The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Potato and pesto sandwiches for a tasty, leisurely breakfast with a steaming cup of masala chai. Life doesn’t get better than this :-) I had these sandwiches this morning and loved them, they’re a sure addition to my pesto recipe ideas. (more…)

I cook with spinach quite a lot – in curries, as a base for green pasta sauce, in spinach dal and spinach rice. Here is yet another use of this lovely green vegetable. Spinach parathas or palak parathas.

(more…)

Do you realize that if you stack round parathas in a square lunchbox, then even with the largest paratha size your lunchbox can accommodate you leave more than 20% of its surface space unused?^[1]

Does this er…criminal wastage bother you?

You can’t beat geometry. But you can pack parathas in your square lunchbox without an inch of space going waste. Let me show you how.

(more…)

When chefs with expertise in other cuisines turn to Indian, it is lovely to see their interpretations of dishes well-known to us. Parathas are regular fare at my place but I learnt of this interesting variation courtesy MasterChef Australia.

(more…)

As promised in my post on coriander parsley pesto, here come suggestions for different tasty ways to have this pesto.

1. Mushroom and Cherry Tomato Sauté with Pesto

(more…)

Learning how to make stuffed parathas wasn’t exactly a cakewalk for me. Most often I would go overboard with the filling and the paratha would crack open while rolling, leaving a messy spill. To counter that, I would fill so little that only superactive taste buds could tell there was actually something between the layers of flour.

One day years ago, quite by accident, I discovered this pleasing middle ground – aloo parathas without the hassle of stuffing. Sharing my method here, I’m sure this will help the novice paratha rollers among you.

(more…)

This happens often with me – I make rajma (red kidney beans) masala, there is plenty leftover after a filling meal and then I don’t feel like do a repeat for the next meal. What is the best way to finish off the remaining rajma masala?

My vote goes to these super-tasty rajma parathas. Packed with the flavors of the rich tomato-garam masala gravy, they also take next to no effort at the time of making.

(more…)