I have combined northern and southern Indian seasonings to make this dish a great favorite in our household. Indians often add jaggery, a raw brown sugar, to pumpkin dishes, which, when combined with hot spices, makes the dish most addictive. I have used dark brown...
This dish, from a Hindu Goan restaurant in Bombay, tastes best if made with waxy potatoes. It is generally eaten with rice or rice breads, but can also be rolled up in a chapati, along with some chopped tomatoes and cucumber, and eaten as a snack or for lunch. Urad...
Here is another of Vinita’s inspired dishes. Although it uses potatoes and might seem very similar to the previous recipe, it is actually very different. This is a “chaat,” a spicy, hot, and sour snack food, which in India could be eaten by itself with a cup of tea....
This is a simplified version of the very first dish I learned to cook. I was in London, a student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and desperate for family foods. I could not cook at all. I begged my mother in India to teach me, and she answered with three-line...
Many vegetarians in India, especially in the central desert region of Rajasthan, where there is a dearth of wood for fuel, stir-fry their vegetables quickly in a little yogurt. This gives them creaminess and tartness, as well as added protein. Here is one such...
WILD MUSHROOM STEW WITH COCONUT SAUCE KHUMBI KI TARKARI This makes a lovely first course, served plain or on toast. I make it with a mixture of the fresh mushrooms that are available to me—hon-shimeji (also called beech mushrooms, as they grow on beech trees),...
A simple soup that I loved as a child. It reminds me of Indian hotel soups in the waning years of the Raj. SERVES 4–6 • 3 tablespoons olive or peanut oil • ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds • ¼ teaspoon whole fennel seeds • 1 medium onion (about 6½ oz), peeled and chopped...
PREP: 40 minutes BAKE: 32 minutes STAND: 10 minutes OVEN: 350°F MAKES 4 servings 8 dried manicotti shells Nonstick cooking spray 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms 1⁄2 cup chopped green onions (4) 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed 1 12- to 16-ounce package soft...
PREP: 25 minutes BAKE: 1 hour STAND: 15 minutes OVEN: 325°F MAKES 6 servings 8 ounces crusty country Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups) 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, drained 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach,...
PREP: 35 minutes BAKE: 30 minutes STAND: 10 minutes OVEN: 350°F MAKES 6 servings 2 cups chopped onions (2 large) 1 tablespoon olive oil 6 cloves garlic, minced 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (8 ounces) 11⁄2 pounds zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, thinly sliced (6...
