By Christine Salins
India has a huge repertoire of vegetarian dishes, and many Indians are vegetarian for religious or other reasons. The Indian Vegetarian Cookbook reflects the incredible diversity of meatless dishes across the country, in a vibrant collection of easy to follow recipes that highlight how simple it is to produce delicious Indian dishes at home.
Author Pushpesh Pant, a university professor and prolific cookbook author in India, produced Phaidon’s widely acclaimed India The Cookbook in 2010. This latest one, also published by Phaidon (rrp $49.95), draws inspiration from India’s myriad regions and culinary traditions, as well as the author’s family’s home cooking.
Pant was born in Mukteshwar to a mother who was vegetarian and who excelled in transforming ordinary ingredients into the exotic. “Her collection of vegetarian recipes was constantly growing, and she would invite those who had shared their recipes to sample her dishes until the desired approval ratings were achieved,” he writes in the introduction to the book.
“This was when I fell in love with multiple vegetables at the same time. A previously ‘boring’ vegetable suddenly became sparkling and seductive in a recipe from a different region.”
Pant gives a succinct account of how India’s geography has shaped its cuisine, while introductions to many of the recipes provide interesting insights into the history of the particular dish. Accompanied by beautiful photos, the recipes range from breakfasts and salads to vegetables and pulses, grains and chutneys, drinks and desserts.
Favourites such as chapatis, halwa, dal and the Pea and Potato Samosas featured here can be found alongside less well-known dishes such as Mixed Vegetable and Tamarind Curry, Jackfruit Biryani and Indian Bread Pudding. For anyone interested in reducing their meat consumption, finding out more about Indian cuisine, or both, The Indian Vegetarian Cookbook is a comprehensive reference.
Pea and Potato Samosa
Makes: 8 to 10
2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon oil
250 g potatoes, boiled and mashed (about 1 generous cup mashed potato)
scant 2 cups peas, shelled if fresh, or frozen, boiled
1 teaspoon ground cumin (ideally freshly roasted)
½ teaspoon amchoor (mango powder)
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
¼ teaspoon black rock salt
2 fresh green chillies, de-seeded
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
salt, to taste
Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Slowly mix in 1 tablespoon of oil and a little water and knead to form a semi-hard dough. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients, except the oil, in a large mixing bowl.
Knead the dough a little and divide into 8 to 10 portions. Shape into small balls, then roll out into discs about 13 to 15 cm in diameter. Cut each disc into half-moons with a sharp knife and gently fold over to form a triangle with a hollow pocket.
Place a portion of the spiced filling in the pocket, lightly moisten the edges with a little water and press all around to seal.
Heat the oil in a kadhai or deep fryer to 180°C, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Deep-fry the samosas in batches for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels.
From: The Indian Vegetarian Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant, published by Phaidon. Photography by Liz and Max Haarala Hamilton.
