The southern states of India excel in the art of making various types of podi: literally ‘powder’, the word is used to describe ground dry spice blends. One really smart use of podi is as a ready-to-eat mix for plain boiled rice. Within seconds, a swirl of podi transforms plain boiled rice into a fancy one-pot meal. The traditional podis I’m familiar with use a legume such as toor dal or chana dal as the base; this very simple 3-ingredient podi uses peanuts instead. On days when there’s no time to cook a set meal of rice-dal-curry, this podi-based peanut sesame rice is a lifesaver.
Spices & Herbs
Recipes that use herbs and spices as a key ingredient.
Zucchini Cherry Tomato with Mustard
Packed with the zing of mustard, garlic and paprika, this zucchini cherry tomato curry is lip-smacking delicious.
Green Gram Sundal: Coconutty Whole Moong Bean
Sundal is a simple legume preparation from south India – a style of cooking in which boiled legumes are tempered with spiced oil and fresh coconut. The sattvic ingredient profile of sundal makes it a popular prasadam (i.e. blessed by the Gods) dish. During the nine days of Navarathri, south Indian homes traditionally offer sundal to their guests, prepared with a different legume each day.
Kaddu Rajma: Pumpkin with Red Kidney Beans
Pumpkin (kaddu) and red kidney beans (rajma) make a hearty, richly flavored kaddu rajma curry. Dry red chilies give it heat, tamarind lends it tang, jaggery balances it all.
Bihari Aloo Chana: Potato and Black Chickpea Curry
Aloo chana (or aloo channa) is an easy-to-cook recipe from Bihar that uses kala chana (black chickpeas / kaala channa) – the smaller, thicker-skinned sibling of the chickpea used in chana masala or hummus. Black chickpeas have an earthy, dense flavor and high fibre content, and are popularly used in Bihari cooking. This aloo chana dish is filling, a good source of carbs, protein and iron – besides being really tasty.
Dahi Wali Lauki: Bottle Gourd Yogurt Curry
Of late I have been on the lookout for recipes that would put my stock of fennel seeds to good use. I also intend not to restock tomatoes till their price subsides to non-crazy level. My quest came to a satisfying end with this recipe for dahi wali lauki. Easy on the pocket , great to taste, fennel flavored, and no tomatoes.
Dal with Raw Mango: Tangy Yellow Lentils
With garlic, curry leaves and ghee for company, dal with raw mango is like heaven in a bowl. What’s more, it doesn’t take much to give your workaday yellow dal this exotic tangy twist. Let me show you how.