The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

As promised in the last post, here comes my recipe for eggplant tomato curry.

I most often use the fat purple eggplant for bharta, but on long workdays the whole roasting process seems too labor-intensive and I want to make a curry that moves from kitchen to dinner table quickly. This no-onion-no-garlic  recipe of eggplant tomato curry is a godsend on such days. (more…)

Ginger lovers: this one is for you.

A spicy sweet and sour chutney, with ginger as its star. (more…)

Green eggplant in mustard-fenugreek masala is for those who turn their noses up at nuts or sugar in their curries, who say no to recipes like bittersweet baingan. The spices in this one are heavier, headier, not for the faint-hearted.

I made this dish with long green eggplant, which is the mildest-tasting variety of eggplant I know of. The eggplant’s blandness gives a nice base to the strong flavors of the spices. (more…)

Poppy seeds are a relatively new addition to my pantry and I keep a lookout for ways to expand my repertoire with them. I usually turn to Bengali cuisine for inspiration with this spice – aloo posto is a constant favorite. In a net search for poppy seed recipes, Sailu’s recipe for baby eggplant in an Andhra-style poppy seed gravy caught my attention: the sweet notes of jaggery and the tang of tamarind sounded like delightful additions to the base of poppy seed paste.

(more…)

Fenugreek leaves and chickpea gravy – did that make you frown? Methi chhole isn’t the most fashionable way of having chickpeas in India [channa masala takes the crown for popularity], but if you’re one of those who want to do something offbeat, ‘hatke’ – you must try this recipe.

In methi chhole, fresh fenugreek and chickpeas come together like soulmates – the bitter notes of methi are tamed by the rich nuttiness of chickpeas and the interesting spice blend in the  gravy.

(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…)

This was my first attempt at making pickle the traditional way and I have to confess I was nervous. The pickle jar needs to be placed out in the sun during the day and brought inside before sundown, regularly for days together. It needs to be handled with super-dry, ultra-clean  equipment. My anxious mind asked – with no prior experience to bank on, a 9-to-6 job and other pressing domestic matters, will I be able to keep up with the discipline of pickle-making?

I did – and a week later, have this delicious green chilly pickle recipe to share with you. Detailed step-by-step pictures included.

(more…)