The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

When you have run out of vegetables, make jhunka.

This piece of wisdom that I received from my Punekar friend was worth its weight in gold during the pandemic lockdown. With just besan and my backlog of onions, the barebones jhunka recipe gave me several filling, comforting meals.

So, what exactly is jhunka? Wikipedia defines it as:

…a vegetarian traditional Indian dish prepared in Maharashtra, Goa and North Karnataka. It is essentially a chickpea flour porridge.

Hmmm. Calling it a “porridge” is rather a stretch! Do they mean pithle? I’ll let the matter rest with a Shakespearean reference and point you to the blog becauseanyonecancook, which describes pithle and jhunka with more nuance.

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An easy arbi (colocasia) side dish that doesn’t require much skill or vigilance to put together. And what’s more, it remains heroically spill-resistant even if you carry it around in a leaky creaky lunchbox.

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Epic’s Tyohaar ki Thali was playing on my TV as I went about Sunday chores, only half an eye on the proceedings on screen…when this radish walnut chutney recipe made me stop in my tracks.

What an intriguing flavor profile, and what simplicity!

I had a fresh bunch of moolis in my fridge and a pot of homemade dahi. I decided to try out this recipe immediately.

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Sookhe bharwan baingan is a delicious side dish of spice-stuffed baby eggplants. It uses few ingredients – no onion, garlic or tomatoes – and can be put together easily with basic Indian spices.

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Kachumber – a classic Indian salad made with easily available raw vegetables. Light, fresh and oil-free, kachumber salad gives a pleasant counterpoint to leisurely-cooked, gravy-laden vegetable curries.

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A Turkish-inspired masoor dal recipe that weaves the goodness of root vegetables in a wholesome, comforting soup.

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Do you believe that okra should never be cooked moist? This okra and baby potato stew will make you re-evaluate that belief! When simmered in a flavorful tomato curry, okra and potatoes get infused with a delicious tang and, thanks to the acidity of the tomatoes, none of the okra slime.

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