When Forbes asked me for tips on eating well, I immediately offered this recipe, which is a stew filled with vegetables and dal. My version of a one-pot vegetable dal—an easy weeknight meal—is a play on a traditional recipe to incorporate more vegetables and greens. This stew is packed with protein and fiber. I love adding stewed tomatoes for a pop of color on top, versus cooking them down in the recipe.
This is the kind of food that I enjoy making with family and friends who love to cook. I set out small stations for filling and rolling the cabbage rolls and then cook them together in a large pot. And when I need to do this by myself, it is still one of the most relaxing ways to pull my attention away from the everyday hustle and bustle of life.
If you end up with extra filling for whatever reason (maybe you got tired of making the rolls; I’ve been there and done that), then make the cigar-shaped logs and bread them using the same technique and breading mix used for the Golden Za’atar Onion Rings and present them as vegetarian croquettes to your dinner guests.
This simple and delicious chickpea recipe is the dish Hrishikesh requested every year for his birthday and also, the first thing he learned to cook. His mother was a formidable cook, cooking Indian food every night for her family. and her recipe could not be simpler; chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and spices that use whatever you have on hand.
Too often a bit part player, peppercorns here shine as the star performer. Used in quantity, they bring a bold piquancy that hints at an early Asian heat before chilies were brought to the continent. This is balanced by their fragrance as well as by a tangle of sweet, caramelized onions. Use Tellicherry peppercorns if you can as they are especially grassy and bright.
Pepper is native to the steamy, knotted jungles of the Indian Ghats, thriving in the cycles of heavy monsoon rain and sultry heat. Walk through rural areas during harvest and you will have to weave around patches of peppercorns left out to dry in the hot sun.
Indian cheese, known as paneer or chenna, is a delicacy that all Indians- particularly northerners-love. Its use in the preparation of savory dishes is limited, but the few dishes created with it are absolute masterpieces. The most popular, without doubt, is Matar Paneer--moist pieces of sautéed cheese with sweet green peas wrapped in a luscious red sauce bursting with the fragrance of spices and fresh coriander leaves. Matar Paneer, a classic North Indian dish, is popular with vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike. The flavor and texture of the paneer are of prime importance here. The cheese should be sweet and fresh-smelling; it should feel firm to the touch but not hard; it should be moist but not wet; and finally, its texture should be close and compact, not porous. (If the paneer is dry and too solid, the cheese pieces will taste hard and rubbery, and the sauce will not penetrate the paneer, leaving it with a bland taste. If the paneer is too wet and loose-textured, it will not hold its shape, but will fall apart while it is being fried, disintegrating into the oil.)
This is the most popular snack in my house. It used to be my favourite snack growing up and now it’s my kids’ favourite, too. My mum would always keep a box of papdi in the cupboard and refill it as soon as it was empty. I make them often but not as often as she did, as I find they disappear faster than I can make them. No one can ever have just one.
Though our family served this only on special holidays such as Christmas or Easter, this is comfort food all the way. I usually use small or medium potatoes, as they take less time to cook than larger ones. Ground beef can be substituted for lamb.
Samosas are individual hand pie–size creations that encase tasty fillings in an equally tasty crust. The choices for fillings are endless, including the popular spiced potatoes, spiced chickpeas, paneer, and ground lamb. I make this larger version that I’ve nicknamed the “samosa pie” whenever I want the flavor and texture of a samosa for dinner but I’m low on time. I’ve replaced the samosa pastry with store-bought phyllo sheets; they give the crust a delicate, paper-thin texture that crumbles with a crunch in every bite.
Chitra Agrawal calls herself an American Born Confused Desi, a term commonly used to describe a “desi” or South Asian born and brought up in the US. In Chitra’s case, she is of Indian descent, born in New Jersey, raised in California, and now settled in Brooklyn, New York. While labels can be hard to shake, for Chitra, this cultural disparity was her fuel. In 2009, she started her inspiring blog, The ABCDs of Cooking, a journal of vegetarian recipes rooted in traditional Indian cooking and reflective of Indian diaspora. She also channels her heritage into Brooklyn Delhi, her line of premium achaars, an Indian pantry staple.