A tongue-tickler of a pickle: it’s fresh, bright, zesty, and hot. The ajwain seeds add a distinct flavor, not dissimilar to thyme. I am partial to using this pickle to liven up sandwiches and simple subjis with its salty and sour heat. It takes a couple of days to…
I’ve been searching for the perfect eggplant chutney for years, and I think I’ve finally found it. Aditya is a good friend of mine who I worked with at Gymkhana, one of London’s best Indian restaurants. Following a few months of persuasion, he finally gave me his…
This dal is my and every other Gujarati’s taste of home. One spoonful and I am transported. It has a more complex taste than most dals due to the subtle jabs of star anise, curry leaves, and lemon, all rounded off with the sweetness of honey. Because of the time it…
I’m a child of the eighties—no one can stop me from stuffing peppers. These make for a beautiful starter alongside simply dressed leaves, and you can, if you want, stuff the peppers and refrigerate them, then roast them when you want to eat them. Serves 4 as a starter…
Jim Pizer is more Indian than a lot of Indians I know. While growing up he was in and out of his Indian friends’ houses in Birmingham, eating their mums’ home cooking, and was so disappointed with the state of Indian food in restaurants in the UK that he decided to…
Humayun was a Mughal emperor in Delhi in the 1500s. He earned the title “Perfect Man” for his patience and tranquility, and he was partial to refined Persian food, cooked by the best chefs of his day. When he wasn’t eating stuffed roasted whole sheep, or…
The people of Andhra Pradesh love their pungent, spicy, and sour flavors, as well as cooking vegetables in rich pastes made of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or peanuts. This dish is typical of the region and uses tamarind for sourness and sesame seeds for rich…
When I got back from my honeymoon, I spoke to my grandma. “Are you happily married?” she asked. “Yes, Grandma.” “What have you eaten today?” “Eggplant and pea curry and chapatis.” “Good. If you’re eating properly, you must be happy.” Serves 4 as a main course 5…
As the summer starts to disappear, and with it any hope of having a barbecue, think of this recipe. It uses the classic and ancient Indian dhungar method of smoking food by placing a smoldering piece of charcoal in the center of the curry and pouring a little oil over…
The first time I met my husband was in his kitchen. He was standing amid a mountain of empty pomegranate shells and the kitchen looked like a crime scene, with red juice splattered up the walls. He wanted to impress me with this fesenjan, a dish that was often found…
A thoran is a sort of quick Keralan stir-fry. Here it involves cooking shredded sprouts hard and fast, then tossing them with some sweet onions and the lively flavors of curry leaves, chile, lemon, and coconut. This is Kerala, via wintry England, on a plate. This dish…
At the age of eighty-three, my grandma has somewhat unreliable hips, but I’ve never seen her move so quickly to the dinner table as when this curry is on the menu. It’s not just one of her favorites, it’s also on the A-list of curries for a lot of Gujaratis. There are…