Cabbage Poriyal (South Indian Cabbage Stir Fry)

Ingredients:
Cabbage, shredded - 1 med
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 2-3
Curry leaves - 5-6
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Udad dal (black gram lentils) - 1 tsp
Coconut, grated - 4 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp


Time: 15 min
Serving size: 2-3

Method:
Heat the oil in a wok and add the mustard seeds and udad dal. When the seeds begin to crackle and the dal starts turning brown, add the curry leaves and green chillies. Stir to coat well. Now add the cabbage, cumin and pepper powder and coconut and mix well. Cook for a few minutes. Add salt, then cook covered on a medium flame for a few more minutes. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: This recipe

Aloo Palak (Potatoes with spinach) - gravy version

Ingredients:
Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces - 3 large
Spinach leaves, fresh - 1 big bag
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onions, finely chopped - 2 med
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 2
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Water - 1.5 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

Time: 10 min prep + 30 min cook
Servings: 4-5

Method:
Heat a tsp of oil in a wok and sautée the potato pieces for a few minutes. Set aside.

Blanche the spinach leaves and immediately dunk in cold water. Drain and set aside.

In a wok, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add the onion and fry until translucent. Mix in the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a few minutes. Now add the red chili powder and coriander powder and mix to coat well. If the mixture is too dry, you can add a small amount (1 tsp?) of water and mix well. Add the spinach leaves, stir fry for 5 min and add the potato pieces and garam masala (once again, if mixture is too dry add a tsp of water). Cook for 7 min on low heat.  Add enough water to cover the potato pieces. Add salt and cook on medium flame until the potatoes are cooked through (10-12 min). Serve hot with chapatis or rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Based on this recipe.

Sindhi Baingan Sabzi (Eggplant)

Ingredients:
Eggplants, diced - 4-6
Potatoes, diced (optional) -  2 medium
Tomato purée - about 2 cups (or 4 tomatoes chopped fine)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 2-3
Ginger, chopped - 1" piece
Garlic, minced - 3-4 cloves (or use 1-2 tsp ginger-garlic paste)
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves, chopped - a handful (optional)
Salt - to taste

Time (cook+prep): under 20 min
Servings: 2-3

Method:
Heat the oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds to it. When the seeds start to crackle, add the green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for 1-2 min. Mix in the potato and eggplant pieces and mix well to coat uniformly with oil. After 2 min, add turmeric, red chili, cumin and coriander powders. Mix well for a minute, then mix in the tomato purée and salt. Stir occasionally until the potatoes and eggplants are cooked and slightly mashed. Add a little water if necessary. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: This recipe

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

Stir-fried green beans

Ingredients:
Whole green beans, optionally cut into halves - 1/2 kg
Oil - 2 tbsp
Rai (mustard seeds) - 1 tsp
Udad dal (split black gram) - 1 tsp
Dried red chillies - 2
Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch (optional)
Salt - to taste

Time (cook+prep): 15-20 min
Serves: 4

Method:
Bring 4-5 cups of water to boil in a saucepan. Add the beans and heat covered for 7-10 min. Heat oil in a wok, add asafoetida, rai, udad dal and red chillies. When the rai starts to splutter, add the beans and stir to coat with oil. Cook for a few minutes and add salt. Serve hot with plain rice or chapatis. (I discovered that it makes a very good companion to tomato rice).

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Mixed Vegetable Khalsa

Ingredients:
Ginger - 2" piece
Coriander seeds, roasted in some oil - 2 tbsp (can replace with 2 tsp of coriander powder)
Coriander leaves - a handful
Black pepper - 20-30 corns
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tbsp
Potatoes, diced - 4 med
Carrots, diced - 4 med
Tomatoes, diced - 4 med
Cauliflower, diced - 1 med
Peas - 100 g
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Grind the first five ingredients with a small amount of water to make a thick paste. Set aside.

In a wok, season hot oil with cumin seeds, when they start to splutter add the tomatoes. Cook until lumpy. Now add the chopped vegetables with turmeric and salt and add enough water to cover. Cook covered on medium flame. When the vegetables are almost cooked and the water is almost gone, mash lightly (or blend lightly with a handheld blender) and add the ground paste. Cook on a low flame for 5 min. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: A professor at The Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science and Commerce.

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!