Today, I was thinking, "are there any Indian Vegetarian recipes in which each and every ingredient is NOT used in Whole Food Plant-Based guidelines?" Two recipes came to my mind: Jalebi and Panchamrit. To find more, I started googling for Indian desserts and Indian deep fried recipes. I was surprised to find dozens of recipes! I realized why Indian populations — especially richer populations — get far more heart disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension. These diseases are virtually non-existant among rural and so-called 'primitive' populations like rural China, rural Africa, Tarahumara Indians, Papua New Guinea, Okinawans, … These populations don't eat anything that looks like these Indian preparations:

1. Jalebi: white flour + oil for deep frying, served in sugar syrup.
2. Panchamrit: ghee + honey + milk + sugar + curd.
3. Rasgulla: paneer / chenna + oil + sugar syrup.
4. Gulab Jamun: (khoya or chenna or milk powder) + fine semolina for binding + oil or ghee for frying + sugary syrup ("chashni" made from sugar and water).
5. Kala Jamun: mawa ("hariyali khoya"), maida, milk powder, arrowroot flour, ghee (for deep frying) and sugar syrup.
6. Pantua (Bengali Gulab Jamun): dough (made from paneer / chhena + refined flour + semolina + ghee + khoya) whicih is deep fried in ghee or oil, then served in sugar syrup.
7. Naan, Rotis, Chapatis & Flat Breads made from refined wheat flour (white flour). For example, kulcha is made with maida, curd, sugar, baking powder, oil and water.
8. Srikhand: thick yogurt + sugar or jaggery.
9. White rice kheer: white rice + sugar + milk.
10. Achappam: rice flour + sugar + coconut milk.
11. Ghee rice with coconut milk: ghee + white rice + coconut milk.
12. Alwar Ka Mawa (Indian Milk Cake): full cream milk + ghee + sugar + coagulant (alum, citric acid or yogurt).
13. Kalakand: paneer + condensed milk + sugar.
14. Rabdi: whole fat milk + cream + sugar.
15. Rasmalai: paneer / chenna + sugar syrup + thickened milk.
16. Doodh Peda: many recipes: mawa + sugar, or full fat milk powder + condensed milk + butter, or ricotta cheese + ghee + milk + sugar.
17. Malpua: deep fried pancakes served with sugar syrup: pancakes made from refined flour or 'maida' + sooji + khoya (milk solids) or evaporated milk or , shallow fried or deep fried in ghee.
18. Khaja: maida, oil, cornstarch, deep fried in oil. Soaked in sugar syrup. Example: here.
19. Sindhi Satpura: similar to Khaja: maida, ghee, oil for deep frying. Soaked in sugar syrup. With nuts (pistachio) and spices for flavor and garnishing. Example: here.
20. Chirote: maida, fine rawa, ghee, sugar syrup, milk and paste of ghee and cornflour. Nuts, seeds and spices for flavor and garnish. Example: recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor.
21. Penilu: Dough is made of maida, ghee / oil, salt and water. Layering is with ghee and rice flour mixture. Deep frying in oil. Soaked in sugar syrup. Spices (cardamom), nuts and seeds for flavor and garnishing. Example: here.
22. Balushahi | Badusha: maida, sugar, ghee, curd, oil. With spics (cardamom) for flavor. Example: here.
23. Dodha Barfi: ghee,s ugar, milk, glucose, alum, dry fruits. Example: here.
24. Shankarpali or Shakkar Pare: ghee + milk + sugar + refined flour + oil for frying.
25. Namak Pare: maida + sooji + salt + oil for deep frying.
26. Bengali Luchi: a "puri" like recipe: maida deep fried in ghee or oil (we can add some sugar and salt too).
27. Nagori Poori: maida + semolina + oil -- deep fried puri-style recipe.
28. Pan Fried Paneer or Paneer Tikka: paneer fried in oil, or baked in a skewer.
29. Khara Khaja: refined flour or maida + ghee/butter + oil for frying.
30. Sooji Ka Halwa: sooji or rawa or semolina + sugar + milk or ghee.
31. Pedakiya | Gujiya:
32. Kheer Kadam: From Madhupur. Soft exterior made fro khoya which holds a rasgulla in its interior.
33. RasKadam:
34. Chamcham: Brown chamcham of Sahebganj and white soft chamcham of Deoghar.
35. Parwal Ki Mithai: An iconic sweet of Bihar.
36. Khurchan: Mostly prepared in select shops in Khurja and Patna City. Layers of malai, with some sugar.
37. Ghevar: A Rajasthani specialty prepared with ghee, 'maida' & milk, topped with sugar syrup. "Malai Ghevar" additionally has 'rabdi' as topping. "Mawa Ghevar" has mawa (dried milk) as topping.
38. Faluda: Full fat milk, sugar, thick rose syrup (rose petals, sugar, water). Also has sajba seeds (sweet basil seeds). Sometimes, vermicelli is added (vermicalli is often made from refined grains like 'maida' (the endosperm portion of wheat) or 'corn starch' (carbohydrates extracted from the endosperm of corn); vermicelli can also be made from rice, whole wheat, fermented rice, mung beans and sweet potato but the vermicelli in Indian faluda recipes is often made from maida).
39. Bengali Chaler Payesh: Rice + milk + ghee + sugar (or jaggery). Gobindobhog rice is a special rice used for this preparation: it is a short grain, white, aromatic, sticky rice having a sweet buttery flavor. Is Gobondobhog rice a whole grain? Or is it polished? If you know, please let me know. Thanks!
40. Maida Puri: A puri (or 'poori') made from maida (fine flour; white flour): deep fried in oil (or ghee).
41. Surti Ghari: A mixture of sugar, ghee and mava (evaporated milk solids) filled in 'maida puri'. Apparently, Ghari recipe was developed for Tatya Tope's soldiers to boost energy levels: see Wikipedia article on Ghari.
42. Laktho | Gud Ke Pare:
43. Khurma: maida, oil, sugar syrup. Example: here.
44. Anarsa: Popular in Patna and Gaya.
45. Sewai Ka Zarda:
46. Doodh Pak: Primarily full fat milk and sugar, along with white rice, ghee, milk powder (for thickening). Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing.
47. Basundi: High cream milk, ghee, milk, milk powder, sugar. Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing.
48. Malai Cake: Full fat milk, sugar, dahi (curd), oil, maida. Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
49. Soft Spongy Sooji Cake: Sooji, maida, sugar, yogurt (dahi), oil, malai (or butter), milk. Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here
50. Sooji Gulab Jamun: full fat milk, milk powder, ghee, semolina (sooji), with sugar syrup. Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
51. Malai Kulfi: Malai (butter), milk, sugar. Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
52. Shahi Tukda: Slices of white bread; shallow fried or deep fried in ghee and oil combination. Sugar syrup with rose flavoring. Full fat milk, condensed milk, cornflour / arrowroot powder (for thickening the milk). Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here or here.
53. Malai Rolls: Malai (clotted cream), condensed milk, white bread. Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
54. Malai Mawa Rolls: Khoya / mawa, sugar, white bread. Nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
55. Suterfeni: Explained in Wikipedia article: shredded, all-purpose flour roasted in ghee (clarified butter), blended with melted sugar, and topped with nuts (pistachio, almonds) and spices (cardamom, rose petals). Can also be made with vermicelli (made from refined wheat flour).
56. Bombay Halwa | Karachi Halwa: Cornstarch, ghee or oil, sugar. With nuts, seeds and spices for garnishing. Example: here
57. Rose Karachi Halwa: Cornstarch, sugar, ghee, salt, rose syrup (rose flavored sugar syrup). Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
58. Muscat Halwa: Maida, sugar, ghee. With nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
59. Corn Flour Halwa: Cornflour (cornstarch; not 'makki ka atta'), sugar, ghee. Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
60. Bombay Ice Halwa | Mahim Halwa | Mumbai Halwa: Milk, sugar, ghee, cornflour (cornstarch) and sooji. Food color (orange). Nuts and seeds for flavoring and garnishing.
61. Samai based Desserts: Vermicell (typically made from maida or sooji), milk (or condensed milk, along with milk powder), cream, sugar. Nuts and spices may be used for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here.
62. Sohan Halwa: Wikipedia article explains: sugar, milk and cornflour (cornstarch) are boiled until they become solid. Ghee is used to avoid sticking to pan. Plus nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing.
63. Sandesh: Chenna (paneer), sugar or jaggery. With nuts and spices for flavoring and garnishing.
64. Farsi Puri: Semolina (sooji, rawa) or maida, ghee, oil for deep frying, salt. For example, here.
65. Fried Modak: wheat flour + refined flour, ghee, sugar. Fried in oil. With nuts, seeds and spices for flavoring. For example, here and here.
66. Ukadiche Modak: rice flour, ghee, jaggery, coconut. Nuts, seeds and spices for flavoring. Ukadiche means 'steaming'.
67. Mishti Doi: curd, jaggery, full fat milk.
68. Lassi: yogurt with sugar or jaggery or honey. Sometimes lassi is made salty. With nuts, spices and fruits for flavoring and garnishing.
69. Neer Mor | Majjiga | Sambaram (Moru Vellam) | Chhaas: Buttermilk with spices.
70. Curd Rice | Dahi Chawal | Thayir Sadam: main ingredients are curd and white rice. Garnished with seeds (mustard seeds) and beans (urad dal) tempered in oil, along with spices.
71. Kulcha: maida, salt, sugar. Optionally garnished with ghee or oil. Many variations like onion kulcha, aloo kulcha and paneer kulcha.
72. Paneer Kulcha: Kulcha is made from maida, along with curd / yogurt, baking soda, salt, sugar, oil and water. The stuffing is made primarily of paneer (cottage cheese) along with a mileu of spices. Often, the final preparation is served with butter or ghee as topping.
73. Bhatura: Maida, fine sooji, salt. Deep fried in oil.
74. Naan: Maida, sugar, yeast, salt, yogurt, baking powder, oil. Often garnished with butter or oil. Variations: garlic naan, aloo naan, paneer naan, and so on.
75. Malabar Parotta | Kerala Parotta: maida, ghee, sugar, salt, oil. See Tarla Dalal recipe.
76. Nankhatai (Indian shortbread | biscuits): 'maida', sooji, ghee, sugar, curd, milk. Nuts and spices used for flavoring and garnishing. Some gram flour is also added to the dough.
77. Maida biscuits: maida, ghee, sugar, oil. Some nuts, seeds and spices may be added for flavoring or garnishing.
78. Vanilla Sponge Cake (eggless): maida, yogurt, sugar, condensed milk, fresh milk, oil. Example: here.
79. Butter Cookies: butter, sugar, white flour. With nuts, seeds, spices for flavoring and garnishing. Example: here. Or cornflour, butter, sugar. Example: here and here.
80. Buttermilk Biscuits: maida, sugar, buttermilk. With baking powder, salt. Example: here.
81. Roasted Chivda: chivda or poha (flattened white rice) is shallow fried (roasted) in oil and salt. With nuts, seeds, raisins and spices for flavoring and garnishing.
82. Toast Butter: A slice of white bread with slices of butter on top.
83. Paneer Makhani | Paneer Butter Masala | Shahi Paneer: Paneer in a creamy / buttery tomato sauce. With cashew nut paste.
84. Punjabi Phirni: full fat milk, cream, sugar, white rice. Example: Tarla Dalal recipe
85. Bhura Roti Ghee: Rotis with ghee and jaggery. Can also be made with white flour or white rice flour, and powdered sugar.
86. Meethe Chawal: White rice with sugar and ghee. With nuts, seeds and spices (like saffron) for flavoring and garnishing.

What is cornflour (cornstarch)? Is it different from "corn flour" (two words)? A good article that explains: Cornflour — the great binder by Sanjeev Kapooor (famous Indian chef). Turns out that "corn flour" (two words) is 'makki ka atta' (corn that has been turned into flour; yellow in color) but "cornflour" is same as "cornstarch", which is a carbohydrate extract of corn derived from its endosperm (the carbohydrate-rich inner portion of whole grains).

Many recipes use spices like cardamom powder and saffron or nuts like pistachio in small amounts. These spices and nuts (used in tiny amounts) and water are the only WFPB ingredients in the recipes listed above! All other ingredients are non-WFPB.

The recipes above are just the tip of the iceberg. We have many many Indian vegetarian recipes that are deep fried, salty, sugary, milky, oily, creamy, buttery & made with refined grains like white rice, sooji and white atta. Such recipes often melt in our mouths — we don't even have to chew much! In addition, we have many recipes with eggs & fish & meat-centric recipes consumed by non-vegetarians. None of these recipes are Whole Food Plant-Based.

Many people scratch their heads, "I eat so healthy! Why am getting heart disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension? Maybe it's in my genes." Well, all these unhealthy recipes listed above are a major contributor to these health problems! Rural and so-called 'primitive' populations like rural China, rural Africa, Tarahumara Indians, Papua New Guinea, Okinawans, … have virtually no heart disease or obesity or hypertension — these populations don't eat anything like the recipes listed above! Instead, they eat a LOW FAT, predominantly Whole Food Plant-Based diet.

Those who are accustomed to eating calorie rich recipes listed above are often rich people who can afford to each such foods. They often have a tough time imagining, "How will we possibly adopt LOW FAT Whole Food Plant-Based guidelines? How will we possibly eat food with only whole grains (not refined grains), beans, fruits, veggies, herbs & spices, with only a few nuts and seeds for a LOW FAT system". How may I eat like poor people — rural populations from the cultures mentioned above? It's possible! So many people have learnt how to make delectable Whole Food Plant-Based recipes without using any oils, sugars, milk or milk derivatives (no ghee, no butter, no paneer, no cream, no cheese, …), and no meat, no fish, no eggs.

A study in 2014 interviewed 38 immigrants from Indian sub-continent in Bay Area, California about their food choices. 18 men, 20 women. Average age: 67. Average number of years spent in USA: 27.

The section titled "FINDINGS" has fascinating details. Some points that caught my attention: Sweets during festivals: Frequent consumption of sweets (and fried foods) during Indian festivals — every few weeks. These festivals are important to maintain cultural identity. The article mentions "sacred relationship between food and religion" — "Indian sweets were associated with 'everything auspicious.'"

Beliefs about "good" foods: "more alkaline, flour-based chapattis and rotis, multigrains, vegetarian-oriented daal (lentils), milk, dahi (yogurt), inclusion of ghee (clarified butter), and a whole host of organic foods."

Beliefs about "bad" foods? "chaat (snacks) and other “junk” foods, deep frying and/or constant use of ghee in preparation, over-cooking foods, adding too many spices to meals, processing/treating vegetables with pesticides, and overusing oil and salt."

Stale food: Strong belief that stale food is unhealthy: cooked food should not be stored in fridge for consumption later. Processed foods are far worse -- they have been cooked and preserved via chemicals -- very very stale. Traditional knowledge: Strong belief in traditional Indian systems like Ayurveda or food guidelines picked up from their mothers in childhood.

Many details in the paper. I've listed only a few points that I found interesting. See this paper.