Roasted rice flour jaggery laddus
Nagara Panchami in Karnataka is a festival of sisters and brothers as much as of snakes: women offer milk to the stone naga images under peepal trees, and the sweets made at home are tambittu, laddus of roasted rice flour, roasted gram, coconut and sesame bound with jaggery syrup and ghee. They are crumbly-soft and earthy, and a few are also offered at Varamahalakshmi. Common mistake: binding with thin syrup, which leaves the laddus wet and collapsing; boil the jaggery only to a soft-ball stage, when a drop in cold water forms a soft ball you can pick up. Chef's tip: roast the rice flour until it just smells toasty and is barely cream-coloured; too dark and the laddus taste bitter.
A new country every day, from every cuisine on the site.
A classic Turkish dish whose name means 'the imam fainted', supposedly with delight. Aubergine shells are fried in olive oil and filled with their own flesh cooked with tomatoes, onion, red and green peppers, garlic and herbs, then baked until meltingly tender. Finished with lemon and parsley; good hot or cold with bread, salad and creamy garlic dip.
A traditional Gujarati store-cupboard side: green chillies slit, soaked overnight in salted yogurt and dried in the sun until shrunk and brittle. Fried for a few seconds, they turn crisp, salty and tangy with a gentle heat. Serve one or two alongside farari khichdi, kadhi or any fasting meal. Allow 3–5 days of strong sun for drying. Makes about 300 g.
Pudas are thin savoury pancakes. These low-calorie ones are made from rice, maize and wheat flour mixed with crumbled paneer, spinach, fenugreek and coriander and a fresh paste of onion, chilli, mint, garlic and ginger. The moisture in the vegetables and paneer is enough to bind the dough, so no ghee, oil, yogurt or water goes into it. Cook on a griddle with just a little oil and serve with tea, or with plain yogurt and pickle.
A soft, moist low-calorie slice made without flour, eggs or refined sugar: ripe bananas are blended with sunflower oil, vanilla and cardamom, then cashews, desiccated coconut, oats and grated apple. Baked and cut into wedges, it is naturally sweet and good with tea or in a lunch box.
A crunchy, nourishing low-calorie salad of peppery watercress, fennel and Chinese cabbage, scattered with sunflower, pumpkin, linseed and sesame seeds, flaked almonds, raisins and dried apricots, then dressed with sesame oil, balsamic vinegar and a touch of honey. Serve as a light lunch or a side.
Samo (also called moraiyo, sama or barnyard millet) is the fasting-day stand-in for rice. Here it's simmered with potato cubes and crushed roasted peanuts after a ghee tempering of cumin, cloves and cinnamon, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, nutty and mildly spiced. Serve it hot with yogurt or farari potato kadhi.
A creamy, chilled kheer of small sago pearls simmered in milk with sugar, pistachios, almonds, cashews, cardamom and saffron, then mixed with a separate milk of apricots, figs and raisins and fresh green grapes. It's sweet, fragrant and full of texture. A party-size dessert for fasting days or festivals. Serves 15.
A hearty but light one-pot stew from the book's Low calorie section: sweet potato and chickpeas simmer in grated tomatoes and tomato paste with onion and garlic, spinach is wilted in at the end, and a spoonful of miso (made from soya beans) adds a deep savoury flavour. Uses only a teaspoon of oil. Serve straight away with bread or rice.
A high-protein, low-calorie uppma made with soya granules instead of semolina. The soaked soya is tossed with grated carrot, cabbage, onion, ginger and green chillies over a crackling tempering of cumin, urad dal and asafoetida, then finished with lemon and coriander. Serve hot for breakfast or a light supper.
A wholesome, low-calorie twist on khichdi, using bulgar wheat in place of rice. Husked green gram lentils and bulgar cook in the pressure cooker with peas, cauliflower, potato and onion, tempered with a little ghee, cumin and whole spices. Soft, comforting and filling; serve hot with banana raita or plain yogurt.
A light, low-calorie chocolate mousse with no eggs or cream: silken tofu is blended with banana, tahini dip and a little honey, then grated chocolate is whizzed in for flecks of flavour. It takes five minutes to make; chill in glasses before serving.
A naturally sweet, fat-free fruit compote: dried apples, prunes, apricots, raisins and sultanas soak overnight in apple juice with cinnamon and lemon rind, then simmer gently until plump and glossy. Serve hot or cold, on its own, with yogurt or over porridge.
A light, eggless and butter-free cake made with self-raising flour, cinnamon, light muscovado sugar, apple juice and a little sunflower oil, studded with juicy cranberries and diced apple and baked in a ring mould. Drizzled with warm cranberry jam and decorated with apple slices, it looks festive and is low in fat.
A light, eggless bread pudding: dried fruits are plumped in hot apple juice and mixed with diced stale bread, sliced banana and cardamom and clove, then soaked in skimmed milk, sprinkled with brown sugar and baked until firm and golden. Serve hot or cold with low-fat yogurt.
Light, eggless pancakes made with wheat flour, soya milk and water, rolled around fresh banana, peach, apricot and strawberries and finished with cinnamon, chopped almonds and pistachios and a drizzle of maple syrup. A colourful dairy-free breakfast or dessert; serve immediately.
Quick, low-calorie party bites: warm diced potato tossed with chilli, cumin, onion, green chilli and coriander is piled onto thin canapé or water biscuits, topped with sweetened low-fat yogurt and drizzled with mint and onion chutney and tamarind chutney, like a mini chaat. Assemble just before serving so the biscuits stay crisp.
A pretty, low-fat dessert: short-grain rice simmered slowly in semi-skimmed milk with cinnamon until thick and creamy, sweetened and flavoured with orange rind, then pressed into a ring mould over a layer of dried fruit and chilled. Turned out, it shows off a jewelled top. Serve chilled, with a little orange juice spooned over.
A lighter, eggless quiche: a crisp wholemeal pastry case made with soya spread, filled with red and green peppers and mushrooms bound with cottage cheese, soya yogurt and grated soya cheese, and baked until set. Serve hot with a green salad.
A refreshing, lighter mango lassi made with low-fat yogurt: ripe mangoes, yogurt, a little sugar and rose water are blended with water until smooth and frothy, chilled and poured over crushed ice. Perfect on a hot day or with a spicy meal.
Light savoury scones made from rice flour and gram flour, flavoured with dried basil, oregano, mustard and black pepper and topped with poppy seeds. Shaped as one round and marked into 8 wedges, they are good warm with soup or salad. The book's recipe uses one egg; to make them eggless, leave it out and add an extra 60 ml soya milk and 1 tsp baking powder.
A Gujarati-style dry vegetable dish made with chopped colocasia (arvi) leaves and chana dal, cooked with peanuts, tamarind and jaggery for a sweet-sour taste, then thickened with a fresh paste of coconut, green chilli, coriander and ginger and finished with a mustard and cumin tempering. Uses only two teaspoons of oil. Serve hot with baked parathas.
A crunchy, high-fibre and low-calorie salad of boiled sprouted pulses (moth beans, chickpeas, green grams) with apple, orange segments, grapes, radish, salad leaves and spinach, lifted with a little green chilli. A light mint and yogurt dressing goes on just before serving. Serve chilled as a starter or light lunch.
A smooth, bright green, dairy-free soup of spinach and onion blended with a little creamed coconut, then simmered with vegetable stock, soya milk and a hint of nutmeg. Cook the spinach only briefly so it keeps its colour. Serve immediately.
A crunchy, nutty barfi of roasted sesame seeds and ground peanuts set in a two-thread sugar syrup, pressed into a tray and topped with chopped peanuts. It's sweet and toasty, like a soft brittle, and keeps well. Good for fasting days and the winter festivals. Makes 20 pieces.
A full falafel meal: crisp chickpea fritters flavoured with fenugreek, spinach, chilli and ginger are stuffed into pitta pockets spread with hummus and tahini, then packed with a crunchy cabbage, cucumber and carrot salad and a fiery home-made red chilli sauce. Serve with green, red and tamarind chutneys.
A quick, low-calorie way to use leftover rice: sprouted moth beans and green grams are cooked with garlic, ginger, green chilli, capsicum, spring onions and a few spices over a cumin and asafoetida tempering, then tossed with cooked rice. Served hot with fresh tomato and coriander.
A creamy, dairy-free and low-calorie 'ice cream' made by blending frozen banana and strawberries with silken tofu, honey and vanilla until thick and smooth. Layer it with chopped fresh fruit and garnish with mint. Serve straight away.
Showing 27 of 10,569 recipes
Show more recipesPage 1,117 of 1,175
Indian
Italian
French
Chinese
Japanese
Mexican
Korean
Spanish
Persian
