Guests eat fabulously well at the top-rated, vegetarian, roof-top restaurant Agashiye (agashi is Gujarati for terrace) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The restaurant is part of the charming heritage hotel, House of MG. What really hits the spot on a cold, winter night is the steaming, delicate broth of a local pumpkin called koda. The spices are... Continue Reading →
Hira’s Tomato with Crispy Chickpea Noodles
This vegetable dish (sev tamaata nu shaak) is eaten as part of a regular Indian meal and has no garlic or onion and is gluten-free. It is perfect with whole wheat roti or gluten-free millet roti (bajra na rotla).
Hira’s Cilantro Chutney
Gluten free, vegan, this low carb chutney is a flavor pop and summer fresh. It resembles pesto but there is no oil and it is incredibly versatile.
Hira’s Cucumber Raita
Nothing can be simpler and cleaner tasting than a cucumber raita. Baby seedless cucumbers (Indian grocery stores call them Indian cucumbers, some stores call them Persian cucumbers) have a more crunchy texture that contrasts well against the creamy, cool yogurt. Low-fat or non-fat yogurt is fine, as is home-made yogurt. However, whole milk yogurt or... Continue Reading →
Tomato Salad
A colorful, flavorful, and quick salad, a tomato salad is so refreshing on a hot day. At the peak of tomato season, when heirloom tomatoes are on sale, we get a medley of mini heirloom tomatoes with beautiful shades of red, gold, orange, yellow and purple. They look gorgeous. Other times, we just get what... Continue Reading →
Tabbouleh
Salads are so easy to make at home and so much cheaper than buying from outside. This salad keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. The bold flavors are just right for the summer when herbs are plentiful and reasonably priced. Ingredients 2 cups washed and chopped flat-leaf... Continue Reading →
Spinach Apple Cranberry Salad
This salad is so festive looking and the cranberries look like little jewels against the bright green spinach. This can be a meal in itself with some fresh, crusty bread. The orange flavored dressing goes perfectly with the spinach, cranberries, and walnuts. Served first at a Thanksgiving dinner, it was a big hit! This is... Continue Reading →
Orange Fennel Salad
Delicate fennel and sweet oranges go well together to make a very refreshing, light salad. If you like onions, go ahead and add some thinly sliced red onions or some chopped scallion greens. We prefer ours without onions. Chill for 2 to 8 hours hours for the flavors to blend and the fennel to become... Continue Reading →
Hira’s Cabbage Tomato Salad
Cabbage is a wonderful vegetable in a salad. Many children and adults who do not eat the cooked vegetable end up loving it in this crunchy, tender salad. Lettuce was not available in India until recently, and is still not widely available. So cabbage is used in salads that are eaten in small portions, almost... Continue Reading →
