Cassava and spinach subzi.

Cassava and Spinach Subzi

Our Cassava and Spinach Subzi recipe is inspired by the subzi we enjoyed so much in our thali lunch at Solitude Farm Cafe in Auroville. Subzi is a Tamil word referring to a dry curry. Spicing is still present but these recipes omit the fluids that make the usual curry or spicy gravy Indian dishes …

Kadala Curry and Paratha.

Kadala Curry

Mariya Family Restaurant Bakery and Ice Cream is a favourite roadside cafe in Kerala. It’s located in Pullapara on Highway 183. This road leads from the coast near Kottayam to Periyar in the hills and depending on which way you are headed it seems to be ever-ascending or descending.  It’s a hairpin turn infested snake …

Bitter guard pickle

Bitter Gourd Pickle

All Indian food goes better with an astringent chutney or pickle on the side. This is a quick and easy recipe for a pickle that can be as hot or as mild as you like. We used one teaspoon of the chilli powder but the recipe from chef Jerry Matthew at Spice Village called for …

An onam avial.

Onam Avial

Avial is a vegetable stew with many variations. This one is full of local pumpkins, yams, and beans available during Onam, Kerala’s harvest festival.

Pineapple Curry mise en place

Sheril’s Pineapple Curry

We love this pineapple curry with a big plate of Sheril’s Barbeque Chicken and some fluffly white rice. A version of this recipe has even made it to the New York Times. Sheril often riffs on the ingredients and after visiting him on several occasions, we are sharing our favourite version. It has a green …

Green Beans Thoran, Thekkady Barbeque Cooking School.

Green Beans Thoran

Chopping, chopping, chopping! We can still hear the joyful cackle that follows this refrain as we’ve stood with Sheril at the Thekkady Barbeque Cooking School preparing this dish. The finished taste is all the incentive you need to do the slicing and dicing for this recipe. This puts green beans on a coconut-y pedestal.