Pumpkin Pakoras
Ingredients: • Chickpea flour (besan) – 1 cup • Turmeric – 1/2 tsp • A pinch of hing • Cumin powder – 1 tsp • Coriander powder – 1 tsp • Salt – 1 tsp • Baking soda – 1/2 tsp • Yogurt – 2 tbsp • Cold water – 1/2-1/3 cup • Peeled, ripe pumpkin cut into 2-inch squares, 1/2-inch thick – 1/2 pound Preparation:: 1. Mix batter and let sit for 30 minutes. 2. Dip pieces of pumpkin into the...
Why no Garlic and Onions?
By Kurma Dasa One of the most common questions asked to me is this: “Why don’t you eat garlic and onions?” Here’s my short answer: As a devotee of Krishna and a practicing Bhakti-yogi, I don’t eat garlic and onions because they cannot be offered to Krishna. Here’s my longer answer: You may know that onions and garlic are botanical members of the alliaceous family (alliums) – along with leeks,...
Kitchen Vastu
By Kurma Dasa We all know what a kitchen is, but what’s kitchen Vastu? Vastu, or more correctly Vastu Shastra, is the ancient Indian art of living in harmony with the environment, and attracting the most positive influences into a living structure. With the benefits of its Chinese counterpart Feng Shui becoming evident, Vastu Shastra is now having a worldwide revival. It’s being hailed as a highly effective architectural...
What is Taste?
By Kurma Dasa For many years I have been intimately connected with all stages of the food experience: Study of food history and geography, recipe research and development, writing and testing recipes, growing plants and herbs, shopping and selecting ingredients, menu planning, teaching, and the penultimate, cooking. However, the climax of all these is, and will always be, the final enjoying experience.This is further facilitated by...
Carrot Cake
Ingredients: • Fresh lemon juice – 3 tsp • Milk – 1 1/4 cup • Corn or mild olove oil – 2/3 cup • Finely grated orange rind – 2 tsp • Soft brown sugar – 3/4 cup • Pure vanilla extract – 3 tsp • Wholemeal pastry flour – 1 1/2 cups • Unbleached plain flour – 1 1/2 cups • Baking powder – 1 1/2 tsp • Ground cinnamon – 1 1/2 tsp • Ground cloves – 1/2 tsp • Salt – 1/2...