Vegetable Pakoras

Vegetable Pakoras line up to take their turn on stage, alongside tamarind chutney.

It may come as a surprise to many people, but to make a batter for frying, you don't need eggs. Indian cuisine, while not always vegan, usually doesn't include eggs. Even without eggs, this batter for pakoras clings to the grated vegetables like white on rice.

I'm telling you, eggs are overrated.

You can find gram flour at any Asian food store, or at many well-stocked supermarkets. The spices are also widely available—if you cannot find garam masala, just leave it out, or make your own with a mixture of cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

I served this with a chickpea dish—recipe coming up later for that! Altogether, the two dishes, plus basmati rice, were ready in about an hour. Not bad for a day when I hiked 5 miles and didn't feel like going to a lot of effort over dinner.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, gram flour is high in protein and gluten-free.