The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

If you a want a change from the same old yellow dal but not something as heavy as rajma and channa, sabut moong dal (greem gram) is the one to go for.

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A traditional recipe from Bihar/Bengal that revels in the heady potency of mustard. If you like the sharpness of mustard and mustard oil, you are in for a treat with sarson wale aloo (potatoes in mustard sauce).

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Doesn’t food acquire an exotic sheen when described in language alien to its roots? Mangodi sounds like something grandmas from my native place would add to curries simmering in earthen pots. Sundried lentil dumplings? That’s like stuff my hostel-residing cousins in Bangalore would cook on a rare Sunday, as they do pasta and bruschetta.

But there you have it. Mangodi = sundried lentil dumplings. Choose the name you like. Made of ground moong dal with a hint of salt and spices, mangodi globules are sun-dried for 2-3 days before they are ready to use in curries.

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In methi chhole, the bitter notes of methi (fresh fenugreek) are tamed by the rich nuttiness of chickpeas and the interesting spice blend in the gravy. An offbeat recipe that I warmly recommend for fenugreek lovers.

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I never knew what Brussels sprouts were in my growing up years. My first sight of this vegetable was during a work assignment in UK. They were served at a party steamed whole, and their appearance had me entranced. If Gulliver’s Lilliput land cultivated cabbages, this is how they would look.

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Onions are indispensable to cooking in many Indian households, so much so that the humble bulb has caused governments to topple. To those for whom curries without onions seem inconceivable, I heartily recommend this recipe for stuffed baby eggplant in peanut sesame sauce. The sauce, with tamarind juice to give it body, is rich, thick, and entirely sans onions. I like to make this gravy when I have guests over, especially my no-onion-no-garlic folks.

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Moong dal and spinach complement each other perfectly. One comes packed with protein, the other boasts of high vitamin-mineral content; one is known for its digestive ease, the other for its roughage. And the colors – the pale yellow of moong playing off the rich green of spinach – are an added invitation to dig into this delicately flavored sautéed spinach moong dal.

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