My Signature Dishes

Gluten-free, Maharashtrian, My Signature Dishes, Recipes, Regional, Vegan

Olya Harbharyachi Amti / Saar / Green Chickpea Soup / ओल्या हरभऱ्याची आमटी

We take so many things for granted in our kitchen; if we want to make a quick ‘chole’ we can easily grab a tin of chickpeas from the store cupboard, pop it open, pour it into a pan with some fried onion, garlic, spices etc. turn up the heat and a few minutes later it’s […]

Maharashtrian, My Signature Dishes, Recipes, Regional, Vegan

Turichya Ghugrya / Whole Pigeon Pea curry

Turichya ghugrya / तुरीच्या घुगऱ्या aka whole pigeon peas or whole toor beans with pearl millet flatbread / बाज़रीची भाकरी is a winter staple where I grew up in India and a meal I fondly remember having at my grandparents’, all of whom were farmers. They knew their food way better than I do today.  […]

horse gram sprouting
Gluten-free, My Signature Dishes, Recipes, Vegan

How to sprout horse gram and other legumes?

Other than increasing the nutrient value of legumes, sprouting also enhances their flavour and makes them easily digestible.  Horse gram, a much underrated and inexpensive legume from India, is actually one of the most protein-rich lentils on the planet. It’s a powerhouse of protein, essential amino acids, carbohydrates, calcium, iron and fibre so no wonder […]

Gluten-free, Indian, Maharashtrian, My Signature Dishes, Recipes, Regional, Vegan

Black-Eyed Bean Curry / Chawli Chi Usal

Black-eyed beans (also called black-eyed peas or ‘chawli’, ‘chavli’ or ‘lobia’ in India) are a much-underrated legume. Known as ‘usal’ (pronounced ‘oo-sal’) in the region of India I come from, this dish gives me some mean cravings in autumn when the weather starts to get a bit chilly and damp in the UK. These pale […]

Pudina Chivda
Gluten-free, Indian, Maharashtrian, My Signature Dishes, Recipes, Regional, Vegan

Pudina Poha Chiwda / Pudinyacha Chivda / Mint Flavoured Flattened Rice Snack / पातळ पोह्यांचा चिवडा

I don’t need a festival like Diwali to enjoy my delicious stash of ‘chivda’ or ‘chiwda’. I make it throughout the year whenever my stocks are low, mainly to satisfy my untimely but guilt-free snack hunger pangs. Also, I enjoy savoury breakfasts a tad more than sweet ones and this Maharashtrian chiwda ticks all my […]