When aubergines are fried until crisply brown, they taste fantastic. This recipe, known as Enna Kathrikka in Tamil, comes from Mrs Balasubramaniam in Chennai. It's the type of dry, spicy dish that goes best with breads such as paratha or chapatti. If baby aubergines are unavailable, use the smallest you can find. The stuffing can also be used for red bell peppers, courgettes or tomatoes. Serves 4.

500g baby aubergines
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 fresh green chilli, halved
a few curry leaves

For the stuffing

60g freshly grated or desiccated coconut
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp urad dal
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
6 dried red chillies
salt

To make the stuffing, place all the ingredients in a large frying pan and toast for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the coconut is golden brown. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Transfer to a blender, add the toasted coconut and grind together, adding just enough water to make a thick paste. Set aside.

Working from the globe end, cut the aubergines lengthways into quarters, leaving the stem end intact so the aubergine is still held together. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan and cook the aubergines for 5 minutes until browned, turning occasionally. Set aside to cool.

Fill the inside of each aubergine with the stuffing mixture and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, green chilli and curry leaves and cook until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Carefully add the stuffed aubergines to the pan, cover, and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Turn the aubergines, being careful not to break them, and continue cooking until tender on each side. Serve hot.

Kerala cucumber and coconut salad

We are not big salad eaters at home, although we do eat a lot of raw fruits and vegetables. One day in 1985, I was passing through Delhi's Palika Park and was fascinated to see people buying raw cucumbers, slit into four and spiced with salt and lemon juice, to eat as a summery afternoon snack. It inspired me to develop this very unusual salad. I love its fresh, revitalising flavour. Serves 4.

1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
fresh coconut, finely sliced or grated
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped
a small bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt

For the dressing

2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 dried red chilli, halved
1/2 tsp asafoetida
a few curry leaves

Place the cucumber, coconut, carrot, tomato, green chilli and coriander in a salad bowl and set aside. To make the dressing, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and, as they begin to pop, add the cumin, dried red chilli, asafoetida and curry leaves. Stir well.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour its contents over the salad. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste and mix thoroughly. Leave to cool before serving.

Mushroom and cashew nut samosas

Samosas are well known in the UK, but in Kerala they are rather new and found only in bakeries or at special functions. Filling them with mushrooms, crunchy cashews and Keralan spices is an idea we developed at Rasa. Because they are so light, I find I can easily consume three or four with my afternoon tea. Serves 4.

3 tbsp oil, plus extra for deep-frying
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 medium onions, finely sliced
a few curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
75g cashew nuts, chopped
2 potatoes, diced
200g mushrooms, finely sliced
1 carrot, diced
250g ready-made samosa pastry
salt

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and, as they begin to pop, add the onions and curry leaves and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat until the onions are soft.

Mix in the turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala and some salt, then add the cashew nuts and stir well. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, mushrooms and carrot and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Fold each sheet of pastry in half lengthways to give 2 layers, then cut into strips measuring about 30cm x 5.5cm. Place 1 tbsp of the vegetable mixture in the middle at the end of one pastry strip. Fold a corner of the pastry over the mixture to form a triangle and continue folding in alternate directions until you have a triangular parcel. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.

Heat a generous quantity of oil in a deep-fryer, wok or large, heavy saucepan. When the oil is hot, gently place a samosa in the oil and drain on kitchen paper, then repeat with the remaining samosas. Serve hot or cold.

Green mango salad

Eating raw mango with freshly ground chilli powder and coconut oil was a childhood habit. We would take small packets of chilli powder and oil in our lunch boxes to school. During the lunch break, naughty kids like me used to enjoy throwing stones at the mango trees in the gardens of neighbouring houses. Then we would climb over the walls and steal the fallen mangoes. With the help of the blade that we used to sharpen our pencils, we cut our mangoes and spiced them before eating. This is a useful technique for making a salad even today, though I no longer have to steal the mangoes! Serves 4.

2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
a few curry leaves
100g shallots, halved
a large pinch of turmeric powder
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp white-wine vinegar
2 medium-ripe green mangoes, thickly sliced
salt

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the mustard seeds and, as they begin to pop, add the urad dal and curry leaves. Cook, stirring, until the urad dal turns golden.

Add the shallots and stir-fry for 5 minutes, until the shallots are shiny and translucent.

Stir in the chilli, turmeric and some salt, then add the lemon juice, vinegar and mangoes. Mix well and cook until the mangoes are just tender. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Serve cold.

• Extracted from The New Tastes of India by Das Sreedharan (£17.99, Headline), published on 26 July.