broccoli greens with coconut, cashews & roasted broccoli

From the Eat Your Greens series:
Tender broccoli greens with mustard seeds, Patak's curry paste, coconut, cashews, onions, and garlic, topped with masala roasted broccoli. Rice and tamarind chutney on the side.

mini-tiffin

A mini-tiffin plate from the canteen at Ganesh Hindu Temple in Flushing, New York City. From top left: mini idli (steamed lentil cakes) in sambar soup, world's smallest dosa, cilantro chutney, curried lentil and veggies, vada (fried lentil donut), orange semolina dessert, and more sambar and coconut chutney. All for $6!

idiappam (South Indian rice noodles)

Idiappam: rice noodles fried with mustard seeds, curry leaves, nuts, and other spices, with coconut tomato sauce on the side. From the canteen of the Ganesh Hindu Temple in Flushing, New York City.

chickpea curry on grilled eggplant

Chickpeas in ginger and fenugreek curry, over grilled eggplant steaks. With roti, cucumber salad, and mint chutney on the side. From Vij's Rangoli in Vancouver.

chili paratha

Grilled paratha bread sauteed with onions, peas, and peppers in a rich chili sauce, from Madras Cafe in Toronto. The bread is so dense and tender that it was like fake meat!

purple aloo chaat

Purple potatoes mixed with cumin, chili powder, chaat masala powder, and chutneys, and topped with red onion, cilantro, and crispy noodles - adapted from this recipe.

khaman dhokla

Khaman Dhokla: Steamed savory chickpea flour cake, topped with fried onions, mustard seeds, chili, and coconut. The Khaman Dhokla cake was made from a mix purchased in Jackson Heights, New York - really easy and tasty! And a silly name too! (in English at least)

Indian potato sub

Vegetarian sandwich from the Punjabi Grocery and Deli in New York - potato patties with lettuce, onion, tamarind, and hot sauce.

stuffed chilis & ragda patties

Whole jalapeño chilis stuffed with spices, then fried in a chickpea flour batter, with tamarind and mint sauces.


Ragda patties (Indian potato patties) with white pea masala, topped with tamarind chutney and fried noodles

Both from Sukhadia's, in Manhattan.

Indian cauliflower greens

Don't throw out those cauliflower greens! Just cut the leafy parts off of the stalks and sautee them for around a half hour with your favorite seasonings, and they're really tasty.
These greens were added to fried onion, garlic, mustard seeds, fenugreek, urad dal, salt, whole red pepper, and a dab of brown sugar, then sauteed till soft.

indian and japanese acorn squash

Two different ways to bake all those winter acorn squashes:

Indian acorn squash, stuffed with fried spice mix: cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried chili peppers, garlic, salt, and brown sugar. (I'd probably add onions next time to give the stuffing more body)


Japanese acorn squash, stuffed with garlic, ginger, and onion/shallots sauteed in oil, and sauce of rice wine, soy sauce, veggie fish sauce, and sugar.

rava kichidi

Roasted cream of wheat cooked with onions, tomatoes, green chilli and green peas, sauteed with herbs and served with sambars & chutneys
From Saravanaas vegetarian South Indian restaurant, in New York.

rava masala dosa & chili and onion uttapam

Cream of wheat dosa with potatoes, plus sambar and coconut chutney on the side.
Uttapam in the background.
From Udupi Bhavan, in Middletown, Connecticut

pani puri

pani puri: fried puri crisps filled with spiced potatoes, then filled to the brim with tamarind sauce and masala water (not pictured), and popped into the mouth whole for a huge flavor burst.
From Udupi Bhavan, in Middletown, Connecticut

moong dal and pea pancakes

served with mint and mango chutneys. super tasty and easier than you'd think!
see recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking

black eyed peas with mushrooms

black eyed-peas, mushrooms, cumin seeds, cinnamon, onions, garlic, tomatoes, coriander, cumin, tumeric, cayenne, and cilantro - absolutely heavenly!
basmati rice with onion and cumin seeds on the side
from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking

bottle gourd channige

adapted from an unfortunately named recipe for dudhi channige

green bean thoran

adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe
with basmati rice

sarso ka saag

puree of mustard greens with mustard seeds, from Jackson Diner in Jackson Heights, New York

masaledar sem

spicy green beans and rice with onion and cumin seeds