Add peas to matar pulao, aloo matar, soups and mixed vegetable dishes. Stir them into rice or combine them with carrots and potatoes for a simple side dish.

Green chillies add heat and flavour to chutneys, curries and daal. Chop them into a masala base, slit them for a garnish or blend them with mint and coriander for a dip.

Grate carrots into a salad, add them to soup or cook them with peas and potatoes. Carrots also work in gajar halwa, vegetable rice and homemade pickles.

Prepare karela with onions and spices, fill it for a stuffed bitter-gourd dish or slice it for pan-cooking. Its distinctive bitter flavour suits traditional karela recipes.

Squeeze lemon over salads, chaat and cooked dishes for a bright citrus finish. Use the juice in lemonade, chutneys, marinades or simple dressings.

Chop coriander leaves over daal, curries and rice just before serving. Blend them with mint, lemon and chillies for green chutney, or add them to salads for a fresh herbal flavour.

Cut cauliflower into florets for aloo gobi, mixed vegetable curry or pakoras. It also works roasted with spices, stirred into soups or served as a vegetable side dish.

Shred cabbage for coleslaw and salads, stir-fry it with other vegetables or cook it as a simple sabzi. Its leaves also work as wrappers for filled cabbage recipes.