The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

What takes time to cook is not necessarily complex – that statement is so true of rajma masala (kidney bean curry). To the uninitiated, rajma masala might look like the result of sophisticated culinary jugglery. In truth this is one of the simpler gravies you could make in the Indian cuisine.

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A spin-off on the snack Chura Bhuja with Mattar, this dish uses the healthier red poha (flattened rice) instead of white.

The method of making crispy red poha is exactly the same as for white poha – the only difference with red poha is that it is a little less easy to figure out when the grains are cooked enough. With white poha, the color change to golden is a sure indicator. With red poha, the color is already dark when you start so you need to be more watchful. Red poha turns crisp and ready to eat in about 5-6 minutes. Take a little nibble to make sure.

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Leftover boiled rice gives us plenty of opportunity for reshaping into new avatars, doesn’t it? I had a tempting pack of button mushrooms with me and used it for this mushroom fried rice tonight.

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Aloo posto is a popular Bengali dish – potatoes cooked in poppy seed paste, served with pooris or plain boiled rice. This delicately flavored curry gets its spice kick from two other trademark Bengali ingredients: mustard oil and panch phoron.

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A multi-spiced dish with chickpeas, channa masala is a great favorite in north India. This is also a wise dish to have on the menu when you’re cooking Indian for a big gathering – it is easy to prepare in large quantities since there isn’t much chopping or watching over involved.

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What can one do with wheat flour, onion and tomatoes? Make stuffed parathas of course. This filling came to be simply because I was out of other vegetables and it was raining too heavily for me to venture out and restock. Sometimes, necessity and laziness can produce wondrous results. Onion tomato parathas are proof!

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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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