We will cook 3 dishes. You can opt for a pre-designed menu, or mix and match 3 dishes from those listed below. Please contact me if you want to discuss options (special diets, dishes you would like to learn that are not listed here, etc). Everything is possible!

All the dishes are also gluten-free, except Roti, Samosas, Semolina Halwa & Sweet Indian Squash Bread . You can always eat curry with quinoa, brown rice or polenta (corn-based).

MINI THALIS – an ensemble of dishes

North Indian Favourites:

  • Veg. Pulao (spiced rice dish with veggies and nuts) or Roti, Indian flat bread.
  • A curry with gravy: Veggies in Butter Chicken Sauce or Vegetable Korma or Chana Masala aka spicy chickpeas.
  • A North Indian dal, lentil dish or a sabji, a dry veggie dish, Potatoes and Peas or Kale-Potato

Substitute the lentil or veggie dish for the starter: bhaji/bhajias/pakoras or Spicy Potato-Corn Patties. You could also opt for a salad, chutney, dessert or drink instead. See below.

Other typical North Indian dishes:
•Aloo Gobi (Potato-Cauliflower) •Stuffed Green Peppers •Saag (leafy green vegetables; my version has Kale) We can add tofu. Broccoli-Spinach Saag •Mixed vegetables North Indian style •Dal Makhani, creamy black lentils • Rajma, Red Bean Curry, Rajma Pulao, Rice with Red Beans, •Chole, another iconic chickpea dish •Masala Chai (spice tea)

Salads: •Cucumber; or Cucumber/Zucchini; •Tomato-Onion; •Beetroot or other root veggies; •Chickpeas & Green Pepper

Also possible, Baigan Bharta, grilled eggplant salad or Eggplant Curry (from July to October when relatively fresh eggplants are available in Canada!)

Desserts: •Semolina Halwa, •Carrot Halwa, •Zucchini Halwa, •Shallow fried bananas with coconut and cardamom, •Indian Rice Pudding in Coconut Milk •Seasonal Squash Desserts: available in Fall, mid September-mid November: Squash Halwa, Sweet Indian Squash Bread

Sweet drinks: •Dry Fruit Soya or Nut Milk Shake •Mango Soya or Nut Milk Shake •Golden Turmeric Milk

Note: my desserts are not sickly sweet!

DIVINE CHUTNEYS: •Coriander •Tamarind •Flax Seed •Grape

NOT TO BE MISSED dishes from all over India:

•Vindaloo, an iconic, fiery curry from Goa, •Tawa Pulao, colourful, uniquely spiced rice dish with cooked and fresh veggies •South Indian Style Pulao (rice, veggies,spices,nuts •Rassa, Maharashtrian mixed veg curry with the flavourful Goda Masala Spice Mix (We will also make this spice mix in class)•Kerala Style Onion Curry (coconutty; great), •Dhansak, yummy Parsi dal (lentil) dish with fenugreek. (We will also make the spice mix for this dish.)

MINI THALIS continued

Indian Regional Mix (recommended):
Explore Indian regional cuisine & different spice mixes

  • A dal (lentil dish) Bengali style with Panch Phoran, a regional spice mix
  • A Poriyal, veg dish, South Indian style, with Coconut, asafoetida and mustard seeds & Madras Curry Powder
  • A Pulao, North Indian style rice dish with veggies & Garam Masala.

South Indian Flavours: must try!

  • Sambar, South Indian spicy lentils with veggies, Madras curry powder & tamarind
  • Poriyal, South Indian style veggie dish with shredded coconut, asafoetida, mustard seeds & Madras Curry Powder or Spicy Potato Peas, South Indian style (the filling in dosas, for those who know what this is!)
  • Tomato or Coconut Chutney, or Beetroot salad, South Indian style

    • In Fall the Chutney could be replaced with a cooked Squash salad with Vegan Yogurt & spices (cooked salad may be an oxymoron for Westerners, but it is not for Indians!

Go South, stay South!

  • Chana Dal Wadas, yummy lentil fritters with real curry leaves in them, plus other stuff
  • Mixed Vegetable Coconut Curry with Madras curry powder & other spices
  • Lemon Rice, or South Indian style pulao

    • One of the dishes above could be replaced with Kale-Potato South Indian style.

FUN WITH BAKED SAMOSAS: Choose 2 types of baked samosas from the ones listed below.

  • Classic North Indian style: Potato-Chickpea filling
  • West Indian Samosa: Peas, coconut flakes with Goda Masala, a great spice-mix that we will also make. This Samosa is from my region and I recommend it.
  • Canadian innovation with South Indian spices: Kale-Potato Samosa; for the adventurous!
  • Plus we will make either Tamarind or Coriander Chutney as a dip with the Samosas.
    Or Substitute Chutney with Masala Chai, Indian Spice Tea

Baked Samosas = Cut the calories, retain the flavour!

An Indian Classic

  • Bengali Khichari: rice and lentil dish with spices and veggies. One-dish meal, has plant-based protein, popular all over India.
  • Accompanied by Tomato-Coconut Milk Soup and Flaxseed Chutney from Veena’s Table
  • Plus Date Cashew Candy

I invite you to try something new here; you won’t regret it!

CELEBRATING BOMBAY STREET FOOD – Must Have!

Option I

  • Bhaji/Bhajias, vegetable-chickpeas flour fritters, as a starter
  • Misaal, black-eyed bean stew layered with potato, tomato, and onion
  • Two chutneys, tamarind and coriander; plus a Chilli-Garlic Sauce
  • Masala Chai (Indian spice tea)

Option II

  • Bhaji/Bhajias, vegetable-chickpeas flour fritters, as a starter
  • •Pav Bhaji, spicy, mixed veggie spread with a complex masala (spice mix) served on buttery buns. This spice mix is available in Indian stores
  • Masala Chai (Indian spice tea)

Option III

  • Bhaji/Bhajias, vegetable-chickpeas flour fritters, as a starter
  • Bhel, Rice crispies (yup!) with potato & onion, peanuts and two chutneys, Tamarind and Coriander, plus a Chilli-Garlic Sauce – may sound weird but is delicious!
  • Masala Chai (spice tea)

Flavours from Bengal – really unique

  • Soup: A dal (lentil dish)with Panch Phoran, a regional spice mix
  • Starter: Grape Chutney on crackers
  • Main: Zaal Mudi, Rice crispies (yup!) with veggies, a special Masala (spice mix) & mustard oil — may sound a bit weird but is delicious!

We will also make the spice mix for Zaal Mudi.

A Maharashtrian Meal from Veena’s Table (Regional Cuisine)

  • Rassa, mixed veg. curry with Goda Masala, a special, regional spice mix, which we will also make
  • Green peppers and chick-pea flour veg. dish
  • Served with Rice.
  • Flax seed chutney, healthy, flavourful and multiple-use

(In eggplant season (July-October) the Chutney can be substituted with •Zesty, shallow-fried, lightly spiced eggplant slices, a starter)

Or, Instead of the Rassa we can make a Black-eyed Bean stew, also with Goda Masala.

Note: Goda Masala can be used in other lentil and veg. dishes as well.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Fast, Anytime Indian from Veena’s table

(Regional Cuisine: Maharashtrian)

  • Pohe, a flavourful flat rice dish with veggies and nuts
  • Chickpea & rice flour or Ragi, finger millet, pancakes with veggies served with
  • Coriander Chutney or Tamarind Chutney (kick-ass!) to go with the pancakes
  • Semolina Halwa (A mildly sweet dish, comfort food 101!)

Indian starters: Ideal class for a weekend afternoon!

Choose 2 from 1. Bhaji/Bhajia, vegetable-chickpeas flour fritters 2. Chana Dal Wadas, yummy lentil fritters 3. Spicy Potato-Corn Patties 4. Masala Papadums (papadums with toppings) 5. Bengali Grape Chutney on crackers 6. •Zesty, shallow-fried, lightly spiced eggplant slices (in eggplant season)

And a 3rdrd dish from: 1. Coriander Chutney 2. Tamarind Chutney 3. Masala Chai (Indian spiced tea) 4. Dry Fruit Soya or Nut Milk Shake 5. Mango Soya or Nut Milk Shake 6.Golden Turmeric Milk
Another fun weekend afternoon class would be to make 3 desserts. The desserts are listed above.