Coconuts are one of the most essential ingredients for any type of cooking in coastal India. Curries, chutneys, masalas and even rice, are quite incomplete with coconut or even its milk. The green coconut or tender coconut that’s popular for its sweet water and tender delicious white meat inside tends to be more expensive than the regular brown coconut used in cooking. The only difference …
Cabbage as a vegetable is so diverse and yet so polarising. According to this piece it’s one of the most hated vegetables in India along with the carrot. How sad for those who don’t eat it! JK Rowling once said, “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” So I say, “If you don’t like cabbage, you haven’t found the right …
A home-cooked meal without dal is quite incomplete. Whether it’s a simple moong dal with tadka, or an elaborate panchmel dal; hot dal with steaming rice and heavy glob of ghee on top is a combination we cannot resist. Dal is prepared in over 200 ways in India, each preparation more mouth-watering than the previous one. But, every home has their favourite dal that’s made …
I found this easy recipe for a healthy breakfast and couldn’t help but be amazed at the simplicity. I’ve been trying to include healthy fats in my meals and every responsible literature I’ve read about healthy fats points to avocados and eggs. Now this buttery gorgeous green fruit is not native to India and is not available locally or from the next door “bhaajiwala”. You …
Ever tried making Biryani or Malpua without those gorgeous deep red orange strands of saffron? Isn’t quite the same, is it? The most expensive spice in the world is a luxury addition to Indian food and does what vanilla does to “Western” food. Lifts it. Its complex taste is nuanced, sweet, floral and yet earthy. The origins of this highly expensive spice is debatable but …
