The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

A plus of cooking only for yourself is the chance it gives you for daring experimentation. Do whatever. Relish it if it turns out brilliant, commit it to memory (and blog) for treating others in future. Shrug it off if it does not; it is only one that suffered through it.

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Feeling blue? Liven it up with a bright red, green and white curry. The lovely concoction of colors and flavors in paneer capsicum curry is also surprisingly easy to put together.

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In olden days I’m told, the first test of the new Indian bride’s ability to cook was based on how she would make chapatis. Did she roll them round and even, cook them just right (no patches raw or charred), get them to fluff out beautifully? Could she roll out a chapati and watch the one on the stove at the same time?

The in-laws would scrutinize the final product, tear off a portion, bite and pass their verdict.

Those days of “judging” the bride are over (or so I hope!), but the fact remains that getting the chapati right is an instant indicator of the chef’s experience. Someone with a flair for cooking can possibly prepare any dish (like a curry) first time right – instructions and instinct guide them well – but one cannot make a perfect chapati until one has made several not-so-good ones before. Making chapatis is easy once you know how but it takes a few stumbles to get there.

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If you love French fries but avoid them for health’s sake, here’s a way to prepare them without deep frying. The result is spectacular!

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Get your vitamin boost with freshly squeezed orange carrot juice. Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. Oranges are loaded with vitamin C. Together, oranges and carrots combine to give a powerful health drink.

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A simple no-onion-no-garlic spinach potato curry, uniquely flavored with asafoetida and yogurt. I’ll place this right up with my most-loved comfort foods.

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