Indian Vegetarian Cuisine (KitchenPC)

Indian Vegetarian Cuisine

Indian Vegetarian Cuisine

An exploration of vegetarian Indian dishes brought to you by Chitra Agrawal.

Bio

Chitra writes the food blog, The ABCD's of Cooking (ABCD = "American Born Confused Desi"), where she shares traditional Indian home cooking recipes using local ingredients. She was taught most everything she knows in the kitchen from her South Indian mother and North Indian father. When she's not teaching cooking classes or recipe blogging, Chitra can be found making cooking videos and serving seasonal Indian food (sometimes yummy Indian tacos!) at events and artisanal markets in Brooklyn.

Her cooking has appeared in the New York Times Dining Journal and she is a contributor to Gojee, Honest Cooking, The Daily Meal and Brooklyn Based. Chitra has studied nutrition and cooking techniques at the Natural Gourmet Institute.

Recipes in this plan

Southern India

Sambar (South Indian Lentil Stew)

Sambar is a staple in most South Indian homes. It is a spicy lentil and vegetable stew. What's nice about sambar is that you can make it as hearty or thin as you like it depending on how much water you want to add. It can make a complete meal because it is packed with protein from the lentils.
Yellow Peanut Rice
Kosambri (Carrot Salad)

This salad has many variations, but most popularly it is made with grated carrot. Kosambri has such a unique, tangy flavor, which comes from the combination of coconut, lemon, chili and seeds fried in oil.
Radish Raita

This raita is made in a South Indian style where you pour heated spices over the yogurt at the end. It's a nice combination of spiciness from the radish and chili and sweetness from the coconut.
Three Color String Bean Palya (South Indian Stir Fry)

Palya is a South Indian stir fry dish which is basically fresh veggies cooked with fried spices, coconut, lemon and cilantro.
Cabbage Palya (South Indian Stir Fry)

Cabbage palya is a South Indian stir fry. To make it you only need a few spices, which I recommend buying at the Indian store - black mustard seeds, ground hing (asafoetida), dried red chili, curry leaves (dry or fresh), urad dal (with no skin) and chana dal. Once you have these ingredients, you can apply them to a number of different vegetables (beets, green beans), rices, yogurt and salad dishes. This stir fry just takes minutes to prepare.
Beet Palya

Palya is the name for a dry curry that's made in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. This style of curry usually consists of seeds and dry dals that are fried with chili and curry leaf.

Northern India

Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) with Spinach

Rajma is a North Indian curry of kidney beans cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices. "Rajma chawal" which just means rajma and rice is the most popular way to eat this curry, kind of like the Indian version of rice and beans. This is a good recipe to make during the week because it's really quick. There's hardly anything to prep except for the cutting of onions.
Curried and Creamed Kale

This dish is a take on traditional creamed spinach and also Indian saag or palak.
Chapati (Indian Flatbread Roti)

Chapati is a North Indian bread that is eaten at home almost everyday.
Egg Curry

There are many variations of egg curry or also called anda curry found in India. Some recipes use coconut milk, tamarind, cream, etc, but whenever I have fresh tomatoes I like them to be the main base of this curry.

You'll need to buy

List of ingredients in selected recipes

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