The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

In the western world, Indian cuisine is mostly equated with rich, spicy gravies – kofta curry and chhole masala and shahi paneer and their ilk. In reality, Indian cuisine is far broader than that. Indian food can be simple and minimalistic, as this dish I’m going to write about today – roasted moong dal with a green vegetable combination. I picked up the recipe of ridge gourd moong dal from a friend from Andhra, it’s been a regular in my kitchen since.

Ridge gourd and moong dal are both very gentle on the stomach, as are asafoetida (hing in Hindi) and lemon, the prime flavorings in this dish. Hing is a strong spice and, I suspect, an acquired taste. If this is the first time you’re cooking with hing, I’d suggest using very little of it. If you like it, use more another time. I do recommend it warmly, especially for its wide array of health benefits.

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Beat the heat with this cool drink – mint-flavored salted lassi. For those new to Indian cuisine: lassi is a popular yogurt-based drink that may be had sweet or salted. Sweet lassi may contain sugar, honey, and fruit like mangoes. Salted lassi is usually flavored with spices and herbs. Lassi can be served along with the main meal like lunch or dinner, or as an evening drink. It’s filling, hydrating and cooling – the perfect foil for fiery curries or scorching weather.

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A nifty tip I picked up via Mahanandi – roasting yellow moong dal before cooking it. When you roast moong dal, the dal acquires a more aromatic, nuttier taste which really adds to the dishes being cooked with it.

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Cutting open a pomegranate (anar) can be a messy affair, enough to keep me away from the fruit much as I like its juicy sweetness. Not so today. My local foodmart had on sale tempting glossy shelled pomegranate seeds – which got promptly purchased and put to use in this refreshing pomegranate raita.

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When onions and dried fenugreek get together, the result is magical. Try making paneer kasoori methi with these two ingredients that give the gravy its unique, layered flavor.

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Strawberries are in the market – exorbitant as they always are in India – but allow yourself a little indulgence. And take heart that you get the REAL deal when you make strawberry milkshake at home – no gooey magenta syrup that the juicewalla surreptitiously adds to the blender.

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Come Indian summer and yogurt begins to feel like manna from heaven. This moong and onion raita uses spiced yogurt to great effect.

For the uninitiated, ‘raita’ is a yogurt-based accompaniment for Indian meals. Served cold, its digestive, cooling properties are a great counterpoint to the otherwise spicy Indian meal.

There are endless variations to the raita – every region has its specialties, every family has its own spin on it. Here is one raita recipe that I specially like – using moong sprouts and onions.

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