The eggplant or the brinjal is an indispensable ingredient in my kitchen. We grow at least four varieties of eggplant in our garden as my son just loves it. I make a dozen dishes or so using brinjal. Of them, brinjal roast, which is called vaingana bhajja pitto in Konkani, is the most delicious, and I…
plant based
Guava Wine (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Before I start writing out the recipe for guava wine, I have a little story to share. Years ago, my husband took me to a visit to one of his friends’ place at Kalpetta. An avid collector of exotic plants and fruit trees, this friend took us around his plantation. After admiring the variety and…
Fried Beetles – Crispy deep-fried jackfruit seeds (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Every year in summer, millions of jackfruit trees festoon themselves with the largest fruits on Earth – delicious, mouthwatering jackfruit! The produce is so generous in nature that hardly a fraction is consumed by humans and by monkeys, cattle, squirrels, birds, and elephants. The rest ripen and drop to the ground to enrich the earth…
Ambya Umman – Konkani Ripe Mango Curry Dessert (Vegan + Gluten Free)
One of the finest of ripe mango curries is the Konkani ambya umman / humman. Since time immemorial, huge mango trees have been growing all over the plains, foothills and plateaus of India. In summer, these trees produce luscious mangoes in great abundance, shedding the ripe fruit every day on the ground. The birds, squirrels…