Dals are perhaps the most popular and the most economical foods in Vedic cuisine. They are relished by everyone, rich and poor, and are part of almost every Vedic lunch. A bouquet of delicate flavors in this creamy dal soup comes from the spices, seasonings, tomatoes…
As the personal cook of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, who was himself a superb cook, I took every opportunity to learn from his expertise in both simple and complicated dishes. Often, especially when traveling, he would come into the kitchen to check on the…
If you live in a large city, you are likely to find the white cooking radishes called mooli in an Indian or Chinese grocery store. They may be a bit difficult to find in other areas, so for a similar but milder flavor, you may substitute the smaller red salad…
Moong , North India’s most popular dal , was a great favorite of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. It is easy to digest and has a good flavor and high vitamin content. The spinach, preferably fresh, enhances the texture and marbled color of this…
This smooth, liquid mung dal soup is seasoned with a simple chaunk . It is easy to prepare and easy to digest, and its light consistency makes it appealing in any season. Serve it accompanied by a wheat bread or rice and a vegetable. To complete the meal, serve yogurt…
This is a nutritious, elegant pilaf with a delicious flavor. The rice is fried with spices, a sweetener and tomatoes. It is then cooked with chopped fresh spinach and, when it is done, golden fried nuts and panir cheese cubes are folded in. Add a sprinkle of lemon…
In the heart of Central London, near the British Museum, there is a stately four-story building that in 1969 became the first temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in England. At the official opening ceremonies, Srila Prabhupada…
This zesty side dish is particularly pleasing in a large, full-course meal with two or more varieties of rice. It is served at room temperature, sometimes chilled, but it always retains a pungent warmth from its substantial quantity of cracked black pepper. The rice…
Panir cheese, which has no counterpart in Western cuisine, is made by adding a curdling agent to boiling milk and collecting and draining the resulting curds. In this recipe, the cheese is cut into cubes and fried in ghee or vegetable oil. Panir cheese is a…
Fried cubes of fresh homemade cheese add succulent, moist chunks of flavor and nutrition in the form of protein ana calcium to this simple pilaf. The bell peppers and tomatoes add nuances of taste, texture and color, along with their own nutritional value. The result…
It is hard to translate the word badi , as there is no counterpart to the badi or ground dal cake in American or Continental cuisine. Selected legumes (dals ) are soaked, drained and ground into either mild or highly seasoned paste. This is dropped on the drying trays…
This relatively simple sweet rice is made regal by the color and flavor of saffron. The success of the dish depends on the delicate balance of flavors contributed by the rice, saffron and sweetener. Jaggery , light brown sugar, or maple sugar is the best sweetener for…