The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Funny thing about moringa leaves : where available, they grow like weeds – falling off their trees onto the pavements, attractively stacked in enormous bundles on vegetable vendors’ carts. Otherwise, they are an exotic rarity, mostly to be found as capsuled supplements. I am lucky to find fresh moringa leaves (also called drumstick leaves or sahjan ki patti in Hindi) off and on in my neighborhood – this is a simple stir fry I usually make with them.

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Chayote was an untried, untasted vegetable for me until an article in The Awl piqued me enough to cook with it.

Since then, it is as if Destiny has been conspiring to make me eat the chayote. Every few days I get a sign that points me towards this modest squash. The latest was this scene from the film Chef:

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A tangy garlicky dip to go with parathas and fried savories. Raw mango garlic chutney (kachcha aam lahsun chutney) is a must-try when raw mangoes are in season.

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From my recent trip to Singapore, I got back a couple of food items not easily available or cooked with in India: dried goji berries (also called wolfberries) and Chinese dates (also called jujubes). I went on to learn more about how these ingredients could be used, was especially struck with the idea of goji berry tea and resolved to make it in my own kitchen.

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This recipe of kairi khatti-meethi chutney (sweet and sour raw mango chutney) is so elementary, even Watson wouldn’t need a Holmes to explain it to him. Or so I thought till a friend asked me what I had put in the amazing accompaniment I served with the meal.

Ginger? Lime? Some Far Eastern condiment you brought back from the travels?

It turns out that what we believe is too obvious for words may not be so.

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Not too long ago, the mention of sundal outside of south India would be met with quizzical stares. Times are changing – this simple boiled legume dish is gaining traction far and wide for its health benefits, compatibility with special diets (vegan, Jain), and ease of making.

Sundal can be made with various types of legumes – chickpeas or peanuts for example. This recipe uses a very light and easily digested legume: yellow moong dal.

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Start-of-season green grapes tend to be tart and work best when combined with other ingredients – a few grapes in fruit rabri, for example, or in fresh juice. A recent addition to my list of go-to recipes for sour grapes is this green grape chutney, flavored with Bengali panch phoron spice and fennel powder.

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