The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Staple, durable veggies – potatoes and onions – join forces to give us this easy dry sabzi: aloo pyaz ki bhujiya. It’s vegan and very light on spices, just right for the lunchbox or a shared picnic basket.

(more…)

The orange and pink of pumpkin and red lentil, steeped in the gold of turmeric: happy-hued pumpkin masoor dal is just what you need for warmth and cheer this season.

(more…)

This garlic chili chutney uses just a few ingredients to make a flavorful lunch and snack accompaniment. It’s easy to make and very versatile in its pairings.

(more…)

"Cannot handle the pungency of radish" – is that your rationale for staying away from radish-based curries? I know how you feel. Once upon a time, I was you. Till I discovered tricks to tame the mighty mooli. May I gently recommend to you my mooli fry recipe. With steps calculated to reduce the sharpness of radish, mooli fry presents to you this root veggie in its mildest form.

(more…)

The southern states of India excel in the art of making various types of podi: literally ‘powder’, the word is used to describe ground dry spice blends. One really smart use of podi is as a ready-to-eat mix for plain boiled rice. Within seconds, a swirl of podi transforms plain boiled rice  into a fancy one-pot meal. The traditional podis I’m familiar with use a legume such as toor dal or chana dal as the base; this very simple 3-ingredient podi uses peanuts instead.  On days when there’s no time to cook a set meal of rice-dal-curry, this podi-based peanut sesame rice is a lifesaver.

(more…)

You can play "guess the secret ingredient" with this mooli chutney (white radish chutney) recipe. When cooked and blended with other ingredients, white radish sheds its sharp sting, taking on a gentle pungency instead. The end result is an exotically flavorful chutney.

(more…)

A chutney packed with the goodness of fresh coconut and curry leaves. Great on the side with dosa or idlis.

(more…)