Papaya Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups raw papaya (633g or 22.35oz)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 cup roasted and unsalted peanuts
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 green chili or to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
a few chopped cilantro leaves

Preparation: Chop the raw papaya into small pieces.  Cook it in the microwave for 30 seconds, remove, stir the contents and again cook it in the microwave for another 30 seconds.
Depending on the ripeness of the papaya increase or decrease the cooking time.

Next, roast the cumin powder until it darkens and keep it aside.  Roast the peanuts until it starts to turn brown and keep it aside.

Assembling the salad:

Transfer the papaya to a larger bowl, add the chopped tomato and cucumber to the papaya and mix.  Next add the green chili and roasted cumin powder and mix.  Add the peanuts, salt, cilantro leaves and lemon juice and mix.

It is prefered to prepare the ingredients ahead of time and mix to prepare the salad before serving.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup roasted chana dal(chana dalia or pottu kadalai)
1 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon and a few drops of til oil(Indian sesame oil)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
3 or 4 whole broken red chilies
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon tamarind concentrate


Preparation:  Roast the chana dal in a few drops of oil until it is light brown.
Turn the heat off and let it cool.  When the chana dal is cool grind it with the grated coconut and water.  After it is ground remove it from the blender jar and pour it on to a serving dish for seasoning.

To season:  Heat a pan on medium heat with 1 teaspoon of til oil.  To it add the mustard seeds and whole red chilies and wait for the mustard seeds to pop.  When the mustard seeds pop add it to the ground chutney.  Next, add salt and the tamarind concentrate mix and serve.

This is my mother's recipe.  She is used to make it when she needed to make coconut chutney in a hurry.  I am posting this in her memory for mother's day.
She was a beautiful and special mother.

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.