Here's a Mung Rice Kheer (an Indian pudding) that my Konkani parents make for Makar Sankranti, a celebration in their part of India that falls on the same day as Pongal.The recipe is very similar ...
Low-Fat Cucumber Cake, Indian-Style
It's sweltering here in the northeast, and in most of the country. But a steady crop of cucumbers from the vines I planted in my backyard garden this spring are helping us keep our cool. I've been ...
Saffron Shankarpali
Anticipating festivals can sometimes be more fun than the festivals themselves.The evidence is all around us. Take the holiday season when just about everyone you meet appears to wear a halo ...
Pongalo Pongal!
A very happy Pongal to the south Indian readers of Holy Cow!The word Pongal literally describes an overflowing, boiling pot of rice. Figuratively, it signifies prosperity and is a time to give ...
Almond Halwa
Diwali's the time of year to go a little bit over the top, particularly with food. It is time when every Indian kitchen is overrun-- but never overwhelmed-- with sweets and savory snacks of every ...
Chavde (Mande) for Ganesh Chaturthi
I have a real weakness for crispy sweets. And at the top of my list is an exquisite, lacy, sesame-seed-and-cardamom-sprinkled delicacy that's perhaps not very well-known outside Maharashtrian and ...
Puran Poli
The Ghost of the Banyan Tree The story was that the Ghost lived in the 100-year-old banyan tree that stood just behind Building No. 13 in J. P. Nagar. At night he or she (for no one had actually ...
Adhirasam for Chalks and Chopsticks
Adhirasams bubbling away in a pot of oil. This is how it must smell in heaven.Krishna scurried out of bed and into the kitchen. Amma was at the stove, sari tucked above her knees, a hand splayed ...
Doodhi Halwa
If I could wish for something absurdly impossible and food-related, I'd wish for the Vegan Midas Touch. Y'know, where all the foods I love would just magically turn animal-free, after which I could ...
Mango Halwa
It's hard to stay away from sweets during this time of year and now that the season for everything orange is on, I couldn't help but make one of my quickest and most favorite recipes: Mango ...
Badusha For Diwali
It was always the sound of fireworks that woke me up each Diwali morning, well before the sun was up. Powerful Lakshmi bombs that could rip off an eardrum, rockets whistling out of empty glass soda ...
Mava Cake
A mava cake is a cardamom-scented delicacy popularized and sold almost exclusively by the wonderful Irani restaurants of Bombay. These restaurants, unique little bakeries and eateries opened by ...
Modaks (Sweet Indian Dumplings)
Celebrations in India often hinge around religious events, but you don't have to be religious to join in the fun.This week, Hindus celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival so crammed with food and ...
Vegan Carrot Halwa
Next in my quest to veganize Indian sweets, especially the ones I miss the most, is the gorgeous, almost healthy carrot halwa or gajar halwa.The period roughly between August and November is ...