Notes about Recipes in this book

• Savory rice nad green pea pilaf

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    Follow Yamuna's notes on rice at the beginning of the chapter. It's worth it to get the perfect texture. This is a lovely blend, though it's so flavorful I would serve it with a simpler main dish.

• Curried eggplant rice

  • Barb_N on October 08, 2014

    I heavily adapted this (cheated big time) to make it amenable to a weeknight. Instead of toasting and grinding spices I stir fried the eggplant marinated in turmeric and salt, fried a batch and added the curry leaves and rice. I used fresh ginger and garam masala for seasoning. I had a very large eggplant so I cooked most of it separately along with stir fried turnip and beet greens. Served these as a vegetarian meal; and alongside Diana Henry's Spiced chicken with melting onions and preserved lemon for the omnivores.

• Creamy mung dal with chopped spinach

  • PinchOfSalt on June 24, 2013

    This is a soup. I had not expected it to be so watery, even as soups go. On the positive side, the flavor was very good. I used home made ghee in the final step. It really shone through. Next time, try cutting back on the water by quite a bit.

• Golden pumpkin toovar dal soup

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    My friends took their first spoonful and said, "Wow." It was the best soup they ever had. I used toovar dal (red lentils) and butternut squash. The cooking time for the final chaunk is key - you want it to be smoky, not burnt. Careful with the asafetida - it is quite potent and is sold in diluted and undiluted forms.

  • radishseed on February 20, 2012

    Even after a couple of hours of cooking, my toovar dal (split pigeon peas) did not break down and remained a little crunchy. This may have been a result of adding lemon juice at the beginning of the cooking time, as the acid might have kept the peas from softening. Next time I would pressure cook this soup or use red lentils instead, and add the lemon juice at the end. The soup's flavor is very good.

• Quick cream of split pea soup with sliced carrots

  • radishseed on February 14, 2012

    I made the pressure-cooker version of this soup, and it came out quite watery. If I made it again, I would decrease the amount of water from 6 3/4 cups to 3 or 4.

• Hearty five-dal soup

  • Wlow on May 12, 2015

    As recipe mentioned, old chana dal takes longer to cook, and this was not fully cooked after 5 hours soaking and 1-1/2 hours cooking. May have added too much water (did I lose count while measuring?), but it was definitely not thick.

• Spicy cauliflower with braised tomato

  • Tommelise on May 30, 2010

    My favorite cauliflower recipe ,spicy and good. Tastes great next day, if there is any left!

• Sautéed cauliflower and green peas

  • cookingGib on January 15, 2023

    page 178 paperback

• Spiced green beans

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    The only bad thing about this recipe is that, no matter how much I make, I never have leftovers. It's that addictive. A splatter screen for cooking the mustard seeds is essential. I would cut the salt by at least 50%, more if you use salted butter. I don't find it necessary to cut the beans into pieces smaller than 1", but don't overcook them.

  • lorloff on September 28, 2014

    Very good. I cooked the green beans less thn recommended until they were just al dente. The spices were great. Only added a pinch of sugar and 1/2 of the salt called for in the recipe. Nice and spicy the amount of mustard seeds were perfect. I used brown mustard seeds

• Baby potatoes with seasoned tomato sauce

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    I've been using this recipe for 15 years, and it always amazes me. Wonderful colors and complex flavors. Err on the side of making too much sauce, because you won't be able to get enough of it. In my 1987 copy of the book, an important step is omitted in the directions: The blended paste of spices and fresh ingredients should be added to the frying pan, over moderate heat, immediately after the mustard seeds pop, and stir-fried for a minute or so before the tomatoes and turmeric are added. This allows the oil to bring out the flavors in the fresh herb/spice blend. In place of the baby potatoes I often use full-sized Yukon Gold, peeled and diced. Less time spent scrubbing/peeling, and boiling time is reduced or eliminated. I usually skip the boiling step, but the acid in the tomatoes can lengthen the time it takes for non-boiled potatoes to soften in the frying pan. (I use cast iron and cover it to help speed the cooking process.)

• Curried potatoes with eggplant

  • given22fly on July 18, 2011

    One of my favorite dishes. Sometimes I add more chilies to make the dish spicier and use fewer potatoes than the recipe calls for.

  • Tommelise on September 20, 2011

    This is a very good recipe, with nice flavours, a favorite recipe in our household too.

• Sautéed Brussels sprouts with coconut

  • eve_kloepper on December 20, 2011

    I was looking for a different way to prepare brussel sprouts and this is a wonderful recipe. Didn't have the Urad Dahl (listed as an optional ingredient) and used dried unsweetened coconut instead of fresh. Results were still super.

• Butter soft zucchini and tomatoes

  • cedarmakesthings on August 23, 2015

    Loved this. It was light, creamy, full of complex flavors. I plan on making this one again for guests....and for myself.

• Butter soft eggplant wedges

  • Barb_N on October 08, 2014

    I have made this several times. In contrast to many Indian dishes the ingredient list is short making it a good weeknight recipe. One of my favorite ways to prepare eggplant.

• Garden tomato soup

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    The best tomato soup I've ever tasted. Ecstasy. Make it when you have really fresh, really ripe tomatoes. Cut the salt to 1/2 teaspoon; add more to taste. Go easy on the chilies, and don't use habaneros. :-)

• Curried greens and eggplant

  • Mumpkinator on January 06, 2016

    Delish!! I used a fraction of the oil called for in the recipe. eggplant wasn't crispy, but it was still super tasty!

• Cucumber and coconut in dill yogurt-cream

  • Tommelise on September 20, 2011

    Even if I like this dish, Id o think there are to many flavours, and it becomes a bit "messy "

• Shredded carrot and cashew nut salad

  • radishseed on April 11, 2012

    I make this into a delicious carrot-raisin salad by subbing raisins for the bell peppers.

• Whole cauliflower crowned with creamy avocado

  • Tommelise on January 22, 2011

    The combination of flavors is very good and makes this a favorite recipe of my family. I always serve the avocado cream on the side.

• Mixed bean salad with fennel

  • radishseed on April 24, 2012

    This tasted great when it was warm, but bland when I ate it chilled, as the recipe suggests. Next time I would try doubling the dressing ingredients (or at least the lemon juice) to make the flavor sharper.

• Fragrant tomato and yogurt gravy

  • cedarmakesthings on August 25, 2015

    Delicious with the zucchini koftas. I used canned tomatoes in place of fresh.

• Zucchini pakora with crushed peanuts

  • okcook on September 07, 2012

    The batter wasn't very flavourful at all but the added crunch of the chopped peanuts is a concept I like. Needs some madras curry powder and more chili for sure.

• Zucchini kofta

  • cedarmakesthings on August 25, 2015

    Really good. I made these with the fragrant tomato and yogurt gravy.

• Paper-thin dosa stuffed with herbed potatoes

  • Barb_N on September 23, 2014

    I only made the potato portion of this recipe (the masala or spiced part). I bought prepared dosa batter but skipped it altogether in the interests of time. The potato stir fry is delicious, not too spicy b/c my chilies were very mild. I will definitely make this again.

• Potato patties stuffed with green peas

  • cookingGib on July 01, 2023

    Page 546 - 7

• Savory rice and green pea pilaf

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    Follow Yamuna's notes on rice at the beginning of the chapter. It's worth it to get the perfect texture. This is a lovely blend, though it's so flavorful I would serve it with a simpler main dish.

• Curried eggplant rice

  • Barb_N on October 08, 2014

    I heavily adapted this (cheated big time) to make it amenable to a weeknight. Instead of toasting and grinding spices I stir fried the eggplant marinated in turmeric and salt, fried a batch and added the curry leaves and rice. I used fresh ginger and garam masala for seasoning. I had a very large eggplant so I cooked most of it separately along with stir fried turnip and beet greens. Served these as a vegetarian meal; and alongside Diana Henry's Spiced chicken with melting onions and preserved lemon for the omnivores.

• Creamy mung dal with chopped spinach

  • PinchOfSalt on June 24, 2013

    This is a soup. I had not expected it to be so watery, even as soups go. On the positive side, the flavor was very good. I used home made ghee in the final step. It really shone through. Next time, try cutting back on the water by quite a bit.

• Golden pumpkin toovar dal soup

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    My friends took their first spoonful and said, "Wow." It was the best soup they ever had. I used toovar dal (red lentils) and butternut squash. The cooking time for the final chaunk is key - you want it to be smoky, not burnt. Careful with the asafetida - it is quite potent and is sold in diluted and undiluted forms.

  • radishseed on February 20, 2012

    Even after a couple of hours of cooking, my toovar dal (split pigeon peas) did not break down and remained a little crunchy. This may have been a result of adding lemon juice at the beginning of the cooking time, as the acid might have kept the peas from softening. Next time I would pressure cook this soup or use red lentils instead, and add the lemon juice at the end. The soup's flavor is very good.

• Quick cream of split pea soup with sliced carrots

  • radishseed on February 14, 2012

    I made the pressure-cooker version of this soup, and it came out quite watery. If I made it again, I would decrease the amount of water from 6 3/4 cups to 3 or 4.

• Hearty five-dal soup

  • Wlow on May 12, 2015

    As recipe mentioned, old chana dal takes longer to cook, and this was not fully cooked after 5 hours soaking and 1-1/2 hours cooking. May have added too much water (did I lose count while measuring?), but it was definitely not thick.

• Spicy cauliflower with braised tomato

  • Tommelise on May 30, 2010

    My favorite cauliflower recipe ,spicy and good. Tastes great next day, if there is any left!

• Spiced green beans

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    The only bad thing about this recipe is that, no matter how much I make, I never have leftovers. It's that addictive. A splatter screen for cooking the mustard seeds is essential. I would cut the salt by at least 50%, more if you use salted butter. I don't find it necessary to cut the beans into pieces smaller than 1", but don't overcook them.

  • lorloff on September 28, 2014

    Very good. I cooked the green beans less thn recommended until they were just al dente. The spices were great. Only added a pinch of sugar and 1/2 of the salt called for in the recipe. Nice and spicy the amount of mustard seeds were perfect. I used brown mustard seeds

• Baby potatoes with seasoned tomato sauce

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    I've been using this recipe for 15 years, and it always amazes me. Wonderful colors and complex flavors. Err on the side of making too much sauce, because you won't be able to get enough of it. In my 1987 copy of the book, an important step is omitted in the directions: The blended paste of spices and fresh ingredients should be added to the frying pan, over moderate heat, immediately after the mustard seeds pop, and stir-fried for a minute or so before the tomatoes and turmeric are added. This allows the oil to bring out the flavors in the fresh herb/spice blend. In place of the baby potatoes I often use full-sized Yukon Gold, peeled and diced. Less time spent scrubbing/peeling, and boiling time is reduced or eliminated. I usually skip the boiling step, but the acid in the tomatoes can lengthen the time it takes for non-boiled potatoes to soften in the frying pan. (I use cast iron and cover it to help speed the cooking process.)

• Curried potatoes with eggplant

  • given22fly on July 18, 2011

    One of my favorite dishes. Sometimes I add more chilies to make the dish spicier and use fewer potatoes than the recipe calls for.

  • Tommelise on September 20, 2011

    This is a very good recipe, with nice flavours, a favorite recipe in our household too.

• Sautéed Brussels sprouts with coconut

  • eve_kloepper on December 20, 2011

    I was looking for a different way to prepare brussel sprouts and this is a wonderful recipe. Didn't have the Urad Dahl (listed as an optional ingredient) and used dried unsweetened coconut instead of fresh. Results were still super.

• Butter soft zucchini and tomatoes

  • cedarmakesthings on August 23, 2015

    Loved this. It was light, creamy, full of complex flavors. I plan on making this one again for guests....and for myself.

• Butter soft eggplant wedges

  • Barb_N on October 08, 2014

    I have made this several times. In contrast to many Indian dishes the ingredient list is short making it a good weeknight recipe. One of my favorite ways to prepare eggplant.

• Garden tomato soup

  • kimslist on September 13, 2010

    The best tomato soup I've ever tasted. Ecstasy. Make it when you have really fresh, really ripe tomatoes. Cut the salt to 1/2 teaspoon; add more to taste. Go easy on the chilies, and don't use habaneros. :-)

• Curried greens and eggplant

  • Mumpkinator on January 06, 2016

    Delish!! I used a fraction of the oil called for in the recipe. eggplant wasn't crispy, but it was still super tasty!

• Cucumber and coconut in dill yogurt-cream

  • Tommelise on September 20, 2011

    Even if I like this dish, Id o think there are to many flavours, and it becomes a bit "messy "

• Shredded carrot and cashew nut salad

  • radishseed on April 11, 2012

    I make this into a delicious carrot-raisin salad by subbing raisins for the bell peppers.

• Whole cauliflower crowned with creamy avocado

  • Tommelise on January 22, 2011

    The combination of flavors is very good and makes this a favorite recipe of my family. I always serve the avocado cream on the side.

• Mixed bean salad with fennel

  • radishseed on April 24, 2012

    This tasted great when it was warm, but bland when I ate it chilled, as the recipe suggests. Next time I would try doubling the dressing ingredients (or at least the lemon juice) to make the flavor sharper.

• Fragrant tomato and yogurt gravy

  • cedarmakesthings on March 08, 2016

    I made quite a few changes to this sauce (based on what I did and didn't have), but it turned out excellent. The flavor is so whole and completely comfort food to me. The changes I made; I used heavy cream in place of the yogurt, I omitted the chilies and used a light sprinkling of red chili flakes (I have kids who won't eat anything spicy), I used two 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes instead of fresh, and unfortunately I ran out of ginger yesterday and had to use the powdered junk. It still turned out superb served with the zuchinni koftas. Husband and kids loved this sauce.

• Zucchini pakora with crushed peanuts

  • okcook on September 07, 2012

    The batter wasn't very flavourful at all but the added crunch of the chopped peanuts is a concept I like. Needs some madras curry powder and more chili for sure.

• Zucchini kofta

  • cedarmakesthings on August 25, 2015

    Really good. I made these with the fragrant tomato and yogurt gravy.

• Paper-thin dosa stuffed with herbed potatoes

  • Barb_N on September 23, 2014

    I only made the potato portion of this recipe (the masala or spiced part). I bought prepared dosa batter but skipped it altogether in the interests of time. The potato stir fry is delicious, not too spicy b/c my chilies were very mild. I will definitely make this again.