Aloo Mattar (Potato And Peas Curry)

This is a classic dish that, I suspect, originated from the North Indian state of Punjab. It is now more or less a national dish. Each region in the country have their own minor variations. But the basic dish is the same. It is a favourite in every household and , in days of yore,…

Nonbu Sweet Adai (Cakes Using Rice And Dates)

Karadaiyan Nonbu is a festival celebrated mainly in Thamizhanadu. As offering to the Gods, sweet and savoury cakes are prepared. They are often paired with butter – but nowadays, one can substitute this with vegan butter. I love both the varieties of the adais and look forward to the rice cakes. This is true for…

Stuffed Capsicum Salad

I began exploring different kinds of salads only from April this year. When I turned vegan a decade ago, I was advised to have a salad with every meal. So, I developed a set of about 10 different kinds of salads – and rotated them regularly. To the point where I began to actively dislike…

Banaras Ka Tori Chana (Banaras Style Sponge Gourd And Black Chickpeas)

Banarasi cuisine is supposed to be very famous. Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with this cuisine since I have visited Banaras only once. Even on that trip, my food was very restricted since I was on a pilgrimage and did not have any opportunity to savour the local cuisine. Where I stay (Delhi/NCR), the…

Curry Beans

I find French beans a little boring, unless it is added in small quantities in dishes like upma or Chinese style cooking. A lone dish of French beans is really not my top favourite. So, I rarely make dishes such as beans thoran or usili. I dislike cluster beans completely. So, I was relieved when,…

Indian Chopped Salad

And yet more salads! I seem to never tire of trying out new salad recipes – and, invariably, they all turn out to be fantastic. But I have mixed grains into my salad only once, if my memory proves right. With the pasta salad. I have seen western consumers make a whole meal of a…

Lobia Masala (Black-eyed Bean Curry)

There are several types of beans used in Indian cuisine. I am not very familiar with the American terminologies such as refried beans. But I am quite sure that this is called black-eyed beans even in America. There are several dishes that can be made with this versatile beans. I normally stick to the tried…

Bihari Parwal Masala (Pointed Gourd Stir Fry)

Parwal (pointed gourd) was not one of my favourite vegetables when I first moved to Delhi in 1984. As usual, I bought it stoically once every 3 months – just to assuage my guilt that I am not eating seasonal and local. It was only when Hari came into my employ in 1997 that I…

Dondakaya Ulli Kura Karam (Ivy Gourd Stir Fry)

I have posted a couple of ivy gourd recipes before. This one is a little different, from the states of Andhra Pradesh/Telengana in the south of India. I seem to have an affinity for Andhra recipes. I do enjoy the bold taste of their dishes. And ivy gourd in a vegetable that is cooked at…

Vankaya Vepudu (Eggplant Stir Fry)

The humble eggplant is one of the most versatile vegetables that I know. There are literally hundreds of recipes in each of the different states of India. And there are several varieties of eggplants – long, small-round, large-round, green, white, striped… I reserve specific varieties for different dishes. For example, the Palakkad preparation of eggplant…