The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

15th August is round the corner. To celebrate India’s Independence day, let the tricolor inspire our food. Here’s an idea in saffron, white and green – a patriotic raita.

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Every time my mom makes spinach raita when guests are over, she is asked what went into the dish and how she made it. Sure to be followed by incredulous expressions when she lists out a mere five ingredients and two steps. Nothing that tastes this good can be so easy!

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A fruity raita to give company to Indian meals, specially good when you have heavy curries like kofta curry or paneer butter masala on the menu. I love the sweet and tart taste that ripe pineapple gives to the raita.

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Raita (yogurt dip), with bottle gourd as its prime ingredient, provides a lovely balance to rich Indian gravies. Bottle gourd and yogurt are bland on their own, but the other ingredients that go with lauki raita give it a suprising tangy twist.

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Carrot onion raita (yogurt dip) – this cool, tangy accompaniment with its hint of sweetness, give the perfect balance to spicy Indian gravies.

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What’s the best thing about Indian summer? Fresh, in season mangoes! Use this wonderful fruit in mango raita to add a cooling complement to Indian meals.

Mangoes come in many varieties: they can be small, red and pulpy, or large yellow-green and firm. Of all cultivars, the alphonso is widely regarded the most exotic. Back in Bihar, people swear by the malda and dusehri. In South India, the banganapalli – named after a town in Andhra Pradesh – is very popular.

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Cutting open a pomegranate (anar) can be a messy affair, enough to keep me away from the fruit much as I like its juicy sweetness. Not so today. My local foodmart had on sale tempting glossy shelled pomegranate seeds – which got promptly purchased and put to use in this refreshing pomegranate raita.

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