The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Kadhi Karnataka-style – that’s how I would describe majjige huli to folks back home. Like kadhi, majjige huli is made of yogurt and spices, with a thickening agent – besan it is in kadhi, rice generally in majjige huli. Majjige huli is sourer and lighter than kadhi – no fried pakoras but boiled vegetables, the dish is a slimmer’s delight.

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Custard mix, coffee and cocoa, sugar and milk, plus a few minutes on the fire – and you have your eggless coffee pudding ready to set and savor for your next meal.

I am not much of a dessert person (as you can see from my recipes – this is the first dessert recipe on the blog in months); I make this when guests are coming over, a more elaborate meal is cooking and I am pressed for time.

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The lovelier the item, the scarcer it is. Ripe mangoes are in season for only a short while. This is that heavenly time. And so we have the fruit in myriad ways – in mango raita, in mixed fruit rabri, in custard, or simply cubed. Mango shake is a regular breakfast drink for me while the good mango times last.

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My initiation into the kitchen was with tea-making – masala chai is all I knew how to prepare for many long years.

Chai is Hindi for tea, a word unknown no longer outside the Hindi-speaking diaspora – it’s usual for people to say "tea" when they mean Western-style tea, and "chai" when they’re talking about Indian-style tea.

As an ardent tea lover, I am especially excited to share this recipe with you. I hope you enjoy this aromatic tea made the Indian way as much as I do.

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What’s the best thing about Indian summer? Fresh, in season mangoes! Use this wonderful fruit in mango raita to add a cooling complement to Indian meals.

Mangoes come in many varieties: they can be small, red and pulpy, or large yellow-green and firm. Of all cultivars, the alphonso is widely regarded the most exotic. Back in Bihar, people swear by the malda and dusehri. In South India, the banganapalli – named after a town in Andhra Pradesh – is very popular.

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How to make yogurt at home, in five easy steps.

1. Start with the correct "jodan"

"Jodan" is what we call the little amount of yogurt that cultures and sets the full thing. For yogurt to turn out thick and tasty, the foundation – its jodan – has to be right. I generally save some jodan from my previous batch of yogurt but if you don’t have any handy and live in India, I can suggest Nestle’s plain white yogurt. I have tried other brands like Britannia and Amul – they taste great on their own but don’t work as well when used as "jodan". Other options: the local dairy, or borrowing a bit off your neighbours.

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Beat the heat with this cool drink – mint-flavored salted lassi. For those new to Indian cuisine: lassi is a popular yogurt-based drink that may be had sweet or salted. Sweet lassi may contain sugar, honey, and fruit like mangoes. Salted lassi is usually flavored with spices and herbs. Lassi can be served along with the main meal like lunch or dinner, or as an evening drink. It’s filling, hydrating and cooling – the perfect foil for fiery curries or scorching weather.

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