Navrathri is almost upon us. This festival of 9 days/nights is celebrated all over the country, albeit with differences in each region. In the North where I stay, it is meant for fasting and eating simple food. Unfortunately, much of this ‘simple, fasting food’ is deep fried and can pose a health hazard. In South…
Tag: #SouthIndian
Pudalangai Kootu (Snake Gourd, Chichinda Curry)
Snake gourd is a summer vegetable. There are several varieties that are available, some very tasty, others rather tasteless. I do remember a time when this vegetable used to grow up to 6 feet long! But the varieties that are now available in the market are about a foot long. I had grown this in…
Idiaapam (String-hoppers)
I keep mentioning that something or other is my favourite dish! That’s because I have several such dishes. Here is yet another one – string-hoppers. Paired with ishtew (please see the section under breakfast in this blog for the recipe). All in my family love this particular breakfast. When we were kids in Singapore, my…
Stuffed Peerkangai (Ridge Gourd, Tori)
I get so much of ridge gourd every summer. It is a challenge to make this bland vegetable in different ways – that are tasty and tickles the palate. I often spend many evenings during summer researching this. It was on one such evening that I came across this very interesting recipe. And it tasted…
Masala Dosa (Rice Crepe With Potato Fillling)
Masala dosa is my all time favourite breakfast. But I rarely get to eat it since, for some reason that I am not aware of, Hari rarely prepares this wonderful dish. It is my go-to dish on most occasions when I have to eat out. Mainly because there are very few vegan restaurants in Delhi/NCR….
Sambar Powder
I have had several requests for the sambar powder recipe. As I have mentioned before, the taste of a good sambar depends almost completely upon the powder used. Of course, these powders are available at retail outlets all over the country. These, however, a characterless and highly avoidable as you will land up with an…
Nellikkai Chutney (Indian Gooseberry, Amla Chutney)
Indian gooseberries are available during the winter and raw mangoes are available during the summer. I buy them when in season. Then brine them (boil water and a reasonable amount of salt, slightly more than required for the amount of water being used). Let the water cool. In the case of gooseberries, I normally roast…
Morappam
Morappam is a very popular evening snack in Kerala. A close cousin of morappam is kuzhi paniyaram from Tamizhnadu. Both are very similar. In my young days, this was made quite often in my home. However, it does require a special vessel (appa karol) to prepare this. Traditionally, this is a deep fried snack. In…
Urulaikizhangu Varuval (Potato ‘Fry’)
I can eat potatoes in any form. I find the vegetable incredibly tasty. And it is so versatile that there are hundreds of recipes using this humble tuber. Unfortunately, I was denied the pleasures of potato when I turned diabetic several years ago. So, it was sparingly made – perhaps once every two months. And…
Medu Vada (Split Black Lentil Medallions)
Medu vada is my all time favourite snack. Not only mine, also most South Indians. All we need is an excuse to make this snack. It is so tasty that it has been adopted all over the country. It is a deep-fried snack, but can also be made with no oil at all. The oil-free…
wholefoodplantbased 