The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

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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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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What do you like to stuff inside your parathas? This soya bean stuffing is a constant favorite of mine. The main ingredient in the stuffing is soya bean granules, quick and easy to prepare, with all the goodness of soya.

You Need:

For the paratha:

• Whole wheat flour (atta) – 2 cups
• Water – to knead

For the stuffing:

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Peanuts and jaggery in toor dal? It sounded bizarre and it wasn’t something I had cooked or eaten before. When I saw this recipe for Gujarati dal on a food show on NDTV Good Times I decided to try it in my own kitchen that very day.

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A dish with minimal ingredients that cooks quickly, tastes good and gives you a generous dose of proteins. Sounds good? Here is the recipe of potatoes with soya bean granules.

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On regular days my simple yellow dal has a spicier accompaniment. On other days, the accompaniment is plain aloo-pyaz fry while the dal is spruced up. Here is one way I make my dal interesting with a green addition: toor dal tadka with spinach.

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A simple lentil dish to go with Indian meals – toor dal (arhar dal/pigeon pea split) with a fistful of saboot moong (green gram or whole moong, with the green skin on) in it. The yellow and green of toor sabut moong dal makes for a bright-looking colorful dish.

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