The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

Cross off red chili flakes from your grocery shopping list. You can make red chili flakes in the comfort of your home, with your choice of chilies. If you want the chili flakes bright red and medium-hot, use Kashmiri red chilies. If hot is your preference, use Guntur red chilies. Or mix up the chili varieties as you like.

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Chana dal (Bengal gram lentils) in a gloriously spiced curry, the kind one describes with epithets like "meal fit for a king".

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Every time I watch a rerun of Sooryavansham on TV (laugh if you will, I enjoy that film) I am struck by the scene in which Radha covers up for the lack of supplies in her kitchen by preparing meethe chawal. Celluloid can inspire us in unexpected ways, as this post is proof. My story may not be as dramatic as that of families reuniting tearfully after watching Sansar (a real effect of the film in the year of its release, I’m told), but it’s still worth telling for those in a culinary quandary similar to mine.

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I am a fan of the fierce, bitter methi chutney, but I gather that not many are on my side. Most friends find it "a bit much" for their taste. And so – for them and for those of you that share their taste – here’s a milder, nuttier version of it: sesame fenugreek chutney or til methi ki chutney. (more…)

Baingan bhaja is so easy to make that this post barely qualifies as a "recipe" – and yet it is one of those dishes of which the taste belies the simplicity.

A staple side dish with meals in a typical Bihari home, a quickly made add-on to liven up a dal-chawal-chokha meal. That’s baingan bhaja for you.

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I got up this Sunday morning with a halwa craving, fondly remembering the sooji ka halwa my mom used to make on weekends. There was no sooji (semolina) in the pantry to recreate her recipe, so I turned internet-wards for recourse.

The recipe for gur aur atte ka halwa (jaggery and whole wheat flour halwa) on Divine Taste struck an instant chord: the pictures were mouth-watering, and the key ingredients – whole wheat and jaggery – were healthy substitutes (well, more importantly, available with me!) for semolina and sugar.

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As promised in the last post on moong dal salad, here comes my recipe for eggplant tomato curry.

I most often use the fat purple eggplant for bharta, but on long workdays the whole roasting process seems too labor-intensive and I want to make a curry that moves from kitchen to dinner table quickly. This no-onion-no-garlic recipe is a godsend on such days. (more…)