The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

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.

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A green papaya side dish that’s light, tangy and full of nutrition. Papeeta ka chokha asks of you only five ingredients and is a breeze to make (discounting the will it takes to peel the toughish skin).

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Had enough of aloo parathas and aloo tamatar, wondering what new to cook with that big bag of potatoes? Here’s a collection of interesting/unusual potato recipes to go with an Indian vegetarian dinner. Some of these recipes are easy, some involved – all are guaranteed to get the crowd hungry for more.

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One of the joys of winter is getting to cook with in-season fresh fenugreek leaves. Lush green and fragrant, fenugreek leaves lend their distinct character to any dish they are part of (case in point: methi chhole). In aloo methi (potato fenugreek stir-fry), fenugreek leaves find a happy companion: the creamy earthiness of aloo makes a welcoming base for bitter green methi.

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Chayote is commonly used in south Indian cuisine (here’s a nice kootu recipe), not so much in the north. It is not a vegetable I grew up eating and, even as I saw it everywhere in vegetable markets, I wasn’t enticed enough to try it.

Not until I read this about the taste of chayote in The Awl:

…sort of like a jicama: mildly sweet, incredibly crisp and juicy, somewhere between a potato and an apple, or a crisp pear.

That article called Eat the Chayote did, in fact, make me eat the chayote.

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Gifting times are round the corner. As one foodie to another, let me unabashedly say – nothing compares to the delight of receiving a gorgeously packaged food gift basket during holiday season. Use these ideas to plan food gift baskets for fellow foodies, or to let your loved ones know what *you* want!

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Step aside, kale. Cauliflower is the new veg-lebrity. How pleasing it is to discover that one’s tastes are in keeping with the times. I am a huge fan of gobhi sarson, this Indian-style mustard cauliflower dish.

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