OUR VEGETARIAN BLOG
CUCUMBER SPEARS KHEERAY KI PHANKAY
Whenever I am looking for a snack that is not too fattening, I turn to these cucumber spears. We used to eat a simpler version as children, cucumber halves or quarters just sprinkled with lime juice and dusted with spices, but now I have started giving the dish a…
PAN-GRILLED ZUCCHINI WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE TALA HUA ZUCCHINI
You can grill the zucchini outdoors in the summer, but I usually fry them indoors in a heavy frying pan. SERVES 6 AS A FIRST COURSE AND 4 AS A MAIN MEAL • About 2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil • 2 medium zucchinis (about 6 oz in all), trimmed and cut into long…
BOILED PEANUTS IN THEIR SHELLS UBLI MOOMPHALI
India is the second-largest producer of peanuts in the world, after China, and vegetarians make ample use of the protein-rich product by adding it to their meals, either cooking it along with vegetables and legumes (peanuts are a legume too, of course), or by adding…
EGGPLANT “GOJJU” ON TOAST SUTTA BADANEKAYI GOJJU
Gojjus, beloved by the Madhwa Brahmin community of Karnataka, are hot, sweet, and sour relishes, usually eaten with rice. This gojju, a kind of chutney, may be served as such with most Indian meals, but I love it as a dip with crackers or oatcakes, or, better yet,…
BROILED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS IN THE KODAGA STYLE CHUTTA KUMME
During the four-month rainy season in the hills of Coorg (southern Karnataka), most people get their food by foraging in the dense forests that surround the rice fields and the massive coffee plantations. It is an age-old tradition followed by the rich and poor alike….
WILD MUSHROOM STEW WITH COCONUT SAUCE KHUMBI KI TARKARI
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),…
OKRA FRIES TALI BHINDI
Crisply fried okra is eaten all over India. I remember that in our family we cut the okra into thin rings, fried them until very crisp, then ate them with a sprinkling of salt, amchoor (sour green mango powder), and some chili powder. In Tamil Nadu, where crisp foods,…
SAVORY PASTRY STRIPS WITH AJOWAN SEEDSNAMAKPARA
You can put a bowl of these snacks near the sofa, with a bowl of chutney to be used as a dipping sauce, and you are all set for an evening watching television. Namakparas, a great favorite in our family, are a savory nibbling food flavored with the thyme-like seeds…
SPICY MATCHSTICK POTATOES ALOO KA TALA HUA LACCHA
This is a wonderful snack to nibble on, especially when enjoying favorite TV programs and films at home. You could serve it with Simple South Indian Tomato Sauce, plain old tomato ketchup, or nothing at all. It is good just by itself. SERVES 4 • 2 teaspoons lemon…
SPICED POTATO-BALL FRITTERS BONDA OR BATATA VADA
Wherever Indian snack sellers congregate, such as Chowpatty Beach in Bombay, you are likely to find some version of these bondas. Round in shape, with a chickpea flour skin on the outside and spicy crushed potatoes inside, they are served still hot and crisp from the…
SPINACH BHAJIAS PALAG KI PAKORI
These are best served piping hot with some Green Chutney and/or Simple Tamarind Chutney; dilute every tablespoon of the latter with a tablespoon of water. For more on Indian fritters in general, see the introduction to Onion Fritters. MAKES 12 MEDIUM-SIZED FRITTERS •…
ONION FRITTERS – KANDA BHAJIA OR PYAZ KI PAKORI
It is Indian restaurants in the West, particularly Britain, that have popularized onion bhajias as a first course. That name comes from western India, where all varieties of fritters are called bhajias and eaten at teatime or as a snack with lots of hot chutney for…