PAKASASTRA

Acid Cakes made of Black Pulse and Rice Flour

Fermented flatcakes made from black pulse flour and rice flour, leavened naturally over one to two days until pleasantly sour, then spiced with black pepper and cumin and baked…

ANOTHER KIND

A traditional Canarese-style pepper water (rasam) made by frying and grinding pepper with red lentils in ghee, then simmering with lime juice, aromatic seeds, and curry leaves.…

Curry or Pepper Broth

A boldly spiced South Indian pepper broth from 1836, built on a fragrant paste of black pepper, dried chillies, and carapala leaves simmered with tender pallakayas. The broth is…

Dried Vegetables Friable in Ghee

A traditional South Indian preservation method from the Tamil and Malabar regions, in which ripe vegetables are sun-dried, soaked overnight in salted acid whey, dried again, and…

Brown Pulse or Horse Gram Pongal

A hearty and aromatic rice and mixed pulse pongal from the 1836 Pakasastra, enriched with ghee, nuts, vegetables, and five spices. This beginner-friendly adaptation guides you t…

Acid Curd and Rice

A simple and tangy South Asian rice dish from 1836, made by combining freshly boiled rice with soured curd and finishing with a fragrant tempering of mustard seeds, cumin, red c…

Curry Broth

A deeply spiced South Indian broth from 1836, built by frying and grinding black pepper, dried chillies, and carapala leaves with asafoetida before simmering until reduced. Fini…

CURRY BROTH

A fiery, aromatic curry broth from 1836 made by boiling vegetables, then enriching the broth with fried and ground pepper, carapala leaves, and chillies in ghee, finished with b…

Cakes made of various kinds of Pulse

A traditional South Asian recipe of mixed pulse cakes — made from green, brown, black, and red lentils — fried in ghee until golden, then rested in a seasoned curd mixture of sa…

Flour Food

A traditional multi-grain flour made from boiled wheat, chenna (brown pulse), and barley, ground into a versatile powder. This nourishing staple from 1836 can be served sweet or…

Beaten Rice Cakes

A traditional South Indian preserved snack made from beaten rice soaked in whey, seasoned with coriander, chilli, and sesame, then sun-dried into firm cakes. These long-lasting…

Curry

A simple, tangy curry from the 1836 Pakasastra cookbook featuring young mangoes and aromatic spices simmered together in an iron pot. The combination of fenugreek, mustard, cumi…

Dholl Curry

A simple and hearty colonial-era Indian curry made with boiled greens and red pulse, finished with a fragrant tempering of black pulse and red chillies fried in ghee. This begin…

BLACK PULSE AND RICE

A traditional South Indian dish of boiled rice mixed with a spiced black pulse powder, finished with fried black pulse and red chillies. Simple and hearty, this recipe from Paka…

BROWN PULSE POWDER AND RICE

A simple South Indian rice dish from 1836 in which boiled brown pulse is dried and ground into a fine powder, then mixed with boiled rice, chilly powder, and salt, and finished…

Broad Cakes of Rice Flour

A traditional South Asian stuffed rice cake made from a blend of rice, black pulse, and green pulse flours, filled with spiced boiled brown pulse powder and served warm with ghe…

CURD CURRY

A tangy South Indian curry from 1836 in which a prepared vegetable is simmered in curd, then finished in ghee tempered with dried chillies, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, fenug…

Curry

A simple and ancient South Indian curry from the 1836 Pakasastra, built on a base of green tamarind juice simmered with shrubs, seasoned with fenugreek, salt, mustard, and cumin…

Cocoanut and Rice

A simple and fragrant South Indian rice dish made with freshly processed tender coconut, seasoned with salt and chilly powder, and finished with a mustard and cumin tempering in…

Beaten Rice and Plantain-Stalk Cakes

Crispy fried cakes made from beaten rice soaked overnight in sour curd and mixed with bruised plantain stalk, salt, and chilly powder. A traditional South Indian snack that requ…