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

Thengai Thugayal (Coconut Chutney)

Introduction:
Thugayals are a class of South Indian chutneys that require pre-roasting/frying of some ingredients (typically udad dal, dried red chillies, tamarind and asafoetida) which are then ground into a paste (usually with grated coconut). The recipes are quick and easy and they make excellent sides for rice or chapatis when you're too tired to think of anything else for lunch/dinner. This recipe is for the basic thugayal, but there are tons of thugayal recipes out there which involve the same core ingredients.

Ingredients:
Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
Udad dal - 1/8 cup
Dried red chillies - 4-5
Asafoetida - a pinch
Tamarind concentrate - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

For garnish (optional):
Curry leaves - 4-5
Udad dal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Servings: 2-3
Cooking time: 5-10 min

Method:
In a non-stick wok, heat the oil . Add the asafoetida, udad dal and red chillies when the oil is hot. As the udad dal starts to sputter, mix in the tamarind paste and stir for a few minutes to coat evenly. Remove from flame and cool for a couple of minutes. Transfer to blender with salt and 1/4 cup of water. Blend into a coarse paste. Add the grated coconut bit by bit, adding small amounts of water (we're going for paste consistency, so don't add too much) if necessary, and grind into a coarse or fine paste (up to you). For garnish, you can decorate with fresh curry leaves, or sputter the curry leaves, udad dal and mustard seeds in 1 tsp of oil for an added crunch.
The thugayal can be refrigerated for a few days. Serve with hot rice or chapatis, adding some oil/butter if you like.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Traditional recipe

Risotto with Butternut Squash and Sage

Serves 4 Arborio is the most commonly available of the imported, plump, short-grain rices traditionally used to make risotto. If you use one of the other types of Italian risotto rice (baldo, vialone nanno, or carnaroli) cook for five minutes under pressure rather than four. It's best to add salt after you've stirred in the cheese, which will add some salt of its own. The risotto tastes best when it's just made. However, the microwave does a nice job of reheating any leftovers. 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 1/2 cups arborio rice 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth 3 1/2 to 4 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 3 cups) 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more to pass at the table 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Heat the oil in a 4-quart or larger cooker. Add the onions and cook over high heat for one minute, stirring frequently. Stir in the rice, taking care to coat it with the oil. Stand back to avoid sputtering oil, and stir in the wine. Cook over high heat until the rice has absorbed the wine, about 30 seconds. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of the chicken broth, taking care to scrape up any rice that might be sticking to the bottom of the cooker. Add the squash. Lock the lid in place according to manufacturer's instructions. Over high heat bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for four minutes. Turn off the heat. Quick-release the pressure by setting the cooker under cold running water. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. Set the cooker over medium high heat and stir vigorously. The risotto will look fairly soupy at this point. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring every minute or so, until the mixture thickens and the rice is tender but still chewy, usually three to five minutes. If the mixture becomes dry before the rice is done, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of broth. The finished risotto should be slightly runny; it will continue to thicken as it sits on the plate. Turn off the heat. Stir in the parmesan, sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Recipe from Lorna Sass, LocalHarvest. BNH

Aloo (Potato) Tikki

Introduction:
Perfect for breakfast or a midday snack! Tikkis are patties made usually of cooked veggies, fried in ghee so they're crisp on the outside.

Ingredients:
Leftovers from this recipe - 2 cups
Ghee or oil - 2-3 tbsp

Cooking time: 10 min

Servings: about 3-4 tikkis.

Method:
Take a handful of potato leftovers and press it into a flat disk about the size of your palm and about 1" thick (thick enough so it doesn't fall apart, but thin enough for it to heat all the way through). Heat a flat pan and coat with some ghee/oil. Place the tikkis, a few at a time, on the pan and fry until both surfaces are golden brown, adding more ghee if necessary. Enjoy with Sriracha and some eggs for breakfast!

Note: Unsalted butter would work instead of ghee/oil, but it has a lower smoking point so make sure the potato soaks it up before it's all ruined!

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Fried Potatoes

Ingredients:
Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces - 3-4 large
Onion, chopped - 1 large
Chana dal (split yellow lentils) - 1 tbsp
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1 tsp
Rai (mustard seeds) - 1 tsp
Green chillies, chopped - 2 small (optional)
Hing (asafoetoda) - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp (optional)
Garlic, chopped - 1 tsp (optional)
Haldi (turmeric powder) - 3/4 tsp
Red chili powder - 3/4 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Dhania (coriander leaves), chopped - 2 tsp
Oil - 3-4 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Cooking time: 20 min

Servings: 2-3

Method:
Boil the potato pieces until they are 3/4 cooked. In a wok, heat 2 tbsp oil and add, in order, the hing, jeera, rai and chana dal. When the seeds start to sputter, add the green chillies, ginger and garlic and fry until the garlic starts to turn brown. Add the onions and fry until golden brown. Mix in the salt, red chili powder and haldi. Add another tbsp of oil and the potato pieces. Fry until cooked completely. Fold in the dhania and mix well. Turn off the stove, allow to cool for a few minutes and add the lemon juice and mix well. Serve hot with chapatis or rice.

...And if you have leftovers the next day, try making some Aloo Tikki.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Besan (chickpea flour) Cheela

Ingredients:
Besan - 2 cups
Onion, chopped fine - 1 med
Coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
(or green chillies, chopped - 2 med)
Oil - a few tbsp
Salt - to taste

Servings: 5-8 pancakes
Time: (cook+prep) 20 min

Method:
Take 2 cups of water in a mixing bowl, and slowly add the besan, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Add more water to make a thin batter. Now add the onions, coriander leaves, salt and turmeric and red chili powders. Heat a nonstick pan and coat with a few drops of oil. Pour a ladle of batter onto the hot pan and allow to spread into a circular shape (if the batter is thin enough, it should spread automatically. If not, spread lightly with the bottom of a soup spoon). Add a few drops of oil along the sides and in the middle. When the edges start to separate from the pan, turn over and cook the other side.
Serve warm with your favourite chutney/raita/hot sauce/ketchup.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Simple version of traditional recipe

Indian style home fries

Ingredients:

Potato, cut into bite sized pieces - 2 large

Capsicum (Bell pepper), cut into bite sized pieces - 1 large

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Chana dal - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Ginger, chopped fine - 1" piece

Garlic, chopped fine - 2 pods

Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

Green chillies, chopped - 2 medium

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - 3-4

Coriander leaves for decoration - a few

Lemon juice (optional) - 2-3 tbsp

Time: (cook+prep) about 10 min

Servings: 2-3

Method:

Heat the oil in a non-stick wok and test the heat by dropping a few cumin seeds in. If the seeds rise to the top, the oil is ready. Add the following in order: asafoetida, cumin seeds, chana dal, mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Fry until the garlic starts to turn golden brown. Now add the bell pepper and potato pieces. Fry until cooked, stirring occasionally. You can let the potato turn golden brown on the outside for extra crispness. Add salt, turmeric and red chili powder and stir for a minute or two. Before serving, mix in lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan