The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

You get the most novel types of brinjals (eggplant) in Karnataka – today I picked up small bright round green brinjals, with gentle lines of white and purple, and prepared a quick side dish to go with rice and dal. Here’s how you could make crispy green brinjal.

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A common problem with the aubergine / eggplant / brinjal is that it begins to turn brown on slicing.

This is actually a good sign as it signals the presence of powerful antioxidants in the eggplant.

Good signs are all fine, but you don’t want your dish to look a muddy shade, do you?

Here’s a simple tip to prevent cut eggplant from discoloring. This has the added effect of reducing its bitterness.

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How do no-onion-no-garlic dishes make up for the missing flavors of onion and garlic, the essence of most Indian curries?

This is a thumb rule that "pure" vegetarians (no-onion-no-garlic eaters) will tell you –

1. Substitute garlic with asafoetida.
2. Substitute onions with nigella seeds.

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Kadhi Karnataka-style – that’s how I would describe majjige huli to folks back home. Like kadhi, majjige huli is made of yogurt and spices, with a thickening agent – besan it is in kadhi, rice generally in majjige huli. Majjige huli is sourer and lighter than kadhi – no fried pakoras but boiled vegetables, the dish is a slimmer’s delight.

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The tang of tomatoes and the heat of chilies make roasted tomato chili chutney a delightfully fiery partner for stuffed parathas and cutlets.

If you’re like me, you would want a range of color on your plate. The speckled beige of chapatis, the white of yogurt, the yellow of turmeric-tanned Indian curries, simply ASK for some green and red.

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Snack time – want something chatpata to go with your steaming hot Indian tea? Here’s a protein-rich munching idea – soya cutlets.

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If we look hard enough, we will find parval (pointed gourd) in South India but it just isn’t the same. The skin is too thick, the insides yellow. Not like the beautiful green ellipsoids we get back in Bihar. During this visit to Patna, I brought back a packet of fresh parval, determined to make aloo parval. I was surprised at my own excitement to be cooking this vegetable – as far as I can recall, parval never made it to my "favorite veggies" list and yet, here I was, giddy with happiness at the thought of eating parval from Bihar. There is something to be said for deprivation.

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