Dal, sabzi, curries and rice dishes for a meat-free Indian dinner. (880 recipes)
Rotlas are hearty Gujarati flatbreads made with millet (bajra) flour. These are packed with fresh fenugreek and coriander, sesame seeds, ajwain and chilli, bound with yogurt and shallow fried. Serve with green chutney and fresh yogurt.
Easy home-made naan: a soft dough of self-raising flour, yeast and yogurt, left to rise and then cooked under a hot grill until puffed and light brown. Brush with butter or ghee if you like and serve hot with curries.
Chopadia are flaky, layered parathas: the dough is spiced with roasted cumin and black pepper, brushed with ghee, rolled into a cone and rolled out again so it cooks into soft layers. They can be made several hours ahead. Serve with any curry, dal or pickle.
A quicker bhatura that needs no long rising: soaked bread and yogurt with a pinch of bicarbonate make the dough soft and puffy, and wholemeal flour and fresh fenugreek add flavour. Deep fried until golden, they're ideal with channa paneer masala.
A colourful, mildly spiced rice cooked in puréed tomatoes and coconut milk with carrots, peas and french beans. Creamy coconut softens the tang of the tomatoes. Garnish with coriander, tomato slices and coconut, and serve with masala yogurt.
A special-occasion khichdi: rice and split green gram cooked with whole spices and onion, then layered with baby potatoes and peas in a fresh paste of coconut, green chilli, ginger, garlic and coriander, and gently baked. Serve garnished with crisp onion rings, coriander and coconut.
Thin mint-flecked chapatis folded into square envelopes around a filling of spiced soya mince, onion, coriander and grated cheese, then cooked on a hot pan until brown-speckled. They're high in protein and great for lunch boxes. Serve hot with green, red and tamarind chutneys and salad.
Uttapam are thick South Indian pancakes made from a fermented rice and urad dal batter mixed with onion, green chilli, coconut and coriander. They're topped with a sprinkle of chilli and cumin, covered and cooked until crisp underneath. Serve hot with sambhar and mint coconut chutney.
Soft, leavened naan with a fragrant topping of fresh fenugreek, coriander, green chilli and garlic pressed into the dough. Traditionally roasted in a tandoor; at home cook it on an upturned earthenware tava or under a hot grill and brush with butter. Serve with a curry or dal of your choice.
Makki ki roti is a rustic Punjabi flatbread made from maize flour bound with hot water. This version adds fresh fenugreek, onion and green chilli; leave them out for plain makki ki roti. It's naturally gluten free and traditionally served with sarson ka saag and a dab of ghee or butter.
Folded square parathas made with wholemeal flour, semolina, fresh fenugreek and roasted cumin. Spreading ghee and flour between the folds makes them crisp and flaky. Cook them slowly until well browned and serve with pickles, yogurt and a curry of your choice.
Soft, puffy bhaturas with a surprise inside: a yeast-raised dough is stuffed with grated paneer, fresh fenugreek, coriander, ginger, garlic and chilli, then deep fried until golden. Serve with chutneys and channa paneer masala.
Bhatura are big, soft, puffy fried breads made from a curd-leavened dough. This version has fresh coriander, fenugreek and tomato in the dough. Serve them straight from the pan with channa paneer masala or a curry of your choice. For masala bhatura, add chopped green chillies, coriander, onion and garam masala to the dough.
Gujarati pudla are savoury pancakes made from a runny gram flour batter with ajwain, chilli, turmeric and coriander, spread thin on a hot griddle and cooked until golden-speckled. They're quick, filling and naturally egg-free. Serve hot with dry potato curry, green chilli chutney and tea or yogurt.
Bright green parathas: the dough is kneaded with puréed spinach and lemon, then filled with a gently spiced stuffing of crushed peas, grated cauliflower and crumbled paneer and cooked on a hot griddle. Soft inside with crisp spots outside. Serve hot with yogurt and chutneys.
A Gujarati khichdi made with sprouted vaal (field beans), skinned and cooked with rice, potatoes and onions in a generous tempering of whole spices and asafoetida, seasoned with Surti garam masala. It's hearty and full of flavour. Garnish with coconut and coriander and serve hot with yogurt.
The everyday Gujarati khichdi: rice and husked pigeon pea lentils cooked soft with turmeric in a ghee tempering of cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and asafoetida. It's simple, soothing and nourishing. Serve hot with Gujarati kadhi.
A simple, nutty rice of basmati and whole brown masoor lentils, mixed with sautéed onion, capsicum and tomato and gently spiced with garam masala and turmeric, then baked so the flavours meld. Serve hot with yogurt.
A light Indo-Chinese style fried rice: cooked rice tossed over a medium-high heat with shredded cabbage, french beans, carrots, celery and spring onions, seasoned simply with soy sauce. Serve with sweet and sour vegetables, sweet and sour sauce and chillies in vinegar.
A festive pulao of basmati rice with green peas, golden fried paneer cubes and cashews, cooked with whole spices, ginger and garlic. Each grain stays separate and fragrant. Garnish with more cashews and sliced chillies and serve with masala yogurt.
A hearty vegetarian biryani: rice cooked with soya mince, onion and garlic, layered with mixed vegetables in a spiced tomato, yogurt and mint gravy, then baked. Topped with fried cashews and potato cubes, it's high in protein and very filling. Serve with masala yogurt.
Chikki is an Indian brittle. This crystal version is made with plain white sugar, melted until clear and golden, with peanuts, almonds, pistachios and sesame seeds, scented with cardamom and saffron. Work quickly: the brittle sets in moments.
These gulab jambu are made with milk powder, grated carrot and a creamy semolina mixture, fried slowly until golden and soaked overnight in syrup so they're soft and juicy all the way through. The carrot gives them a lovely colour and gentle sweetness. Serve them halved, decorated with nuts and rose petals, with fresh cream.
A no-cook barfi that children love: chopped dried fruit, nuts, crushed biscuits, cornflakes and rice krispies, with mixed peel, cherries and chocolate, all bound with butter and golden syrup and pressed into a tray. It's chewy, crunchy and full of colour. Makes about 42 squares, great for lunch boxes and party trays.
A crunchy no-bake chocolate slice: crushed rich tea biscuits, cornflakes, rice krispies and shredded wheat, nuts and coconut are bound with cocoa, margarine and golden syrup, then covered with melted chocolate. It's sweet, crisp and chocolatey, like a homemade cereal bar. Makes about 50 fingers, ideal for parties and lunch boxes.
Siro (sheera) is the Gujarati version of sooji halwa: semolina roasted in ghee until light brown, then cooked with hot saffron milk and sugar until the ghee separates. It's soft, rich and fragrant with cardamom and nuts. Serve it hot, as a festive sweet, for prasad, or as a comforting treat.
Shrikhand is a classic Gujarati dessert of yogurt hung until thick and creamy, then sweetened and flavoured with saffron, cardamom and ground nuts. It's cool, tangy-sweet and silky. Serve it chilled with hot puris, or on its own as a dessert; add fresh fruit for fruit shrikhand.
A rich nut barfi of pistachios, cashews and almonds bound with saffron milk syrup, pressed into a tray and topped with a layer of dark chocolate. It's dense, nutty and chocolatey, and cuts into neat fingers. Makes about 80, ideal for Diwali boxes.
Katlo pak is a traditional Gujarati winter sweet, eaten for strength and warmth: wheat flour and oats roasted in ghee with fried edible gum, coconut, nuts and a warming blend of katlo, dill, aniseed, fenugreek, ginger and spices, set with a dark jaggery 'pie'. It's crumbly, rich and spicy-sweet. Makes about 50 pieces; eat one a day in the cold months.
These pendas (pedas) take minutes in the microwave: milk powder, cream, sugar and ground almonds cook together into a soft fudge flavoured with cardamom and saffron, then are shaped into rounds. They're milky, nutty and melt in the mouth. Makes about 35 — press them into small moulds for pretty shapes.
Coconut pinwheels are a pretty no-cook sweet: a soft dough of desiccated coconut, milk powder and icing sugar is split, half coloured, rolled together into a swirl and sliced. They're sweet, coconutty and great fun for children to help make. Makes about 60 slices, perfect for party platters.
Marble squares are a soft barfi of roasted mawa (khoya), toasted thin vermicelli, coconut and crushed nuts, sweetened with castor sugar and flavoured with cardamom and saffron. They're chewy, nutty and fragrant. Makes about 35 squares; serve them at festivals or with tea.
An easy baked sweet of grated mawa (khoya) and fresh coconut mixed with warm milk, nuts, saffron, cardamom and nutmeg, baked until set and fragrant. It's soft, rich and milky, somewhere between a halwa and a pudding. Serve it hot, decorated with nuts and cardamom.
Kesar mani is a rich, crumbly Gujarati sweet of gram flour roasted in ghee with popped edible gum, then mixed with milk powder, coconut, ground nuts, cinnamon, cardamom and saffron. It's nutty, fragrant and warming, a favourite in the winter months. Makes 25–30 pieces.
Madhureem are elegant festive sweets: a smooth, green pistachio coating cooked in syrup wraps a filling of roasted mawa (khoya) and chopped nuts in saffron and cardamom syrup. Each is pressed and topped with edible silver leaf (varakh). Makes 15–20 — a beautiful sweet for weddings and Diwali.
Kesar paneer kali are oval sweets of soft home-made paneer coloured with saffron, poached in light rose syrup and soaked overnight, then split and filled with cherries and pistachio. They're spongy, juicy and delicately floral. Serve them chilled; the book's photo shows them topped with a swirl of whipped cream too.
A rich, creamy vermicelli pudding: thin vermicelli roasted until golden, then simmered in milk until it reduces by half and flavoured with saffron and cardamom. Vanilla ice cream stirred in at the end makes it extra smooth and cool. Serve chilled after a festive meal, scattered with almond and pistachio flakes.
Mulayum pak is a soft, rich Gujarati sweet of gram flour rubbed with ghee and milk (dhraba), roasted golden with puffed edible gum (gund) and plenty of nuts, then set with a saffron milk syrup. It's fragrant with cardamom, nutmeg and mace and melts in the mouth. Makes about 42 squares; serve at Diwali or keep in a tin for guests.
A simple, wholesome Gujarati sweet: doughnut-shaped dumplings of coarse and fine wheat flour with gram flour are steamed, then ground into soft crumbs. Each person mixes in hot ghee and powdered sugar to their own taste. Serve warm as a filling winter treat.
A royal kheer that combines roasted vermicelli and short-grain rice in thickened milk enriched with mawa (khoya, dried milk solids), ground almonds and pistachios. Saffron and cardamom perfume it, and crisp cubes of fresh apple are stirred in at the end. Serve chilled, topped with almond and pistachio flakes.
A quick almond sweet made in minutes in the microwave: semolina toasted in butter, mixed with coarsely ground almonds, saffron and sweetened condensed milk, then set in a tray. It's soft, nutty and fragrant with cardamom. Makes 20 squares, ideal when guests are on the way.
Soft, milky pendas made from mawa (khoya) and crumbled paneer cooked down in sweetened milk, flavoured with saffron, cardamom and a little nutmeg. The mixture is pressed into small moulds to give pretty shapes. Makes 15; serve as a festive sweet or offering.
Pandadi are delicate layered pastries: thin rounds of butter dough stacked with custard powder, rolled, sliced and fried so the layers puff and flake. Once drained they're dusted with icing sugar, ground nuts, cardamom and saffron and scattered with rose petals. Makes about 40–45; a special-occasion sweet that keeps well in a tin.
Nutty halwa is a jewel-bright, chewy halwa in the Bombay (Karachi) halwa style: starch washed out of a wheat dough is cooked with syrup for well over an hour, with ghee added spoon by spoon until it shines, then studded with almonds, pistachios and cashews. It's glossy, chewy and fragrant with cardamom and saffron. Makes about 42 pieces; serve it warm.
Lapsi is a festive Gujarati sweet of coarse cracked wheat (bhaidku) roasted in ghee, then cooked soft with jaggery water, fennel and saffron until the ghee shines through. It's grainy, buttery and gently sweet, finished with nuts, sultanas, nutmeg and cardamom. Serve it hot, on its own or as part of a festive thali.
Barfi churmoo is a rich Gujarati sweet: a firm dough of coarse wheat flour and gram flour is fried in ghee, ground to an even crumb, then bound with roasted mawa (khoya), hot ghee and saffron syrup and set in a tray. It's crumbly, fragrant with cardamom and nutmeg and topped with nuts. Makes about 40 pieces, perfect for Diwali boxes and weddings.
Dhosa ladoo is a traditional Gujarati ladoo: a thick wheat and gram flour dough is baked twice until dry, ground to a coarse crumb, then bound with melted jaggery and warm ghee and pressed into balls. They're crumbly, rich and warm with nutmeg, with poppy seeds on top. Makes about 35, and they keep well for festivals.
A soft, fudgy halwa of fresh coconut and cashews cooked in sweetened milk with cardamom and a little ghee, rolled out thin and topped with almond and pistachio flakes. It's creamy, nutty and melt-in-the-mouth. Makes about 30 squares for festivals or a gift box.
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