Mom's sambar

When people learn that you're vegetarian, the first question that you usually get (after "why?") is how you manage to get your protein. What people often don't realize is that most Indian cuisine is rich in plant-based proteins, courtesy of dals and other types of lentils, meaning that Indian vegetarians have been eating this way for ages without having any deficiencies or problems.  Case in point: sambar (sometimes spelled as sambhar). Like idli and dosa and many other South Indian staples, this spicy lentil and vegetable stew laced with tamarind and curry leaves is a complete dish, packed with lots of protein. Most parts of South India make sambar in their own special way. In Tamil Nadu, no meal is complete without it...we ladle it over rice, eat it with idli, dosa, upma, pongal, the lentil fritters known as vada...and just about with everything else! I learned to make sambar from my mom in 2004, when I'd come back after a few years of working in different parts of Africa and was spending some time at home.

Gin Jay (Vegetarian) Festival 2012

It was the moment (or rather the period) that I'd been waiting for ever since we moved to Thailand at the beginning of this year! The acclaimed Tesagan Gin Jay, or Vegetarian Festival, an annual event that is celebrated for 10 days all over Thailand, particularly among the Thai-Chinese community. Gin (or kin, as it's pronounced) means "to eat" in Thai, and jay (or je) refers to food that's void of any meat, poultry, seafood or dairy. The festival begins every year on the eve of the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar and is observed in several countries in Southeast Asia. This year it was celebrated here on October 14-23, and let me tell you, it was absolute paradise for a vegetarian (and Thai food lover) such as myself!

Scrumptious Seoul!

안녕하세요! It was only a few years ago that I had my first taste of Korean cuisine and discovered, much to my surprise, that it's quite vegetarian friendly. Since moving to Bangkok where I have many Korean colleagues and there are lots of Korean restaurants, I've enjoyed getting to know the cuisine better. This past week, I made my first work trip there...to the buzzing capital of Seoul. Here's a quick look at some of the scrumptious food that I ate while there...Korean or English names given based on what I was told by my dining companions!

The world's easiest pasta

My dear Luis has been making this ridiculously simple pasta sauce for so long that it's a crime that I haven't shared it with all of you yet! It's a simple, no-cook sauce...all you need to do is toss a can of tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic, some really good olive oil and a bit of spice into your blender and whiz it altogether. Tossed onto hot pasta, the sauce cooks just a little bit...and the result is simply delicious! Try this for a weeknight meal or anytime when you're pressed for time as we will be this month, with lots of travel on the horizon (Seoul, Macau and Hanoi!). Hope you enjoy the world's easiest pasta as much as we do!