Back in the days before the world became global, and the local produce store carried vegetables from all over the world regardless of season, we used to eat seasonally and locally grown vegetables. In Southern India, with its arid conditions, it was wonder if you managed to get 7 or 9 different kinds of vegetables on the same day.

This was the time of the year when it was at all possible with vegetables growing in prolific variety during the winter months. That is the reason the 7 / 9 vegetable stew was such a specialty. And that was why it was made on Thiruvadarai day along with Thiruvadarai Kali and offered to Lord Nataraja

Continuing on my series of festival recipes and reader recipes, here is the Thiruvadarai Kootu recipe from my aunt Chandra. You can make this stew with 7 or 9 different kinds of vegetables. The kinds of vegetables used in this stew are yellow and white pumpkin, green beans, colocasia or taro root, elephant yam, potato, sweet potato, cluster beans, carrots, peas, fresh lima beans, zucchini, okra and eggplant.

Most of the tubers and roots in this list contain complex carbohydrates that help keep weight and blood sugar under control and protect against cardiovascular diseases.

Even though the recipe below is slightly complicated, it is well worth trying. The tantalizing tastes that are evoked by the Thiruvadarai meal is simply beyond description. The sweet in the Kali, the textures of different vegetables, the tartness in the tamarind and the spices that go into making the stew, all contribute to an immensely satisfying and healthy meal.

Here is what you need:
5 – 7 cups chopped vegetables
1 cup tuvar dal (yellow lentils)
2 cups + 1 cup water
1 tsp tamarind paste (available in any Indian grocery store)

For the masala:
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp bengal gram dal (split yellow peas)
4-5 dry red chilis
1/2 tsp asofoetida powder (available in any Indian grocery store)
2 tbsp coconut powder
1 tbsp olive oil

For garnish:
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp bengal gram dal (split yellow peas)
1/2 tsp urad dal (split and peeled black lentils)
1/2 tsp asofoetida powder
2 stalks curry leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt

Here is how you make this:
Steam the vegetables. Some of the root vegetables like colocasia, yam, potato and sweet potato need to be cooked separately because they take longer to cook. Cook the eggplant, peas, carrots and pumpkins together. Add 2 cups water to the Tuvar dal and cook until soft and well done. Mash with a spoon. Dissolve the tamarind paste in cup water and set aside.

For the masala: Heat olive oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. Brown for 10 seconds. Now add the coriander seeds, red chili and bengal gram dal. Roast for 1 minute or until lightly brown. Now add the asofoetida powder and coconut powder. Roast for another 30 seconds. Take the masala mix off the stove and cool. Place in a blender with enough water to make a thick paste. Grind to a fine paste.

Mix the tamarind water and the vegetables and bring to a boil. Now add the prepared masala paste, salt and cooked tuvar dal. Bring to a roiling boil and take off the stove.

To garnish: Heat olive oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the spices in this order: Mustard seeds first and wait for them to crackle. Now cumin seeds, bengal gram dal, urad dal, asofoetida and curry leaves. Stir fry until curry leaves are crisp. Pour over the prepared kootu. Serve hot with Thiruvadarai Kali.

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I love vegetables and so have never had a doctor advising me to eat more veggies. One of my favorite vegetables is the ubiquitous cabbage, so hated by many. I can guess why so many people hate the cabbage;  I can even empathize with them; I think it comes back to my pet peeve – overcooking. Overcooking cabbage brings out its horrible smell and makes the texture unpalatable and unappetizing. In addition, it loses its nutrients. It is a lose-lose proposition all round.

I have read a lot about the benefits of eating colored vegetables, the deeper the color, the more the nutrients. Red cabbage in particular is known for its phytonutrient content and is also particularly beneficial for women’s health – especially in the prevention of breast cancer. It has an inordinate amount of Vitamin K, C, Folate, B6 and dietary fiber, promotes gastro-intestinal health and has cardio-vascular benefits.

Seems to me that eating what I love to eat anyway, is real winning solution! So when I go vegetable shopping, my shopping cart always has a head of green cabbage and a head of red cabbage. I made a red cabbage dish the other day. This is one the easiest dishes to make, especially when you are in rush and want to have something healthy at hand for your family’s meal.

Here’s how:

You will need:
6 cups finely shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup cranberries (you can substitute with raisins)
3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili powder

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash and drain the shredded red cabbage thoroughly. Take care to air dry it until most of the water is gone. Toss it with Olive oil, salt and chili powder. Now add the walnuts and cranberries. Bake for 10 minutes (no more than 10 minutes so that it doesnt get overcooked).

Serve with whole grain bread, or with whole wheat rotis, or as a salad. Simply yummy and very healthy!

Tis a truth, universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a large fortune must be in need of a wife! – so wrote Jane Austen in the opening lines of her famous “Pride and Prejudice”.

With that in mind, I started breakfast today – I mulled over what was in my larder and decided to make the very basic Upma – a steaming hot, satisfyingly filling, rice semolina concoction, which is one of the very first dishes taught to a young girl who is being groomed to cook in her in-laws joint family kitchen after marriage. All I had seen was a bland, oatmeal kinda dish – yummy, nonetheless, cause my mother is a chef non pariel. She would whip this dish with chopped onions, a bit of chopped ginger and it would taste just fantastic.

But I always have to go a step further and make it a healthy meal, so here’s what I decided to put into the dish:
Semolina: 1 cup
Carrot: 1/2 finely grated
Green pepper: 1/2 finely chopped
Onion: 1 finely chopped
Ginger root: small piece finely grated
Potato: 1/2 finely chopped
Chili: 1 red
Water: 2 cups
Oil: 1 tsp
Black mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp

As I started to cook this meal, I got a call from a friend in India. Normally, I cannot multi task while cooking because I need to concentrate, but since this dish (remember, I had mentioned that this is one the first dishes a young girl learns to make?) was something I could make while blindfolded, I continued to talk and cook.

First, I roasted the semolina in the dry, hot pan with no oil.
See picture on the right. Then I removed it from the pan and dropped in the oil. Waited until the oil was hot to drop in the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackled, in came the chopped onions, red chili, grated ginger and chopped potatoes. Few minutes until the potatoes cooked, turned down the heat and added 2 cups of water. Added salt and waited for the water to boil. Once the water boiled, added the roasted semolina in slowly until all the water was absorbed. Now added the chopped green peppers, and closed the dish to let the green pepper partially cook in the steam. 2 more minutes, and this dish is done – add the grated carrot and here it is – a heart-healthy, low-fat, satisfying, breakfast dish – just eat it- you need no accompaniments with this.