Frankly, I was not aware of makhana till I came to Delhi about 37 years ago. It is not an ingredient that is used in South Indian cuisine. I am a member of a FB group called ‘Recipes of Palakkad – A Vegetarian World’. I have been a member for several years and have not…
Tag: vegan
Bendakaya Pulusu (Okra In Tamarind Gravy)
For several years, weekends were normally spent in my home of my friend, D. R. Naidu. Protima, Naidu’s wife then, was (and is) a fabulous cook. She had influences from both West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. I have had pulusu countless times at her place. It is a wet dish in a tamarind gravy, native…
Thakkali Gothsu (Tomato Dip)
Gothsu is a South Indian chutney used to pair with breakfast dishes such as dosa or idli. It can also pair with rice as an accompaniment. Or even Indian flat breads. Needless to say, gothsus are extremely tasty. The most well-known is the kathrikkai gothsu (eggplant dip). However, several vegetables can be used to make…
Kothimbir Vadi (Coriander Fritters)
Tea-time snacks are always quite difficult on a WFPB diet. There are several, but one soon gets bored with them. Every time I make a new discovery, I am delighted and immediately try it out. This Maharashtrian Kothimbir Vadi is one such dish. Made of besan (chickpea flour, kadalai mavu), coriander and spices, it tastes…
Lotus Root Curry
I first bought lotus root in the late 80’s. To try a dish from a cookbook. Needless to say, it was unmitigated disaster. Thereafter, I stopped buying lotus root completely, It is only very recently that Hari told me to buy some. I told him that it was conditional to him making me a great…
Tangy Tomato Chutney
Chutneys are an integral part of every Indian household. Every state in the country has its own chutney. While nobody has actually counted, there must be countless chutneys prepared across the length and breadth of India. In addition, each household has it’s own variation of each chutney. These ‘dips’ or accompaniments are very easy to…
Curd Rice
Yesterday was the festival of Aadi Perukku, a festival celebrating water. Devotees normally prepare a variety of rice dishes on this day. You will find many of these in this blog (look under “Rice”). While there are many rice recipes, I realised that I have not posted a curd rice recipe – perhaps because it…
Proso Millet Upma
Upma is a typically South Indian dish, normally served at breakfast. But it can be had at lunch or dinner too. Or even as a quick snack. It is the go-to option when unexpected guests drop in. Upma is comfort food for many South Indians. The classic upma uses semolina (ravai, suji) as the main…
Sesame Soba Noodles
I have been out of stock of noodles for some months now. I was therefore really delighted to visit the shop a couple of weeks ago and pick up my stock. I wanted to try something different with the soba noodles, but the challenge was that many ingredients arHoe not readily available. I therefore decided…
Mixed Dal
I am a great fan of Indian dals. They taste fabulous and go well with both rice and Indian breads. While the South Indian wet dishes like sambar can also be had with rice, the combination with breads isn’t that great. Though many people do pair these with breads too. But I prefer the North…
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