The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Cutting open a pomegranate (anar) can be a messy affair, enough to keep me away from the fruit much as I like its juicy sweetness. Not so today. My local foodmart had on sale tempting glossy shelled pomegranate seeds – which got promptly purchased and put to use in this refreshing pomegranate raita.

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When onions and dried fenugreek get together, the result is magical. Try making paneer kasoori methi with these two ingredients that give the gravy its unique, layered flavor.

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Strawberries are in the market – exorbitant as they always are in India – but allow yourself a little indulgence. And take heart that you get the REAL deal when you make strawberry milkshake at home – no gooey magenta syrup that the juicewalla surreptitiously adds to the blender.

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Come Indian summer and yogurt begins to feel like manna from heaven. This moong and onion raita uses spiced yogurt to great effect.

For the uninitiated, ‘raita’ is a yogurt-based accompaniment for Indian meals. Served cold, its digestive, cooling properties are a great counterpoint to the otherwise spicy Indian meal.

There are endless variations to the raita – every region has its specialties, every family has its own spin on it. Here is one raita recipe that I specially like – using moong sprouts and onions.

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Peanuts and jaggery in toor dal? It sounded bizarre and it wasn’t something I had cooked or eaten before. When I saw this recipe for Gujarati dal on a food show on NDTV Good Times I decided to try it in my own kitchen that very day.

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What do you do to get this lovely lush color in your palak paneer, I am asked.

I’ll let out my secret today.

As they tell you in Kung Fu Panda, the secret of the secret ingredient is that there is no secret ingredient. Which means that my palak paneer looks that way not because of what I add to it, but because of what I do not add to it.

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Craving for cheesy cauliflower, have no time / equipment / resources to make a full-scale gratin? Fret not – try this quick no bake cheesy cauliflower that gets made with basic cream cheese and a pan on the stove top.

This recipe lets the natural deliciousness of the cauliflower stand out. There’s a touch of garlic and a hint of cheese – enough to get your taste buds feel it but not so much that it overshadows the vegetable that stars in the recipe.

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