Food habits across India are evolving. When I interact with my South Indian friends and relatives, they invariably want North Indian food. During occasions like eating out or on days when they feel like a special treat. The youngsters prefer North Indian cuisine over the South Indian one. Amongst my North Indian friends, there is…
Tag: #vegan
Chow Chow Kootu (Chayote Squash Curry)
Chayote squash is freely available across the country. It is a fairly bland vegetable and not a particular favourite of many people. I tend to use this vegetable quite a lot – especially to make kootus (a wet gravy dish of South India). The dish is fairly bland – but tastes fantastic when paired with…
Tinda Masala (Spicy Apple Gourd Curry)
I have never been fond of tinda (apple gourd). Even with Hari‘s versatile cooking, I have not been able to overcome my dislike for this vegetable. Bias? Mental block? Perhaps. I have never seen this vegetable in Singapore or South India. Therefore, it was not part of my childhood food training. I was first introduced to…
Avarakkai Thoran (Broad Beans, Semphali Stir Fry)
Broad beans is a wonderful vegetable. Whenever I find it in the market, I invariably pick up about half a kilo. It can be prepared in several ways, but one of my favourites is the Kerala style thoran. You can use several other vegetables to prepare thoran too (cabbage, long beans, snake gourd, French beans…_)….
Masala Dal (Mildly Spiced Lentils)
I am not a great fan of dal chawal (lentils and rice). I much prefer my dals (lentils) with Indian flatbreads. And since my lunch is invariably brown rice, I rarely make dals. The concept of a dal is very non-South Indian. In South India, kootans, kuzhambus, rasams, sambar, etc. are prevalent. These are wet…
Chakka Pradhaman (Ripe Jackfruit Pudding)
The sweet, pudding-like dish has several names across India, depending upon the region you hail from – payasam, payesh, kheer and many more. These are traditional preparations, often using refined sugar or jaggery. The South Indian ones tend to be watery and is often drunk from a glass. The North Indian ones are thicker and…
Chainsoo (Black Lentil Curry)
Chainsoo is a delicious dal from Uttarakhand. There are several ways to prepare this dish. The most traditional ones also use a local spice called jakhya. Since this spice is not freely available in most regions of the country and abroad, I have avoided its use.I first started researching Uttarakhandi dishes when a driver from…
Kanchivaram Idli (Steamed Rice Dumplings)
As the name suggests, Kanchivaram (or Kanchipuram) idlis are from the temple city of Kanchipuram in Thamizh Nadu. These idlis are a prasadam (offering, prasad) to Lord Varadaraja Perumal (Vishnu) in the temple located in the city. They are delicious and taste different from the regular idli. The infusion of spices in the rather bland…
Pasi Parupu Dosai (Chila, Split Mung Bean Crepe)
This is not a dish that was often made in my childhood home, as far as my memory goes. After I turned diabetic, my cousin introduced this delicious crepe to me. Later, I discovered that this is a very popular breakfast dish in the Northern parts of the country, called chila. I now make this…
Mathanga Erissery (Green Pumpkin Curry)
Erissery (also called Elissery) is an essential part of any celebration in Kerala. It is difficult to imagine an Onam sadya without this very popular dish. It is not spicy, but has a distinct taste that is very pleasing to the palate. The most popular versions of this dish are with green pumpkin or a…
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