An opportunity to visit India is an opportunity to visit one of the worlds oldest civilizations. There is amazing diversity and years of travel would only leave you wanting more. The best way to get to know a country is to rub shoulders with the locals and eat at their restaurants. You will get to know a very warm hearted people and sample the richness of their cuisine.

Talis can be found everywhere, but will never be the same. Rice, dal, curreys, yogurt, and sweets will be served in their own dishes on a large tray along with naan. Every restraint in every region will serve a different combination at different times of the year. The selection determined by the crops available and if you order vegetarian or meat. But no matter what your choice, it will be delicious.

Grapes are harvested somewhere in India all year. One of their varieties, Thompson Seedless, are very well known in the west. Resins can be bought at any time, but if you are lucky enough to visit an area during harvest, you will be able to buy fresh grapes from carts and roadside stalls.

If you are eating your breakfast in a rooftop restaurant, take a look over the side. You will understand why your milk and yogurt is so fresh and delicious even in the middle of the city. Far below, Its source may be tethered to a tree.

The variation from region to region is staggering. A foreigner can discover the many differences only after landing in India, since most of the food served in the West is North Indian or Pakistani in origin. Emphasis is placed on fresh fruit and vegetables. A tour of the markets can be very enlightening.

Spices have always been considered to be India’s prime commodity. The many dishes available rely on the spices in which it is cooked. Just imagine walking down a busy street and smelling the scent of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and garlic filling the air in glorious abundance. Then looking down and seeing them spread at your feet.

Dining out in India, can happen in a open air cafe on the side of a very busy street or in a posh restaurant. But if you find that you prefer to stroll and enjoy the ambience, you can buy parathas, rotis, chapatis and lots of other goodies from a street vendor. Either way it will be a memorable experience.

If you travel on the trains in the north, there will be a little man walking the aisle, carrying a combination kettle/stove; He will offer to pour chai for you in a little clay cup. Disposable and non-polluting, it can be kept for a souvenir or tossed out the window when you have finished the sweet milky brew.

DIET BHEL (Healthy Mixture)
½ cup whole green grain sprouts (Mwong)
½ cup sprouted earthen pot (matki)
¼ Cup chopped tomato
1 T plain yogurt
½ tsp cumin seed powder
Fresh, chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Salt to taste.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly and serve.
Nutritive value:
Contains lots of proteins, iron, carbohydrates, vitamins A, B and C. Good for raising hemoglobin in the blood.

REFINED WHEAT FLOUR UPMA
1 Cup wheatlets (cream of wheat)
2 Cup boiled water
¼ Cup each, cabbage and onion
½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp green goam (split dal) dal (mwong) soaked for an hour in water
4 – 5 curry leaves
2 tsp oil, 1 tsp sugar, salt to taste.
1 or 2 green chillies (chopped)
Cut coriander leaves

1. Roast the semolina (wheatlets) in a lightly oiled pan at low temperature until lightly browned. Put into dish and set aside
2. Put small amount oil in same pan, heat and put in curry leaves, cumin seed to crackle, then add chili pieces, cut vegetables and soaked dal and fry until brown.
3. Add roasted wheatlets, salt and sugar to taste. Mix well
4. Pour boiled water in the mixture, mix well and cover with lid.
Cook over slow heat until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes.
Serve with freshly cut coriander leaves and sprinkle with lemon juice.

SPINACH OR FENYGREEK (Frozen Methi) ROTI (PARATHA)
Ingredients:
¼ Cup rice flour
¼ green gram dal flour (Bensan) chama dal flour (ground yellow split peas)
¼ each of jowar and bajra flour
1 ½ cup wheat flour
2-3 tsp oil
a pinch of asafetida (a type of spice)
½ tsp cumin seed powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp white sesame seeds
½ tsp ajwain seeds (also used for upset stomach)
½ tsp ginger paste
Salt to taste
1 cup spinach or fenugreek leaf paste

1. Mix all the ingredients slowly in the spinach paste only. Use little water if needed. Make a, somewhat, hard dough and let stand in a covered bowl for half an hour.
2. Make small balls of the dough
3. Roll dough in a flat circle with the help of a little oil. Fold in half and again a triangle with oil.
4. Roll flat again.
5. Roast on a flat pan (tawa) over medium heat.
6. Serve with tomato ketchup, or other topping.

GREEN GRAM DAL SWEET SOOJI
Ingredients:
1 cup green gram dal
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup ghee
1-5 tsp cardamom powder

1. Wash and soak the dal in water over-night.
2. In the morning, drain the water and grind dal in mixer.
3. In a hot pan over slow heat, sauté the ground dal in ghee till browned.
4. Add sugar and cardamom powder and mix well until sugar dissolves. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 4-5 minutes and serve hot.

VITAMIN SALAD
Ingredients:
½ cup grated cabbage
½ cup green gram sprouts, boiled.
½ cup finely chopped skinned tomatoes.
½ cup skinned and grated beetroot.
½ cup grated carrot
1 medium chopped onion.
½ cup boiled Bengal gram sprouts
1 cup chopped lettuce.
6-7 tablespoons curd, drained.
1 tsp finely chopped ginger.
1-2 chopped green chili.
Fresh, chopped coriander leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
1tsp lemon juice

Chill all ingredients and mix at time of serving.
Nutritive value –ideal diet, full of proteins, fats, calories, carbohydrates and calcium

CABBAGE SALAD
Ingredients:
1 medium cabbage, grated
1 finely chopped cucumber
1 small finely chopped capsicum
1 chopped onion
½ cup roasted groundnut powder
1 t roasted sesame seeds
1 T lemon juice.
Salt, pepper and red chili powder to taste.
1. Chill all ingredients and mix together well at time of serving.
N.V. Full of proteins, calcium, vitamins and fiber.
Note:
Raw salads are ideal for filling and are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Very good for digestion. Salads may also be prepared using vinegar, chili or mustard sauce, or other flavors rather than calorie rich dressings, sauces or eggs.
We may use green peas (boiled) carrots (grated), French beans (cut and boiled) or any favorite vegetables for making a variety of salads, Sprouted pulses can be used after boiling.

RAVA UTHAPAM (SEMOLINA PANCAKE)
Ingredients:
2 Cups semolina (Rava)
1 ½ cup curd (plain yogurt)
2 medium onions cut lengthwise.
1 finely chopped skinned tomato, salted to taste
10 tsp oil to make pancake.
½ chopped ginger
1-2 chopped green chili
½ tsp roasted cumin seed powder.
A few fresh chopped coriander leaves.
1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, to form a somewhat thick, pouring consistency.
2. Heat skillet. Thinly coat with oil. Cook on both sides until lightly browned.
3. Serve hot with green (coconut and chili or other favorite) chutney.

IDLI (RICE CAKES) – STEAM COOKED
Ingredients:
1 ½ Cup boiled (raw) rice
¾ Cup black gram dal
4 tsp. Oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1. Soak rice and dal separately in water overnight.
2. Wash drain and grind to a paste separately, then mix together and set aside to ferment for 8-10 hours.
3. Apply a little warm water and salt to taste in the mixture.
4. Steam cook in a thali (flat small dish) for 15 minutes in a rice cooker.
5. Remove the container from cooker, cut the cake in squares and serve hot with green chutney.

MOONG KHICHADI (GREEN RICE) (Microwave)
Ingredients:
1 Cup uncooked rice
1 Cup Moong sprouts (green gram whole)
2-3 pinches asafetida, to taste.
¼ tsp. Turmeric powder
2 tbsp. Ghee
2 tbsp coriander-cumin seeds (roasted)
2 tsp sugar.
1 tsp chili powder.
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut.
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
salt to taste.
1. Wash the rice and moong sprouts. Drain
2. Put the ghee in a glass bowl and microwave on high for about 30 seconds.
3. add the rice, moong sprouts, asafetida, turmeric powder, spices and 2 ½ cup water.
4. Cover and microwave on high for about 15 minutes. Stirring in between every 5 minutes.
5. Garnish with freshly cut coriander leaves and grated, fresh coconut and serve hot.

Note:
We can make this rice (khichadi) using vegetables like freshly chopped beans, carrots cauliflower, potato, onion, green peas or other sprouted pulses. We may add these in various combinations to make tasty nutritious dishes.

KHICHDI
1C Sago (Sabundana)(looks like Tapioca) -soaked overnight
Wash and soak in ½ C water overnight.
IN the morning add 1 T gee in hot pan. Add 1t cumin seed to crackle
2 Chopped green chilies
Add soaked Sago
½ C roasted crushed peanuts.
Add Salt to taste
Cook for 3-4 minutes over slow heat, stir,
Sweeten to taste.

TOOTHPASTE
¼ tablet crushed camphorated oil
2 roasted crushed cloves
salt to taste
Add to ashes of cowdung to make tooth powder.

Chew oil of cloves for toothache.

Urad - whole Matpe beans.
Masoor - whole red lentels.
Tuvar Dal Madhi Toor dal  - split pigeon peas.
Moong Dal split Mung beans - small yellow
Kala Channa - chick peas
Kasoor Methi - dried Fenugreek leaves

Cumin, coriander, cardamom seeds, Turmeric all available in Asian department of most large grocery stores
them.