Air fryer potato wedges

 Cut potatoes into wedges, soak in water for 30 min.

Mix garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, sambar powder (or use chili powder), salt, and amchur together.

Drain the potatoes, and place in a large bowl. Add oil and coat well. Mix in the spices. Now mix in corn starch.

Turn fryer on to Air Fryer setting (rack 3 will light up). Cook for 20 min at 400 F, turning halfway through.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chayote koottu

Ingredients:
Moong dal, split - 1/2 cup
Moong dal, whole - 1/2 cup
Chayote, cut into bite-size pieces - 2
Dried red chilies - 3
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Sambar powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Coconut, grated - 3/4 cup
Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:
Wash and rinse the dal until the water runs clear. Soak for 10-15 min and drain. Add 2 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric and two drops of oil and mix.

Add 2 cups water to the Instant Pot.  Using a trivet, place a container with the dal and place the chayote pieces on top in another container. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.

In the meantime, blend the coconut and 1 tsp of cumin seeds along with 1-1.5 red chilies and enough water to make a thick paste.

Heat a saucepan and add oil. Add mustard seeds and the remaining cumin seeds and chilies. Add asafoetida. Mix well. Stir in the chayote pieces and coat well. Add the lentils and 1/2 cup water, mix well. Cook on a medium-low flame until the ingredients come to a boil. Add the sambar powder if using, and cook until the raw smell goes away. Add the coconut paste, mix well, and cook for another five minutes.

Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Japanese Golden Curry with beef and mushroom

 This recipe.

Once beef is seared, remove from pan and set aside. Stir fry the mushrooms in the pan. When done, add the rest of the ingredients and continue with the instructions as above.

Bharwan Baingan

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4R5tENjnMU&ab_channel=CookWithParul

Instant Pot Chicken Salad

 From this recipe:

https://instantpoteats.com/instant-pot-chicken-salad/

1 kg chicken, 1 L water, 1 tsp salt, pressure cook for ZERO minutes and then 10 min natural release followed by manual release. Shred.

Kaththirikkai (brinjal/eggplant) poriyal

A traditional Tamil recipe

Ingredients:
Oil - 3 tbsp
Vadagam - 1 tsp
(optional; if you don't have this, use 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds)
Eggplant, large, cut into large pieces - 1
Onion, large, chopped fine - 1/2
Garlic cloves - 6-8
Curry leaves - 8-10
Tomatoes, medium, chopped - 2
Salt - to taste
Sambar powder - 2 tsp
Kuzhambu powder, or red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves, chopped fine - 1/2 cup

Method:
Heat a wok and add the oil. When hot, add the vadagam and stir fry for a minute. Add the curry leaves, stir fry, and add the onions and garlic. Mix and cook until the onions soften. Add the tomatoes, stir, and cook until the tomato pieces soften and some of the water is lost. Add the sambar, kuzhambu, and turmeric powders and salt and mix well. Cook uncovered for a few minutes until the raw smell of the powders goes away. Add a couple tbsp water if the mixture is too thick and starts to stick to the bottom of the work. Add the eggplant pieces and coat well with the paste. Cook covered on a medium low flame for 3 min, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add half a cup of water and mix well. Cook covered for 10 min, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and cook for a few more minutes until the eggplant is soft. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with white rice.

Author:
Shrinkingsodacan

Poha (flattened rice, a.k.a. "aval" in Tamil) upma

 

Introduction:
Upma = "uppu" (salt) + "maavu" (flour). Those are the basic ingredients, and there are therefore many variations of this dish. It is one of the most ubiquitous breakfast dishes in South India, and can be enjoyed at any time of day either as a snack or a meal. This version uses flattened rice, which is sold at Indian stores as either "aval" in Tamil or "poha" in Hindi/Marathi. This is really quick dish to make -- ten minutes at best, and is therefore a great option for when you're hungry.

Ingredients:
Oil - 2 tbsp
Chana (split Bengal gram) dal - 1-2 tsp
Cashews, halved (optional) - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Hing (asafoetida, optional) - a pinch
Curry leaves - 6-8
Green chilies (I use chile arbol verde), chopped fine - 2-3
Ginger, chopped - 1" piece
Onion, chopped fine - 1 medium
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Poha - 2 cups
Hot water - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Cilantro leaves, chopped - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice (optional) - 1 tsp or to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a wok. When hot, add the mustard seeds, chana dal, and asafoetida. Add cashews if using. Mix and add curry leaves. Add ginger and green chilies. When they splutter, add the onions and stir well to coat. Cook on a medium high flame for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and cook until onions are soft. Add turmeric powder and stir. Add the poha and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes on an open flame. Add 1/4 cup of hot water and stir immediately. Lower flame to medium and cook covered for 5-7 minutes -- check the water about 2 min in, if necessary, add a few tbsp more. Wait until all the water is absorbed and the poha turns fluffy. Turn off the stove. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lemon juice before serving.

Enjoy hot! To add extra crispy texture, sprinkle sev on each serving.

Source: Mom's recipe
Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Coconut chutney restaurant style

Ingredients:
Dalia (roasted chana dal) - 3/4 cup or 100 g
Coconut, grated, unsweetened - 1 cup or 100 g
Ginger - 1" piece
Green chilies (I use chile arbol verde) - 3
Water - 1.5 cups
Coriander leaves - 3/4 cup
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp
Red chilies, dried - 3-4
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - a handful
Salt - to taste

Method:
Blend the chana dal, coconut, ginger, and green chilies with 1/2 cup water till it forms a thick paste. Separate into two parts and blend each part separately as follows. Add 1/4 cup more water and blend till a paste is formed. Add 1/4 more cup if required. When almost ready, add half of the coriander leaves and blend until done. Repeat the procedure with the other part. Gather both blended parts in a bowl, add salt and 1/2 cup more water. The result should be a pouring-consistency chutney.
Heat the sesame oil. When hot, add the mustard seeds and red chilies. When the seeds splutter, add the asafoetida, turn off the stove and add the curry leaves and mix well. Pour this onto the chutney and mix well.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Instant Pot yogurt from kefir

For every L of milk, use 45 mL of kefir as seed. Makes very thick yogurt, can reduce the temperature from the "Custom" mode to the "Low" mode to test if it is less sour for the same amount of time.

Source.