When buying okra, always look for young, tender pods, which tend to be small as well. Okra is cooked in dozens of ways throughout India. This remains one of the simplest and most delicious North Indian ways of preparing it. Here it is not at all glutinous—it turns…

The Konkan region runs along the central west coast of India. Here is one of its simple everyday okra dishes that I just love. Serve the okra with other vegetables and perhaps Whole Moong and Masoor Cooked with Meat Seasonings, a rice dish or a flatbread, and a yogurt…

Kale can cook quickly or slowly, depending on its age. I picked some black kale in December, and it took about 30 minutes to cook. In Kashmir, it is always cooked in mustard oil and served with rice. I like to add a whole bean dish and a salad to the meal as well….

The style that I have used to cook this kale is the one used in some Bengali villages to prepare finely chopped stems of mixed green vegetables in a dish called “dahta.” If, indeed, you have an assortment of stems from your garden, chop them into small pieces and…

Ashrams in India cater to hundreds, if not thousands, of people at a time, so I was very interested in knowing just what they served and if they had any underlying principles to guide their chefs. Ashram foods, as I should have expected, differ from ashram to ashram….

Rajul is a Jain from Palanpur in northern Gujarat, but she lives in Bombay. Under the British, Palanpur was a princely state with a Muslim nawab, but Jains prospered there, eventually becoming leaders of the diamond trade in Bombay and around the world. Jainism is…

This is an easy dish that I make frequently. A karhai or wok is ideal for cooking it, but a large frying pan will work as well. Serve with an Indian flatbread or rice, a dal, a raita such as Yogurt Raita with Tomatoes, Shallots, and Cucumbers, and perhaps a green…

I wanted to simplify a cauliflower dish that I love, where I fry the cauliflower until it is lightly browned and then sauté it with spices such as ginger, coriander, and cumin. After many tries, here is the beautiful result. I marinate the cauliflower florets with all…

Here, the cabbage is finely shredded and barely cooked. It is delightfully light—part salad and part vegetable dish. It may be served hot, warm, at room temperature, or cold. You could put it on a plate with stuffed Indian pancakes or omelets, or serve it as part of…

This simple carrot dish can be served with most Indian meals. Leftovers may be added to salads. For more on South Indian poriyals, see the note. SERVES 3–4 • 5 medium carrots (about 12 oz) • 1 tablespoon olive or peanut oil • ½ teaspoon urad dal • ½ teaspoon whole…

A simple meal in North India might well consist of freshly made chapatis, a dal, these carrots and peas, and perhaps a second vegetable, as well as the usual complement of pickles, chutneys, and raita. SERVES 4 From Mehreen Khosla • 1½ tablespoons olive or peanut oil…

For more information about this dish, see the Note on Poriyals. SERVES 3–4   • 1 tablespoon olive or peanut oil • ¼ teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds • ¼ teaspoon urad dal • ¼ teaspoon chana dal (if you do not have this, double the urad dal) • 2 dried hot red…