The onset of winter brings with it fresh white radish (mooli) topped with lush green leaves. Here’s a curry that puts those radish greens to excellent use: baingan mooli patta sabzi.
Curries
Vegetarian dishes to go with an Indian meal, cooked in a sauce/assortment of spices. Curries may be wet or dry, and are eaten along with rice or bread (chapatis, parathas, etc).
Kaddu Poi: Pumpkin Basale Leaves Curry
Kaddu poi (pumpkin basale leaves curry) is a Bengali/Oriya signature style of cooking these two nutrient-packed, vividly colored vegetables together: pumpkin (kaddu) and basale leaves (poi).
Aloo Kela ki Sabzi: Potato Raw Banana Curry
Potatoes and raw banana complement each others’ tastes beautifully in aloo kela ki sabzi (potato raw banana curry).
Moringa Leaves Stir Fry
Funny thing about moringa leaves : where available, they grow like weeds – falling off their trees onto the pavements, attractively stacked in enormous bundles on vegetable vendors’ carts. Otherwise, they are an exotic rarity, mostly to be found as capsuled supplements. I am lucky to find fresh moringa leaves (also called drumstick leaves or sahjan ki patti in Hindi) off and on in my neighborhood – this is a simple stir fry I usually make with them.
Sauteed Chayote with Coconut Flakes
Chayote was an untried, untasted vegetable for me until an article in The Awl piqued me enough to cook with it.
Since then, it is as if Destiny has been conspiring to make me eat the chayote. Every few days I get a sign that points me towards this modest squash. The latest was this scene from the film Chef:
Baingan Masala: Baby Eggplant Curry
Baingan masala – an easy and delicious curry to make with baby eggplant. Unlike the more intricate recipes that involve stuffing the eggplant or dry-roasting the spices, this baingan masala recipe is beginner-friendly and relies on accessible ingredients. Try it!
Lauki Kofta: Bottle Gourd Balls in Gravy
A starring recipe for a party menu: lauki kofta – spiced balls of grated bottle gourd, deep-fried and simmered in a rich tomato gravy. The preparation of lauki kofta takes a bit of planning, and the steps for making the bottle gourd balls can’t be rushed or parallelized – but the end result makes the dish worth every bit of the effort.