no onion no garlic

No onion no garlic recipes.

Hare Moong ka Cheela: Green Gram Pancakes

2 Nov

Hare Moong ka Cheela - Green Gram Pancake

Hare moong ka cheela (savory green gram pancake) is a richer variation of the yellow moong ka cheela. The process of making the cheela remains the same, except that the base lentil in this one changes from the light yellow moong bean to the more potent green gram (moong bean).

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Anari Aloo: Potatoes in Pomegranate Reduction

24 Aug

Anari Aloo: Potatoes in Pomegranate Reduction

No, this is not a recipe for silly potatoes. The anari in the title is अनारी not अनाड़ी , which implies ‘flavored with pomegranate’. I’m especially thrilled to share this recipe of anari aloo with you as it was something of a shot in the dark for me – I had no precedent or inspiration, and only followed a hunch that this way of pairing fresh pomegranate with potatoes would work.

Did it work? You bet it did!

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Ole Chutney: Yam Chutney from Bihar

25 Jul

Ole Chutney - Yam Chutney

Mustard-flavored chutney with yam (Hindi: suran/jimikand or ole) as its base – that’s ole chutney, a recipe traditionally made in Bihari homes.

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Besan Kundru ki Sabzi: Ivy Gourd in Gram Flour

4 Jun

Besan Kundru

Kundru (tindora/tendli or ivy gourd) hasn’t always been a vegetable I was fond of. For long years I thought it was an unsophisticated version of parval (pointed gourd)[1]. It is only recently that a slow appreciation of this gourd grew on me. True, kundru resembles parval on the outside, but its inside is fleshier and tangier, making its taste stand apart on its own. This recipe combines kundru with besan (gram flour) – the addition of besan tames the natural tartness of kundru and gives it a delicious aromatic coating.

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Aloo Mooli Kadhi, and a Surefire Way to Prevent Yogurt from Curdling

2 May

Aloo Mooli Kadhi: Potato Radish Sticks in Gram Flour Curry

This aloo mooli kadhi (potato radish sticks in gram flour curry) recipe, adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor’s, is a simpler alternative to pakora kadhi, besides being an interesting way of adding radish (mooli) to the diet. The Indian white radish has a taste so powerfully pungent that one can’t have much of it raw. I like mooli paratha, but other ways of cooking mooli don’t excite me. Aloo mooli kadhi, though, had me sold from the word go. The potatoes tone down the sharpness of mooli, and the yogurt and gram flour cloak it all in a rich, delicious sauce.

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Kaddu ka Bharta: Red Pumpkin Bharta

24 Mar

Red Pumpkin Bharta

Red pumpkin bharta is a dry preparation of pumpkin, a simpler version of red pumpkin curry with stronger notes of mustard oil.

Unlike traditional bharta (mashed vegetables) like baingan bharta, this one does not use boiled/roasted vegetables as its base. Pumpkin cooks quickly and mashes easily without pre-treatment. This is also a chunky bharta instead of a typically smooth one, which works well with pumpkin.

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