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½ teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice

1. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and fry 1 to 2 minutes until transparent. Add ginger and garlic, cook for a few seconds. Stir in tomatoes. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Mash the tomatoes with the back of a spoon or a potato masher.

2. Add water, lentils, carrots, cabbage, salt, black pepper, basil, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add lemon juice and serve hot.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING:

Calories: 142; Total Fat: 4 g (Saturated Fat: 1 g);

Carbohydrate: 21 g; Protein: 8 g; Fiber: 8 g;

Sodium: 313 mg

Vegetables

VEGETABLES TAKE CENTER stage in an Indian meal. Indian vegetable dishes are unique in their preparation and are anything but boring. Although some raw vegetables are eaten as a relish (see Salads and Chutneys, page 183), it’s the cooked vegetables that define the meal. Vegetables rarely, if ever, are just boiled and salted. Whether a simple dish or a lavish gourmet meal, cooks take pride in creating their special vegetable dishes. Even the plainest vegetable dish is seasoned with at least three spices, and the exquisite specialties may have up to eleven spices. Indian cooks are never bothered by the number of spices that go into a dish. They instinctively know that reducing the number of ingredients does not save time but can compromise the flavor, and they are never willing to do that. A sprinkle of this and that spice can totally change the flavor of the dish. That’s a good thing, for if you’re going to eat vegetables every day and at every meal, a variation in flavor yields a new dish.

Most of the vegetables in the Indian diet are now readily available in your local supermarket. I rarely have to go to an Indian or Chinese grocery store to buy vegetables. Even the local farmers market caters to the ethnic population and you can buy fresh vegetables like bitter melon and bottle gourds.

Methods of Preparation

The taste, appearance, and texture of the dish are determined by the seasonings and the cooking process. There are two primary ways of preparing vegetables (subji): either cooked dry (sukhi subji) or in a sauce (tari subji).

Braised (Dry) Vegetables (Sukhi Subji )

Calling the vegetable “dry” creates a misleading connotation but is the best translation of this type of vegetable dish. It is basically cooked with a minimum amount of water and does not have any gravy or curry-like sauce. The vegetables are seasoned with oil and spices and simmered in their own juices. The sukhi subji is often served with a meal that also has a dal or a yogurt dish, to add liquid. The notion of a completely dry meal—that is, a sukhi subji and a flatbread—is quite unpalatable to Indians. Something saucy is almost always served as an accompaniment. My parents were notoriously particular about this phenomenon. If for any reason we had just parathas (pan-fried flatbread) and a sukhi subji and we were out of yogurt, we would be served a glass of milk or tea to wash it down.

Most vegetables can be cooked dry or in a sauce. Some are better dry and some better in a sauce; there is no hard and fast rule. Personally, I find cauliflower, okra, and eggplant are best cooked dry, although small amounts of these vegetables can be a part of a saucy dish.

Vegetables in a Curry Sauce (Tari Subji)

The vegetables are seasoned with oil and spices and simmered in a fair amount of water until the spices and vegetables create a unique sauce. The consistency of the sauce can be different based on the vegetable and your personal preference. Onions, garlic, and ginger are used to thicken and flavor the sauces. Yogurt or cream (neither is used in these recipes) and/or nuts make the sauces richer. Thickeners such as cornstarch are rarely, if ever, used. The food is cooked down until the desired consistency is achieved.

There is another consistency that falls between the two methods of preparations; we call it leeputwan , meaning a sauce that clings to the vegetables.