The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

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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What’s the best thing about Indian summer? Fresh, in season mangoes! Use this wonderful fruit in mango raita to add a cooling complement to Indian meals.

Mangoes come in many varieties: they can be small, red and pulpy, or large yellow-green and firm. Of all cultivars, the alphonso is widely regarded the most exotic. Back in Bihar, people swear by the malda and dusehri. In South India, the banganapalli – named after a town in Andhra Pradesh – is very popular.

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How to make yogurt at home, in five easy steps.

1. Start with the correct "jodan"

"Jodan" is what we call the little amount of yogurt that cultures and sets the full thing. For yogurt to turn out thick and tasty, the foundation – its jodan – has to be right. I generally save some jodan from my previous batch of yogurt but if you don’t have any handy and live in India, I can suggest Nestle’s plain white yogurt. I have tried other brands like Britannia and Amul – they taste great on their own but don’t work as well when used as "jodan". Other options: the local dairy, or borrowing a bit off your neighbours.

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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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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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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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