India has one of the world’s most extensive vegetarian cuisines, given the massive number of people who adhere to strict dietary constraints that are dictated by their cultural, religious and ethical beliefs.
These recipes feature vegetables, fruit and other plant-based foods, such as legumes, grains, seeds and nuts.
Note that they do contain dairy products, such as ghee and yoghurt. The only cheese that is included is paneer, which should not contain rennet.
Our disclaimer page talks about such dietary restrictions.
A salad featuring the amazing taste of figs, some subtle spice from the chaat masala, and the flavour of almonds. An amazing, yet simple salad, anjeer ki salat, could become one of your favourites, just as it was for my grandmother.
Our family apple, peach and apricot chutney, or seb aroo aur kabani chutni. Sweet and spicy, it is an ideal accompaniment to almost every Indian dish.
Avial is a delicious dish of mixed vegetables, yoghurt, and coconut, cooked with mustard oil and curry leaves.
Fansi poriyal is a simple South Indian stir-fried green bean dish, generally prepared to accompany an everyday meal.
A south Indian raita, or pachadi. This is a vibrantly coloured dish, with fresh crunchy beetroot, cooling yoghurt and a hint of spice.
The Bengali version of tarka dal. peyaj dal has a slightly sweet taste because of the onions caramelised in jaggery which balances the bite of the chilli.
This Bengali mango chutney, am ki chutni, is a tangy, and slightly spicy chutney which goes well with any rice or lentil dish.
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.
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
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
