Tastefully Veggie is an exclusive blog for vegetarian dishes of Indian Origin, packed with ideas and recipes. If you are curious to explore veggie or an expert in Indian cooking, you would find something inspiring here, hopefully !
Feel free to try them out and let me know what you think ...
Cream of Tomato Soup
When I was pregnant with my first kid, my husband bought tinned soup for me to see if I kept atleast that down and boy did I hate it. I couldn’t tell you what in it made me dislike it so much but it was hopeless to say the least. I quite like the soups I used to have in Indian restaurants, especially the tomato soup. I have tried a few times in the past to recreate the taste but surprisingly it was not all those elaborate preparations that scored but this simple recipe that emerged as the winner. Whether or not it tasted like what I was used to, this tasted great and was approved by my mom and my husband and they are a bit fussy about soup. I prefer to use tinned tomatoes for it because for whatever reason, they seem more flavourful and thick. Although I do not normally use tinned products, I carefully pick my tins to ensure there is nothing in them that I do not understand. If you do not have cream, you can use milk instead. You could skip the butter and use little oil as well. I do not normally stock croutons so I made my own using old bread and all in all, the soup was great. Stock cubes have salt in them and some tinned tomatoes also have some salt so be careful when you season. As a starter this recipe will serve 3. Here is the recipe...
1 tin tomato
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon butter
3 cloves garlic
Cooking oil
3 tablespoon cream
Croutons to serve
Salt and pepper to taste
1 vegetable stock cube
Heat some butter and oil and sauté the onions and garlic until soft
Add the tomatoes with its juice, some water and the stock cube and boil
Cool and grind to fine puree
Put it back on the stove add couple of spoons of cream and simmer
Serve hot
Note - if the soup become runny, make a paste with cornflour and pour it in, bring to boil and soup will thicken.
I am not a big time soup maker but I do love soups. Somehow a soup alone cannot make a meal for me as I have in my mind that it is not substantial enough, it may very well be in my head. With this thinking, I try to keep the calories low in the soup as I know I will be having more food after the soup. I try to load nutrient rich ingredients like vegetables so it contributes to one of five a day but usually have almost no oil/butter or very little of it. I made this soup with another intent, to use up the stock cubes in my stores as part of my ingredient use up effort. It is not just easy to make but will make a filling supper and give you enough energy to prepare your main meal. It is especially wonderful during winter as the lime juice and blackpepper powder are quite soothing in the cold weather and also help relieve from cold.
2 carrots, finely chopped
Handful of green beans, finely chopped
2 tablespoon coriander leaves
2 stock cubes
1 teaspoon blackpepper powder
1 teaspoon cornflour
Lime juice as required
Boil about 3 cups of water and dissolve the stockcubes
Add the beans and carrot and cook until they are done to desired level and then add the coriander leaves and black pepper powder
Add the corn flour or dissolve it in water and add to avoid forming lumps, simmer for five minutes, add more water if desired
Serve with a wedge of lime so desired quantity of juice can be added
It is almost mango season in India and that is one thing that I terribly miss. It is such a shame that the ones we get here are nowhere near the desi ones in terms of taste, flavour or even appearance. Having said that, I was still tempted to buy a couple of them at a shop when I saw the price low. It had been a while and the mango had ripened quite a bit and I had no choice but to make something out of it. The last time I made gravy with it, it came out quite well but this time I did not have much time and wanted something even simpler. I decided to make a kadhi so that it would go well with the rice I was making. I looked at few recipes and many suggested we need chilli paste, ginger paste etc. and honestly I could not be bothered blending them all separately to make such a simple dish. Again I was just a bit more practical and did not miss out on any of the flavours. Here is how I made it…
1 mango, seed and skin removed
½ inch piece ginger
1 green chilly
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon gram flour (chickpea flour)
Salt to taste
For tempering:
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 dry red chilly
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
Turmeric powder
Asafoetida
Curry leaves
Blend together the ginger and the green chilly adding water if needed. Add the mango and make a pulp and mix this with yogurt and gram flour. Mix well ensuring there are no lumps. You could add a wee bit of water depending on how thick you want the kadhi
Heat some oil in a kadai/skillet and add the ingredients for tempering
Add the mango-yogurt mixture and stir. Allow it to boil briefly on slow flame and add salt after taking off the flame
It is the time of the year when a hot soup is by far more comforting than an ice cream. For that reason, I have made up my mind to make more soups. While I was a young child, it was my father that introduced me to soups. He told me how they are usually called appetisers and served as starters. The choice of soups in many Indian restaurants was limited and my favorite was tomato soup. Now that I am in the western world where soups are more popular and by themselves make a meal, I have more options and opportunities to explore. Some days the main meal barely has any vegetable (like idlis etc.) and in those days I think soup is a great way to increase nutrition intake and also fill the stomach with less calories.This is a zero oil/butter dish and here is how I made it to serve two people...
1 apple, cored and peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 brown or white onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Any herb of your choice for garnish (I used coriander leaves)
Boil apple, parsnip and onion together until all are well done. Remove or add water based on desired consistency. I would rather not add too much water initially as I may lose some nutrients if I get rid of some before blending
Blend this in a food processor and season with salt and bring back to boil
Garnish with some chopped fresh herbs and serve hot with some black pepper powder on the table.
How easy was that?
If you want to inrease the richness, you can add some cream or milk after blending. My husband added some dried Italian herbs to the soup and quite liked it. I used eating apple and not cooking apple for this recipe.
If you have had a chance to go for a walk during an afternoon in the month of May in Chennai, you will very much appreciate how great shade is. In some ways, to strike a balance nature has created some really beneficial trees. To one who has to be out in that heat, the cool breeze under a neem tree is like a boon. The tree not only provides shade but also a pleasant feeling around it. It is commonly found in most parts of South India and is believed to be holy as it represents a form of the goddess Shakti (Amman). It has been well known for its medicinal values for several millennia. Every part of the tree has medicinal values. This was so well known that the tree was called the ‘village pharmacy’. It is said to have anti-biotic, anti-viral, anti-malarial properties. I remember my brother and I used to be given a paste of tender neem leaves when we had chicken pox and that was the only ‘medicine’ given. It is said that there are some patents for use of neem as treatment for AIDS.
It is a shame that I did not really enjoy this dish when growing up. I just found the slight bitterness and unique aroma a bit overwhelming. But now, living so far from home, I have begun to appreciate the flavour and taste. I think it was with good reasons that our ancestors included bitter vegetables in our diet and I am not just able to appreciate that but also look forward to eating such dishes for a change. I keep this recipe incredibly simple and here it is
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon clarified butter (ghee) or cooking oil
1 tablespoon dried neem flowers (use more or less based on preference)
½- 3/4 teaspoon tamarind paste
Asafoetida
½ teaspoon black pepper powder (Optional)
Salt to taste
Boil about 2 cups water. Add turmeric powder, asafoetida, tamarind and boil for 5 minutes. Add black pepper powder and required salt
In a heavy bottom vessel, add the ghee or oil and once hot, fry the neem flowers until they turn dark. Add it to the boiling liquid and boil for 5 more minutes
In the left over ghee, add some mustard seeds and once it crackles, add to the rasam.
Serve hot! This usually tastes great with root vegetables like potato or arbi/colocassia/seppankezhangu.
I have possibly rambled enough about how terrific rasam is and how I just Love it in my ginger rasam post. A south Indian meal without it is incomplete for me. The best part is that it is so simple and quick to make. It also lends itself to a number of options. Being a rasam lover I will start putting more rasam recipes. Most of the rasams can be had separately as a soup or be mixed with rice. Usually one of the key ingredients in a traditional rasam is lentils and tuvar dal (pigeon peas) is quite commonly used. In this recipe I have used another lentil – horsegram. I have always walked past this ingredient in the shop but recently I grabbed it and kept it in my pantry. I was curious to know what it is called in my mother tongue as here it said brown lentil. Bingo, it is actually the wonderful kollu. It is rich in fibre and protein and is particularly good for people trying to lose weight. In my mother tongue they say ‘Elachavanuku Ellu, Kozhuthavanuku Kollu’ which means for a skinny person, sesame is suitable and for fat person, horsegram is suitable. It is such a shame that the fact that this lentil is a popular horse food, some people are not happy to even try it. Anyway, here is how I made this rasam...
To roast and grind -
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3-4 dry red chillies
¼ cup brown lentil
1 cup tomato puree
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
Asafoetida
Turmeric powder
Generous portion of chopped coriander for garnish
1-2 sprig curry leaves
Ghee/cooking oil for tadka
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Salt to taste
Cook the lentil until mushy. I prefer the lentil blended very well in the rasam so I just ran it under my hand mixie to further mash it.
Roast the ingredients (mentioned to be roasted) separately just so none of them burn. All except the red chillies will start to pop once they are ready to be taken off the flame. Cool and grind all these together to make your rasam powder.
Add a cup of water to the tomato puree and boil well. Add the tamarind paste, asafoetida and turmeric powder
Allow it to boil for a couple of minutes and add the cooked lentil.
Add a portion of the curry leaves so it gives a nice aroma. Add the rasam powder and salt and boil for couple of more minutes. Just before turning flame off, add chopped coriander leaves.
In a small skillet, heat little ghee or cooking oil (less than a spoon), add mustard seeds and once it crackles, add remaining curry leaves and let it turn crisp. Add this to the rasam.
Serve hot with rice or just by itself!
If you cannot take hot food, avoid the red chillies and just include black pepper. If you do not have tomato puree, just cut couple of tomatoes finely and use it.
Food blogger I may be but I have these days when I cannot be bothered cooking. That happens usually when I am exhausted or am thinking deeply about something or sometimes just lazy. Although, it is hard to be lazy and sit back when you have a toddler around. I did have such a day yesterday where we had great South Indian meal at a friend’s place for lunch and I just could not bother cooking in the night. Human body does not care how much you stuffed during a meal but just begins to growl in 4-6 hours again. My husband and I were trying to get something on our plate at ten in the night. I chose the lazy route – heat up frozen paratha and my husband made himself a plate of Maggi noodles and a surprise. It was tomato egg drop soup. It was such a simple recipe and he almost did it when his magi noodles was cooking. I should mention that myhusband does notconsider himself a good cook although I thoroughly love certain dishes he makes. He does saythat as far as kitchen goes, he is like an artist who will paint at their own will once a few months and not the daily cook. Anyway, this recipe would be great when you barely have any time but have to fill your stomach with good food. Also, I would imagine it could be a nice snack when you just come back from work so you can get some energy to cook yourself a dinner. It is so simple that I do not even have step by step photos! Here is my husband’s recipe and quantities serve one…
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 green chilly finely chopped
1 egg, you could beat with fork
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
Take about 1 1/2 cups water and add the tomatoes and green chillies
Once the tomatoes are well cooked (say boil them for 10 minutes), add the five spice powder and salt
Boil for 2 minutes and add the egg and stir so the egg breaks up and gets cooked. Boil until egg appears done
Serve hot with black pepper powder if chilly is not very hot.
If you fancy, you could add spring onions along with the tomatoes, we didn't as we had none then.
God must have been in a great mood while creating tomatoes, he has given them wonderful colour and also flavour. Everytime I run low on stock of tomato, I get restless and need to go shopping. A wonderful vegetable that saves my day quite often! It was interesting to learn that tomatoes were initially considered toxic and to cause cancer and for this reason were avoided in the US until about 1800s. It is said that a traveller introduced it in his hometown of Salem by showing people that nothing happened tohim after eating a basket full of tomatoes. Recent research show that its current popularity is for good reason. The red pigment in the tomato, lycopene, is suppose to be a good anti-oxidant and key in preventing few cancers. Knowing all the benefits of tomatoes makes cooking even better because I know I am doing good for my family. It is a shame though that I cannot eat tomatoes raw because of my allergy to uncooked tomato.
My brother and sister-in-law were going to visit us and I was struggling to find time to cook. I had decided I will make corn pulav but was also thinking of a side dish. In the interest of time, I ditched that plan and wanted to make something simple, yet special. As the corn pulav did not have anything to give it a sour taste, I chose to make something with loads of tomato as a side dish for the pulav. I thought I will follow Tarla Dalal’s recipe for this but I must admit, I got lost but ended up with a very interesting dish. This dish can either be served as a soup or on the side with rice. Here is how I did it...
Wash and cook the tomatoes in half cup water. Cool and blend. If desired, pass through a strain to get rid of skin and seeds. I chose to keep them.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add a teaspoon oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once mustard crackles, add asafoetida, turmeric powder (and curry leaves, cinnamon if using) and the chickpea flour (besan) and fry for a couple of minutes, be careful not to burn it.
Add the tomato and dilute with about half cup water. Allow it to boil.
Add chilly powder and the ground spice powder
Simmer for few more minutes, season with salt. Add dollops of yogurt before serving.
If you do not have time to roast and grind the spices, just add coriander powder, more chilly powder. Add few cloves along with cinnamon.
Kadhi is a traditional Gujarati dish and they tend to add some sweetness to the dish. If desired, you could add some jaggery.
I seem to have surprised myself by not posting any rasam recipe yet on my blog considering that was the only thing along with vegetables I would eat while growing up. But here is the first variety of rasam. Rasam means essence in Tamil language. True to its name, this dish draws it taste, flavour and aroma from the essence of each of its ingredients. In my community (Iyengar) rasam is called Sathumudhu. It actually means ‘Saadhathuku Amudhu’ and in English it implies it is almost the ultimate combination with rice. As I said rasam rice was my staple diet while growing up. The best part about rasam is that it is awesome with rice and equally great just by itself, like a soup. People generally use a special spice powder to make rasam but this one is a far simpler recipe to start with and it is optional to use any powder. I know some people try to avoid tamarind in their diet for the fear of acidity and this is a great recipe for them too.
1.5 inches long piece of ginger grated
3 tomatoes cut into chunks
3 green chillies slit lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
½ cup toor dal (pigeon peas/tuvar dal)
Asafoetida
Handful of fresh coriander
1 teaspoon sambar powder or chilly powder (optional)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
Salt as required
Cooking oil for tempering
1 lime (optional)
Pressure cook the tuvar dal so it is well cooked and mushy.
In a deep dish add the ginger, chillies, turmeric powder, asafoetida and tomatoes. As ginger is the hero of this recipe, you can be generous with it depending on your taste. Add about ¾ cup water and allow to boil.
Add the mushy tuvar dal and sambar powder if you wish to use. Add some more water to achieve desired consistency.
When it is boiling add finely chopped coriander leaves. It is ok to add the coriander stems too as they are very aromatic and nutritive. Season with required amount of salt.
In a deep bottom pan add less than a teaspoon cooking oil, once hot add mustard seeds. After they crackle, add the curry leaves. Add this to the rasam.
Based on your preference squeeze the juice of a lime before serving.Remember the only source of sourness otherwise is the tomatoes as we do not add tamarind. The dal serves as a good source of protein and iron.
I had recently written an article on vegetarianism that got published on a website. I did touch upon the common fear that vegetarian foods lack in protein and explained how it need not be the case. Since then, I am taking extra effort to get some protein rich food on my recipe collection. What better protein can come to my mind immediately other than our very own lentils. There are a wide variety of them and probably about three (mung dal, channa dal and tuvar dal) of them are very common especially in South Indian cuisine. I think the best part about lentil is that they are an excellent source of protein, two B vitamins, and six minerals with almost no fat. Not to forget, they are probably the best source of iron in vegetarian diet. For these reasons it is recommended that you include lentils in atleast one meal of the day.
I was looking for dal recipes and came across this primarily as a Gujarati recipe on Tarla Dalal’s website. As always I was looking for other ways to do it and again as always sought vah chef to find his spin on this recipe. Interestingly he had put Rajasthani dal dhokli. I took the ideas from the two and made a hybrid version which I could call TamilNadu dal Dhokli!! Jokes apart, it is not until I made this dish that I realised how versatile it is. It can serve as a starter, like a soup, the main dish as it has proteins, iron, vitamins and carbohydrates as well or it can be served as a side dish for rice.
My husband had been complaining about my cooking getting too hot with chillies and I had decided to mellow down but I think I underplayed this one so much that he thought I could have done better. So you may want to add more heat to your dish than I have suggested. Here is my version...
1 teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
2 teaspoons jeera seeds (cumin seeds)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
3-4 garlic cloves chopped
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
Asafoetida
½ cup tuvar dal
½ teaspoon chilly powder
2 tablespoons peanuts
1 sprig curry leaves
Salt to taste
Cooking oil
Water
For the Dhokli
¼ - ½ cup wheat flour (depending on whether you want to make starter or side dish or main meal)
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon chilly powder
Asafoetida
Salt to taste
Water
To make the dhokli
Take the wheat flour in a mixing bowl. Unless you intend to serve this as the main meal, I would suggest ¼ cup wheat flour or little more than that. You may want to increase it seeing how this dish goes down. Mix all ingredients mentioned for dhoklis.
Add required amount of water to make a stiff dough like puri.
Divide the dough to form smaller balls and roll them to make chapatti.
Cut the chapatti in such a way you get several diamonds. Do not make them too thick or too thin.
To make the dal
Wash the dal once and pressure cook the dal and peanuts. I usually add turmeric powder to the dal so it comes out nice yellow and not dull. I prefer the dal to be mushy.
In a saucepan add a teaspoon of oil followed by cumin seeds. Once the seeds crackle add the methi seeds, turmeric powder, asafoetida, curry leaves, garlic and chillies.
Add the dal and peanuts and some water along with chilly powder and allow it to boil in low flame and add salt
Once the dal boils, add dhoklis one by one. After dropping all dhoklis, allow the dal to boil for about 15 minutes. As it boils, you may have to add some water to achieve the desired consistency and also ensure the dal does not burn.
Sorry for a poor photo, the lens was covered by the steam from the rice! We had it along with oven roasted potatoes!!
If you wish you can add about 1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste to the dal. Usually Cocum is added to this recipe, but as I had none, I did not add it. If you are hardcore south Indian then to retain your touch, you could add sambar powder instead of chilly powder in the dal. Endless possibilities... have fun!
