This rice dish, ghee bhaat, is typically Bengali and is sometimes referred to as Bengali vegetable pulao. It is a simple, wholesome rice and vegetable dish and is very easy to prepare. It is suitable to accompany almost any lentil or vegetable dish in this book.
Preparations of black-eyed peas are common across all of India. This is the Goan way. It has plenty of chilli and coconut and a touch of tomato. This dish, alsande tonak, is a robust, spicy, hot preparation.
These bread rolls, pão, come from the Portuguese influence on Indian cuisine. They are very similar to Western bread rolls, but have a subtle Indian twist.
This is the classic murgh makhani. It is not a braise, but it is pieces of grilled or baked chicken coated in a sauce. This is vastly different from the curry house version and will change your mind about what butter chicken should be.
A dry, stir-fried curry of shredded cabbage, spiced with mustard seeds and curry leaves, then finished with coconut.
Cabbage thoran is a dry, stir-fried curry from Kerala made from cabbage and carrots. It is cooked in coconut oil with black mustard seeds, green chilies, curry leaves and coconut
Sweet, brutally strong, milky and a spicy undertone, this recipe for kaapi is the south Indian way to make coffee.
One of the most popular desserts in our family, gajar ka halwa is a rich north Indian dessert with grated carrots, milk, sugar and nuts.
Gajar ka raita is a refreshing accompaniment made with yoghurt, carrots, green chillies, and a few spices
A simple dish of carrots and beans lifted with lime. Gajar sem ki sabzi is a common Bengali preparation.
Gajar suva sabzi is a dry vegetarian dish made with carrots, dill leaves and simple spices.
A simple cauliflower dish from Lucknow. The pickling spices are the spices to make pickles, hence the name. Achari gobi could accompany almost any other dish or is great as a simple meal on its own, with a chapati or two.