Green beans curry with coconut

Ingredients:
Green beans, cut into < 2" pieces - about 3 cups
Coconut, grated - about 1 cup
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Red chili, dried - 2-3
Cashews, halved or broken pieces - 1/2 cup (optional)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 3-4 (optional)
Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch (optional)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Servings: 2-3
Time (cook+prep): 15 min

Method:
Bring water to boil in a large vessel. Cook the beans in this water so they are cooked almost all the way (less than 10 min). In the meantime, grind the garlic and red chillies with 1-2 tsp of water. Slowly add the grated coconut, adding extra water if necessary, and grind to a thick smooth paste.

Drain the beans. In a wok, heat the oil and add the cashews and mustard seeds and stir until the seeds splutter. Now add the curry leaves, hing and salt and stir well. Lower the flame to medium and slowly add the ground paste, mixing in some water if necessary. Add the drained beans and stir well. Add enough water so that the beans can cook, but not too much or the paste will be diluted. Cook covered on a medium or low flame until the beans are done. Serve hot with rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

South Indian Style Vegetable Kurma

Ingredients:
Coconut, grated (unsweetened) - 2-2.5 cups
Green chillies - 2
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Ginger - 1" piece, cut into smaller pieces
Garlic - 4-5 cloves
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
Mixed vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, etc. cut into small pieces, and peas) - 4-5 cups
Onion, chopped - 1
Red chillies (dried) - 2 (optional)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp (optional)
Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Time: (cook + prep) 20-30 min
Servings: 3-4

Method:
Grind the first six ingredients to a paste using as little water as necessary (I didn't have to use any). This paste gives off a very delicious spicy aroma!

Heat the oil in a large wok and season with mustard seeds and red chillies. Add the onions and fry until they start to turn brown. Mix in the vegetables and stir for a few minutes to coat well, then add a cup of water and cook covered. When the veggies are halfway cooked, add the paste and turmeric powder and mix well. Add more water if necessary and cook covered. Add salt and cook for a few minutes until the gravy is of the desired consistency. Serve hot with chapatis, puris or rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: This recipe
Note: This version of kurma is the traditional side dish to parottas (the Southie version of parathas), which I haven't tried making yet. When I succeed, I'll link to the recipe!

Thengai Sevai (Coconut with Rice Noodles)

Ingredients:
Dried rice noodles, available in the noodle aisle - 1 brick (about 1/4 of a packet?)
[You can replace the above with 1 cup or more of cooked rice, skipping the soaking in boiled water part below]
Coconut, grated - 4 tbsp

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
Peanuts/cashews - 1/2 cup (can be replaced with 1/4 cup chana dal)
Red chili, dried - 1 (or 1 long green chili, chopped)
Ginger, chopped fine - 1" piece
Curry leaves - 5-6
Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch (optional)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Cooking time: 5-10 min
Servings: 2 (breakfast) or 1 (lunch/dinner)

Method:
Bring water to boil in a large vessel. Turn off the stove and soak the rice noodles in the water for a 2-3 minutes, keep covered. In the meantime, heat the oil in a wok and add the asafoetida. When it starts to sizzle, add the mustard seeds and peanuts/cashews/chana dal. When they start to sputter, add the chili, ginger and curry leaves and mix well. Lower the flame and stir in the salt and coconut. You don't have to cook until the coconut turns brown (I usually don't), but that gives a different flavour. Turn off the stove. Drain the water from the noodles, add them to the seasoning and mix well. Serve hot with chutney or sambar.

Alternates:
1) For lemon sevai, replace coconut in the above recipe with turmeric (optional, for colour) when frying. Once the noodles are mixed in with the seasoning, add 1/3 cup of lemon juice and mix well.
2) For curd sevai cook without coconut and with a higher amount of ginger. Once ready, mix with 1/2 to 1 cup of yogurt.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan