Verdolaga (purslane) kadhi (yogurt soup)

Ingredients:
Verdolaga (purslane), chopped fine - 250 g
Yogurt - 1 cup
Besan (chickpea flour) - 1 cup
Water - 4 and 1/4 cups
Mustard oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilies - 4-6
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp (I used 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder)

Method:
Take the besan in a mixing bowl. Gradually add yogurt while whisking to ensure no lumps form. Dilute with 4 cups of water. Set aside.
Heat oil in a wok. When hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the red chilies and coat well. After a couple of minutes, add the chopped verdolaga and stir to coat. Cook covered for a couple of minutes and add 1/4 cup of water, mix well. Cook covered for 7 minutes on a medium-high flame.
Turn the flame to medium-low. Gradually add the yogurt mixture, stir. Cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring often to avoid the besan sticking to the bottom. If mixture becomes too thick, add up to a cup of water and cook until the mixture starts to bubble.
Serve hot as soup or mixed with rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: This recipe

Butternut squash with coconut and milk

 

Ingredients:

Butternut squash, peeled and diced - 1 lb
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Grated coconut (unsweetened) - 1 cup
Dried red chili - 1 (if using red chili flakes, no more than 1/4 tsp)
Green chili - 1
Rice or corn flour - 2 tbsp
Milk - up to 1 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp

For tempering:
    Oil - 2 tsp
    Curry leaves - 6
    Udad dal - 2 tsp
    Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:
Place pieces in a pan with a lid, sprinkle the turmeric powder and salt on top and mix well. Add just enough water to cover the pieces (not more). Heat on medium flame until cooked (under 10 min).

While the squash is cooking, blend together the coconut and chilies into a thick paste with the rice/corn flour using as little milk (not water) as possible.

Once the squash is cooked, add the coconut paste and sugar to it and mix well. Cook covered on a medium-low flame for 5 min. Now add the remaining milk and cook for 5 more min.

Tempering: heat 2 tsp oil in a small pan. When hot, add the udad dal and mustard seeds. When these start to crackle/splutter, add the curry leaves. Pour this mixture on top of the cooked squash and mix well.

Serve hot with rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: This recipe.

Crispy green beans with moong dal

 

Ingredients:
Green beans - 250 g (slightly more than 1/2 lb)
Moong dal - 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 3/4 tsp or to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Dried red chilies - 2 (if using chili flakes, use no more than 1/4 tsp)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Udad dal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch (optional)
Coconut powder - 1 tsp (optional)

Method:
Wash and soak the moong dal for 20 min. This is necessary to reduce the cooking time. 

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a pot with a lid. Add the drained moong dal, turmeric powder, and a drop of oil. Mix and cook partially covered over a medium-low flame for 20-25 minutes. The dal should be cooked but not overcooked (individual lentils should retain their shape, but should crumble when squeezed). Drain the cooked lentils and reserve the water in which they were cooked.

Heat a wide pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the udad dal and mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the red chili and stir fry for two minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the green beans and stir to coat evenly. Season with salt. Spread evenly on the surface of the pan, cook covered a total of 10 min on a medium flame. Every 3 min, stir and spread evenly again to avoid the beans sticking to the pan.
The moisture in the beans should be enough to cook the beans; if you think there isn't enough, you can add no more than 2 tbsp of the water in which the dal was cooked. Do not overcook the beans; they need to be crisp. At the end of 10 min, add the drained moong dal a tablespoon at a time, mixing after every tbsp. If desired, you can also add 1 tsp of coconut powder. Taste for salt. Serve hot as a side dish with rice or chapatis.

The end result should look like this:

 

 

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Traditional recipe

Instant Pot chhole (chickpeas)

Ingredients:

Chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained - 3 cups

Black tea - 1 bag

Onion, large, finely chopped - 1.5

Tomatoes, quartered (or use canned) - 5 small (or 4 small with juice from can)

Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp

Salt - 2.5 tsp

Powdered spices

Chana masala or garam masala - 2 tbsp

Pomegranate powder (anardana) - 2 tsp

Red chili powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Dry spices

Cinnamon - 2 long sticks

Black (large) cardamom - 3 pods

Cloves - 6

Kasuri methi - 3 tbsp
Ginger, cut into thin strips - 2" piece

Green chilies, small, slit lengthwise - 7-8

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Turn on the Instant Pot on sautée mode (high heat). Heat the oil. When hot, add the dry spices and stir for a couple of minutes. Add onions and stir to coat well. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the onions lose moisture and start turning golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir well. Cook until the oil separates to the sides. Add the powdered spices and salt, mix well. Fold in the soaked chickpeas. Add just enough water to cover the chickpeas, and pressure cook for 6-7 min. 

 

Allow the pressure to release naturally. Add the kasuri methi and mix well. Heat ghee in a small pan. When hot, add the green chili pieces and fry until blisters appear. Pour over chhole and mix well. Serve with rice, chapatis, or puris.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Cabbage-chard stir fry

Ingredients:

Cabbage, shredded - 1/2 kg

Chard, chopped - 1/4 kg

Dried red chilies - 3

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Udad dal - 1 tsp

Chana dal - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the udad and chana dal, red chilies, and asafoetida and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cabbage, stir to coat well, add the salt and mix. Cook covered on a medium flame for 5 minutes. Add the turmeric powder, stir, add the chard, stir well, and cook covered for 5 more minutes. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Batata (potato) rassa (gravy)

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes, peeled and quartered - 1 kg

Peas (frozen is fine) - 1/2 cup

Onion, finely chopped - 1 large (can also be blended into the nut paste)

Peanuts or cashews - 1/2 cup (preferably roasted and unsalted; if you purchased them raw, roast on high heat for a few minutes to prep)

Coconut, shredded or flakes, UNSWEETENED - 1/2 cup

Ginger, finely chopped - 1 + 1 tbsp

Garlic - 6 pods

Cumin, mustard, nigella, and fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp each

Asafoetida - a pinch

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Kasmiri red chili powder - 1 tsp [lends a rich colour to the gravy]

Substitute with regular red chili powder - 3/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind paste - 3 tbsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves, chopped - 3 tbsp

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Nut paste:

Blend 1 tbsp of the ginger, the garlic, peanuts/cashews, and coconut into a thick paste (with as little water as possible). If you're blending the onion with this as well, first start by blending the onions, ginger, and garlic. Gradually add the nuts to thicken the paste. Only add water if absolutely necessary; the water in the onions should be adequate.

Gravy:

Parboil the potatoes. This speeds up the rest of the recipe. I microwaved them with some water on high for 10 min, checked, and cooked further for 5 min on medium high. A fork inserted into a piece should go through about halfway with minimum resistance.

Heat oil and add the cumin, mustard, nigella, and fenugreek seeds. When they start to crackle, add the asafoetida and the remaining ginger. Stir fry for a couple minutes and then add the turmeric, red chili, and coriander powders and stir well.

Add the onions, salt, and sugar. Fry until the onions start turning golden brown. If you already blended the onions with the nut paste, add the salt and sugar and continue.

Add the nut paste, mix well, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally. If the paste starts to stick to the pan, add 2 tbsp water (as little as possible) and stir. Cook uncovered until the paste starts to release oil along the sides of the pan. Add garam masala and stir for a couple of minutes.

Add the potatoes, green peas, and water. Stir well, cook covered for approx 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Check for salt. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Empanadas de Pino al Horno

Recipe from Hector, chef at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, via Janice Lee

Ingredients:

Pino (filling)

Beef, soft and non-fat cuts, cut into 1/4" cubes [less traditional: use ground beef] - 1 lb

Onions, finely chopped - 3 big

Lard or shortening - 3 tbsp

Paprika - 2 tbsp

Oregano - 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Black olives (kalamata is fine) - 4 oz

Eggs, hard boiled - 3

Oil

Salt

Pepper

Dough

Flour - 2 lb

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Lard or shortening - 7 oz

Salt - 1 tbsp

Warm milk - 1 cup

Egg yolk (mixed with milk) - 1

Method:

Pino:

Melt the lard in a pot and fry the beef. Add the minced onions, paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cook until onions are translucent. Let cool. Optionally, add 2 tbsp sugar if you desire a sweet filling.

Dough:

Mix the flour with the baking powder, salt, and sugar. Melt the lard and add this to the dough with warm milk. Mix to form a soft and smooth dough. Let rest half an hour.

Making the empanadas:

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and cover with a cloth to keep it warm. Stretch out each piece of dough with a rolling pin into disks of about 3 mm thickness. Place a tablespoon of filling onto the disk, and add a quarter of a boiled egg and a black olive. Wet the edges of the disk and fold in the middle. Fold the edge to seal. Brush the top of the empanada with the yolk-milk mixture. Make a little hole with a toothpick on top to let it breathe and to avoid inflated dough during baking.

Preheat the oven to 200 C and bake for about 40 min. Serve hot.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan