Sambhar Sadam from the Isha Ashram in Coimbatore.

Isha’s Sāmbhar Sadham

Sāmbhar is everywhere in South India. Isha’s Sāmbhar Sadham is an especially delicious version. What is it? Sāmbhar is a vegetable and lentil stew. It’s usually enjoyed for breakfast with idli or puttu (rice dumplings or rice and coconut cakes). Sadham is Tamil for rice. With the addition of Sadham to Sāmbhar, the dish becomes …

Okra sliced lengthwise is prepared into a red curry.

Okra Curry

This Okra Curry is inspired by the plethora of fresh produce we saw at our stop at a roadside vegetable market near Madurai. The recipe is adapted from our previous cookbook –  A Spicy Touch: Family Favourites from Noorbanu Nimji’s Kitchen. You could substitute eggplant, another great Indian vegetable. Both are equally delicious as prepared …

A shirtless, elderly South Indian man wearing a light coloured dhoti squats on the ground with his knees near his shoulders as he waves open-palmed to the camera. Unshelled roasted cashews and a grinding stone sit at his feet.

The Cashew Man

He is forever embedded in our minds as the Cashew Man. We learned a lot from him. The day was a body bulging with humidity. Breathlessly still, the air grew palpably heavy waiting to deliver its burden. Our pace slowed as if in sync. We were winding our way along the narrow roads of southern …

The massive white columns of Nayakar Mahal Palace tower above the central courtyard, where black folding chairs are set up for a performance.

24 hours in Madurai

If you’ve only got 24 hours in Madurai, we’ve got a lot of ideas for what to do. We’re excited for you. Madurai is a bustling beehive of a 2500-year-old city. The River Vaigai flows through the centre of the city and pulses, millet, oil seeds, cotton and sugarcane grow on the fertile plains surrounding the …