As the granddaughter of a landowner and farmer from the heart of Punjab, India, I implore you, please do not refer to Punjabi Palak Paneer as simply Saag Paneer. The word saag has become interchangeable in the West to mean cooked, spiced, and pureed spinach with cheese. While the word saag refers to greens cooked and mashed down, this dish when cooked with spinach is referred to as Palak - the Hindi word for spinach. Saag typically refers to a dish that includes other kinds of leafy greens like mustard greens. Typically, this kind of saag does not include paneer, i.e. Sarson ka Saag (Pureed Mustard Greens). I have now perfected Palak Paneer in the...
I was frustrated - but now I'm good. I nailed it! All last week, I tried to perfect my Toor Dal in my Instant Pot, and I just could not get it to the consistency found in my original recipe in The Indian Slow Cooker. It was just too mushy. Maybe it was the 15 minute cook time, maybe it was the extra soak time I gave it, maybe it was too much water. So, I made it for the fifth time and now I've got it down. Garlic & Chile Split Pigeon Pea Curry Pressure Cooker Size: 3 quart or largerWarm...
As the granddaughter of a landowner and farmer from the heart of Punjab, India, I implore you, please do not refer to Punjabi Palak Paneer as simply Saag Paneer. The word saag has become interchangeable in the West to mean cooked, spiced, and pureed spinach with cheese. While the word saag refers to greens cooked and mashed down, this dish when cooked with spinach is referred to as Palak - the Hindi word for spinach. Saag typically refers to a dish that includes other kinds of leafy greens like mustard greens. Typically, this kind of saag does not include paneer, i.e. Sarson ka Saag (Pureed Mustard Greens). I have now perfected Palak Paneer in the...
WHO DOESN'T LOVE A PAKORA? Fried fritters made with chickpea flour, spices, and veggies. An elevated, gluten-free version of onion rings is how I like to describe a pakora to my non-Indian friends. With chutney, they are simply a dream. But, I’m not a huge fan of the fried aspect of making pakoras. Why I wanted to try something different by baking them. Those of you who have my book Vegan Indian Cooking will know that on page 104, I do give you a pan-baked version. But, that's cut into squares. Delicious, but I wanted to create a pakora that looked like...
I have been making this mock egg salad since I tried it at a Hindu Temple when I was living in Hawaii. I was a graduate student at the East-West Center there and loved visiting the temple for their food - delicious, plant-based Indian. The secret to a delicious eggless egg salad? Crunch. Color. Eggy Taste. In this recipe, the crunch is from onion, celery, and carrots. Try other fun adds like chopped watercress or jicama. The color is important. It gets its yellow hue from turmeric powder, which is a healthy anti-inflammatory. Eggy taste without the egg? You'll want some...
Hyderabad is the capital of two states in Southern India and is known as a center for India's pearl and diamond trade. And, biryani. Hyderabadi Biryani is known throughout India and beyond, made special by the mix of spices including mace, dried fruit, and nuts. Traditionally, there are two ways to cook this one-pot meal. One is to place your raw, marinated meat and other ingredients in a clay pot and seal it - opening only when perfectly cooked (this takes some serious practice). The other is to cook your ingredients partially and then put them together to finish up...
The other night I was lusting over my girls' mac and cheese. It was the new hip organic kind out of the box. But, it was cheese. I've stayed away from dairy for over two decades now, well before it was hip to be vegan, plant-based, or whatever folks want to call themselves. I eat non-dairy because if I eat milk and cheese, my stomach starts to hurt. When I stopped eating it regularly I started to feel great, and the rest is history - I even wrote a book about it! I'm human though, and I miss my creamy,...
I first saw a turmeric plant as a little girl visiting my grandmother's home in Chandigarh, India. All of my cousins and I loved playing and climbing the lychee and mango trees in the back of our huge home in Sector 9. It was always a special time for me visiting from America - getting to pluck juicy, ripe lychees right off the stem and wander into our beloved gardner's patch of okra, eggplant, and turmeric. Mali, as we would refer to him, would complain about the grassy plant overtaking his garden, and mumble under his breath as he cut away...
