The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Laal saag (red spinach), with its delightful color, adds sparkle to any meal it is served with. This Bihar-style easy red spinach stir fry is one of my favorites ways to have this veggie.

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Pumpkin and moong dal hit it off beautifully together. Mild to taste, the two have the capacity to combine a wide array of flavors very well. This recipe of pumpkin moong dal makes the most of this attribute, with its luxurious use of curry leaves and masalas.

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No, this is not a recipe for silly potatoes. The anari in the title is अनारी not अनाड़ी , which implies ‘flavored with pomegranate’. I’m especially thrilled to share this recipe of anari aloo with you as it was something of a shot in the dark for me – I had no precedent or inspiration, and only followed a hunch that this way of pairing fresh pomegranate with potatoes would work.

Did it work? You bet it did!

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I wanted to make a paneer dish taste close to ‘paneer butter masala’ that we get in Indian restaurants. Here is what I came up with. This rich curry is a great hit with paneer lovers, something you can happily serve at a party.

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Nutty, sweet flavors complement beans very well – I had taken to this idea when I first made string beans with peanuts and jaggery. This time I had green beans (French beans) on hand, which meant a milder flavor and more crunch. This felt like a good opportunity to up the experimental quotient on "nutty, sweet flavors".

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“Intense” is the word for it. Grape, beetroot, basil – each a treasure trove of nutrients – together produce a rich, health-boosting juice with healing properties.

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Mustard-flavored chutney with yam (Hindi: suran/jimikand or ole) as its base – that’s ole chutney, a recipe traditionally made in Bihari homes.

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