Meatless Feasts : India’s Vegetarian Splendors

In India, vegetarian food is so highly developed that it can easily outshine dense, chunky, chewy meat dishes. Religion, scarcity or high cost of meat and generations of tradition make vegetarianism a basic lifestyle in that vast country.

Some vegetarians are very strict--I have seen Jain priests with masks over their faces to keep them from accidentally inhaling insects. Others are more relaxed. Bengali vegetarians eat fish because it’s abundant in that coastal state. So do inhabitants of the southern state of Kerala. And some vegetarians are willing to eat soups made with meat broth although they avoid meat itself.

Each region has its own specialties, its own way of seasoning. The western state of Gujarat, which is heavily vegetarian, leans toward sweet tastes. South Indian cooks perform incredible feats with lentils. Grains such as millet are important in the desert state of Rajasthan. And Punjabis adore simple greens with corn bread.

Certain hotels such as the Woodlands and Dasaprakash groups provide only vegetarian food. But all restaurants and hotels in India have plenty of choices for non-meat-eaters. Some glossy five-star hotels even set up twin lunch buffet lines--one for vegetarians, the other for those who eat meat.

On Indian trains, you don’t order by the dish but by dietary preference. The tray of food--either with meat or vegetarian--is brought to your seat, like an airline meal. At least that’s the way it is in the second-class cars in which I have traveled. Chicken curry--the usual “meat” entree--was pretty good on some routes, not so good on others. But the vegetarian food was always wonderful. It’s also a wise choice if you are worried about food safety.

Clever seasonings and tremendous variety make this food addictive. And there’s plenty of it wherever immigrants from India have settled. Southern California’s Indian restaurants always provide vegetarian options and a few serve vegetarian food only. A large part of the inventory at Indian markets here consists of the lentils, rice and spices that vegetarians employ with such artistry. Here is a look at how they cook.

“We are together cooking,” says Phulan Chander, her Punjabi way of speaking spilling over into English. She smiles, thinking of husband Ramesh and the smooth way they work in the kitchen. “No fighting,” she insists.

Their home in Hawthorne is indeed peaceful as they put together a multi-course vegetarian meal. The food is Punjabi--except for a curry leaf here and there. This strongly flavored leaf appears in South Indian dishes, not northern food. But when you have a treeful just outside your kitchen, you are tempted to experiment.

This day, the Chanders are cooking the tiny black legumes called urad dal . Ramesh handles the dal while Phulan rolls out matti-- biscuit-like cakes that Punjabis eat with tea. Flavored with the aromatic spice ajwain , the cakes magically turn into multilayered pastries when fried. Already on the table is another tea snack--cashews fried golden-brown and sprinkled with cayenne, black pepper and exotic-tasting chat masala.

Still to come are ravishingly spiced eggplant-- baingan bharta-- and potato dumplings in pale-yellow yogurt sauce. The dumplings, made with chick pea flour, are called pakoras. For cool contrast there will be raita , a yogurt relish containing tiny balls of deep-fried chick pea batter. These are boondi , and you can buy them ready-made in Indian shops, but Phulan makes her own, dropping the batter through the holes of a large spoon into hot oil.

Like most other Indian women, she bakes chapatis after her guests are seated so the breads stay fresh and hot. And she whips together an impromptu lassi that has a unique taste, unknown in Western cuisine. This comes from kewra , a liquid seasoning extracted from the flowers of the screw pine tree and so powerful that it has to be doled out by the drop.

Over and over as she cooks, Chander says, “I have too many recipes.” This does not mean that her file is overloaded, just that she knows how to make many dishes. And she freely shares her recipes with customers at Bharat Bazaar, the Chander family’s Indian grocery in Culver City.

The Chanders cook Punjabi style, but Sada Siva Rao serves the wildly hot dishes of Andhra Pradesh in South India. To experience the fiery intensity of Andhra food, eat at Rao’s restaurant, the Bombay Grill in West Hollywood. Not everything is blistering hot, but when Rao cooks to his own taste, he ladles in heaps of blazing red chile powder and big spoonfuls of Southern-style masala-- spices ground with coconut. The trick is to temper the heat by eating a little curry with a lot of rice, he says.

Rao’s tiny restaurant, tucked in the back of a mall near a kosher bakery, draws lots of studio people. And the conversation is often heavily spiked with English accents because Britishers who know Indian food gather there.

So do Indians who want foods they can’t get elsewhere. One draw is homemade pickles: fat garlic cloves with sesame seeds, pickled fresh fenugreek leaves, spinach with coriander seeds and others. These are hot too, but one eats them in little bites with plain foods like such as rice and yogurt.

Rao cooks in a truly hot spot. His big range is next to the inferno-like tandoor oven. In this feverish setting he tosses handfuls of serrano chiles into a pot along with more chile powder than most of us would use in weeks. These zip up the intensity of mushroom senagapappu , chewy yellow chana dal cooked with mushrooms. Another load of chile powder goes into the tomato sauce for guttivankaya , an eggplant dish. Rao hasn’t been able to get the baby eggplants he prefers for this dish, so he substitutes long, slim Japanese eggplant. These he cuts in half, then slivers in quarters, leaving the ends attached. Both dishes are hot enough to induce sniffles, tears and even serious inner pain. And Rao says the obvious: Season them to your own taste, which probably means using a lot less chile powder.

In the Punjab, there’s a wonderful winter dish of spiced mustard greens-- saag-- that one eats with bright yellow corn bread called makki ki roti . At Nirula’s snack shop in New Delhi, the saag is rich with butter, and the combination comes with a little cup of shakkar-- brown sugar crystals--to add a tantalizing sweet taste.

Here in Southern California, you can try the saag and bread at Chameli, a North Indian vegetarian restaurant in Rosemead. Owner Hari B. Alipuria, who is from Patiala in the Punjab, remembers how his mother slapped the dough on a stone slab and baked the tortilla-like breads on a griddle that she sprinkled with cornmeal to prevent sticking. In Punjabi homes, the corn was stone-ground by hand, he says. That kind of cornmeal is not available in California, so Alipuria makes do with a supermarket brand.

Family tradition was to chop bushels of greens at night. Then Alipuria’s father would get up early to simmer the saag for hours. Long, slow cooking brought out the full flavor.

Alipuria’s wife, Linda, who reworked Chameli’s recipe to household size, says many Punjabis season the dish with only butter and salt. In restaurants here, saag is well spiced, and it often includes spinach along with mustard greens.

Chameli’s saag and corn bread do not ooze as much butter as they would in India because the chefs are instructed to reduce fats. The breads are lightly brushed with butter on one side only, then stacked. A pat of butter should go in the center of a bowl of steaming saag, though. Or one can skip the butter and sprinkle the saag with Chameli’s alternative topping--fried chopped ginger. Or make a good thing even better by using both.

Paneer bhurji looks a lot like scrambled eggs with tomato sauce, So you’re surprised to find out that it is cheese--not Western-style firm cheese but soft, freshly clotted milk stirred together with sauteed onions and tomatoes.

“It’s one of our favorite dishes. I make it all the time,” says Pammi Singh, whose husband, Lakhi, owns the Bombay Kitchen on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Although common in Punjabi households in North India, paneer bhurji is difficult to find in restaurants here.

At the Bombay Kitchen, vegetarians eat it with dal (lentils), whole-wheat paratha (a flat Indian bread) and a vegetable dish such as bhindi masala (spiced okra), aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) or navratnam curry, composed of vegetables and nuts.

At home, Pammi Singh sometimes adds green peas to make paneer bhurji even more colorful. And she always has raita , a yogurt relish, on the table.

The Bombay Kitchen, only 8 months old, is still undergoing changes. One dish headed for the menu is the soothing ginger-lentil soup that Lakhi Singh’s grandmother would brew up during harsh North Indian cold spells. It’s the vegetarian version of chicken soup, good for whatever ails you even if the weather isn’t cold.

Like the Chanders, Pammi and Lakhi Singh enjoy cooking together at home. “We experiment, and if it turns out well, we take it to the restaurant,” she says.

Indian desserts are usually terribly rich, extremely sweet and very time-consuming to make. To get the rich taste and thick texture required for the many sweets based on milk, one has to boil the milk patiently until it reduces and the flavor deepens. Mira Advani, who was born in a part of India that is now Pakistan, has figured out how to get around this obstacle.

When she makes burfi , a candy-like sweet, she cuts down the cooking time by using ricotta cheese instead of milk. And she adds nonfat dry milk powder to make the mixture thicker. To get the right taste, though, she has to add butter. But she watches her diet strictly enough to afford an occasional treat. And she trims the fat grams somewhat by using fat-free ricotta.

Advani teaches vegetarian cooking at the Oaks at Ojai, the Palms in Palm Springs and at her home in West Los Angeles. Occasionally she eats fish, but for months at a time, she’s totally vegetarian. “I just feel it keeps me healthy,” she says. “It’s a way of cutting down on fat. Of course, I love vegetables. They’re good to eat and so colorful.”

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Pakoras are vegetable fritters. In this recipe, they’re made only with potatoes, but Phulan Chander often combines as many as five vegetables, each cut into tiny pieces. The combination might include spinach for attractive green color, potato, eggplant, onion and cauliflower.

CURRY PAKORA

1 cup yogurt

3 cups water

3 tablespoons besan (chick pea flour)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon asafetida

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalapeno chile, chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek

4 curry leaves, optional

Potato Pakoras

Oil for deep-frying

Place yogurt in bowl and stir well. Add water and besan. Turn into blender and blend well to eliminate any lumps. Turn back into bowl. Stir in salt and turmeric.

Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Add asafetida and saute few moments. Add onion and jalapeno and cook until onion is tender. Add coriander, fenugreek and curry leaves. Add yogurt mixture and simmer 15 minutes. Just before serving, add pakoras. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

412 calories; 928 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 3.08 grams fiber.

Note: If allowed to stand and then reheated, sauce will thicken.

Potato Pakoras

2/3 to 3/4 cup besan (chick pea flour)

1/2 russet potato, diced

2 to 3 tablespoons corn oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Dash baking soda

1/3 cup water, about

Oil for deep-frying

Combine besan, potato, corn oil, salt, cayenne and baking soda in bowl. Add water to make dough stiff enough to shape.

Mold by hand into 12 balls. Drop into deep hot oil and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels. Makes 12.

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This lentil dish appears creamy, but no milk is added. Indian shops can supply not only the urad dal (black lentils) but the big, dark - brown pods of cardamom, the garam masala and the ghee. Or use clarified butter instead of ghee.

THE CHANDERS’ DAL MAKHANI

1 cup whole unpeeled urad dal

6 cups water

4 whole black cardamom pods

2 thick lengthwise slices ginger root, unpeeled

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons ghee

1/4 teaspoon asafetida

2 medium onions, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped ginger root

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

3 teaspoons garam masala

Salt

Place dal in large saucepan. Add water, black cardamoms, ginger slices and bay leaves. Cover and simmer over medium heat about 1 hour, adding more water if needed. Dal should be very moist, not dry. Let cooked dal stand several hours or overnight.

To finish dish, heat ghee in medium skillet. Add asafetida and onions and cook until onions start to brown. Add chopped ginger and cook 1 minute or so. Stir in cumin seeds, cayenne and garam masala. Add cooked dal and season to taste with salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until well blended and thick but still fluid. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 6 servings contains about:

168 calories; 96 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 1.61 grams fiber.

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Roasting the eggplant adds a special flavor to this dish.

ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH SPICES

(Baingan Bharta)

1 large eggplant

Oil

3 tablespoons ghee

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger root

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango powder)

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1 large tomato, chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Rub eggplant all over with oil. Grill over open flame or under broiler until skin is blistered all over, eggplant smells roasted and interior is very soft. Scrape off peel with knife. Place eggplant pulp in bowl and mash with potato masher.

Heat ghee in skillet. Add onion and ginger and cook until onion is tender. Add cumin, amchoor, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne and salt. Add tomato and cook until softened. Add mashed eggplant and cook until heated through, stirring to blend. Stir in cilantro. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

111 calories; 455 mg sodium; 16 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.5 gram fiber.

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At first glance, you think these are sweet puff pastries, but there’s no sugar involved, just a subtle spice taste from ajwain. Eat them freshly fried for the ultimate in flaky goodness.

PUNJABI FRIED PASTRIES (Matti)

2 cups flour

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 teaspoons ajwain

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

Oil for deep-frying

Combine flour, oil, ajwain and salt in bowl and mix. Add water and mix to make dough. For each cake, roll dough between palms of hands into ball size of walnut or little larger. Roll out on lightly floured board to about 3 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick.

Pierce all over with tip of knife. Heat oil for deep-frying. Add cakes, without crowding pan. Fry slowly 15 minutes, until golden. Drain on paper towels. Makes 12 to 14 pastries.

Each serving contains about:

159 calories; 99 mg sodium; trace cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.06 gram fiber.

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Chana dal (Indian garbanzo) is chewy when cooked, adding texture interest to this spicy dish. In the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where this recipe originated, a meaty mushroom called puttakokulu would be used. It’s not available here, but ordinary mushrooms work just fine.

BOMBAY GRILL’S CHANA DAL WITH MUSHROOMS (Senagapappu)

1 pound chana dal

1/3 cup oil

Few shreds cinnamon stick

5 green cardamom pods

7 whole cloves

1 1/2 medium onions, chopped

9 serrano chiles

1/4 cup Ginger-Garlic Mixture

4 or 5 sprigs curry leaves, optional

1 pound mushrooms, with stems, quartered lengthwise

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons ground dried red chile

1 tablespoon turmeric

2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 tablespoons Masala With Coconut

1/3 to 1/2 cup cilantro

In bowl soak chana dal in water to cover generously 30 minutes.

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, onions and whole chiles. Cook slowly until onions are very tender but not browned. Add Ginger-Garlic Mixture and cook until liquid from mixture has cooked away. Add whole curry leaf sprigs.

Pour off soaking liquid until dal is barely covered with water. Add dal and remaining liquid to pot. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, ground chile, turmeric and salt. Simmer until tomatoes have blended into mixture and dal is tender but still chewy. Do not overcook. Stir in Masala With Coconut, then cilantro. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

319 calories; 607 mg sodium; trace cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 3.27 grams fiber.

Ginger-Garlic Mixture

1/2 cup chopped ginger root

7 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons water

Combine ginger, garlic and water in blender. Blend until finely ground. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Masala With Coconut

8 green cardamom pods

10 whole cloves

1/4 to 1/2 stick cinnamon

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon white poppy seeds

1 tablespoon dried coconut powder

2 cloves garlic

Roast cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin and coriander seeds lightly on griddle or in dry skillet. Combine in spice grinder with poppy seeds and coconut. Grind to powder, then grind with garlic. Makes about 1/3 cup.

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Tiny purple eggplants, occasionally available at Indian markets, are best for this recipe. If you can’t get them, substitute ordinary Asian eggplants.

SPICY SOUTH INDIAN EGGPLANT (Guttivankaya)

7 Japanese eggplants

Oil

6 green cardamom pods

8 whole cloves

1/2 stick cinnamon

5 serrano chiles

2 onions, chopped

1/3 cup Ginger-Garlic Mixture

4 sprigs curry leaves

3 tomatoes, sliced

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon ground dried red chile

1 teaspoon salt

Water, optional

2 1/2 tablespoons Masala With Coconut

1/3 to 1/2 cup cilantro

Cut each eggplant in half crosswise. Cut each half in quarters lengthwise, leaving attached at one end. In skillet fry eggplant lightly in oil, until partly softened. Drain and set aside.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in large skillet. Add cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, whole serrano chiles and onions. Fry slowly until onions are very tender. Add Ginger-Garlic Mixture, then curry leaves and cook until liquid cooks away. Add tomatoes, turmeric, ground chile and salt and cook until tomatoes are very soft and cooked down to thick sauce. (If tomatoes are not juicy, add some water.)

When tomatoes are cooked, stir in masala. Carefully lay eggplant in pan. Turn heat to very low and stir gently just to mix with sauce. Do not break up eggplant. Cover and cook until heated through and eggplants are tender. Stir in cilantro. If you wish to drain off excess oil, turn mixture into colander and drain over deep plate. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

51 calories; 301 mg sodium; trace cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 1.07 grams fiber.

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Sada Siva Rao’s wife, Vajayawada, makes sweet, milky, ginger-spiced tea for customers at the Bombay Grill.

SOUTH INDIAN GINGER TEA

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 cups milk

1 (1-inch) piece ginger root, unpeeled, pounded

4 to 6 green cardamom pods, pounded

1 tablespoon tea leaves

1 tablespoon sugar or to taste

Combine water and milk in saucepan. Add ginger, cardamom and tea. Boil until mixture turns brown from the tea, about 2 minutes. Stir in sugar to taste. Strain. Makes 2 cups, about 4 small servings.

Each serving contains about:

54 calories; 39 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.06 gram fiber.

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This saag, from Chameli restaurant in Rosemead, is bursting with flavor. Serve it with Makki ki Roti (Punjabi corn bread), or with rice, dal (lentils) and the yogurt drink lassi.

CHAMELI’S SAAG

1 1/2 pounds mustard greens

3/4 pound spinach

1 (1 1/2-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and chopped

1 jalapeno chile, chopped

Salt

1 quart water

3/4 cup oil

3 medium onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger root

4 teaspoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 small juicy tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon dried methi leaves

4 inches ginger root, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

Rinse mustard greens and spinach thoroughly. Remove only coarsest bottom portion of stems. Chop roughly. Place in Dutch oven and add chopped 1 1/2 inches ginger root, chile, salt to taste and water. Boil, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Heat 1/2 cup oil in large pot. Add onions and fry until tender but not browned. Add 1 tablespoon chopped ginger root, then coriander, cumin and turmeric. Fry 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic and 1 tablespoon salt, or salt to taste, and cook until tomatoes are softened. Add methi leaves.

Drain any liquid remaining with greens and reserve. Place greens in food processor or blender and blend until finely chopped but not pureed. Add greens to onion mixture with reserved cooking liquid. Boil, uncovered, 40 minutes, until well combined and liquid is reduced but mixture is still moist.

Meanwhile, fry chopped 4 inches ginger root in 1/4 cup oil until lightly browned. Turn cooked saag into serving bowl. Place butter in center. Sprinkle with fried ginger, or serve ginger on side to add as desired. Accompany with Makki ki Roti. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Each serving contains about:

258 calories; 150 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 2.02 grams fiber.

PUNJABI CORN BREAD (Makki ki Roti)

3 cups water

3 cups yellow cornmeal

Butter

Place water in large saucepan and bring to boil. While boiling, add cornmeal. Stir to make soft dough.

Turn out onto board and cool slightly. Knead mixture thoroughly, occasionally picking dough up and slapping down hard on surface. Form mixture into 9 balls. With moistened hand, pat until each ball forms flat circle about 1/4-inch thick. Re-wet hand occasionally.

Place bread on ungreased griddle over medium heat. Cook until bread is browned on bottom and slips about easily on griddle. If using gas range, place cooked bread directly over flame for few moments to brown. Place on plate and brush with stick of butter. Cook remaining breads as directed and stack on plate so top of each roti butters bottom side of roti above. Makes 9 roti.

Each serving contains about:

414 calories; 882 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 2 grams fiber.

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Indian vegetarian dishes rely heavily on pulses and dairy products, as in this delicately spiced soup.

BOMBAY KITCHEN’S GINGER SOUP

1/4 cup red or yellow lentils

4 cloves garlic

1 (2-inch) piece ginger root

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons low-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons besan (garbanzo flour)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

4 to 5 cups water

Chopped cilantro

Chopped green onion

Rinse lentils and set aside.

Grind garlic with ginger root to paste. Heat oil in large pot. Add garlic paste and saute 1 minute. Add onion and cook until light-brown. Add turmeric and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add yogurt and stir until smooth. Lower heat and add lentils, besan and lemon juice.

Stir 2 minutes. Add water and stir well. Bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer on low heat 20 to 25 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and green onion. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

98 calories; 82 mg sodium; trace cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.97 gram fiber.

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If you prepare the paneer in advance, it takes only a few minutes to complete this easy dish. Serve it as part of an Indian meal, or even as a brunch dish, in place of eggs.

PAMMI SINGH’S PANEER BHURJI

2 quarts whole milk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 cloves garlic

1 (1-inch) piece ginger root

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 to 1/2 cup thawed frozen green peas, optional

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground dried red chile

Salt, pepper

1 jalapeno chile, chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons water, optional

Chopped cilantro

To make paneer, heat milk in heavy saucepan. When milk boils, add lemon juice and vinegar. Stir until milk curdles. Remove from heat and cool. Strain through cheesecloth and squeeze out water. Set paneer aside.

Grind garlic with ginger root to paste.

Heat oil in wok or heavy skillet. Add onion and stir until light-brown. Add garlic paste, tomato, peas, turmeric, cumin and ground chile. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until tomato is tender. Add jalapeno, then crumbled paneer and stir well. Cook over low heat 5 to 6 minutes. If mixture is dry, add water. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

332 calories; 323 mg sodium; 37 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams protein; 0.67 gram fiber.

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Although the cooking technique is non-traditional, this mixture tastes very much like classical Indian sweets. For variations, cooking teacher Mira Advani suggests substituting chopped almonds, pistachios or coconut for cashews.

MIRA’S CASHEW BURFI

Few strands saffron

1 teaspoon milk

6 tablespoons butter

1 (15-ounce) carton ricotta cheese

1 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups non-fat dry milk

1/4 cup cashews, finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

Whole cashews, cut up, optional

Soak saffron in bowl with milk 15 minutes. Set aside.

Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Add ricotta and stir until cheese melts, 5 to 6 minutes. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add dry milk and stir until very thick. Stir in cashews, cardamom and reserved saffron.

Remove from heat and pour into buttered 9-inch-square baking dish. Cool, then refrigerate. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 12 to 15 servings.

Each serving contains about:

229 calories; 144 mg sodium; 35 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.02 gram fiber.

Indian deity, plates and warmer in saag and makki ki roti cover photo from Chameli restaurant, Rosemead.

Fabric and serving pieces in Chander feast photo, H8, from Bharat Bazaar, Culver City.

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