Sometimes, simple, homely meals can be far more satisfying than elaborate gourmet dinners. One such meal that I can never forget is also my childhood favorite. At lunchtime, mother would serve us a plate of hot rice with fragrant, hot dali toye poured over it, topped with buttermilk, and accompanied by delicious, hot and savory…
dairy free
Indori – A traditional Konkani dessert (Vegan + Gluten Free)
I made indori today. My husband and my children loved it so much that I decided to share the recipe with you. As I sit down to write these words, my mind flits back to the past and I am a little girl again, making indoris with my cousin, Rekha in our backyard. Only, we…
Green Mint Chutney (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Everyone in my family loves mint chutney. So we grow organic spearmint (pudina) plants round the year. A hardy, creeping shrub, mint is easy to grow in composted, well-drained soils in full sunlight, or in the partial shade. However, they have a tendency to rot in the excessive rains of the monsoon season. so…
Tomato Smoothie (Vegan + Gluten Free)
My husband’s chief hobby is organic gardening and he spends much of his spare time growing a plethora of vegetables and fruits in our garden. I never feel the need to refrigerate any vegetable or fruit as any day, I only have to step out to collect what I need, pesticide and chemical free, fresh…
Rava Unniyappam – A sweet evening snack (Vegan)
Homemaking mothers often ponder on what dish to prepare for their hungry kids coming back from school at four in the evening. Rava unniyappam is an excellent treat which you can cook easily and is always loved by children and adults alike. The batter can be prepared at noon and the rava unniyappams can be fried…
Roasted Chickpea Coconut Chutney (Vegan + Gluten Free)
In Tamil Nadu, pottu kadalai or roasted brown chickpea lentils are ground with grated coconuts to a fine paste to make a melt-in-the-mouth chutney. It is served with pongal, idli, vada and with all sorts of dosas. A breakfast dish without chutney and sambar is considered incomplete. In Kerala and Karnataka however, delicious chutney is usually…
Vegan Coconut Smoothie – A drink of love (Gluten Free)
Would you like to hear a story? This happened over a couple of decades ago. A dozen girls, studying in high school, gathered at their tuition center at Calicut. Their happy faces indicated that they had no intention of attending tuitions that day. The elder sister of Rahianath, one of the girls in the group,…
Shallot Rasam – A simple Kerala pouring curry (Vegan + Gluten Free)
At my parents’ home at Calicut, comes a sprightly old lady named Maniyamma. She started to work as our house maid ever since I was 3 or 4 years of age. Though she is probably in her eighties now, she looks more like 50. Short and stocky, with a smiling visage, she even plays with…
Kadgi Chakko – A delicious Konkani side dish (Vegan + Gluten Free)
It is the start of the jackfruit season in India. Everywhere, millions of jackfruit trees are in celebration. While the younger trees bring forth just a few, the ancient matriarchs sometimes produce hundreds, covering their trunks and branches and even a few exposed roots with beautiful fruits. The fruits usually ripen in the months of April…
Kadgi Podi – Tender Jackfruit Chips (V+GF)
There were several jackfruit trees embraced by pepper vines in our land when we bought it more than 8 years ago. To add to their number, my husband planted around 25 different varieties of special, grafted jackfruit plants. To my delight, some of them have started to blossom now. This morning, he brought in a…