VEGETABLES

Aubergine, 1 piece — the large purple variety, known in Indian kitchens as brinjal, baingan, vankaya or kathirikkai, and in German simply as Aubergine.

The flesh is mild and spongy raw and turns silky and almost creamy once cooked, which is why aubergine is treated as a body-giving vegetable rather than a flavouring one. Roast it whole over a flame and mash it for baingan bharta; cube it for a Bengali or Andhra curry; slice and fry it for bhaja, for a batter-fried bajji, or for the Mediterranean dishes it belongs to equally — moussaka, parmigiana, baba ganoush.

Choose a firm, glossy one that feels heavy for its size. Salting the cut slices for twenty minutes and patting them dry keeps them from soaking up oil. Store in the fridge and use within a few days.

This is a mix of bell peppers, called Paprika in German and Shimla mirch in Hindi, in a mix of colours such as red, yellow and green. The flesh is crisp and juicy, with green peppers tasting more bitter and red or yellow ones sweeter.

In Indian cooking they go into a simple capsicum sabzi, into paneer and pepper dishes, and into Indo-Chinese stir-fries. In German cooking they are common raw in salads or roasted as a side.

How to use

• Wash and cut in half, removing the stem, seeds, and white inner ribs.
• Slice or dice depending on the dish; they can be eaten raw or cooked briefly to keep some crunch.
• Store in the fridge and use within about a week.

Spring onion is called hari pyaz in Hindi and Fruehlingszwiebel in German. It has a small white bulb with a mild oniony bite and long green stalks with a fresher, milder flavour than mature onion.

Both the white and green parts are used in Indo-Chinese cooking such as fried rice and manchurian, chopped raw as a garnish over chaat and salads, and stirred into a quick vegetable stir-fry. In German cooking it is common raw in salads or as a topping.

How to use

• Trim the root end and any wilted tips, then rinse well.
• The white bulb can be cooked briefly for flavour while the green tops are best added at the end or used raw.
• Keep in the fridge wrapped loosely and use within about a week.

Carrots, called gajar in Hindi and Karotten in German, are firm orange roots with a sweet, earthy flavour, crunchy when raw and softening when cooked.

In Indian cooking they go into gajar ka halwa, a sweet carrot dessert, into a simple carrot sabzi or poriyal, and into mixed vegetable curries and pickles. In German cooking they are a common base for soups, stews, and Rohkost salads.

How to use

• Scrub or peel before use, depending on preference.
• Grate for salads and halwa, or cut into rounds or sticks for cooking.
• Store in the fridge, ideally in a bag; they keep for two to three weeks.

Vegetables 

This is white cabbage, called Weisskraut in German and patta gobi in Hindi, the same family of vegetable as green cabbage but with pale, tightly packed leaves and a firmer, crunchier bite.

In German cooking it is the base for Krautsalat, a vinegar-dressed slaw, and for Sauerkraut once fermented. In Indian cooking it can be shredded into a cabbage sabzi or thoran in the same way as green cabbage.

How to use

• Remove the outer leaves and rinse the head before shredding or cutting into wedges.
• Cut out the hard core at the base, which is not eaten.
• Store whole in the fridge, where it keeps for two to three weeks; wrap a cut portion tightly.

Spitzkohl, or pointed cabbage, is a German cabbage variety with a distinctive cone-shaped head and softer, more delicate leaves than round cabbage, with a milder, sweeter flavour.

It is used in German cooking similarly to other cabbages, in Krautsalat, lightly braised as a side dish, or added to soups, and it also cooks well quickly stir-fried in the style of an Indian cabbage sabzi.

How to use

• Remove any outer leaves that look wilted, then rinse the head.
• The core is more tender than in round cabbage and does not always need to be removed.
• Keep in the fridge and use within about a week, as the leaves are more delicate than round cabbage.

Brussels sprouts, called Rosenkohl in German, are small round buds that grow along a thick stalk, similar in taste to a miniature, slightly more bitter cabbage, with a firm texture that softens when cooked.

They are a traditional German winter vegetable, usually boiled or roasted, and are also good pan-fried with a little garlic. They are not part of traditional Indian cooking but adapt well to a quick stir-fry with mustard seeds and chilli.

How to use

• Trim the base and remove any loose or discoloured outer leaves.
• Cut a small cross in the base of larger sprouts so they cook evenly, or halve them.
• Store in the fridge and use within about a week.

This is red cabbage, called Rotkohl or Blaukraut in German. It has tightly layered deep red-purple leaves, a firmer texture than green cabbage, and a slightly peppery flavour when raw that turns sweet-sour when braised.

In German cooking it is most often braised slowly with apple, vinegar, and a little sugar as a classic side dish, and it can also be shredded raw into a slaw.

How to use

• Remove the outer leaves and cut out the tough central core before shredding.
• For braising, cook slowly over low heat until soft; for salads, slice thinly and dress while raw.
• Store whole in the fridge for two to three weeks; a cut half should be wrapped and used sooner.

Fresh paneer — Indian cottage cheese, indischer Frischkäse — in a 400g block. Firm, mild and unsalted, it holds its shape when cooked, which is what makes it the workhorse protein of vegetarian Indian cooking.

Cut it into cubes for palak paneer, paneer butter masala, matar paneer or kadai paneer; skewer and grill it for paneer tikka; crumble it for bhurji, or grate it into kofta and sweets like rasmalai and sandesh.

Two things make a real difference: fry or grill the cubes briefly before they go into the gravy so they hold together, and add them near the end, since long cooking turns paneer rubbery. Soaking the cubes in warm water for ten minutes before use softens them again. Keep refrigerated and use within a few days of opening.

Dairy Valley Paneer is a 450g block of fresh Indian cottage cheese — soft, mild and unsalted, with the firm set that lets it be cubed, skewered or crumbled without falling apart.

Use it cubed in palak paneer, paneer butter masala, matar paneer, kadai paneer and chilli paneer; marinated and grilled for paneer tikka; crumbled into paneer bhurji or a paratha filling; or grated into kofta.

Sear the cubes for a minute before they go into the gravy so they keep their edges, and add them towards the end of cooking rather than at the start — paneer firms up and turns chewy if it simmers too long. If the block feels firm, a ten-minute soak in warm water softens it. Keep refrigerated and use within a few days once opened.

Bottle gourd is called lauki or ghiya in Hindi and sorakaya or sorekai in South Indian languages; in German it is known as Flaschenkuerbis. It is a smooth, pale green, elongated gourd with soft white flesh and a very mild, watery flavour, similar in texture to a marrow or courgette once cooked.

It is most commonly simmered into lauki ki sabzi with light spicing, added to sambar or a mixed dal, or occasionally made into a sweet halwa.

How to use

• Peel the outer skin with a vegetable peeler before cutting.
• Scoop out and discard the seeds if they have become large and hard, keeping soft young seeds.
• Keep in the fridge and use within about a week.

This is the classic Indian purple eggplant, called baingan in Hindi and vankaya or badanekayi in South Indian languages, sold in Germany as Aubergine. It has smooth, glossy purple-black skin over spongy, pale flesh with small edible seeds, and a mild flavour that takes on whatever it is cooked with.

It is used whole and roasted for baingan bharta, cut into wedges for a simple baingan curry or sabzi, or stuffed and simmered for bharwan baingan. It also works cubed into a mixed vegetable curry or fried into slices.

How to use

• Rinse and trim the green stem cap before cutting.
• Cut pieces discolour quickly in air, so cook soon after cutting or hold them in water until ready.
• Keep in the fridge and use within 3 to 4 days, as it softens with age.

Ridge gourd is called turai or gilki in Hindi, peerkangai in Tamil, and beerakaya in Telugu; it has no common German name, though it is sometimes described as Rippenkuerbis. It is a long green gourd with pronounced ridges running down its length, and soft, mild flesh once the tough ridged skin is removed.

It is typically cooked into a simple turai sabzi with onion and spices, added to sambar, or cooked with lentils in a dal.

How to use

• Scrape or peel away the hard ridges with a knife or peeler before slicing; the skin underneath the ridge lines is usually left on.
• Cut into rounds or cubes and cook until soft, as it holds a lot of water.
• Keep in the fridge and use within a few days, as it softens quickly.

This is pointed gourd, called parwal in Hindi and potol in Bengali; it has no common German name. It is a small, oval, green gourd, sometimes lightly striped, with a mild flavour and a texture similar to a firm courgette once cooked.

It is commonly stuffed with spiced fillings and shallow-fried as bharwan parwal, cut into rounds for a simple parwal sabzi, or cooked with potatoes in a light curry.

How to use

• Scrape the skin lightly if it feels tough, though young gourds can be left unpeeled.
• Trim the ends and slit lengthwise if stuffing, or slice into rounds for a dry sabzi.
• Keep in the fridge and use within about a week.

Bottle gourd, called lauki or ghiya in Hindi and sorakaya in Telugu, is known in German as Flaschenkuerbis. This smaller gourd has smooth pale green skin and soft white flesh with a very mild, watery flavour, similar to a marrow once cooked.

It is most often simmered into lauki ki sabzi with light spicing, added to sambar or a mixed dal, or occasionally made into a sweet halwa.

How to use

• Peel the outer skin with a vegetable peeler before cutting.
• At this smaller size the seeds are usually still soft and can be cooked along with the flesh.
• Store in the fridge and use within about a week.

Bitter gourd is called karela in Hindi and pavakkai or kakarakaya in South Indian languages, and is known in German as Bittermelone. It is a narrow, ridged green gourd with a distinctly bitter taste that softens somewhat with proper preparation and cooking.

It is most often sliced and cooked into karela sabzi or karela fry with onions, stuffed and simmered as bharwan karela, or added in small amounts to a mixed vegetable dish.

How to use

• Peel thin strips of the ridged skin if it looks tough, though the skin can also be left on.
• Slice, salt generously, and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes, then squeeze out and discard the bitter liquid before cooking.
• Store in the fridge and use within about a week.

Fresh valor papdi, 500g — the flat green Indian bean also called sem phali, avarekai, mochai and chikkudukaya, and in German Plattbohnen or flache Bohnen.

The pods are broad and flat with a distinctive, slightly bitter-sweet taste that sets them apart from ordinary green beans, and the seeds inside turn soft and starchy when cooked. Gujarati kitchens use them in undhiyu and valor nu shaak; Karnataka cooks them as avarekai uppittu and saaru; Andhra makes chikkudukaya curry with them.

String the pods along both edges before cooking — mature ones have a tough thread — and cook them through rather than leaving them crunchy, since undercooked valor stays bitter. Keep refrigerated in a bag and use within three to four days.

Fresh long beans, 500g — the slender, foot-long green bean known as yardlong or snake bean, bobbarlu, lobia phali, karamani and payaru, and in German as Schlangenbohnen or lange Bohnen.

They are firmer and denser than a French bean, with a fuller, slightly nutty taste and very little water, so they stay crunchy instead of collapsing. Chop them short for a South Indian poriyal with coconut, cook them into Andhra bobbarla koora, add them to sambar and avial, or stir-fry them Thai-style with garlic and chilli.

Snap off the ends and cut to length; there is usually no string to pull. Cook them a little longer than you would a green bean. Keep refrigerated in a bag and use within three to four days, while they still snap cleanly.