Little Millet Upma

Little millet is called Samai in Tamil and Kutki in Hindi. Millets are basically seeds of various types of grass. They are gluten-free and packed with nutrition. I tend to use a lot of millets in my food. Not just to provide variety to my grains, but because I really like millets. While on the…

Parika Pitla (Bittergourd & Lentil Curry)

As a child, I disliked bittergourd intensely. As, I suspect, most children do. No matter how much parents explain the health benefits of the vegetable, it never moves kids. In my case, I overcame my childhood aversion for this vegetable. If fact, I really feel deprived if a week passes without bittergourd on my dining…

Chakka Kuru Kuzhambu (Jackfruit Seed Curry)

Jackfruit is a popular fruit/vegetable in many parts of the country. The unripe jackfruit is used to make many different kinds of dishes. The ripe version is eaten as a fruit – really delicious. The ripe fruit is also used to make sweet pastes and jams. The seeds are also consumed. My biggest disappointment is…

Adai (Rice & Lentil Pancake)

Adai is a South Indian breakfast dish that is rarely found in restaurants. At restaurants, it is more common to find dosa and its variations, aapam, rava (semolina, suji) dosa and other such dishes. I cannot understand why this is so, since adai is really a lip-smacking dish that is healthy, packed with nutrition. It…

Murungaipoo Vadai (Moringa Blossom Fritters)

Vada is a savoury fried snack from India. Different types of vadas can be described variously as fritters, cutlets, doughnuts, or dumplings. Alternative names for this food include wada, vade, vadai, wadeh and bara. The various types of vadas are made from different ingredients, ranging from legumes (such as medu vada of South India) to…

Beetroot Cutlet

I am not very fond of beetroot as I do not have a sweet tooth. However, this is one of my favourite cutlets. This recipe was taught me by my friends Nandini Gulati and Mala Barua. It also features in their fabulous WFPB cookbook. This cutlet is filling, healthy and tastes wonderful. Though potatoes are…

Podi Podicha Pulinkari (Ground Spices In A Tamarind Base)

Podi Podicha Pulinkari was one of the best kept secrets of Palakkad. At least until the internet became a force. What sets it apart from other ‘kootans’ (wet main dishes to be mixed with rice) is that it has no lentils or coconut. This is indeed a rarity in Kerala cuisine. It is a simple…

Farali Pattice

Farali Pattice is street food from Mumbai, India’s largest commercial city. It is often consumed when fasts are observed and only specific kinds of food are eaten. This is normally a breakfast dish, but I like it as a tea-time snack. In the Mumbai street food version, it is deep-fried. But it need not be…

Whole Wheat Bread

I had always disliked bread. Because it was the only breakfast we used to get five days a week during my childhood. Being vegetarians in Singapore, there was little opportunity to eat a school tuck shops. So my mother used to wake up at the crack of dawn and make lunch for her six children,…

Eggplant Chutney

I never tire of reciting this anecdote. A few years ago, I had a young colleague over for lunch. Amongst other dishes, Hari had made an eggplant curry. When my friend saw this, he declared that he HATED eggplant. And refused to touch it. I felt really bad that I could not serve my friend…