A vegetarian’s handbook

For her new cookbook, published posthumously, the late author Prema Srinivasan gathered vegetarian recipes from all over India, and explored fascinating culinary facets.
A vegetarian’s handbook
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4 min read

CHENNAI: In Madras of a pre-independent India, every household in south India was familiar with the customs of their neighbouring states. This included the food culture, too. That’s probably why we see a bit of Kerala, Andhra, and Karnataka influence in Tamil cuisine.

The late cookbook author Prema Srininvasan too grew up in such a household, albeit a vegetarian one, in Mylapore, Madras. Here, she fell in love with food which was furthered when she got married into a house that welcomed all communities. Here, she learnt aspects of cooking from her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and aunt-in-law — and later some delicious recipes from across the country from her friends too.

In her silver years, she brought out Sacred Offerings, a book collating recipes of temple prasadams. Her new book, Pure Vegetarian, is a “natural extension” she writes.

In this edition, she categorises foods from a Tamil vegetarian household, while also giving readers a glimpse of vegetarian recipes from different parts of India, the commonly-used vessels, some cooking tips, and gratitude to people who have shared their recipes with her. Here are four recipes from the book published by HarperCollins that you can try out at home.

Rose Petal Payasam

Ingredients

Rose petals: 50 g

Milk: 2 l

Sugar: 250 g

Cardamoms: 6-8, powdered

Method

Pluck rose petals and chop them finely, reserving a few petals whole for decoration.

Boil milk in a large pan over high heat. Lower heat to medium and simmer, stirring periodically, till it is reduced to a third of its original volume.

Add sugar, powdered cardamoms and rose petals.

Simmer over medium heat, till mixture thickens further.

Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate.

Serve cold, sprinkled with reserved rose petals.

Madra

(Tasty Curd Gravy with Chickpeas)

Ingredients

Chickpeas, soaked for 10-12 hours: 100 g

Full fat curd (not too sour): 1 kg

Cloves: 4

Fenugreek/methi seeds: ½ tsp

Jeera/cumin seeds: ½ tsp

Asafoetida: 2 pinches

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp

Cardamoms: 2, crushed

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Saffron: 2 big pinches

Salt: 1 tsp

Boiling water: 1 cup

Sugar: 1 tsp

Method

Beat the curd until it’s smooth. Keep it aside.

Soak cloves, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida in 2 tbsp water for 1 hour.

Drain the soaked chickpeas and cook till soft.

Place a heavy bottom vessel on fire.

Add ghee. When melted, add the asafoetida water with its contents — cloves, fenugreek seeds, and cumin seeds. Fry for a minute.

Add the beaten curd and 1 tsp salt. Keep stirring constantly on a low to medium heat till the curd becomes grainy.

Add all the powders, crushed cardamom, and some of the saffron.

When the curd reduces to half, add 1 cup boiling water and the sugar. Switch off the flame. Do not let it to boil.

Add the remaining saffron.

Note: Gucci (morel) can be used instead of chickpeas in the above recipe, otherwise preparation is the same. It can be served with rice.

Lavanga Katrikai

(Brinjal with Cloves)

Ingredients

Long, thin brinjals: 500 g

Salt: ½ tsp

Gram flour/besan: 1 tbsp

Ghee for frying: 2½ tbsp

Spices for powdering

Ginger: 1 ½-inch piece, chopped

Cloves: 1-inch stick, powdered

Big black cardamom: 1, powdered

Whole black pepper from 15 corns

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Salt: ½ tsp

Divide the above powder into two portions

Seasoning

Cloves: 4

Salt: ¼ tsp

Sugar: 2 tbsp

Lime juice: 2 tbsp

Method

Slit the brinjals into quarters, halfway through — rub salt and keep for half an hour.

Chop the ginger finely.

Mix the powder of cloves, black cardamom, black pepper and red chilli powder and divide into two portions.

Toast the besan.

Heat 1/2 tbsp of ghee in a wok in low-medium flame, add ginger, salt, and besan and mix well.

Stuff the brinjals with half the spice mix. Close well.

Heat 1 ½ tbsp ghee and season with 3 cloves to dark brown. Add brinjals and salt and place them evenly on wok, cook on low fire.

When cooked, mix sugar and lime juice, cover and cook on low heat till juice dries up.

Open the lid, add remaining half of spice powder and stir gently. Remove.

Before it became Basmati

Basumati, the rice that stands for fragrance most completely, more than any other rice, has become the king of rice internationally. We can trace the origin of the name to vasu or the richness of the earth, hence vasumati, carrying the rich fragrance of the earth, and then to basumati, the name that the whole word applauds now.

(An excerpt from ‘Pure Vegetarian’)

Mochaikai Menthiya Keerai Pulao

(Fenugreek Leaves and Dolichos Beans Rice)

Ingredients

Basumati rice/long-grained rice: 1 cup

Curd, whisked smooth: 1 tsp

Water (boiling): ¾ cup

Ghee: 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp

Tomatoes (medium): 2, chopped

Jeera/cumin seeds: ½ tsp

Cardamom: 2

Cloves: 4

Bay leaf: 1, halved

Asafoetida powder: 1 tsp

Whole green chillies slit at the tip: 2

Ginger: ½-inch piece, cut in fine juliennes

Chopped fenugreek leaves: ½ cup

Chopped coriander leaves: ¼ cup

Dolichos lablab beans (peeled): ½ cup

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder: ½ tsp

Salt: 1 tsp

Method

Soak rice for half an hour.

Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in vanali/wok. Sauté tomatoes over medium heat till ghee separates. Set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a vessel, add cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and asafoetida powder and sauté over medium heat for a few seconds.

Add green chillies, ginger, fenugreek leaves and coriander leaves and sauté, till raw smell of greens disappear.

Stir in dolichos beans, turmeric powder, and chilli powder and sauté for about a minute.

Mix in cooked tomatoes, add drained rice, salt, and curd.

Transfer to a vessel (which fits into a steamer) and steam for 15-20 minutes.

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