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Vegetarian Side Dishes (Veg Sides)

 Published 2012-Mar-14   Updated 2023-Oct-04

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Have any of you ordered a roti or plain rice in a restaurant? Has there been a situation, where you visit a nice restaurant, order an idly, and you are served only idly? Would you visit the same restaurant again? Anyone likes to eat a plain rice or a plain chapathi, or even a plain dosa or idly or Upma or noodles without any accompaniment? How boring and unappealing that would be!!! Any dish that we cook or eat needs an accompaniment or what we Indians commonly call, a side dish. Though we call it as a side dish, I personally think it is the main dish, because the rice or chapathi can be relished only when there is an apt side dish to eat it along with. Our taste buds are so much used to the side dishes that in its absence a morsel of rice or a bit of chapathi wouldn't go into our mouth. 

So, what is a side dish? Is it tough to make? Will it take a lot of time? These are some questions which will run in a beginners mind. Side dish is any accompaniment dish with which we eat and relish the main dish. It is very easy and quick to make and we can invent umpteen variations using our imagination and creativity. Side dishes are a great way to incorporate vegetables in its best taste into our diet. We can customize our side dishes according to an individual's taste.

The preparation of a side dish largely depends on the main course we eat it along with and the region we belong to. I have listed out some dishes here, some of which are traditionally made by our parents and some are new creative variations. All the recipes listed below has been tried by me, tasted by many friends on several occasions and has also been appreciated by all of them.

Go here to see the collection of vegetarian curry / gravy recipes.

Vegetable Fry (Sauteed, Stir-fried and Fried Vegetables)

In Tamil, these are called as the “vadhakkal curry”. Here the vegetables like potato, brinjal, coccina, colocaesia (seppa kezhangu), elephant yam (senai kezhangu), ladies finger, and raw banana are chopped and shallow fried with some spices added. These go very well with variety rice like lemon rice, coconut rice, sambhar sadam or bisibela, carrot rice etc.

Poriyal is nothing but a south Indian style of stir fried vegetables with some tempering and coconut. Vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, carrot, beans, cluster beans or kottharangai, broad beans or avaraikkai are used to make this style of side dish. These go very well with spicy main course dishes like sambhar rice, tamarind rice and even rasam.

Eggplant Fry Eggplant Fry Broccoli Poriyal Broccoli Poriyal Bhindi Fry Bhindi Fry Beetroot Poriyal Beetroot Poriyal
Carrot Poriyal Carrot Poriyal Turnip Greens Poriyal Turnip Greens Poriyal Radish Poriyal Radish Poriyal Bok Choy Poriyal Bok Choy Poriyal
Turnip Poriyal Turnip Poriyal Brussels Sprouts Poriyal Brussels Sprouts Poriyal Rutabaga Poriyal Rutabaga Poriyal Celery Poriyal (Celery Stir-Fry) Celery Poriyal
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Subzis (Bhaji) & Veg. Masalas

These are made using the onion and tomatoes as the basal ingredient with some spices added. These go very well with chappathi or parathas or even ghee rice and jeera rice varieties.

Aloo Methi Aloo Methi Capsicum Masala Capsicum Masala Rutabaga Masala Rutabaga Masala Bhindi Do Pyaza Bhindi Do Pyaza
Palak Matar Palak Matar Potato Masala Potato Masala Asparagus Sabzi Asparagus Sabzi Green Brinjal Sabzi Green Brinjal Sabzi
Pav Bhaji Pav Bhaji Breadfruit Bhaji Breadfruit Bhaji Chettinad Mushroom Masala Chettinad Mushroom Masala Mushroom Masala Mushroom Masala
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Salads and Pachadis

They are the most nutritive and my favorite of the side dishes. These are made with curd as the basic ingredient. Here no cooking or minimal cooking is done. These go well with both chapathi and rice varieties.

Asparagus Broccoli Stir Fry Asparagus Broccoli Stir Fry Cucumber Pachadi Cucumber Pachadi Beetroot Pachadi Beetroot Pachadi Yellow Squash Pachadi Yellow Squash Pachadi
Banana Stalk Pachadi Banana Stalk Pachadi Banana Stem Mor Kootu Banana Stem Mor Kootu Zucchini Cucumber Pachadi Zucchini Cucumber Pachadi Pavakka Kichadi Pavakka Kichadi
Chow Chow Pachadi Chow Chow Pachadi      
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Vegetables with Lentils

As the name suggests, here the lentils are soaked, ground and boiled and added with vegetables with tempering. These can be eaten as a solo meal by diet watchers, as it’s a perfect combination of proteins and fiber.

Beans Paruppu Usili Beans Paruppu Usili Cabbage Usili Cabbage Usili Snakegourd Kootu Snakegourd Kootu Broccoli Usili Broccoli Usili
Beetroot Paruppu Usili Beetroot Paruppu Usili Kala Channa aur Bandh Gobhi Ki Sabzi Kala Channa aur Bandh Gobhi Ki Sabzi Pavakkai Paruppu Kootu Pavakkai Paruppu Kootu Vazhaipoo Usili Vazhaipoo Usili
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Restaurant Specials & Party Sides

These are inspired from my restaurant visit and they can be eaten as both starter and side dish.

Gobi Manchurian Gobi Manchurian Aloo Gobi Aloo Gobi Stuffed Capsicum Stuffed Capsicum Chili Paneer Chili Paneer
Chilli Tofu Chilli Tofu Broccoli Manchurian Broccoli Manchurian Brinjal Chops Brinjal Chops Kadai Bhindi Kadai Bhindi
       
       
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Other Veg. Side Dishes

They are my innovations and discoveries in my lab. One has to try and taste the same.

Asparagus Bhurjee Asparagus Bhurjee Broccoli Bhurji Broccoli Bhurji Avial Avial Cauliflower Bhurjee Cauliflower Bhurjee
Palak with Gobi Palak with Gobi Radish Tomato Curry Radish Tomato Curry Palak with Sesame Seeds Palak with Sesame Seeds Pumpkin with Sesame Seeds Pumpkin with Sesame Seeds
Mashed Potatoes Mashed Potatoes Drumstick Dry Mango Curry Drumstick Dry Mango Curry Olan Olan Kootu Curry Kootu Curry
Steamed Broccoli Steamed Broccoli Aviyal Without Coconut Avial Without Coconut Besan Chilaa Gram Flour Dosa (Vegan Omelette) Pav Bhaji without Potato Pav Bhaji without Potato
       
       


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Comments (6)

Person   ()
Thank you. Add few more spicy recipes.
Person   ()
Sure preethi. Keep visiting often and enjoy new recipes.
Person   ()
Nice�??�....... there can be more roecipes�???.......
Person   ()
Please click on the links "See more" to find more recipes.
Person   ()
tasty and yummy
Person   ()
Thank You.

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 Published by on and last updated on 2023-10-04.