My Legume Love Affair - Fourth Helping/The Round-Up

As far as event hosting in my experience goes, this has been my magnum opus. To pun, the round-up speaks volumes - about the popularity of legumes, the event that is MLLA and its creator, Susan, who readily responded to my request to host one round of it as soon as possible.

Around 75 bloggers have participated, and some have sent in more than one dish. It's been a pleasure checking my mail and finding entries trickling in everyday. I've checked several times to make sure I've not left out any, but you know where to mail me if I've gone wrong somewhere.

I've listed the entries in reverse chronological order (last mail to reach me is first in the list) but I've tried to be neutral in the blurbs to level the playing field. The pictures correspond to the text beneath them.

Soon after I hit the 'Publish' button, I will be on my way somewhere, just as I've been over the last week. Any amendments that are necessary, please notify me and I will make them soon after I return, at the end of the week.

Simona of Briciole is handling this month's Fifth Helping. Look out for the announcement on her blog. And the winner of the lucky draw for Susan's prize on offer, Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook is ... scroll to the end of the post to find out.


Now for the feast!


Don't assumptions drive you crazy? The story behind that question is an amusing prelude to this.


A typically Indian vegetable, she discovered it only after moving to the US. Pairing it with lentils makes it a hoary old comfort food.

Breaking out of the comfort zone, she found another use for these. And a native favourite that's become a rarity becomes something to celebrate when it's found in the market.


A staple in Indian restaurants is a voyage of discovery for her. Go here to be her co-traveller.


She's on a blogging hiatus but has peeked out of her cocoon to participate in this event, and offers a vegetarian version of a meaty original.


Despite all the bad press, or bad blogging, should we say, it gets, hostel food has its bright side. One such dish is here.


They're her babies, Mexican style, vegetarian and full of beans, fat-free! Check them out.


A scare and a trip to the ER ends happily in a feast, replete with a salad and a main dish. Find them here.


This is a fluid recipe ... but wait, aren't all recipes fluid ... but anyway, for a hoary old favourite. Customise it to whatever you have in the kitchen.


A traditional but heavy breakfast is brought to the fore as a festival dawns. See what it is here.


Just right for brunch, this is a favoured combination from the land of biriyani, the legumes making it what it is!


Itsy bitsy teenie weenie polka dotted ... The container's as interesting as the contents, find it here.

There's an apple in this ... curry. Discover more about this inspired recipe here.


A journey of discovery and widening horizons is what it represents. Find out more here.

A cuisine's signature dish that's also comfort food, serve it with chapatis or rice, whatever floats your boat.



Memories of festive traditions and food are happily and easily recreated with this dish. A hearty, but not meaty, and crunchy treat is also on offer.


It's more and more of the same colour but the hues and tints provide the difference. Coupled with baked potato wedges, this is sure to be a hit.


A trip to San Gemini and the slow way of life there moves her to recreate a bit of that in this recipe.


Another case of deep-fried love, from whole grains and wholly welcome! It's here.


You needn't get yourself into a stew over this light and simple dish.


The guidance came from 12 different recipes but finally, this soup is all her own.


The yearning for a new recipe for soup takes her on a journey that's a blend of many flavours.


Tomatoes and black-eyed beans, spinach and Greek yoghurt, all at once in a colourful gravy.


It's tofu and noodles and the flavour of sushi in this wheat-free, meat-free recipe that you can find here.


Podding peas can be as pleasurable as it can be wearying. This recipe is a fresh as it can get!



Full of beans, and some other vegetables too, ethnic and traditional just as Mom can make it.


An old favourite comes with twists and turns to suit the palate. Find out how.


Two main ingredients, and some accessories, and there's a dish that combines fibre and protein.


Two legumes jostle for glory in this dish, and both end up winners!


East meets West in this soup that's hot and hearty for winter evenings.


She would make the headlines for sending me as many entries as I did for this event - here's another!



An old favourite from a new blogger - find it here.


A simple and hearty gravy can be more satisfying than glittering diamonds and dazzling saris. Or don't you agree?


Through thick and thin, chapati and rice, this is a keeper.


The second soup to feature in this soupless blog named for soup - find out more here.


How do you convert something that is so robustly non-vegan into a vegan treat? Go here to find out.


From exotic Egypt and its environs comes this dish that's all simplicity and beauty.


When you have a bounty, make the most of it. And when they go with many kinds of legumes, all the better, as in here.


The comfort factor, with a bit of a twist in the finishing - find out what it is here.


For many of us, including me, home food often takes a backseat as we try out exotic stuff from elsewhere. Then when you rediscover it, it's a revelation, as in this dish.


For detailed tips on how to get some classic deep-fried love right, and vary it to suit your mood, check this post.



Anchored in memories of home come these recipes, one of which is a taste maker to a palate deadened by a bad cold.


Despite its name, this dish won't stop anyone - it's Go! all the way.


A well-justified rant against the state of the nation has her seeking some comfort in this recipe.


Apart from chick peas, kidney beans seem to be a great legumy favourite. Paired with tomatoes, they make a classic gravy.


This is the first soup to feature in When My Soup Came Alive and it's not my own! Howzzat?


Chicken 65, Gobi 65 and maybe even Babycorn 65 are familiar items on Indian restaurant menus. Now this can be added to the list!


A one-pot meal is a great way to save time and yet not compromise on taste or nutrition. Topping it with almonds makes it festive.

A medley of ingredients jostle for space in this colourful dish, and the best part is that there's no oil in it!


An exposition and adoration of the Mother Goddess, and a tribute to simple, home-cooked food - that's what you'll find here.



Speckled as much with colour as spice, this promises textures that are firm, yielding and crunchy as it does a burst of flavours.



This recipe must be one of the shorter posts from a blogger whose posts leave us in splits, but it's not without hints of its characteristic humour and colour.

This unusual combination of legume and vegetable is inspired by a cookery show, and what's more, there's no added oil to the dish.



See what a couple of handfuls of beans and some pasta and no oil at all can do in this recipe.


Popeye would love this, and they would be introduced to some Indian flavours as well in the bargain!


A bounty of the green thumb that's too little to come into its own but too much of a delight to go ignored finds ample expression here.


While the woes of the world are many, there are many other things you can give thanks for. This hearty dish is both comfort and celebration.



Amidst a time of change, this versatile dish, which can serve as accompaniment or soup, brings some warm comfort.


It's nostalgia time again and chickpeas are at the centre of it, but a dash of an untraditional ingredient blends the present with the past in this creation.


A visual feast is what she aims for, and succeeds in creating in this instance where she combines herbs, breadcrumbs and beans.


A no-fuss, quick stir-fry made of two kinds of legumes, with just some onions and tempering for company is what this recipe is.


Seven kinds of lentils and many more vegetables combine to make this recipe a good accompaniment to breads and dosas.


A query on why she doesn't cook "normal food" anymore has her doing some semantic investigation, some introspection, and coming up with this dish.


Moong beans flavoured with pandan and sugar and topped with some fritters combine to form an unusual dessert.


In a post redolent of the sights and smells of the past comes this recipe for a favourite street snack.


Chickpeas are such a favourite they must be the most used legumes in this event. Full of onions and spices and coconut milk, this is one curry that will be sure to tantalise those tastebuds!



The quest for local Italian legumes results in a glossy, uncomplicated dish highlighted with just a few flavours that include celery and leek.


A perfect spring day with the sun streaming into the house and the garden wearing new greenery is the perfect setting for this salad, which made an easy and quick dinner.


There's a twist in the tale, and it's tangy and nutty. This recipe sure know how to tempt.


The stuff of so many restaurant visits, accompaniment to an exaggerated bread, a never-go-out-of-fashion dish, that's what this entry is all about.


Snowy white shreds of coconut, a sprig of coriander and curry leaf make a pretty picture and adorn this entry.


A handful of spices and staple gravy makers onion and tomato lend themselves well to these legumes which go perfectly well with chapatis and other breads.


Condensed is the word that comes to mind when I have to describe this entry. And pithy. These words describe legumes as well as the format in which the recipes are provided.


More tiresome than a tiring day is the thought of ordering in some oily food. It took just a little imagination and just a little elbow grease to recreate this from memory.


It's is a meaningful birthday gift to a mother-in-law who's as nice as one's own mother. This is one recipe that will surely warm the cockles of your heart.


A love of Greek food, nurtured on a visit to Serifos, inspires this dish, which comes into its own with the addition of fennel, pernod and tarragon.



Can the lack of a hole be called a missing detail? No fuss, not much mess, and a fig to all those purists who hanker after the hole! Enjoy, simply!


As a child, this was a favourite of mine whenever we went out of town and stayed in a certain hotel. This recipe is simple enough to shake off the lethargy and get going.



If you're looking to add some colour to your life, perhaps you could start with some of it in your food first. This salad will come in handy.


As popular as the beach that plays host to it is this snack. This was, however, eaten at home.


A little rumination about being a Jack of all trades puts her in the mood for these cutlets. They can be made with the bare minimum of ingredients or as many as you have.


Whether it's for a subsistence meal sans the ennui or to recreate the memories of a cherished past, this recipe will come in handy.


A traditional old favourite, for which recipes vary vastly, this khichdi is a simple and soothing affair, livened up by a tadka (tempering)of mustard and cumin.


Assembly line, when not used in strictly industrial terms, is often pejorative. But it has its benefits when it's applied to a recipe that needs scaling down, such as this.

And finally, my entries:
Here
here
and here

And the winner is ... Anudivya of ...and a little bit more... Please mail me for more information.


My Legume Love Affair Round-up Event