Three days ago, my husband and I were watering the vegetables in our garden. Suddenly, our hibiscus hedge parted and the smiling face of our tribal neighbor emerged, accompanied by her little grandson. The brought us two presents. A beautiful, freshly plucked pumpkin and a huge, ripe, thorny cucumber (a sort of Kirby cucumber) grown…
Recipes
Chili Peanuts – A delicious deep-fried snack (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Nearly everyone loves peanuts (groundnuts). In India, one finds beaches and marketplaces dotted with pushcart peanut vendors, roasting salted, shelled peanuts in hot sand and selling them in little newspaper cones to eager buyers. Such a delight to eat, peanuts are brain food – great for children and adults alike. When peanuts are…
Tomata Gojju – A quick and easy tomato curd curry-salad (Gluten Free)
Sometimes, when guests arrive unexpectedly, or when suddenly, friends accompany family members home at mealtimes, and you find that all you have is just a few onions, tomatoes, chilies and some curd, tomata gojju saves the day! You can serve a simple, satisfying, tasty meal of steaming hot rice, tomata gojju, deep-fried curd chilies or…
Pumpkin Olan – A delicious, mild, soupy curry (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Pumpkin is one of my husband’s favorite vegetables. Mine too. So often, I make several pumpkin dishes, no matter whether the pumpkins are tender or mature. I had planted some cowpeas in our garden. This morning, I saw my husband bring in a nice pumpkin. I quickly went out and collected a few cowpea beans. There…
Roasted Garlic Chutney (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Looking for a delicious chutney with a storage life of up to 3 months in room temperature? Seeking a chutney you can truly drool over? Are you an office worker too busy to cook a proper meal? Seeking to enrich your lunchbox with a tasty pinch of a superb chutney? Here’s a delicious traditional Konkani…
Chili Pumpkin Kadambe – Hot, savory steamed snack (Vegan)
Whenever I create a sweet recipe (like Dudiya Kadambe), and visualize my dear ones enjoying it with gusto, I feel so full of joy. At the same time, the face of my dear father comes to my mind. A diabetic patient who had to have one of his toes removed to the ravage of the…
Dudiya Kadambe – A teatime delight (Vegan)
Dudiya Kadambe is a healthy, scrumptious, fat-free teatime snack that Konkani people have enjoyed since time immemorial. Simple and easy to prepare, dudiya kadambe is made by steaming fine wheat semolina (or raw rice powder, for gluten free diets), mature grated pumpkin and jaggery wrapped in banana leaf jackets. With the onset of the fast food…
Bhaji – Fragrant, Mouthwatering Potato Curry (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Bhaji is prepared in several different ways all over India. In some places, onions and coconuts are not used. Others use ground coconut paste. The essential ingredient, however, always remains the same – well cooked potatoes. Here is the recipe for a beautiful, fragrant, mouthwatering, filling bhaji which goes well with puris, chappatis, rotis, naans,…
Puri / Poori – Unleavened deep-fried Indian flatbread (Vegan)
Travel India from north to south or from the east coast to the west, everywhere you go, you’ll get fine wheat puris for breakfast. Puris are generally accompanied by potato bhaji, kurma, stew or fish curry. Puri is the chief item on the North Indian thali or lunch plate. Puris are healthy as they are…
Surna Kachri – Crispy Hot Deep-Fried Yam Chips (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Surna Kachri is a simple, healthy, easy-to-make, crispy deep-fried snack made from thin slices of elephant foot yams. Organic elephant foot yams have a distinctly sweet taste. Surna kachris can be enjoyed as such or as a side dish to rice or with tea, coffee or wine. A few chips in lunch boxes will help your…