Recipes

Thoran is Kerala’s everyday stir-fry: finely chopped vegetables cooked with a coarsely crushed mix of coconut, green chilli and shallots, all tempered in coconut oil. Beans thoran is one of the most popular versions — quick to make, lightly spiced and full of fresh coconut flavour.

Ingredients

• 250 g French beans, very finely chopped
• ½ cup grated coconut
• 2 green chillies
• 2 shallots (or ¼ onion)
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• For the tempering: 1½ tbsp VedSaras Wood Press Virgin Coconut Oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, 1 dried red chilli, a sprig of curry leaves

Method

1. Pulse the coconut, green chillies, shallots, garlic, turmeric and cumin in a mixer — just crush coarsely; do not make a paste.
2. Heat the coconut oil on medium. Add the mustard seeds; when they splutter, add the urad dal and cook until golden, then the red chilli and curry leaves.
3. Add the beans and salt, sprinkle 2 tbsp water, cover and cook for 5–6 minutes until almost tender.
4. Make a well in the centre, add the coconut mix and cover it with the beans. Cover the pan and let it steam for 2 minutes.
5. Mix everything together and stir-fry, uncovered, for 2–3 minutes until dry. Serve with rice and dal or sambar.

Make it your own

• Swap the beans for cabbage, carrot, beetroot or raw banana — the method stays the same.
• Keep the heat at medium when tempering in virgin coconut oil.

No Onam sadya is complete without avial. Vegetables are cut into neat batons, cooked until just tender, then folded into a coarse coconut paste and a little sour curd. The final, essential touch is raw coconut oil and fresh curry leaves stirred in at the end — that aroma is what makes avial taste like Kerala.

Ingredients

• 3 cups mixed vegetables cut into 2-inch batons — raw banana, yam (suran), ash gourd, drumstick, carrot, beans and cucumber are traditional
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup thick curd, slightly sour, whisked
• 15–20 curry leaves
• 2 tbsp VedSaras Wood Press Virgin Coconut Oil
• For the coconut paste: 1 cup grated coconut, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2–3 green chillies, 2 shallots (optional)

Method

1. Grind the coconut, cumin, green chillies and shallots to a coarse paste with very little water.
2. In a wide pan, cook the firmer vegetables (yam, raw banana, drumstick) with turmeric, salt and ½ cup water for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the softer vegetables and cook until everything is just tender but still holds its shape.
4. Add the coconut paste, mix gently and cook for 3–4 minutes until most of the water is absorbed.
5. Lower the heat and stir in the curd. Switch off the heat as soon as it is warmed through — do not let it boil, or the curd may split.
6. Finish with the coconut oil and curry leaves. Cover and rest for 10 minutes so the aroma settles in. Serve with rice and sambar.

Kitchen tips

• Cut all the vegetables to a similar size so they cook evenly.
• The raw coconut oil at the end is not optional — it is the signature of the dish.

Palli chutney — peanut chutney — is a staple on breakfast tables across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Roasted peanuts are ground with red chillies, garlic and a little tamarind, then finished with a crackling tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves. Using groundnut oil for both the roasting and the tadka keeps the flavour rounded and nutty.

Ingredients

• ½ cup raw peanuts
• 2–3 dried red chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves
• A small lemon-sized piece of tamarind (or 1 tsp tamarind paste)
• Salt to taste
• About ½ cup water
• 1 tsp VedSaras Wood Press Groundnut Oil, for roasting
• For the tadka: 1 tbsp VedSaras Wood Press Groundnut Oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp urad dal, 1 dried red chilli, 8 curry leaves, a pinch of hing

Method

1. Dry roast the peanuts in a pan on medium heat, stirring, until they are aromatic and lightly spotted. Cool, then rub off the skins if you prefer a smoother chutney.
2. In 1 tsp groundnut oil, roast the red chillies, cumin and garlic for about a minute.
3. Grind the peanuts, roasted spices, tamarind and salt with water to a smooth, thick chutney. Add water a little at a time.
4. For the tadka, heat the groundnut oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the urad dal and cook until golden, then the red chilli, curry leaves and hing.
5. Pour the tadka over the chutney. Serve with idli, dosa, upma or pesarattu.

Kitchen tips

• Roast the peanuts patiently on medium heat — scorched peanuts turn the chutney bitter.
• Peanut chutney thickens as it stands; loosen with a spoon of water before serving.
• Groundnut is a major allergen. Anyone with a peanut allergy should avoid this recipe and groundnut oil.

Kanda poha is breakfast in countless homes across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh — quick, light and endlessly comforting. Flattened rice is softened with a quick rinse, then tossed in a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, onion and peanuts. Groundnut oil is the natural choice: its mild, nutty flavour pairs beautifully with the peanuts and lets the tempering shine.

Ingredients

• 2 cups thick poha (flattened rice)
• 1 medium onion (kanda), chopped
• 1 small potato, finely diced (optional)
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 8–10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp raw peanuts
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp VedSaras Wood Press Groundnut Oil
• Juice of ½–1 lemon
• Fresh coriander, grated coconut and sev, to serve

Method

1. Rinse the poha in a strainer under running water 2–3 times, just until soft. Drain well, sprinkle with salt and sugar, fluff with a fork and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Heat the groundnut oil in a kadhai. Fry the peanuts on medium until crisp and golden, then lift out.
3. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin, curry leaves and green chillies.
4. If using potato, add it now, cover and cook for 5–6 minutes until tender.
5. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in the turmeric.
6. Add the poha and toss gently until evenly yellow. Cover and steam on low heat for 2 minutes.
7. Mix in the peanuts and lemon juice. Serve hot, topped with coriander, coconut and sev.

Kitchen tips

• Use thick poha — thin poha turns mushy when rinsed.
• Do not soak the poha in a bowl of water; a quick rinse is all it needs.

No Indian thali feels complete without a little achaar on the side. This green chilli pickle is one of the easiest to make at home: chillies are tossed with coarsely ground spices and lemon juice, then set in mustard oil. Mustard oil is the traditional base for North Indian pickles — its sharp aroma and flavour are an essential part of the taste.

Ingredients

• 250 g thick green chillies (the less fiery variety works best)
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds (rai), coarsely ground
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf), coarsely ground
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi), lightly roasted and crushed
• 1 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1½ tbsp salt
• ¼ tsp hing (asafoetida)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ⅓ cup (about 80 ml) VedSaras Wood Press Yellow Mustard Oil

Method

1. Wash the chillies and dry them completely on a cloth — any moisture can spoil a pickle.
2. Remove the stems and cut the chillies into 1-inch pieces (or slit them lengthwise).
3. In a dry bowl, mix the ground mustard, fennel, fenugreek, kalonji, turmeric and salt.
4. Heat the mustard oil until it just begins to smoke. Switch off the heat and let it cool until warm, then stir in the hing.
5. Toss the chillies with the spice mix and lemon juice, pour over the warm oil and mix well.
6. Pack into a clean, completely dry glass jar. Keep it in a warm spot (or in the sun) for 2 days, shaking the jar once a day. The pickle is then ready to eat.

Storing your achaar

• Always use a clean, dry spoon.
• Keep the chillies covered with a layer of oil; top up with a little heated-and-cooled mustard oil if needed.
• Once opened, refrigerate and enjoy within about a month.

Aloo chokha proves that a handful of ingredients can make something unforgettable. Boiled potatoes are mashed with onion, green chilli and coriander and finished with raw mustard oil, which gives the dish its signature sharp, warm kick. It is the classic partner to litti, but just as good with dal-chawal or parathas.

Yellow mustard oil is a lovely choice here: it is golden and comparatively milder than black mustard oil, so the flavour is present without overpowering the potatoes.

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes, boiled
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 1 tsp grated ginger (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 1½–2 tbsp VedSaras Wood Press Yellow Mustard Oil
• Optional: 1 dried red chilli, roasted over a flame and crushed; a squeeze of lemon

Method

1. Peel the boiled potatoes while still warm and mash them roughly with a fork or your hand — a few small lumps are welcome.
2. Add the onion, green chillies, coriander, ginger and salt.
3. Drizzle in the mustard oil and mix well. Taste and adjust the oil and salt — the mustard flavour should come through clearly.
4. For a smoky touch, crumble in the roasted red chilli. Add a squeeze of lemon if you like.
5. Serve at room temperature with litti, rotis, parathas or dal-chawal.

Make it your own

• Baingan chokha: roast a large brinjal over an open flame until charred and soft, peel and mash with the same seasonings.
• Tamatar chokha: roast tomatoes and garlic, peel, mash and finish with mustard oil.

In a Bengali home, maacher jhol is not a special-occasion dish — it is everyday food. The curry is light and thin, meant to be mixed into steamed rice, and it owes its character to two things: fresh river fish and mustard oil. The fish is first fried in mustard oil, and the same oil then carries the tempering and spices into the gravy.

Ingredients

• 500 g rohu or katla steaks
• 1 tsp turmeric powder (divided)
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp VedSaras Wood Press Black Mustard Oil
• ½ tsp panch phoron (or ¼ tsp kalonji)
• 2 green chillies, slit
• 1 medium potato, cut into wedges
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1½ cups hot water
• Fresh coriander, to finish

Method

1. Rub the fish with ½ tsp turmeric and a little salt. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the mustard oil in a kadhai until it just smokes, then lower the heat. Fry the fish 2–3 minutes per side until lightly golden. Lift out and keep aside.
3. In the same oil, fry the potato wedges until the edges turn golden. Remove.
4. Add the panch phoron and green chillies. When they crackle, add the ginger paste and the remaining turmeric, cumin, coriander and chilli powders mixed with 2–3 tbsp water. Cook until the oil separates.
5. Add the tomato and cook until soft. Return the potatoes, pour in the hot water, add salt and simmer for 8–10 minutes until the potatoes are nearly done.
6. Slide in the fried fish and simmer gently for 5 minutes — avoid stirring too much so the pieces stay whole. Finish with coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Kitchen tips

• The jhol should be thin and flavourful, not thick. Add a little more hot water if needed.
• Fry the fish on medium heat; very high heat can make the outside harden before the inside is cooked.

Few dishes announce winter in North India quite like a pot of sarson da saag simmering on the stove. Mustard greens, spinach and a handful of bathua are cooked down slowly, thickened with a little makki ka atta and finished with a tadka in mustard oil. Served with makki di roti and a dollop of white butter, it is comfort food at its most traditional.

Ingredients

• 500 g sarson (mustard greens), thick stems removed
• 250 g palak (spinach)
• 100 g bathua (optional)
• 2 green chillies
• 1-inch piece ginger
• 8–10 garlic cloves (half for cooking, half for the tadka)
• 2 tbsp makki ka atta (maize flour)
• Salt to taste
• For the tadka: 3 tbsp VedSaras Wood Press Black Mustard Oil, 1 medium onion (finely chopped), 1 small tomato (chopped, optional), ½ tsp red chilli powder
• White butter or ghee, to serve

Method

1. Wash the greens thoroughly in several changes of water — sarson often holds grit. Chop roughly.
2. Pressure cook the greens with the ginger, chillies, half the garlic, salt and ½ cup water for 3–4 whistles (or simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes until very soft).
3. Let it cool slightly, then mash with a traditional wooden ghotna or blend coarsely. Saag should have texture — avoid a smooth purée.
4. Return to the heat, sprinkle in the makki ka atta while stirring, and cook on low for 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy.
5. For the tadka, heat the mustard oil until it just begins to smoke, turn off the heat for a few seconds, then turn it back to medium. Add the onion and cook until golden, then the remaining chopped garlic, the chilli powder and the tomato. Cook until soft.
6. Pour the tadka over the saag, mix and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot with makki di roti and a spoon of white butter.

Kitchen tips

• Heating mustard oil to its smoking point and letting it cool slightly is the traditional practice — it mellows the sharp raw edge while keeping the aroma.
• Saag tastes even better the next day. Reheat gently with a splash of water.