Meal
Diet
Cuisine
dinner
Sambar
A tangy, vegetable-loaded lentil stew. Tamarind, toor dal, and whatever's in the crisper.
breakfast
Idli
Steamed rice-and-lentil cakes — soft, sour, slightly tangy. Eat with chutney and a flood of sambar.
snack
Dhokla
Steamed chickpea-flour cake, soft and slightly sour, finished with a sizzling mustard-seed tempering.
dinner
Dal Makhani
Black urad and rajma simmered slow with butter and cream until everything melts together.
dinner
Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken)
Smoky charred chicken in a silky tomato-butter gravy. The version I keep making.
snack
Chicken 65
Spicy, garlicky fried chicken from Chennai, finished in a hot pan with curry leaves and chiles.
drinks
Masala Chai
Strong, sweet, milky, and spiced just enough. The version I make every afternoon.
dinner
Chana Masala
Chickpeas in a tangy onion-tomato gravy. Punchy, vegan, and gets better the next day.
dinner
Palak Paneer
A creamy, garlicky spinach with seared paneer — the kind of dish you build a whole meal around.