Red Lentil (Masoor Dal) Sprouts Sundal | Stir Fried Sprouts with Spices and Coconut

A gorgeous side dish of sprouted lentils today. Gorgeous AND delicious, South Indian sundals are dry lentil dishes with spices. They are a traditional food during the Navaratri Hindu Festival.

We have many sundal recipes – you can explore them here. Or browse our Indian recipes here and here. Be inspired by our Spring recipes here and here.

Spiced Quinces

Autumn of course is a time of change. It takes me a while to get into the swing of Autumn but beautiful foods like pomegranates and quinces help. I get a few buckets of quinces from a friend’s farm each year. Not a great lover of quince tarts, pies, etc, I generally bake them all and use the beautiful results for jams, fresh chutneys, syrups, sauces and to feed my freezer (so that I can continue to have jams, chutneys, syrups, sauces throughout the year). This is how I bake them.

We have other Quince recipes too. Try Quince Jam/Jelly, Quince Paste, Afghani Quinces with Split Peas, Indian Quince Pickles, and Slow Cooked Sweet Spiced Quinces.

Or browse all of our Quince recipes, and you might like to read about Autumn Preserving. Chris Manfield’s recipes are here. Also, explore our Mid Autumn collection of dishes.

Mooli and Golden Pumpkin Curry | Daikon Radish and Pumpkin Curry

An underused vegetable, Daikon Radish or White Radish is the feature of this curry. Mixed with Butternut or Jap Pumpkin, it is a golden delight. Potatoes can be used instead of daikon.

You might also like to try Spicy Pumpkin, a great Pumpkin Soup, or a Daikon Salad. Read more about Daikon Radish here, and there are more pumpkin recipes here and here. Or browse our Indian Recipes here and here. Be inspired by our easy Winter recipes here and here.

Pudla and Crispy Battered Onion Rings | Two Recipes using Chickpea Flour

I have to say, chickpea flour is the best! So versatile, if I was to be marooned on a desert island, it is one of the pantry ingredients that I would take with me. From the beautiful Farinata, to a stabliser in yoghurt curry, to crispy batters and fritter-like little dosas, it brings joy into the kitchen. Going by different names, you may recognise Chickpea Flour as Besan, or Gram Flour.

Make these two quick recipes in no time at all. They make a lovely sunny breakfast on the terrace – Pudla, Crispy Battered Onion Rings, Lentils, Tomatoes, Curd (yoghurt) and deep fried yoghurt dried chillies. Finish it off with a nice crispy, slightly sour apple.

Pudla is also called Cheela, Puda or Pooda, and there are versions from many parts of India. They are a fairly relaxed form of Dosa.

You might also like to try Pudla with Green Coriander, Chickpea Flour Pudla, or Chickpea Flour “Cakes” with Tomato Salsa. All Pudla recipes are here. Or browse our Indian Recipes here and here. Be inspired by our Spring recipes here and here.

Seasoned Sambar, Method One

A treat that you can give yourself is a wonderful South Indian Sambar, a South Indian soupy spicy dish, generally served over rice or with dosa.

This recipe is interpreted from the doyenne of South Indian cooking, S. Meenakshi Ammal. Her books, Cook and See (in four parts) are a goldmine of traditional South Indian cooking. Sometimes hard to interpret for the novice non-Indian cook, her recipes take a bit of detective work, planning, thinking, rewriting, and discussing. But if you are serious about real and traditional Indian food, these books are a treasure.

You can read more about Sambars and their characteristics here.

Are you looking for other Sambar recipes? Try Sundakkai Sambar, and Moru Sambar.

For Meenakshi Ammal’s other Sambars, try her different ways of making this dish – Method Two, Method Three and Method Four. Each is delicious!

Browse all of our Sambar and Kuzhambu dishes, and all of our Indian recipes. Or eat seasonally and explore our collection of Early Spring dishes.

Nasi Lemak| Balinese Coconut Rice

An aromatic rice that will have all of your neighbours coming to your door hoping for a taste of this beautiful rice. A Balinese recipe that I bought back with me from a food trip to Bali.

Check our different Coconut Rice Recipes. In previous years I was making Peppered Rice, Makhana Palak, and Making Ghee.

You might like to browse all of our rice recipes here and here. Balinese recipes are here and here. Be inspired by our Spring recipes here and here.

Kadhi | Yoghurt Curry

A Yoghurt Curry, another wonderful spice dish where the flavours are carried on silky, beautiful yoghurt. How special this easy curry is. It is a fairly standard recipe, where a a double layer of spiciness is achieved through a spice paste for the yoghurt, and the tadka added at the end.

I love yoghurt and this dish is a firm favourite.

Explore more Indian Yoghurt curries and dishes here. You might like to see more yoghurt dishes here and here. Or browse our Indian Recipes here and here. Be inspired by our Spring recipes here and here.

Turtle Bean Soup | Black Bean Soup

A great Soup provides such great joie d’vivre on a cold night.

This  recipe for Turtle Beans can be slow cooked in the Rice Cooker on the slow-cook setting, in a slow cooker or on the st. Turtle Beans have a dense, earthy texture and flavor, slightly salty and reminiscent of mushrooms. This dish can be used as a thick soup, or served over rice.

The recipe is for a slow cooked version, but it can be adapted for the stove top. I have also made this soup with whole masoor – whole red lentils – with great success.

You might like to see the du Puy Lentil recipes here and here. Or browse the Soup recipes here and here. Be inspired by our Winter recipes here and here.

Coconut Dosa | South Indian Coconut Flatbread

The making of dosa. A journey in itself.

Browse other Dosa recipes here, and other Indian Recipes here and here. Be inspired by our Autumn recipes here and here.

Gentle Vegetables a la Grecque | Vegetables Poached in Wine

Oh how seductive are Autumn mornings. Full of golden light, rayed so jaw-droopingly beautifully through the leaves. Plants in autumn reach up lovingly to the sun, after months of shrinking away from the heat of summer. Long tendrils holding flowers wave in the breezes and welcome your passing smile — they nod knowingly in that gentle breeze. Chives and spring onions are flowering. Geraniums as red as lipstick. Mint and lemon verbena. Bog sage. Curry leaf. Earlier, my Lemongrass flowered — the first time ever!

How fitting then to find a recipe of matching gentleness, a warm salad of wine poached baby veggies, needing nothing else but the magnificent flavours of plants, leaves, wine and the very best of oils. Yes, Ottolenghi, you understand Autumn.

Are you after other a la Greque dishes? Try Slow Braised Fennel with Chilli, Garlic and Orange, Zucchini a la Grecque, and Parsley Braised with Olive Oil and Tomatoes.

You might like to browse other Ottolenghi recipes and all of our a la Grecque recipes. Be inspired by our collection of Mid Autumn recipes.

Potato and Sweet Potato Spicy Curry | A British “Vindaloo”

This dish is perfect for the peace of Autumn and it’s fantastic light. It originates from Yotam Ottolenghi‘s book Plenty. A present, it is my one of most loved cookbooks. This man is a wizard with food, both the visual and the flavour combinations. It’s not difficult or pretentious food, simply a delight to cook and to eat.

Just for the celebration of Autumn is Two-Potato “Vindaloo”, a spicy dish of potatoes and sweet potatoes. There are some adjustments from the original recipe because by habit I use some of the spices slightly differently. Best made during a slow afternoon, it takes 2 — 2.5 hours to make. But they are not difficult hours — you could delve into your favourite book in the Autumn sun while this bubbles away on the stove-top. Oh and by the way, your house will be headily scented with the most magnificent spicy aroma.

Are you looking for Sweet Potato recipes? Why not try Creamy Baked Sweet Potato, Madras Curry of Sweet Potato, Eggplant and Spinach, Caramelised Sweet Potato, and Sweet Potato Wedges.

We have some other recipes from Goa for you. Try Crispy Fried Okra, Sweet Surnoli Dosa, and Coconut Rice Roti.

You might like to browse other Ottolenghi recipes. Or explore other recipes from Goa. Other Potato recipes are here and other Sweet Potato recipes here. Or be inspired by our Mid Autumn recipes.

Panaka/Panagam | Indian Limeaide | A Summer Drink

This is a lovely Summer Drink of Indian origin. Panaka is an Indian Limeaide, sweet, tangy and very refreshing.

You might to also browse our drinks collection here. and here. Our favourite is Mango Lassi. You might like our Indian recipes here and here, or be inspired by the Summer recipes here and here.

Haloumi Pizza with Oven Dried Tomatoes

Trawling the Farmer’s markets, the result was a full shopping bag topped with some sweet autumn cherry tomatoes, some rapé (rapini), and my favourite organic pizza dough. They came together in a pizza.

Take a look at our other pizzas here and here, and a collection of tomato recipes here and here. Check out our oven dried tomatoes here and here. Find inspiration in our Autumn recipes here and here.

Tofu, Sesame and Spinach Napoleons | Tofu Stacks with Spinach and Sesame

This wonderful dish, full of the flavours of Japan without being Japanese, the flavours of SE Asia without being South East Asian, became an instant family success. We made it often, but somehow, as we no longer all live so close together, it has fallen from our menus. When I do make it again, I recall why we loved it so much, and give myself 2 helpings.

The first time this dish was served to the gathering family, all went silent as they ate, tasted, yet could not get the words from their tastebuds to their brain to their mouths. Silent eating, always the mark of a great dish.

It makes a great first course – or a light meal.

You might like to browse our tofu recipes here and here, or Spinach recipes here and here. Find inspiration in our Summer recipes here and here.

Ven Pongal | Savoury Pongal | South Indian Kitchari

I have been involved in one of the most joyous activities for someone who loves cooking and loves Indian food – testing and proofing Indian Festival recipes for a publication soon to be released.. The publication will outline 15 Indian festivals and associated activities, including traditional foods that are cooked by families during the festival. The publications are aimed at Western audiences, and for media, ideal for when they want more information about Indian traditions. It will also be perfect for those who have lost touch with or are curious about the traditions of India and want more information.

I was involved in testing a number of dishes, including this one which did not make the final cut. Never mind, it is your gain! I hope to bring you the other dishes once the publication is released.

Really, there is nothing like Ven Pongal with hot sambar and some coconut chutney on the side. Add a cup of hot coffee and life is perfect.

There are all sorts of Rice+Mung Dal dishes in India. Try Bisibelebhath, Parsi Kitchari (a very simple kitchari) and Sakkarai Pongal.

Are you looking for Indian Rice recipes? Try Pepper Rice, South Indian Coconut Rice, Balinese Coconut Rice, Masala Lemon or Lime Rice, Tamarind Rice, and Urad Dal Garlic Rice.

Browse all of our Pongal recipes, all of our Kitchari recipes (there are many), and all of our Rice recipes here. Or be inspired by our Late Summer recipes.

For some reading, explore different kinds of rice, and the Difference between Kitchari and Risotto.