Kidney Beans Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup kidney beans(or rajma)
2 1/2 cups water or enough for cooking kidney beans
2 whole cloves
1" stick of whole cinnamon
2 or three bay leaves
2 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 green chilies or to taste
1 clove of chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon dry methi leaves
1 cup crushed canned tomato
2 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
a few cilantro leaves also called hara dhania

Preparation:  Soak kidney beans in water for 2 hours before cooking.
To a pressure cooker on medium heat with 2 tablespoon of oil add the whole cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaves and wait for it to start sizzling, after it starts sizzling add the chopped onions and saute it until the onions are light brown.  After the onions have turned light brown add the ginger and green chilies and saute for a few seconds, add the chopped garlic and saute for another few seconds, next add the turmeric powder and garam masala and mix for a few seconds.  Next add the tomato mix add the dry methi leaves and let it cook for 2 minutes.  Add the soaking kidney beans, tamarind concentrate and baking soda and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the kidney beans are cooked.  After the kidney beans are cooked add water if needed, salt and cilantro leaves and wait for it to come to a boil, turn the heat off and serve.  Serves 4.

Mango Pickle

Ingredients:
4 cups raw green mangoes chopped, 2 medium 652g or 23.10 oz
15 -20 whole red chilies or substitute with chili powder, whole chili have more flavor and taste
4 teaspoon mustard powder
3 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sesame oil (Indian til oil or gingelly oil)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon methi powder
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder


Preparation: Remove the skin from the mangoes and chop them into bite size pieces.  Keep it aside.  Discard the skin and seeds.

Grind the red chilies and keep it aside.

Transfer the chopped mangoes to a heatproof bowl.  Add the mustard powder and salt and mix and keep it aside.

Prepare the seasoning:  To a pan on medium heat with the sesame oil add the mustard seeds and wait for it to pop.
When the mustard seeds pop, turn the heat off and add the turmeric powder, the ground chillies, methi powder and asafoetida mix and let it cook on the heat of the oil and add it to the chopped mangoes, mix and bottle.


Note:  If you want to add less oil you can first add 1/2 cup oil, after a couple of days add the other 1/4 if needed.  Before adding the additional oil make sure you heat the oil to smoking, let it cool and add it after that.

Asparagus Curry

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped or 1 bunch asparagus
3 tablespoons dry unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 green chilies or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Prepare the asparagus by washing it first.  Next bending each stalk, it will snap naturally at the point where the stalk turns tender.
Use the top tender part and discard the ends.  Next bunch them together a few at a time and chop them into bits.  It is now ready to be cooked.

Cooking:  Heat a pan on medium heat with 2 tablespoon of coconut oil.  Add the cumin seeds to it and wait for it to start sizzling.  When the cumin seeds starts sizzling add the dry coconut and green chilies saute for a few seconds until the coconut starts turning brown, next add the chopped asparagus and mix cover and cook for five minutes or until it is partially cooked.  Next add the salt and mix and again cook for a couple of minutes until it is cooked.  For best results the asparagus needs to be cooked so that it is a little crunchy.
Serves 4.

This dish tastes good hot, you can add more chilies as per taste.

Mango Ice Cream

4 cups ripe mangoes chopped
1 cup milk
A few strands of saffron


Peel the mango discard the seeds, chop it and freeze it for at least 18 to 24 hours.

To half cup of milk add a few saffron strands and let it soak in the refrigerator for the same time as the mangoes. 

Next day remove from the mangoes from the freezer, let it defrost a little to separate the chopped pieces.  Place it in a blender jar add the milk with the soaked saffron and grind it.
While grinding add the other half of the milk and continue grinding to make a smooth paste.
The blades will tend to jam, now and then you will have to stop the machine remove the jar and stir the contents and put it back and continue with the grinding.  When it is smooth remove the contents from the jar and it is ready to serve.  Serves 4.

Chapati

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon + a few drops of oil

Preparation:  To the whole wheat or chapati flour add the salt and 1 teaspoon of oil and mix the flour to disperse the oil and salt.  Slowly add the water to make a dough.  You might need a little more or a little less water, just add enough to make a soft and pliable dough.
Knead it for a couple of minutes add a couple of drops of oil and cover the dough with the oil and let it rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes divide the dough into 6 round parts.  Sprinkle the work surface with some flour and flatten the divided round part and with a rolling pin shape them into thin round disc.

This is now ready for cooking.

To Cook:  Heat a griddle or tava on medium heat.  Place the rolled disc on it and let it cook.  When when air bubbles start showing turn the chapati over to the other side. More bubble will form, remove the chapati from the griddle and using tongs put the chapati on open flame allowing the chapati to fluff up. Use the tongs to flip the chapati to cook the other side and remove.

2nd. method instead of cooking it on the open flame allow the chapati to cook a little longer on the griddle and turn it to the other side. Apply a little ghee or butter or oil on top and again flip it over and apply ghee, butter or oil, remove. Chapati is served with dal, vegetable and raita.

There are versions of chapati all over the world.  This unleavened flat bread made from whole wheat it is a staple in India.

Puran Poli

Ingredients for the outer covering:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine semolina (sooji or rava)
a pinch of salt
1 cup water
a pinch of food color
4 tablespoon oil

Soak the semolina in 1/2 cup of water for half hour before making the dough for the outer covering.

To make the dough to the all purpose flour add salt, food color 1 tablespoon of oil, the soaked semolina and rest of the water and make the dough.  Add 3 tablespoon of oil to the dough and incorporate it into it.  Let the dough rest for one hour.  While the dough is resting you can make the purnam or filling.

Ingredients for filling:
1 cup channa dal
2 to 1/2 cups water or enough to cook the channa dal
1 cup jaggery (gud or vellum)
1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds


To a pan on medium heat with water add the channa dal and cook until the dal is well cooked and is breaking down easily.
When the dal is cooked add the jaggery and cook some more until the jaggery has melted and absorbed into the dal add a pinch of salt, and the crushed cardamom seeds mix and let it cool.  When it is cool grind it in the food processor.  You need to make a smooth and dry filling.

 Note: The filling can be made in advance.  This will stay in the refrigerator for at least a week.

To Assemble:  Next divide the dough and filling into equal numbers.  I divided them into 12 parts each.

Shape one of the divided dough into a cup and place one of the divided filling inside and seal it and place it down with the sealed side down.  Do the same with rest of the dough and filling.

Next flatten and roll the filled dough into round disks: I usually place a parchment paper on my work surface and flour it with whole wheat flour.  Whole wheat flour gives a better grip.  I place the filled dough on the parchment paper and cover it with another parchment paper.
I first flatten it using my hands, later I use the rolling pin gently to flatten it further into as thin a round as possible without breaking it.

Cooking:  After rolling the filled dough into a thin disk, I place it on a griddle which is on medium heat and has been greased with some clarified butter.  I cook it until I see bubbles form at that point I turn it over and cook it on the other side. I apply clarified butter to both sides.  The poli is cooked when each side has become light brown remove it from heat and it is ready to serve.  Makes 12 puran polis.

Other names for puran poli, holige, obbattu, poli, puranachi poli, god poli.

Vegetable Korma

Ingredients For Grinding:
1" piece of ginger
2 green chili's or to taste
3 cloves garlic
10 cashew nuts
2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2" cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
a few cilantro leaves
1/2 cup water

Grind the above ingredients with a little water and keep aside after grinding.

Other Ingredients for Korma:
3 cups cubed potatoes
2 cups cauliflower
3/4 cup carrots
1/2 cup peas
1 cup chopped onions
4 tablespoon oil
2 whole cloves
1 1" cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 cups of coconut milk 
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
water as needed
   
Wash and cut potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and onions and keep it aside.

To a pan on medium heat add oil, clove, cinnamon and bay leaves and wait for the spices to sizzle.  When the spices start sizzling add the chopped onions and and saute for a few minutes until the onion is translucent after which add turmeric powder, the ground ingredients saute for two minutes.  

After two minutes and when the ground spices give an aroma, add the vegetables mix cover and cook for 5 minutes.  After which stir the contents add coconut milk and cook until the vegetables are done.  Takes about 12 to 15 minutes.  While cooking keep stirring now and then so that the vegetables don't stick to the bottom burn. 

When vegetables are cooked add salt mix and cook for a minute, turn the heat off add lemon juice and remove and serve.

Serves 6

Serve with lacha paratha, chapati, puri or rice

A mixed vegetable specialty dish.  This dish is aromatic, flavorful and tasty.  Popularly served in South Indian restaurants with chapati or paratha.

Methi Pakoda

Ingredients:
4 cups methi leaves 

a few chopped cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon ajwain

2 cups of besan or chick peas flour

Preparation: Wash the methi leaves, separate it from the stalk, discard the stalk and use the leaves.  Chop the washed leaves.  To the chopped leaves add chopped onions and salt and mix.  Cover and let it wilt for about half hour for the moisture contained in it to come out.  After it has wilted add cilantro leaves, green chilies, ginger, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder and mix, add ajwain and peanuts and mix.

Add the chick peas flour gradually according to necessity.  If you add too much you can add a little water to make the batter softer.
The batter has to be thick to hold.  Heat some oil  on medium heat for deep frying.  Test the heat by dropping a bit of the batter.    

If it floats up right away the oil is at the right temperature.  Start dropping a little bit of the batter into the oil and fry until it is golden brown all around.  Remove from oil and serve.

Serves 4

This is a wonderful and flavorful tasty snack to serve when you have company.