Caramelised Onion Salad with Bitter Greens and Pinenuts

I classify this recipe as an Easy Salad, but you do need to plan ahead to have enough time to caramelise the onions. Depending on your onions and your preference, this can take up to 45 mins of slow cooking. But don’t be dictated to by me – cook the onions to your preferred level of caramelisation. The longer you cook them, the sweeter they are, and this pairs nicely with the bitterness of the greens.

Add some orange segments if you care too – they are so nice with this salad. I particularly like this salad with with the Slightly Pickled Jicama and Citrus Salad.

Are you after other Onion recipes? Try South Indian Spring Onion Soup, Onion Marmalade, and Sweet Onion Salad with Coriander Spice.

You can browse all of our Salads (there are quite a few, take your time), or you can check our Salads for different seasons by clicking on the Seasonal Cooking menu item at the top of this page. All of our Onion dishes are here, or you can browse our Radicchio recipes, Endive and Belgian Endive recipes, and Escarole dishes. Or simply explore our Early Winter dishes.

Lightly Pickled Jicama and Citrus Salad | Yam Bean and Citrus Salad

This recipe is a salad that is tangy and juicy. It is refreshing and clean tasting with the crispy, apple flavoured jicama (yam bean) marinated in a variety of citrus juices.

Marinate the jicama for at least an hour, and you can leave it overnight in the fridge if you like, ready to be made the next day.

When you find a good supplier, jicama is available for a most of the year, and it is a versatile ingredient, useful both raw and cooked. We find it readily available in our local Asian grocery.

Are you looking for more Jicama recipes? Try Pickled Jicama, Vegetable Sticks with Spices, and Spicy Radish and Jicama Salad with Coconut Milk.

Browse all of our Jicama dishes, and all of our Salads. Or explore our Late Autumn collection of recipes.

Avocado Smash with Radishes | Spread, Dip or Salad

Sometimes you don’t quite want a guacamole, you want a bit more than smashed avo, and you want to use that ripe avocado, mashed and tasty, to pile onto sourdough toast. Or to use as a salad. Well, here we have that recipe for you.

Are you looking for other Avocado dishes? Try Avocado Salad with Pomelo, Cucumber and Avocado Salad, and Roasted Sweetcorn and Avocado Salad.

Or Radish Salads? Try Wombok and Radish Salad with Peanut Dressing, Radish Salad with Coconut Milk, and Cucumber and Radish Slightly Pickled Salad.

Or perhaps you are looking for other Dips and Spreads? Try Fava Bean Spread with Dill, Zhug – Coriander Chilli Spread, and Babaganoush.

Browse all of our Avocado dishes and all of our Dips. Or explore all of our Late Autumn collection of recipes.

Maddur Vadai

When the rains come, then snacks are needed, and it is the same here as it is in India, even though the temperatures are about 20C less than what they might be in India. Snacks means deep-fried too, but it it is a treat, who is to mind?

These are flat vadai, a little like thattai, and very delicious. Grab your flours from your Indian grocery and don’t substitute all purpose flours.

Maddur Vadai, named after the town of Maddur in South Indian, are also sometimes spelt Maddur Vadai.

Are you looking for other Vadai? Try Paruthithurai Vadai – a Thattai Vadai from Sri Lanka, and Kothimber Wada. There are also Gram flour Vada that are made to go into a Kuzhambu, but can be eaten as snacks as well.

Browse all of our Vadai, and all of our Indian recipes. Our Snacks are here. Or relax and browse our Late Autumn dishes.

Pineapple Pulissery | Pineapple in a Spicy Yoghurt Sauce from Kerala

This is another recipe from my cooking session in Kovalam in Kerala. My scribbled notes have recently come to light again – Chef cooked and I helped and observed and tried desperately to copy down the recipes.

This recipe can be made with okra, Indian cucumber, green mango and plantain (green banana), but today we use pineapple. It is easy to make, and so very delicious – I am sure that you will love it.

Pineapple Pulissery is a delicate dish with aromatic flavours of mustard seed, cumin seed and curry leaves with chilli and black pepper. It is from Kerala, that beautiful tropical state on the West Coast of India.  Pineapple curry is also a traditional dish from the Sri Lankan cuisine, and there it is also a delightful sweet and spicy curry.

Are you looking for other Pineapple dishes? We don’t cook with it very often so don’t have anything to offer you right now. But check back here in the future – I am sure there will be more.

Would you like more Pulissery dishes? Try Mambazha Pulissery – a sweet and sour Mango dish.

Our other Kerala dishes include Green Mango in Coconut Milk, Simple Cabbage Thoran, Olan and Avial.

Browse all of our Pineapple dishes, Pulissery recipes, Kerala dishes and all of our Indian recipes. Or if you would rather, explore our Late Autumn dishes.

Three Citrus Salad with Green Chilli, Ginger and Crunchy Almond Salsa

It’s late Autumn, and it is such a beautiful season. Included in the abundant bounty available before we head into Winter is the first of the citrus. As soon as they are available, we look for Pomelo and Ruby Grapefruit for some tangy salads before the blanket of Winter douses all thoughts of salads and other cold foods.

Nopi, a different style of book from Ottolenghi, one based on recipes from his restaurant, has a Citrus Salad perfectly suited for this season. It pairs the citrus with bitter greens and a salsa made from some oven-toasted almonds whizzed with spices and seeds into a salsa. Perfect! He calls it a punchy, crunchy salsa.

This would make a perfect pre-cursor to a main meal, or as a side salad to other dishes – try it with dishes that incorporate grilled items, simple tofu dishes, or a soft and gentle grain or lentil dish.

Are you looking for other Pomelo recipes? Try  Pomelo with Avocado Salad, and Pomelo Salad with Asian Flavours.

Or would you like other Belgian Endive (Witlof) dishes? Try Belgian Endive Cooked in its Own Juice and Butter, Grilled Witlof Salad with Dill and Shallots, and Caramelised Belgian Endive with a Cheesy Topping.

Browse all of our Pomelo recipes, all Belgian Endive dishes, and all of Ottolenghi dishes that we have tried. Or enjoy our collection of easy Late Autumn dishes.

Fresh or Dried Figs Salad with Blue Cheese

Oh Figs! How much I love Autumn because of the produce (and the colours), and figs feature so strongly in that love. But what to do when the short Fig season ends?

Middle Eastern shops often stock dried figs, lovely whole round beauties that are different to the dried figs that you might find in the supermarket. They are lovely to snack on whole, but also, when they are soaked, they taste so much like figs, with a familiar internal texture.

This salad is wonderful with fresh figs, do try it. But today we made it with soaked, dried figs. It is different, but the sweet figs with the blue cheese is so lovely. And it is great to be able to make this salad outside of fig season.

Are you looking for more Fig recipes? Try Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Figs, Fig Salad with Almonds, and Baked Figs with Thyme.

Are you looking for other salads? These will be just what you are looking for – there are quite a few.

Browse all of our Fig recipes here. Or take some time out with a cuppa to browse our Late Autumn dishes.

Sundakkai Sambar | Fresh Turkey Berry Sambar

Who isn’t a fan of Sundakkai, those little bursts of crunch and flavour, also known as the Pea Eggplant. Pea-sized they are, but pack a punch in the flavour department. They are also called Turkey Berry, Devil’s Fig, Prickly Nightshade, Shoo-shoo Bush, and Wild Eggplant.

Fresh Sundakkai are used in dishes such as Sambar, Kuzhambu, Poritha Kuzhambu and Kootu. They are also sun-dried, a salty, slightly bitter vathal that can be used in Rasam, Sambar and Kuzhambu. I also like to powder the dried ones, after sauteing, and use quite untraditionally as a sprinkle over non-Indian salads and other dishes.

This dish is a Sambar made with the sundakkai. You will find it delicious with wonderful flavours. The Turkey Berries first need to be picked from their stems. This is the sort of job that is similar to shelling peas or peeling broad beans – best done while watching your favourite show on TV or sitting outside in the sunshine. Then rinse them well in cold water.

Are you after other Sundakkai dishes? We are planning others, so check back here when you get a chance.

Would you like other Sambar dishes? Try Seasoned Sambar, another version of Seasoned Sambar, and Moru Sambar.

Browse all of our Sundakkai dishes, all of our Sambar recipes and all of our Indian recipes. Or take some relaxing time to explore all of our Late Autumn dishes.

Bistecche di Melanzane | Eggplant Steaks

Leftover eggplant in the fridge? Don’t quite know what to do with it? No matter what you are serving tonight, this Italian dish from Bugialli will blend. In no time at all you will be enjoying the wonderful soft texture of well cooked eggplant contrasted with the crunch of breadcrumbs. It makes a great starter with a green leaf or two, it can accompany any other dish for a a multi dish meal, or it can take centre place with a salad and chickpeas.

Eggplant will soak up whatever you soak it in. This recipe utilises this property well by marinating the eggplant before baking. Yummy! This is so good, I do hope that you try it.

Are you looking for other Eggplant dishes? Try Eggplants in a Creamy Peanut Gravy, Roasted Eggplant with a Garlic Sauce, and Eggplant, Sultanas and Pinenuts.

All of our Eggplant recipes can be browsed here, and have a look at other Bugialli recipes. Or explore our wonderful collection of Late Autumn dishes.

Also, feel free to browse other vegetarian recipes from our first blog in existence from 1995 – 2006, in our Retro Recipes series.

Aubergines Fourrées | Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Cheese and Tomatoes

You will really enjoy this recipe. Softened eggplants are slit and fanned, and its slices interwoven with cheese, tomatoes and peppers. They are then baked on a bed of the sweetest caramelised onions, and the cheese melts. If, like me, you use mozzarella, it oozes everywhere! Cheesey Eggplants – who can resist?

If you use a cheese that holds its shape during baking it won’t form a bed of oozy cheese but rather stay in the eggplant, but we love this oozing aspect of the dish. It is perfect for Late Autumn.

It’s a French recipe, so I suggest some French wine and a green salad, for a light lunch eaten outside on a gorgeous Autumn day sitting under a gorgeously coloured tree raining leaves. Do enjoy!

Would you like more Eggplant recipes? Try Cheese and Eggplant Torte, Roasted Eggplant with a Garlic Sauce, and Persian Style Eggplant.

Browse all of our Aubergine recipes and all of our French dishes. Our Baked recipes are here. Or enjoy our Late Autumn dishes.

Feel free to browse vegetarian recipes from our first blog which was in existence from 1995 – 2006, in our Retro Recipes series.

Sweet Potato Subzi | Shakarkand ki Subzi

We have a little love affair with Sweet Potato going on. This little subzi really hits the spot. Winter + Sweet Potatoes + Spice is a great equation that equals flavour and comfort.

Are you looking for other Sweet Potato dishes? You will like this Sweet and Sour Pumpkin, definitely. Also our Sweet Potato Poriyal. Try Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Figs, and Potato and Sweet Potato Curry.

Are you looking for other Subzi dishes? Try Kohlrabi Subzi, Potato Subzi, and Aloo Palak Subzi.

Browse all of our Sweet Potato recipes here and here. We have a categorised list of our Indian dishes too. Or simply check our easy Winter recipes here and here.

Simple Poritha Kuzhambu | A South Indian Lentil Based Gravy with Vegetable for Over Rice

Poritha kuzhambu  or Poricha kuzhambu is a style of kuzhambu that often includes coconut in its ground spice mix – this is the most defining characteristic of a Poritha Kuzhambu. This recipe is lentil based which can be made with either Toor Dal as we do here, or Green Gram Dal (Mung Dal). Although some Poritha Kuzhambu recipes can contain tamarind, this one does not.

This dish is not spicy, with very little spice added. It celebrates the taste and textures of the dal and the vegetable. You will enjoy it. It uses a per-prepared Sambar Powder, which you can purchase at an Indian grocery, or make your own.

Sometimes Poritha Kuzhambu is called a Lentil Vegetable Stew. That is not entirely accurate. There is no real equivalent in our cuisine – perhaps it can be described as a Lentil Based Gravy with a Vegetable, to eat over rice. It flavours the rice and the rice compliments the kuzhambu. I love kuzhambu so much, I will also eat a small bowl of it like a soup.

Are you looking for other Poritha Kuzhambu recipes? Try Poritha Kuzhambu with Tamarind and Amaranth, Pitlai, Poritha Kuzhambu with Chilli and Cumin,  and Chidambaram Brinjal Kothsu.

Or Drumstick recipes? Try Sampangi Pitlai, Race Kuzhambu and Drumstick Kadhi.

Feel free to browse all of our Poritha Kuzhambu recipes, all of our Kuzhambu recipes, and our Indian recipes. Drumstick recipes are here. You may also like to browse our easy Early Winter recipes.

Achari Mushrooms | Spicy Mushrooms

Achari dishes are so-called because they use the same set of spices that are commonly used in pickles (achar) in North India. Achari can refer to almost any ingredient – mushrooms, eggplant, paneer, okra, potatoes, and more. The recipes are more or less the same for the different ingredients. Today we are making Achari Mushrooms.

Spices are roasted and ground to a powder to make an Achari Masala, the spice mix common to the Achari dishes and also to pickles. A tomato gravy is made with the spices and the mushrooms are briefly simmered in the gravy.

Are you looking for other Mushroom recipes? Try Slow Cooked Creamy Mushrooms, the Perfect Mushrooms Sauce, and Mushroom Curry with Tomato-Yoghurt Sauce.

Try this dish that also uses Panch Phoron: Pear, Celery and Fennel Salad with Panch Phoron Crunch.

Browse all of the Mushroom dishes, all of our Punjabi dishes and all of the Bengali dishes. Or explore all of our Indian dishes. Alternatively take some time to browse our collection of Late Autumn dishes.

Roasted Sweetcorn and Avocado Salad

We are in the middle of a run of very simple salads, easy to throw together, many of them traditional combinations, simple ingredients, but none the less flavoursome. It is really nice to go back to basics and have, say, a cucumber salad that is dressed with a little oil and the vinegar from the jar of jicama pickles. It is really very lovely.

This relatively simple salad is perhaps a slightly Mexican combination. It mixes roasted sweet corn, avocado and tomatoes. Simple. Fresh. Tangy with lime juice. I have tarted it up this time, with some pomegranate, feta and greens. Some pickles too, for variety, jicama and cumquat. Each time we make it, its a little different. That is the good thing about salads. Some Pickled Lemon Rind would be good too.

Are you after more Salads? We have so many. Try these Avocado Salads: Cucumbers and Avocado Salad.  and Pomelo Salad with Avocado.

Or these Tomato Salads: My Mother’s Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Du Puy Lentils with Feta and Tomatoes, and Tomato and Peach Salad.

You can browse all of our Salads here. All of our Sweetcorn recipes are here, all of our Avocado recipes here, and all of our Tomato recipes here. Or simply explore our Late Autumn dishes.

Aloo Gobi | Potatoes and Cauliflower with a Yoghurt Based Sauce

This is a surprising and wonderful dish from India. You can’t imagine how good the combination is just by looking at the list of ingredients. There is something quite magical about Aloo Gobi.

This particular recipe combines a paste of coconut, green chilli and green coriander leaves with spices and the potatoes and cauliflower. It makes for a wonderfully flavoured dish of this famous vegetable combination. Cauliflower and potatoes do go so well together.

Try to find a kadhai (Indian wok) for your Indian cooking if you can. They are generally available from Indian grocery shops. A kadhai will make it easier to cook many Indian dishes.

I would also recommend reading this article on cooking with yoghurt that will help you avoid the yoghurt splitting.

• Cooking with Yoghurt

Are you looking for other Potato dishes? Try Potatoes Baked with Cumin and Tomato, Subudana Kitchari with Potatoes and Peanuts, and Tandoori Aloo.