My first experience with South Indian fare was in Toronto, in a buzzing, cafeteria-style restaurant that looked like a food court in any American mall, but instead of fast food, the offering consisted of the most mind-blowing, bold-flavored South Indian dishes that weren’t like anything I’d ever tasted before. That ended up being one of the most memorable meals of my life. Since then, I’ve continued to seek out restaurants that specialized in South Indian cuisine, but rarely considered trying my hand at any of the dishes at home. Chitra Agrawal’s debut cookbook Vibrant India changed all of that for me. Chitra has spent years documenting her family’s traditionally vegetarian South Indian recipes on her blog, as well as adapting them to use the local, seasonal produce that she comes across in Brooklyn, where she lives. Her cookbook is a stunning collection of modern recipes, which honor her mother’s South Indian heritage, rooted in the ayurvedic tradition. The cookbook truly opens up a whole new world of cooking to those of us used to a more Western approach to food (and we are giving away a copy, see below :D ).
In a her intro, Chitra explains the difference between North and South Indian cooking, and chances are, the Indian food you’ve tried likely originated in the North – think naan, samosas and curries. Cuisine from the South is generally characterized by the use of lentils, rice and specific spice mixtures in dishes like dosa and sambar – delicious stuff that doesn’t get nearly as much attention in the West.
The book is filled with Chitra’s super comprehensive explanations of Indian cooking techniques like tempering spices, etc., which takes the intimidation factor out of the recipes. Turns out, making flavorful and authentically rooted South Indian dishes at home is totally doable. I’ve already made the Dosa, Lemony Lentil Soup, Banana, Coconut and Cardamom Ice Cream, as well as a few of the rices, and each one came out explosive in flavor, as well nourishing to the core. One of my favorite chapters turned out to be the Rice and Bread chapter, which offers a ton of ideas on preparing rice to be enjoyed as a main dish. Who would have thought that basmati rice could be so flavorful and substantial?! There are recipes for Lemon Peanut Rice, Fragrant Eggplant and Green Pepper Rice, Coconut Rice with Cashews, and Yogurt Rice with Pomegranate and Mint, but my favorite one of all turned out to be the Lime and Dill Rice with Pistachios, which I’m sharing here. Chitra talks about often getting a hefty bunch of dill from her farm share and not knowing what to do with the volume, which sparked the idea for this recipe that uses up plenty of dill. The result is rice so fragrant that it’s nothing short of heavenly. Chitra explains that she aims to achieve a balance of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and savory flavors in her recipes, which is what I mean when I describe her dishes as explosive, and that very much applies to this rice recipe as well.
Other chapters within the book include Breakfast and Light Meals, Salads and Yogurts, Stir-Fries and Curries, Soups, Stews and Lentils, Festive Bites and Snacks, Sweets and Drinks, Chutneys and Pickles – basically a ton of deliciousness packed into a beautiful cookbook.
Well done, Chitra!
In case you are wondering, the book does call for specialty Indian ingredients that you might not be able to find at your mainstream supermarket. However, if you enjoy cooking and learning about new ingredients, it’s SO worth seeking out a local Indian market in your area. I rely on our nearby Indian market for stocking up on ghee, fresh spices, rice and a variety of lentils, all at an affordable price. All the ingredients are also available online.
Giveaway: To enter to win a copy of Vibrant India, leave a comment here letting us know if you would be interested in seeing weekly plant-based meal plans, complete with recipes and shopping lists as a new series on this site. We are thinking of starting up a conversation about meal prep, and would love to gauge your interest! The winner will be selected at random on Wednesday, May 24th.
- 1 cup basmati rice (makes about 4 cups cooked)
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 4 cups cooked turmeric rice
- 2 tablespoons mild-flavored oil such as canola (I used coconut)
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- pinch of asafetida (hing) powder
- 1 teaspoon chana dal
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 5 fresh curry leaves
- 1 dried red chile, broken in half
- 1 large shallot or ½ medium yellow onion - finely chopped
- small bunch of dill - tough stalks removed, chopped
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sambar powder (optional)
- ¼ cup shelled pistachios - lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
- juice of half a lime (about 1½ tablespoons), plus more as needed
- raita or plain yogurt
- hot pickle or Brooklyn Delhi (Chitra's company!) achaar
- Wash the rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in water, generously covered, for at least 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly, using a fine-mesh sieve.
- Place rice and 1¾ cups water in a medium saucepan. Mix in the turmeric powder. Place the saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, cover the saucepan and turn the heat to the lowest setting on your stove.
- Cook until the rice in tender and there is no water left in the pan, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the saucepan from the stove and leave it covered for 10 minutes, to allow the grains to separate. Fluff with a fork.
- Coat the bottom of a wok (I used a large sauté pan w/ a lid) with the oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add one black mustard seed. When the seed sizzles and pops, add the rest of the mustard seeds and asafetida. Keep a lid handy to cover the pan while the mustard seeds are popping. When the popping starts to subside (a few seconds), immediately add the chana dal and urad dal. Stir to coat with oil, and turn the heat to medium-low. Continue to stir the dals so they evenly roast, until they turn a reddish golden brown and smell nutty, less than a minute. Rub the curry leaves between you fingers a little to release their natural oils, and drop them and the dried red chile into the oil. Cover immediately, as moisture from the curry leaves will cause the oil to spatter. Then stir to evenly coat everything with oil, a few seconds.
- Add the shallot to the wok and fry over medium heat until softened, less than a minute. Add the dill, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and a couple tablespoons of water. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir from time to time. When cooked, the dill should be darker in color and not have as strong a flavor as raw dill. Add the sambar powder. Fry for another minute.
- Stir in the cooked rice and season with ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the pistachios, reserving a few for garnish. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lime juice and garnish with the reserved pistachios. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve hot with yogurt and hot pickle.
Yes, please! I would love to see plant-based meal plans on your site! Since I became a vegan 6 months ago, I’ve needed some organized ideas. Btw, that dish looks gorgeous as usual!
Yes, I would love to see plant based meal plan. I I can imagine how wonderful it will be. Thank you.
Yes, yes please! I’m vegetarian, and my best friend is vegan: a plant-based food series would make me 💚 you even more
I would absolutely be interested in seeing that! I am always excited to learn about any new type of cuisine and style of eating. I have a very controlled and limited diet due to Crohns Disease, having an ileostomy and also having multiple food sensitivities. Thank you for having a great blog with all sorts of unique recipes! As a side note this cookbook looks beautiful!
Absolutely, I would love to see the plant based meals with additional info. My favorite kind of meal. Thank you.
Yes…plant based recipes please!
My future daughter in law prefers these and is encouraging my son to eat this way. As a result i need more recipes at my fingertips!
My boyfriend and I are both plant-based and I love to cook–I end up buying way to much food though because I get so excited about what I want to make! A meal plan would be amazing :)
Super helpful, thank you!
Absolutely!!! I love your blog and have been craving a new book from you. I would be very excited to see more frequent recipes in my inbox.
Hi Naomi,
Thank you so much, that means the world. We do have a new book coming out in the Spring of 2018 :)
Yes please! Big fan of your blog and trying to be more than just a ‘weekday vegan’ Looking forward to trying more of your yummy recipes.
Oh yes it would be great! I’m not really great in that stuff…
Btw, I love Indian cookies, especially the Southern one – give me dosaaaaas!
Wow, Anya, such a lovely and detailed presentation of this book, thank you! It makes me want to have i home and especially use it A LOT! Already dreaming of that lemony lentil soup! only the idea of those exotic spices!!!
A meal-plan would be a great idea, Anya, maybe I can get more organized in the kitchen thanks to you ;)
When is your book out, Anya? i hope soon!
Hi Natalia,
Thank you, this is super helpful.
The book will be out in the Spring of 2018. Still a while away :(
Yes please to meal prep ideas! Gorgeous presentation of this lovely book! Can’t wait try this recipe.
Absolutely! Love your blog..love your unique ideas for a rich and delicous plant-based diet, and of course, can’t wait to see more!
And yeah for south indian too!
I would LoVe meal prep and planning ideas! I. Bring breakfast and/or lunch and snacks to work each day and some creative ideas would be so welcome! Would also be fun to have fun ideas in how to package up meals and treats to go. Thank you!
Hi Ariela,
Great idea on the packaging. Thanks so much!
Yes I am interested. Day after day family cooking is always a challenge and help would be welcome.
Yes, yes, this would be wonderful as it is so helpful to have an idea of which dishes complement each other in a meal. I look forward to seeing this soon. I have your book and love it but your blog is great. Your pictures are really lovely.
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Yes, please! Would love to have inspiration regarding plant-based meal planning. I am in such a rut, making the same things over and over. This would be just the thing! And I LOVE South Indian food. I had a very dear friend who was born in India and came over here to study, before there were Indian restaurants or vegetarian options. He taught himself to cook and I spent many wonderful evenings sitting at the kitchen island, watching him prepare dinner made up of ingredients I had never heard of! Chayote squash will forever remind me of him! Thank you for highlighting this new cookbook. We can never have too many recipes, can we?!
Thank you Marie!
The more I learn about Indian food the more I realize how much there is to learn. This looks like a stunning book (and dish!) and I’m going to have to check it out.
As for meal planning, it would be fascinating. In the interest of full disclosure I don’t know that I would use it much myself (I’m terrible at planning meals and have finally accepted that about myself) but I love to see other people’s processes and thoughts.
Oh my gosh, I love the first sentence of your comment, so true!!! Thank you so much for being honest regarding the meal plans, that’s super helpful.
It would be nice to see plant- based meal plan on your site. Your site is very inspiring! Thanks!
Yes, I’d love to see a plant based meal plan! Especially that I’m going to be cooking for myself in college next year.
Beautiful! I’m in)
I say absolutely! I mean, even though I personally have no direct need for meal plans, I bet there are A LOT of people out there who would greatly benefit from a little help, and I would surely appreciate some extra recipe inspiration too (there’s no such thing as too much recipe inspo, right? ;))
Thanks so much, super helpful!
It’s hard to say no to a meal plan, especially if it’s going to contain recipes that look as amazing as all the photos above! I absolute love all the flavors that are used in Indian dishes!
I’d definitely be interested! That’d be fantastic :)
Why not…love creating flavorful plant based dishes…happy feasting!
Yes, weekly plant based meal plans would be awesome!!!
I love the idea of a meal prep series! It’s so helpful to have practical ideas ready for busier weeks.
Anya and Masha,
My first response to weekly meal plans was “not interested”. I try to listen to my Body to decide what to eat…which may, or may not sync-up with a pre-planned set of meals.
But then, it occurs to me that during times when I’m really busy, or otherwise off my center, it could be really beneficial to have “PLANS” that I can refer to, to get me back on track with healthy, balanced eating practices.
So as long as I can PIN the meal plans, to save for when I need them, I think they could be really great help and support.
Hi Thia,
This is SO helpful, thank you! I am the same way, I really love being spontaneous in the kitchen, but I know that to a lot of busy people, a pre-structured list would be just the thing. You can absolutely pin the recipes and save them for later :)
Absolutely! This is a fabulous idea. I am a vegetarian and have sruggled to incorporate veggies in my fiet. Would love to have a web site that helps with meal plans.
I would love a meal plan. I’m always as a loss of what to put together to make a balanced meal.
Please,please and yes! I’d love a plan. I’m new to the northern hemisphere so seasonal, plant based shopping lists and menu plans would be fantastic. When my husband does the shopping he buys the familiar; a list will educate both of us. And every one of your recipes I’ve tried so far have been keepers, thus expanding my repertoire of great meals. Thanks. I look forward to it.😊
Hi Rachel, this is so great to hear and super helpful, thank you :)
a meal plan sounds great, thanks. I enjoy your newsletter and cookbook very much–always an inspiration!
Thank you for your kind words Tyua!
Love your blog..love your ideas for delicious diet, and of course, can’t wait to see more!
Please try any south indian dishes as well, we are eagerly waiting to see them soon on your blog :-)
Hi lovely brilliant woman … a big yes from me to… while Ive made heaps of your recipes now …I’m finding it hard to balance them for the week or fortnight … and thats just as important as eating well. I luckily found your site and recipes when searching for some new good food combinations. I am an Australian recently moved to the sth of France. I enjoyed all that typical French fare for a while cheese etc but then suddenly wanted a cleaner more vegetable and complex flavours of spices diet … Im so glad I found you and your site and your brilliant cookie approach. Of course I would love to win this copy of the Vibrant India cookbook… but either way I win with this recipe … it looks delicious
… so a trip to the spice store is in order and then another treat for me and my friends tonight! thank you xxx Jena
Hi Jena,
Thank you so much for your kind words, they mean the world :)
Hello,
Absolutely. I would love to see more plant based meal plans on your website. Your website is a blessing to me. I have a lot of food allergies for many years which makes it difficult to eat healthy every day. Thank you
Hi Natallia,
So great to hear you’ve found this site to be useful and thank you for the meal plan feedback :)
I love your blog the way it is. Please, please don’t change it. Multiple other sites already do weekly meal plans and shopping lists. Frankly, I find them boring and repetitive as it typically old recipes. Even if it means you post less often, I would rather have new things. IMHO of course.
I never knew there was such a difference between north and south indian food and you are right that what I find around here is north. I would love to win the book to try my hand at southern.
Hi Jacquie,
Thank you so much for your honest feedback! I’m the same way, I find meal plans to be kind of boring, but I’m trying to explore some ways to make them more exciting. We won’t change anything about the website, we might just throw in a meal plan every month or so. All the recipes will be new as well :)
Looks elegant and rich in taste and flavour!
Absolutely gorgeous recipe. The cookbook looks beautiful too!
I am always interested in seeing what others weekly meals look like so a new series would be great!
I would love to see a meal plan feature. It would make shopping and planning easier!
Those meal plans would be great! My husband and I could really use them. Thanks!
I can’t get enough of plant based food recipes! ;)
However I don’t think I, specifically, would need meal plans, vut that may change and the others seem quite enthusiastic!
Thank you for the honest feedback, Julia! Super helpful.
Yes, yes, yes! I would be more than interested. I loooooved plant-based food recipes, and am always on the look-out for fresh ideas! :)
My husband and I are travelling to southern India for a month this coming December. We can’t wait to go! Reading today’s recipe makes me even happier to know we are going to be around such wonderful sights and smells. :)
I would be interested in seeing weekly plant-based meal plans, with recipes as a new series on this site. I don’t think I’d need a shopping list, but maybe it would be helpful? Thanks!
Hi Heidi,
Sounds amazing, I hope you have a wonderful trip. Thank you for the feedback, too, it’s super helpful :)
Thank you for this great recipe and, as always, the beautiful fotos. I absolutely love Indian vegetarian food. For me, a weekly meal plan would not be necessary, as I sometimes like to decide spontaneous what to cook.
Hi Caro,
Thank you for this feedback! I’m the same way, love being spontaneous, but also trying to learn to have a bit more structure in the kitchen in order to be a bit more economical :)
I am interested in trying more plant-based recipes — so yes — a weekly plant-based meal plans, complete with recipes and shopping lists would be very welcome!
Yes! I love trying to incorporate more
Plant foods in my diet
Ho yes please! I have your first (?) book “Green”, bought it when I was in France a few years ago…still one of my favourites… Didn’t know what to eat tonight… had a quick pick at your latest recipe….perfect! I am vegan again and it would help so much to have a weekly meals plan, easy, simple, nourishing and really tasty (as always :) Many thanks and lots of blessings to you
Hi Myriam,
Thank you so much for buying the book, and so glad you’ve been cooking from it. Makes my day to hear that. Thank you for the meal plan feedback as well :)
Yes, that would be helpful.
Hi Anya!
I love the idea to have a new meal planning series here on your website, because I make my shopping list using your recipes anyways. I’m working mom, so I have to make those plans sometimes for the whole week. Your website and hard work to bring to us new recipes is a BIG help. Also all of your recipes are very close to my taste, I was born in USSR. Thanks for bringing kindness and humanity into this crazy world.
Hi Anna,
I have the biggest smile on my face right now. Thanks so much for your kind words, it’s amazing to hear that you find this site to be helpful. Will try to make these meal plans doable and comprehensive for working parents for sure :)
Plant based meals with additional info? Hands down YES :)
Sounds like a great idea! I have it quite stressful in school atm so I’ve been relying on meal prep for basically all my meals. However I find myself always making the same things every week so I would love some new ideas.
Thanks!
I couldn’t be more interested! I’ve been vegan for over a decade and am always looking for new ways to expand my recipe repertoire and learn new ingredients or flavor combinations.
It Is always fabulous to learn new ideas and see delicious plant based nutrition plates. Very interested in what you can share. Thank you!
Yes, meal plans are always so helpful, as long as they are easy and simple to execute. Can’t wait to see what you do!
Would also love to see plant based meal plans :) This dish looks delicious by the way!!!
Yes! Would love to see meal prep ideas and conversation here. I’m always looking for inspiration. :)
I would love to see plant-based meal plans. It would certainly make my life a bit less stressful. :)
YES! Would love to see weekly mealplans – shopping list is also welcome 😊
I would love to see weekly menus and meal planning/prep tools. I need some help in that area.
Definitly!! I Want some new ideas for my vegan kitchen that also satisfy my (meat loving) husband as well as my 2 year old Little girl! It is Not easy to cook for three so much different persons… 😀🤔🥑
There’s definately a lot to learn about this topic.
I like all of the points you’ve made.
in the Philippines, this is called “sinanglag” Thanks for sharing this recipe to us.!!