Pav Bhaji

A meal in itself...



1.5 pounds potatoes, cooked and chopped fine
5 carrots, cooked and chopped fine
1 cup peas
2 large onions
3 tbsp butter
4 green chillies, chopped fine
1 tbsp ginger, finely minced
1 tbsp garlic, finely minced
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 tsp lemon juice
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp garam masala

Heat the butter in a pan. Add green chillies, ginger, garlic, onions and fry well. Add tomatoes and saute over low heat.

Now add the cooked vegetables and continue cooking on low heat. Simultaneously mash and stir for about 5 minutes.

Stir till its a mush, then add lemon juice, cilantro and garam masala. Stir for another minute. Remove from heat.

Serve on toasted, buttered hamburger buns or slices of bread.

Cilantro Peas

Here's something I make very often - its easy and tasty and is great as a quick fix vegetable for any meal.

Grind together about 2 cups of cilantro leaves, 2-3 green chillies and 2 tsp of cumin seeds. Saute the ground mixture with a little asafetida. When the fresh smell disappears, add 2 cups of cooked peas and mix with the curry, so that the peas are coated.

This also works with mushrooms, potatoes and paneer. But I enjoy the peas the most.

Green Buttermilk

In this 115 degree F heat, nothing really helps as much as cold liquids - in any form - be it refreshments or baths or pools or just cold water splashed on your face. Chennai is so HOT that clothes left out to dry will be done in a matter of an hour anytime between the hours of 10am and 4 pm! I mean, its enough to cook an egg on your balcony on the bare floor. Okay, I can go on forever. What I meant to do was give you a recipe that I made for myself today which was oh-so-delicious!



Just grind together a couple green chillies, curry leaves and about 3/4 cup of chopped cilantro, along with a cup of water. Then add 1 cup yogurt and 2 cups buttermilk (or you can add 2 cups yogurt and add extra water), 1 tsp sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, a little piece of ginger and about 3 cups of water. Blend until it is frothy.

Chill in the refrigerator and drink! Delicious!

Vegetable Kurma

Kurma is traditionally eaten with phulkas or rotis, but this is quite nice with rice as well.



About 2 cups mixed vegetables (I used beans, carrots, potatoes and peas)
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
3 green chillies
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 cardamom
6 small pearl onions
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 tomato
2 tbsp coconut milk powder dissolved in 1/2 cup water (or) 1 cup coconut milk

Grind the coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, coriander powder, cardamom and small onions together.

Saute the large chopped onion and tomato and the ground mixture to the pan. Saute till it reaches a thick consistency and then add the veggies, turmeric and salt. Cook till the veggies are done.

Remove from heat. Stir in the coconut milk.