The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

For the longest time, the only way I knew how to eat papad was as a plain accompaniment to an Indian meal (usually khichdi), much like chutney or pickle. I liked papad overall, but the “dish” didn’t seem all that consequential.

When I moved to Bombay, my friends there would order masala papad as a starter in restaurants. This was something new, something interesting – papad dressed up as a standalone dish. I started experimenting with papad in curries, and warming up to this novelty – papad curry was very convenient on days when there are no vegetables on hand.

(more…)

I made methi chawal (fenugreek rice) for lunch today and wanted a light, tart accompaniment to balance its bitterness. That’s when the pineapple sitting in the fridge caught my attention.

A knob of ginger, some Sri Lankan curry powder that a friend had got back for me from her Colombo vacation, and couple of other spices went in as seasoning to make this simple, tasty sautéed pineapple recipe.

(more…)

I discovered ridge gourd only after moving to south India. The first time that I bought this vegetable, my motivator was curiosity – I had no idea how this sponge gourd / bitter gourd lookalike would be cooked or how it would taste. Pushcart vendors outside my apartment stocked fresh ridge gourd in large inviting heaps. One day I walked up to a vendor and asked in gestures (I did not know Kannada) to name the vegetable. In response, he wrapped two ridge gourds, held out the package to me and named the price.

And so I returned home, ridge gourd package in hand, and typed into Google image search: "long green Indian vegetable with spikes". Google did not disappoint – I found not just the name but also many ways to cook ridge gourd.

(more…)

I came across Nigella’s recipe for Lentil Tamarind and Date Dhansak last week, which prompted an internal conversation with the self.

Dal without salt? Did the ingredient list miss that by accident or is this dish really meant to have no salt?

Well, moong dal halwa is dal without salt, and that’s the finest dessert ever.

But there’s garlic-infused oil and tamarind in this recipe – no dessert worth its er…salt…has garlic.

Who said this is a dessert?

Guesswork much? Just follow the recipe and find out for sure.

So I did follow the recipe, with a couple of tiny adaptations. I ended up with an unusual, rich and tangy dal, the taste of which grew on me with each spoonful.

(more…)

Bharwan bhindi (okra stuffed with peanut spice) is a beautiful dish to make on leisurely days when you have tender, small-sized fresh okras on hand. The stuffing that goes into the okra can vary – this peanut spice is among my best-loved okra fillings.

(more…)

A variety of vegetables go into this Chinese-style recipe that’s great on the side with chapatis or fried rice. Chili garlic mixed vegetables is cooked on high heat  (using the Chao technique, or so Wikipedia tells me), which retains the texture and color of the vegetables. The dish gets its zing – and its name – from the pre-made chili garlic sauce that’s added to it.

(more…)