The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Dalia (broken wheat) porridge is a favored breakfast food in many Indian homes. The grain is made by milling raw wheat grains; it’s especially nutritious as it is unrefined. Dalia is a great source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre – all that at an affordable price.

There’s got to be a catch, you think? You are right.

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Autumn begins, which means goodbye mangoes. Fruit vendors in India no longer stock those mounds of sweet-smelling heaven. Chia mango pudding is filed for use during the next mango season. Meanwhile I switch loyalties to this lovely dried cranberry banana chia pudding. (more…)

Each festival in Bihar has a signature sweet linked with it: thekua for chhatth, pidukiya for teej, tilkut for Makar Sankranti – and pua for Holi. But when the goodies are this good, why wait for an occasion to cook? Build your own reason for sweet celebration.

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Peanut butter in smoothies is all the rage and I have been thinking that some of us might not want to invest in a full jar of peanut butter just for the occasional smoothie. At least in India, peanut butter isn’t a regular in most households – it is expensive and not available in smaller grocery stores.

Is there an alternative? You are in luck – I have a happy solution for you.

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A fresh fruit preparation that you can serve as a snack or an after-meal dessert.

Traditional rabri can be pretty heavy with its high content of sugar and condensed milk. Its usual pairing with malpua and jalebi (while delicious!) doesn’t help either if you’re watching your weight. Enter my recipe of fresh fruit rabri – the best sort of dessert to satiate your sweet tooth even on a healthy diet. No refined sugar, no tinned condensed milk – this rabri is sweetened only with natural nutrient-rich dates and apricots. No canned fruit either – only fresh seasonal stuff. 

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Add a chocolatey twist to banana milk shake. That one tweak does not just adds to the taste of banana chocolate shake, it also makes the nourishing beverage a lot more visually attractive.

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