The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

When I cook arbi (colocasia/taro), my default recipe is the tomato-based curried colocasia. Last week I tried something different and loved it: dahi arbi, a pairing of colocasia with yogurt.

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When it comes to leafy vegetables, my kitchen staples are spinach and fenugreek. Till a while ago, cooking with amaranth greens was uncharted territory for me. What better way to start a new year, I thought, than with tackling a new beast? And so I made my debut attempt at making chaulai dal (amaranth leaves with lentils).

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I discovered ridge gourd only after moving to south India. The first time that I bought this vegetable, my motivator was curiosity – I had no idea how this sponge gourd / bitter gourd lookalike would be cooked or how it would taste. Pushcart vendors outside my apartment stocked fresh ridge gourd in large inviting heaps. One day I walked up to a vendor and asked in gestures (I did not know Kannada) to name the vegetable. In response, he wrapped two ridge gourds, held out the package to me and named the price.

And so I returned home, ridge gourd package in hand, and typed into Google image search: "long green Indian vegetable with spikes". Google did not disappoint – I found not just the name but also many ways to cook ridge gourd.

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Bharwan bhindi (okra stuffed with peanut spice) is a beautiful dish to make on leisurely days when you have tender, small-sized fresh okras on hand. The stuffing that goes into the okra can vary – this peanut spice is among my best-loved okra fillings.

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A variety of vegetables go into this Chinese-style recipe that’s great on the side with chapatis or fried rice. Chili garlic mixed vegetables is cooked on high heat  (using the Chao technique, or so Wikipedia tells me), which retains the texture and color of the vegetables. The dish gets its zing – and its name – from the pre-made chili garlic sauce that’s added to it.

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The tuber colocasia or taro root (arbi in Hindi) is the potato’s less popular cousin, but when cooked right, can charm you like none other. Try this arbi masala (curried colocasia) to see how.

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Tasty spinach recipes that would coax even the staunchest spinach opponent into a change of heart. From palak paneer to spinach pasta, my pick of recipes from the blog that use this lush leafy vegetable in varied avatars.

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