The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

What takes time to cook is not necessarily complex – that statement is so true of rajma masala (kidney bean curry). To the uninitiated, rajma masala might look like the result of sophisticated culinary jugglery. In truth this is one of the simpler gravies you could make in the Indian cuisine.

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What do you like to stuff inside your parathas? This soya bean stuffing is a constant favorite of mine. The main ingredient in the stuffing is soya bean granules, quick and easy to prepare, with all the goodness of soya.

You Need:

For the paratha:

• Whole wheat flour (atta) – 2 cups
• Water – to knead

For the stuffing:

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Spinach generously spiked with garlic cloves and dry red chilies, cooked with mustard oil – I fell in love with this simple, deliciously flavored saag from the word go. Only five ingredients and little cooking time, Kashmiri saag is also easy on the one cooking.

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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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They talk of "trial by fire" as a true test of character – instances of it abound in medieval Europe as much as Indian mythology.

While one may question the veracity of such a test with reference to people, it does throw up interesting results when applied to fruits and vegetables.

I’m referring to roasting.

Placing raw whole vegetables on an open flame and slow-cooking them brings out latent attributes that you wouldn’t even know existed. Roasted capsicum becomes juicy and sweet, shedding much of its pepperiness; tomatoes take on a delicious smoky note.

This tomato olive capsicum pasta – with its key ingredients roasted – has a lot of character. It has been through trial by fire, after all.

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