Rava Upma

I've been writing this blog so long now that I sometimes just can't remember off-hand which recipes I've shared with you. Yesterday, as I made rava upma, one of my favorite breakfast -- and sometimes lunch-- options, I was a little stunned to realize that I had never gotten around to posting it.

Likely because upma is one of those dishes so ubiquitous in so many Indian homes, you don't really think of it as something special. But its popularity flows naturally from the fact that it is delicious, healthy and easy to throw together. A win-win all around.

I always thought of upma as the savory cousin of sheera or halwa, the sweet dish that's also very popular in Indian kitchens. But it is healthier, of course, because there's no sugar, for one, and you can add all kinds of veggies into it.

Baked Samosas With A Chickpea Filling

My first job as a journalist was for a then brand-new (and now defunct) newspaper in Bombay called The Independent published by the Times of India group. Our offices were on the fifth floor of the vast, domed, Gothic Times building in south Bombay, just across the street from the buzzing Victoria Terminus where trains from all over India chug in and out all day and night.

The Times building was home to several publications, including magazines and newspapers in English and other local languages. The look of the office of each publication varied drastically based on which one, of course, brought home the most biryani. The Independent, which still had to prove itself, was just a nondescript mess of cubicles and desks. In contrast, on the third floor was the designer-decorated, purple-painted home of the publishing group's cash cow-- the Times of India -- which, despite being one of the crummiest newspapers you'll ever read, also has the distinction of being India's top-selling English daily.

On the second floor were the offices of the advertising department which resembled a posh five-star hotel. Sandwiched between the Times and the Independent, on the fourth floor, were the offices of magazines like the once-illustrious Illustrated Weekly of India and the women's magazine Femina.

But the most interesting floor of all was the sixth floor which was the cafeteria.

Mushroom "Makhani"

Here's a dish so incredibly delicious, I couldn't wait to share it!

My Mushroom "Makhani" is made with exactly the same spices as the ones I would use in the past to make Chicken Makhani (or Butter Chicken), a popular Indian restaurant dish. But trust me, the vegan version tastes better than anything you'd pay for in a restaurant and is actually good for you, unlike its meat-containing counterpart which is loaded with unhealthy cholesterol and calories.

I substitute the makhan, or butter, in this recipe with vegan butter, just a small amount of it. Instead of cream, I use a paste of cashews which not only tastes better, but is great for you. In fact, some of you might have noticed that I often use nut pastes as a cream substitute. Pistachio and cashew pastes work best as cream substitutes, because they have the smoothest flavor and texture, but you can also try walnuts or pine nuts in other recipes that ask for cream.

Making Non-Violence A Habit

Gandhi statue at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Atlanta

On our road trip earlier this month, one of the highlights was the time we spent on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was born and where he later preached at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. King is buried here, along with his wife, Coretta Scott King, and the entire street lined with historic homes and buildings is a living museum to the African-American community and its struggle for civil rights.

I don't usually idolize people but even the most jaded among us would find it hard not to be moved by the life of a visionary. And King was a visionary in the same mold and of a similar stature as Gandhi, the man who comes as close to being an idol for me as any human being possibly can. In fact, as many of you already know, King was greatly inspired in his struggle for civil rights by Gandhi's non-violent struggle for India's freedom from British rule.

It is needless to say that Gandhi and King are among the greatest minds and influences of all time. Even politicians who sanction wars can't help but quote these men. But why is it that as we pay lip service to their vision, we disregard the essence of their message with the attitude that it is too Utopian to be practical?
The home where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born.

Gandhi and King were too smart to ask for Utopia in our flawed world. But, very reasonably I think, they saw non-violence as something all of us, as intelligent human beings capable of independent thought, can understand or at least appreciate. Yet, so many years after they showed us the way, there are a couple of tiny things that keep us from getting it: laziness and an unwillingness to be the change.

It is easy to think that the world is such a horrible place, there is not much we can do about it, so why bother? We pick up the newspaper in the morning, read about wars and famine and tsunamis, throw some money at it if possible, and then go back to our comfortable lives and our families and our jobs because, let's face it, it's easy and it's what we are used to.
But being the change is not difficult: all it takes is courage. Not each one of us has to be a Gandhi or a Martin Luther King, nor does each one of us have to go and start a hospital or a school in a remote village in India or Africa, or achieve world peace. (Well, if you can, more power to you!) But for starters, it is enough to just want to infuse non-violence into the way we think and then begin to act on it.
Desi at the memorial

The key is not just to think about violence in the obvious forms of war and bloodshed, but to realize that it is something we often apply, without a second thought, to the most mundane and unnecessary situations: not taking the time to listen to others, honking impatiently at the person in the car ahead of you who won't go as fast as you want them to, forming a prejudiced opinion of someone based on how they look or talk, or just saying an unkind word in an angry moment to someone else (even if you say sorry afterwards) are all forms of violence that we could well do without.

Best of all, like most good things, non-violence is habit-forming: try it for a while and you will get addicted to it. And who knows, maybe one day you will bring about world peace or start that school for needy kids in Africa (and go vegan, of course :))
The Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue where King was a pastor

One of the reasons many of us don't want to make the change is because we're afraid we'll be the only ones. Unfortunately, in our world, it's easier -- maybe even cooler-- to be a jerk than it is to be a saint. But is that a good reason for not even trying to do the right thing? Is it a good enough reason to let our world remain as flawed, as hurt, as violent as it is?

I'll end with a quote from Gandhi, inscribed under a statue of the Mahatma that stands at the King memorial in Atlanta, because no one could have said it better:

"Nonviolence, to be a potent force, must begin with the mind. Nonviolence of the mere body without the cooperation of the mind is nonviolence of the weak and the cowardly, and has, therefore, no potency. It is a degrading performance. If we bear malice and hatred in our bosoms and pretend not to retaliate, it must recoil upon us and lead to our destruction."

Spicy Fava Bean And Eggplant Stew

As the weather cools down, I get a craving for those chunky, hunky, red-blooded stews that get all my juices flowing.

My Fava Bean and Eggplant Stew is a perfect blend of deliciousness and nutrition and it is full-bodied enough to satisfy any appetite, especially when paired off with a bowl of rice or a crusty bread.

What I love about this stew is that is it stuffed with veggies: although I mention only eggplant in the title, there are green and red peppers, tomatoes, spring onions and potatoes in here. If you desire, you could even toss in some mushrooms or carrots or sweet potatoes or onions.

The fava beans, which are buttery and velvety, break down in the stew and thicken it. The veggies add plenty of texture as well as a bouquet of flavors.

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 Halwa.

This vegan Mango Halwa is a variation on my vegan Sheera recipe, but the finished dish tastes really different because here I add mango pulp instead of the banana which goes into the sheera. I'd be hard put to it to decide which one's better: they are each exquisitely delicious in their own way.

The halwa is not at all a guilty pleasure. It does contain sugar but since I always use the unrefined sort (like turbinado or organic cane sugar) that contains plenty of vitamins and minerals, I don't have to feel bad about eating it in moderation. The sooji or rava or cream of wheat or farina (all different names for the same stuff) that forms the base is made of wheat and good for you and so's the mango pulp. So eat up, folks!

Omana's Simple Peanut Curry

I have a surprise today-- a guest post from one of my oldest and dearest friends, Sangita. Sangita and I bonded at school in Bombay over our common love for everything literary. Sure, we were a little competitive when it came to impressing our English teacher, Mrs. Kutty, with essays and poems we had scribbled into our little notebooks, but we collaborated just as often to create literature projects for school and class exhibitions.

Our paths diverged when we went to different colleges, although we both -- despite our love for writing-- took up the sciences. I, after getting my undergrad degree in Physics, decided I'd rather be a journalist. Sangita on the other hand went on to get a doctorate in Physics but she keeps up her love for writing with her witty and thoughtful blog, Skaypisms.

During the times I hung out at Sangita's home as a teen, which was often, we shared some truly delicious food her mom cooked for us. One dish I have never forgotten was a great peanut curry, a specialty from the south Indian state of Kerala. Here, in her own, vivid words, Sangita shares her memories of cooking with her mom and her mom's recipe for this incredibly simple yet incredibly flavorful dish. Enjoy!


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Some teenagers are forever, I thought gloomily, when Vaishali asked me about my experiences cooking with my mother. My memory of mummy’s kitchen is always alive with all the wonderful smells of Keralite curries wafting through. And with the sounds of our ‘conversations’ when I attempted to cook anything. All teenagers have a period of adjustment with their mothers, but I realize that in her realm, I never really grew up. My experience cooking in my mother’s kitchen has always been, to say the least, colorful. The rest of the family watched in shameless amusement at our constant bickering and drama, the mother of all sitcoms. It gave the phrase TV dinner a whole new meaning.

Mummy is very particular about the ingredients that went into her curries, only the freshest, only the cleanest, only the best. Spinach was washed in a huge vat of water several times, and apples were scrubbed till the grime of Bombay slid away revealing gorgeous shades of red and gold. The spices had to go into the pot in a particular order, and she would more often than not, lecture me on the physics and chemistry of making a curry. But while a perfectionist renders brilliant results, her co-workers have a difficult time. Ask me. (And the good lord help me when mummy reads this blog!) Call it fate, but invariably in my mother’s kitchen, I do the wrong thing. Always.

“Aiyo! No, no! not like that!

Wait for the onions to get a tad more golden!

You’re putting in the garlic? Ohhh, what’s the point? It will melt away!”

“I know, mummy, I know, am I a ten year old? I can cook!” I retort, my voice shrill enough to shatter the glasses in the cabinet.

“Let it boil, let it boil! Else the turmeric will never get cooked. We’ll taste the raw turmeric! Oh! Have you ever tasted raw turmeric? I tell you, it’s not something you want to taste in your meal.”

Happy Diwali, All!

Gobi Manchurian (low-fat) And Stir-Fried Noodles

Two diverse cuisines hobnobbing together can produce some pretty tasty results, and a great example of that is Gobi (or Cauliflower) Manchurian.

We Indians have had a long love affair with Chinese food. Long before the '90s brought fast-food chains and their inevitable pizzas and burgers and other junk food pouring into Indian cities, it was Chinese food that most of us wanted when we craved something exotic and different. The food was in a cuisine class of its own and quite likely bore no strong resemblance to real Chinese cuisine since it was heavily adapted for our flavor-seeking tastebuds. At restaurants I have eaten stir-fried noodles seasoned with dry red chillies and mustard seeds and gravied Chinese dishes smothered in Indian spices like coriander and cumin.

Cauliflower Manchurian is one of the more popular products of Indian-Chinese cuisine and it has always been one of my favorites, with its sour-spicy notes and the crispy florets of cauliflower that melt in your mouth. Typically the cauliflower is deep-fried, which gives it that great crunch. Now while I do like to indulge in some deep-fried food once in a while, I also like to keep my meals pretty healthy most of the time. So I baked the cauliflower instead, saving on the fat calories, and the result was still delicious. In fact, I swear that the sauce is so flavorful, you'd never notice that the cauliflower was not deep-fried first. But if you do want the extra crunch, you can always choose to deep-fry the florets in my recipe.

To go with the manchurian I made some stir-fried Udon noodles. These couldn't be simpler-- they take minutes to make and taste great and they're loaded with veggies. Udon noodles are wheat noodles that are typically used in Japanese cuisine, but here I cooked them the Indian-Chinese way. Talk about fusion!

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 bottles to explode in a shower of lights, zameen chakkars swirling in a moment of frenzied glory before dying into blackened and burnt-out little discs on the floor.

Outside the window, the still-dark morning sparkled with a billion lights. Kandeels, colorful paper lanterns, surrounded by strings of tiny bulbs twinkled in the windows of each apartment. On the sills and outside doors were little earthen oil lamps, or diyas, their live flames traditional and indispensable symbols of the great festival of lights. At their front doors, the women in the neighborhood, beautiful in saris fringed with gold, anklets tinkling, moved around to create rangolis-- designs of multicolored sand poured through deft fingers-- to welcome the gods.

As a child, from the moment I opened my eyes, I would be filled with anticipation for the next five days into which, it seems, were crammed all of the most wonderful things in the world.

Once I was past what then seemed like the ordeal of an oil bath (my mother rubbing oil into my hands and legs and hair which would then be washed off with a fragrant herbal paste called utane-- a must for Diwali), I could run off to join my friends all dressed up in my new clothes, my own box of firecrackers in hand. My parents usually did not let us get the more dangerous firecrackers (and some of them could be pretty dangerous), but I was happy enough with the uncomplicated ones like sparklers and anaars that burst into a pretty fountain of colored lights.

All the time, what I really couldn't wait for was the food which would be brought out once all the adults were bathed and ready and had gone through the ritual of a Diwali pooja.

Support the HAPPY Act in Congress

A quick post today to call on all of you to support a bill in Congress that would give responsible pet parents a break at tax time.

Introduced by Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, a Republican from Michigan, the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act would allow pet parents to deduct up to $3,500 in pet care costs each year.

In these tough economic times thousands of people who love their pets have been forced to give them up after losing their jobs or homes or both. Because although it is very true that pets don't ask for much, it doesn't mean they don't cost much.

My three dogs and two cats lead a pretty no-frills life: they eat healthy and sleep in comfortable beds I buy at Costco, stay in a clean and safe but unfancy boarding kennel when we travel, and play with toys I buy in a thrift store. All the kids get groomed at home with the only exception being two visits to the groomer each year for Freddie whose fast-growing silky hair is too complicated for us to handle.

But medical costs for dogs and cats can be daunting-- between checkups for all our pets, vaccines and daily meds, a cardiologist for Freddie who has a mitral valve relapse, and frequent vet visits for Opie who suffers from hypothyroidism, arthritis and mild hip dysplasia, our pets take a bigger bite out of our resources than we ourselves do.

While I cannot imagine giving up my pets under any circumstance, I can see why some people are left with no choice. But how cruel it must be for those who love their pets and need their unconditional love during tough times to have to give them up too. Even worse, many of these pets end up being euthanized in shelters because there are not enough homes for them.

Even if you don't have a pet at home you can surely understand how important it is to keep animals in loving homes. Please go to the ASPCA advocacy center now and urge your congressman to support the HAPPY Act, H. R. 3501. It'll take a minute of your time but think of what a difference you will make to all those beautiful animals and their grateful parents out there!

On the same note, here's another suggestion for more direct ways to help keep animals in loving homes that are going through rough times. I often clip newspaper coupons for pet food and treats that I can buy for cents or sometimes get for free at the grocery store or pet store, and then I take them to my local animal shelter. They donate the stuff to pet parents who cannot afford to buy food for their animals but are eager to hold on to them.

I also sometimes ask friends and neighbors for donations of any old blankets and towels that I can take to the shelter. Animal shelters house dogs in runs that get unbearably chilly during the cold months, and given that most shelters are run by the city, they usually have very limited resources to keep the dogs warm. And trust me, they are always grateful for anything you can bring in.

The picture at the top of the page is of a super-sweet rescue who was waiting for adoption as part of a drive organized by the Humane Society of Charlotte in the Bank of America corporate headquarters building in Charlotte, North Carolina, which was one of our road-trip stops last week. All the dogs were incredibly gorgeous and super-friendly (my face was sticky with all the kisses I got!)

I think this guy's name was Murphy...who could resist that innocent face?

Moong Dal Dosa, And Mayberry

Mount Airy is a gorgeous, sleepy town nestled in the valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains right near where North Carolina meets Virginia.

Once you've driven into town past the inevitable neon-lit fast-food restaurants, gas stations and strip malls, the landscape becomes kinder and gentler. The houses are small, the yards neat, and the streets rolling up and down show off breathtaking views in the distance.

By 5 pm all the shops on Main Street are closed. The only activity and sounds come from a handful of tourists taking pictures of the storefronts of Barney's Cafe, Opie's Candy Shop and Floyd's Barber Shop. Outside the cafe-- a diner straight from the '60s with the picture of an iconic, bumbling sheriff's deputy displayed large in the window--a sign announces classic southern dishes like chicken and dumplings, sweet potato pie and all sorts of desserts for $2 apiece. A little further down the street are signs telling you where you can find Wally's gas station and the old courthouse.
If Mount Airy is beginning to sound a lot like Mayberry, the fictional town popularized in the Andy Griffith Show, a television sitcom way back from the '60s, you're right on the money. Mount Airy is the place where Andy Griffith was born, and the town that he is supposed to have based Mayberry on. Mount Airy, in turn, seems to be returning the compliment wholeheartedly by modeling itself on its fictional counterpart.

On our road trip this past week, we dropped in on Mount Airy en route from Charlotte, North Carolina, to say a quick "Hey."
Desi and I started watching reruns of this series when we moved to the United States in the 90s. It was easy to sink into the snug comfort of a black-and-white world where everyone knows one another, is nice to each other, helps each other out, and where no problem cannot be solved in 30 minutes. (And now you know why we named one of our dogs, Opie, after the character a very young and adorable Ron Howard played in the series :).)

If Horses Had Wishes...

What comes to your mind when you hear the words "animal cruelty"?

Dogs shrunk down to the bone with hunger, perhaps, or left chained and uncared for in backyards by irresponsible people? Cats with tails burned off by some evil kid? Or, if you read this blog and other animal issues pages, perhaps the cruel treatment of animals raised for food in factory farms?

These are the most obvious instances of animal cruelty and it doesn't take much understanding nor vision to recognize them as such. It's the sort of stuff most of us would shrink away from in pain and anger and disgust.

But what if I told you that each day of your life you accept animal cruelty-- even perpetrate it-- without blinking an eye?

Kande Pohe

Miles and miles of beautiful beaches. Seas, rivers, lakes. Crooked mountain roads that make you feel you are on a roller coaster instead of in a car. Breathlessly grand mansions. The birthplace of a man whose message of peace and nonviolence resonates to this day, more than 40 years since he was assassinated, and the birthplace of a television icon. A dear friend. Harley Davidsons on the highway. And four statehouses, each more beautiful than the last.

That, in a nutshell, is where Desi and I were for the last eight days, doing one of the things we love most: taking a road trip.

For all the years we have lived in this country, we have been in love with this wonderful American tradition. Before we got our large family of critters, Desi and I would hop into our car almost every weekend to explore some part of the country, obscure or popular. Over the past seven years since we expanded our family the road trips have become fewer in number but that doesn't mean we don't try to escape at the first available chance.

This time we made a visit to the home of a friend, Navami, who lives in Atlanta, the focus of our road trip. But to get to her and back home we charted a route through seven cities, including four state capitols (Desi collects those with a historian-newsman's zeal :)).

Bell Peppers Stuffed With Brown Rice

I'm on the road for a week starting today, but before I leave I wanted to share this quick, easy AND healthy recipe that's one of my favorites: Brown-Rice-Stuffed Bell Peppers.

I love making this with different color peppers just because it makes for such an attractive presentation, but if you have just one color that's perfectly fine too. Here's a little secret: although I don't usually discriminate among my veggies, I do have a favorite among bell peppers: the green ones. I know they don't have as much Vitamin A and all that as the riper red versions, but so far as flavor goes, the green ones are the ones to beat.

You can get creative with this stuffing: I added bell peppers, potatoes and onions to it, but zucchini, greens like spinach, carrots and mushrooms would all be great in here. I also added some peanuts to the rice, but feel free to use other nuts like cashews.

I top off the stuffed bell peppers with what I call my cheese substitute: only a healthier version. Breadcrumbs mixed with some miso. Trust me, this is so amazing, Desi thought he was eating cheese. Besides miso is one of the greatest foods you can put into your body, packed as it is with digestive enzymes and protein. The topping also keeps the rice stuffing from getting too dry and crunchy, so try not to skip it.