad. The dal is in quotes since South Indians do not have a concept of dal – it is normally a kootan, a wet dish to be mixed with rice. Mulakootal is a bland kootan. It normally is made with vegetables such as ash gourd, spinach, Chinese potato…
Masala Kakrol (Teasle Gourd Curry)
I have seen teasle gourd (also called spiny gourd) in the market for several decades, but never found the inclination to purchase. That’s mainly because the vegetable is alien to me, never having seen or tasted it in my formative years. About a couple of years ago, I decided to give it a try as…
Seyal Bhee Patata (Lotus Root And Potato Curry)
Several decades ago, the Indian Express Group of Publications presented me with a cookbook (I still have this with me). It featured recipes from all over India and some from the rest of the world. One recipe, in particular, fascinated me. It is a Sindhi recipe using lotus root. Till then, I had only consumed…
Kolhapuri Mixed Vegetable (Spicy Vegetable Curry)
The Kolhapur region of Maharashtra is famous for its unique and spicy cuisine. When I used to travel to Mumbai, I was always on the lookout for local dishes that would pair well with rice or Indian breads. Gujarati food was not a top priority since I do not have a sweet tooth and restaurant…
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