The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

This light and nourishing ginger lime moong dal has a healing touch. Excellent for days when you want to soothe a sore throat.

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Kachumber – a classic Indian cucumber onion tomato salad that’s light, fresh and oil-free. This healthy side dish made with raw, fresh vegetables gives a pleasant counterpoint to rich Indian curries such as baingan masala, gobi musallam, dahi arbi. And of course, kachumber salad is most famously paired with dhansak.

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Each kitchen stint with the chayote teaches me something new. When I began cooking with this gourd, peeling it was hard – till I learnt the techniques of making triangular notches around its folds and boiling it before peeling. Soon I discovered a different variety of the chayote: the “Ooty chow chow”, which has a smooth exterior that demands no fiddling with folds at all.

So I switched loyalties to the Ooty chow chow, as my observant regulars would have noticed in the post on chayote dal.

While cutting raw veggies and fruits, I sometimes pop a few chopped pieces into my mouth. A reflex action if you will, this usually leads me to grimace and move on – but when I did this with the Ooty chow chow I stopped in my tracks. This vegetable didn’t just look like a pear, it tasted startlingly like one. Do I even need to cook this, I wondered. (more…)

A bright side dish to perk up your mealtimes. Cucumber and pomegranate are loaded with antioxidants, and when they come together, they make a salad that’s the very definition of healthy gorgeousness.

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I like to balance bitter with a hint of sweet: some jaggery in methi chhole, sauteed pineapple on the side with curry leaf pulao. In this gobhi kasoori methi (cauliflower and dried fenugreek) recipe, I turn to dried cranberries for the balancing act. I love the result! Do you?

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Pumpkin and moong dal hit it off beautifully together. Mild to taste, the two have the capacity to combine a wide array of flavors very well. This recipe of pumpkin moong dal makes the most of this attribute, with its luxurious use of curry leaves and masalas.

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