The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

This happens often with me – I make rajma masala ((red kidney beans curry), there is plenty left over after a filling meal and then I don’t feel like doing a repeat for the next meal. What is the best way to finish off the remaining rajma masala? My vote goes to making these super-tasty rajma parathas, packed with the flavors of the rich tomato-garam masala gravy.

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Want to have greens, but methi (fenugreek) is too bitter for you? Try methi parathas – atta (whole wheat flour) balances the bitterness of fenugreek beautifully. The end result is delicious.

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Puffed and crisp, a poori is the epicure’s delight – a delicious bread to accompany potato curry, chhole or aamras. While chapatis are everyday fare, pooris sit proudly as the "special occasion" treat.

Pooris aren’t so easy to make, though, are they? I say they are, once you’ve learnt the ropes.

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Parathas stuffed with a spiced peas masala. Peas parathas for a delicious, protein-rich weekend brunch.

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Cheese parathas teeter dangerously close to the limit of "healthy" but when you crave cheese, far wiser to club it with wheat flour bolstered with fenugreek leaves and carom seeds than ordinary white bread, right?

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What can one do with wheat flour, onion and tomatoes? Make stuffed parathas of course. This filling came to be simply because I was out of other vegetables and it was raining too heavily for me to venture out and restock. Sometimes, necessity and laziness can produce wondrous results. Onion tomato parathas are proof!

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I try to include a variety of grains/flours and cooking oils in my diet. Whole wheat flour, gram flour, brown rice have been regulars in the pantry. One grain I haven’t taken to easily is finger millet (ragi in Karnataka / marua in Bihar). One reason is that I am not a big fan of this millet – too much of it in a dish turns its taste to what I can only describe as ‘dusty’.

Ragi’s health benefits are multifold – nutrition sites tell me it is a rich source of amino acids methionine and tryptophan, and minerals such as calcium and iron. One HAS to eat it, ‘dusty’ taste notwithstanding! The most palatable way I’ve found is to add a portion of ragi flour to chapati flour and make it into ragi roti.

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