My Indian Recipes

Difficulty 3 (Special Ingredient needed, food processor or blender needed) Here's my go-to humus recipe.  I don't really follow it exactly so it turns out differently every time. Chick peas - 2 cans or about 4 cups cooked Tahini - 1/2 cup Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup Worstersire Sauce - 1/4 cup (optional) Garlic - 2-6 cloves (to taste) Green onion - 1/4 cup (optional) Salt to taste Ground black pepper to taste Cumin powder - 2-4 tsp (optional) Chili powder to taste Cilantro - 1 bunch (optional) Olive Oil - 1/4 - 1/2 cup (optional) 1.  If you're using dried chick peas cover them with water and let them soak 4-8 hours or over night. (1 cup of chick peas makes about 4 cups cooked) 2.  Rinse the chick peas and cover again with water.  Add salt if you like.  Pressure cook for about 4 whistles (longer if they haven't soaked as long.) 3.  Put the chick peas in a colander and rinse with cold water. 4.  Combine all of the ...

Difficulty Rating # 2 (Little bit tedious) Eggplant – 1 large or 2 medium Olive Oil – about 3 Tbsp. Tahini – 2-3 Tbsp. Garlic Cloves – 1-2 cloves (or to taste) Ground cumin – 1 tsp. Lemon juice – about 2 ½ Tbsp. Salt to taste Cayenne pepper to taste 1.   Preheat oven to 400*.   Poke eggplants several times with a fork.   Cut in half lengthwise.   Place on a baking sheet cut side down.   Roast 35-40 min or until very tender. 2.   Remove from oven and allow to cool.   3.   Remove the eggplant flesh and discard the skin.   4.   Mash the flesh well with a fork and discard any moisture that separates from the eggplant. 5.   Combine with the remaining ingredients until the mixture is smooth but still retaining some of the texture of the eggplant.   6.   Allow to cool to room temperature and adjust seasoning. 7.   Swirl with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley. 8.   Serve with pita bread...

Difficulty Rating 2 (Dicing) Black Beans – 2 15 oz. cans (rinsed and drained) Corn – 2 cups Red (or other color) Bell Pepper – 1, diced Garlic – 2 cloves, diced Shallots (or onion) – 2 Tbsp, diced small Salt – 2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper – ¼ Tbsp. Sugar – 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil – As needed (6-9 Tbsp.) Lime zest – 1 tsp (optional) Lime (or lemon juice) – 6 Tbsp. Cilantro – ½ cup, chopped Avocado – 2 chopped small (Optional) 1. Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. 2. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. 3. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. 4. Serve at room temperature.

Difficulty Rating 2 (Grinding required) Bell pepper (any color), cut into small pieces – 2 Tomato, diced large – 1 Onion, diced - 1 Green Chilies, slit – 3 (adjust) Oil Tamarind – 1 ½ Tbsp. (Optional) Salt to taste Garlic cloves – 4 For Seasoning: Urad Dal – 2 tsp. Chana Dal – 2 tsp. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp. Curry leaves – a few Red Chilies – 3 1. Heat a bit of oil in a pan and fry the onion and bell pepper, green chilies and garlic until the onion is translucent.  2.  Add the tomato and stir fry until everything dries up. 3.  Add the tamarind. 4.  Let everything to cool. 5.  Grind everything to a smooth paste 6.  Heat oil and add all of the seasoning ingredients until they start to pop. 7.  Pour the seasoning over the pachadi and serve with rice, kichidi or idli.

Difficulty Rating 3 (Grinding required, special ingredients required) Snake gourd, fresh, peeled, insides scooped out and diced– 2 cups Peanuts – 2 Tbsp. Urad dahl – 2 tsp. Channa dhal – 2 tsp. Cumin seeds (Jeera) – ½ tsp. Garlic – 2 cloves Salt to taste Onion, diced – 1 Green chilies – 2 (adjust to taste) Tamarind – about a tablespoon sized ball Oil Seasoning: Mustard seeds – 1 tsp. Curry leaves – a few Red chilies – 2 Urad dhal – 2 tsp. Chana dhal – 2 tsp. 1. Heat the oil.  Add the jeera until in splutters.  Add the urad and channa dhal until they turn golden.  Add the garlic until it turns brown. 2.  Add the onion and green chilies until the onion is translucent. 3.  Add the snake gourd until it browns in some places 4.  Cool everything and grind to a smooth paste. 5.  Heat oil and add the seasoning ingredients until the dhals turn golden.  6.  Pour the seasoning on top of the chutney and 

Difficulty Rating 3 (Grinding required, Special ingredient needed) Dosakaya/ Lemon cucumber, peeled and cut into small pieces – 1 lb. Green Chillies – 3 (optional) Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp. Urad dal – 1 tsp. Chana Dal – 1 tsp. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp. Cumin seeds/Jeera – ½ tsp. Tamarind pulp – 1 tsp. Oil Asafoetida – a pinch (optional) Salt to taste Seasoning: Oil Chana dal – 1 tsp. (optional) Red Chillies – 2 (adjust) Cumin seeds/Jeera – ¼ tsp. Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp. Asafoetida – Pinch (optional) Curry leaves – 1 sprig (optional) Heat oil and once it is hot, add chana dal, rad dal, green chilies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and grind to a powder along with salt, turmeric and about ½ of the cucumber. Add the above mixture to the remaining cucumber.  Mix well Heat oil.  Add seasoning ingredients. Once the dahls begin to become golden, remove from heat and add to the cucumber mixture. Mix and serve with rice, chapatti, kichidi, dosa or idli.

Difficulty Rating 3 Grinding required, Special Ingredients needed) Bottle Gourd, cubed with skin –  ½ cups Chana dal – ½ Tbsp Urad dal – ½ Tbsp Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp Coriander Seeds -  1 tsp (optional) Corainder leaves – 1  TBsp (optional) Dry Red Chilies – 2 (adjust) Garlic cloves – 4-5 Jaggery or Sugar – 1  tsp (optional) Tamarind, soaked in ¼ cup of water and keep the juice–  1 ½ inch ball Salt to taste Oil as needed Seasoning: Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp Urad Dal – ½ tsp Dry Red chilies – ½ adjust to taste Curry Leaves – a few Oil as needed 1.     Heat oil in a medium sized pan, add the bottle gourd cubes and sauté for a few minutes until the raw smell is gone and it begins to become dry.  Set aside and let cool. 2.     Heat oil, add chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and fry for a few minutes until the dals turn red.  Remove and keep aside. 3.     In the same pan as above, add garlic,...

Difficulty Rating 3 (Gridding required, Special Ingredients needed) Bottle gourd cut into ½ inch cubes   – ½ Garlic, crushed and skin removed – 3 cloves Dry Red Chili – 3 (adjust to takes) Tomatoes, diced – 1 large Curry leaves – 1 sprig (optional) Coriander leaves – small handful Salt – to taste Oil Seasoning: Mustard seeds – ½ tsp Urad dal – ½ tsp (optional) Curry leaves – a sprig (optional) 1.    Heat oil in a pan.   Add red chili and garlic, fry until the garlic turns golden. 2.    Add the bottle gourd pieces and fry until it becomes a little transparent. 3.    Add tomatoes and fry for until the tomato breaks down and releases its juices 4.    Add coriander leaves, curry leaves and salt. 5.    Remove from heat and let it cool. 6.    Once it is cook, grind it in a blender or food processor. 7.    Heat a small amount of oil and add the mustard seeds and urad dal.  Once it splutters, add the curry ...

Difficulty Rating 3: Special Ingredients needed, grinding required 1 ½ Cups Ridge Gourd chopped into 1/2" cubes 2 Tbsp Roasted Peanuts 4 Green Chillies (adjust according to taste) ¾ Tbsp Tamarind Juice (adjust according to taste) 2 Tbsp Coriander leaves (finely chopped) Salt Seasoning: Oil, Mustard, Chana and Urad dal, Red Chillies, Hing and Curry leaves 1.  Heat oil sautee ridge gourd pieces and green chilli pieces until there are blisters on the chilli.  2.  Take Ridge Gourd, Chillies, Peanuts, tamarind juice and coriander leaves and blend it to smooth paste.  3. Heat oil and add the seasoning ingredients, in the order above. Add this to ground chutney and serve.

Difficulty rating 3 (Grinding required, Special Ingredients required) 1 1/2″ to 2″ ginger root (remove skin and slice) 1 Tbsp urad dal 1 1/2 Tbsp chana gram 1 green chilli (adjust) 2 dry red chillis (adjust) 2 garlic cloves small lemon sized tamarind (soaked in ½ cup water and seeds removed) 2-3 Tbsp grated jaggery ¼ cup water (adjust) salt to taste Oil For seasoning: ½ tsp mustard seeds 6-7 fresh curry leaves 1 tsp oil or ghee Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the dals and stir continuously until they turn slightly red. Add the red chillis, green chilli and garlic and saute for a minute. Remove and keep aside. In the same pan, add ginger and saute till it turns red. Remove from heat and cool. Grind the roasted dal mixture, sauteed ginger, tamarind (with the tamerind and the water it was cooked in), jaggery along with salt, to a slightly coarse paste by adding water as needed. Heat oil or ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds, let them pop and add the curry leaves and fry fo...

Difficulty rating 3 (Grinding required, special ingredients needed) 2 small or 1 large bunch Pudina (Mint) 1 cup Groundnut (peanuts) 1 1/2 Tbsp Tamarind (soaked in about 3/4 cup warm water) 3-4 Red chilies 1 tsp Poppy seeds (optional) 6-8 pods Garlic 1 tsp Urad dal (optional) 2 tsp Jeera (cumin seeds) 1. Pluck the pudina leaves and wash.  fry red chilies, groundnut , poppy Seeds , garlic , urad dal and jeera without oil until the groundnuts start to brown in some places.  2. Grind the above mixture into a fine powder and keep aside. 3. Saute pudina leaves with the tamarind water until the leaves all wilt.  4. Let the leaves mixture cool and then add the the previously ground mixture. 5. Grind to a smooth paste adding water and salt as needed. 6. Serve with idly, kichidi, utappam, dosa or plain rice.

Difficulty rating 3 (Grinding required) 3 Tomatoes chopped 2 Onions diced 2 Tbsp Urad dhal handful Coriander leaves handful  Mint leaves 2 Red chillies ½  tsp Tamarind paste (optional) 1 tsp Oil Salt to taste Heat a little bit of oil in a pan and roast the dhal and red chillies until the dhal turns golden and then set aside. Heat oil and cook onions until soft. Add the tomatoes until they break down. Add the mint and coriander leaves until they wilt and then turn off the heat off and allow to Cool. Grind the dahl and red chilies to a powder Next add the tomato-herbs mixture, salt and tamarind paste and grind to a paste. Add a little water if necessary. Serve as a side dish with kichidi, idli, dosa or rice.

Difficulty rating 3 (grinding required, several steps) 2 cups cabbage chopped ¼ cup moong dal Salt as needed Grind ¼ cup coconut powder ½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 2 small onions 2 green chilies Seasoning 1 tsp Mustard seeds ¾ tsp Urad dahl Sprig curry leaves 1 tsp oil   Cook the dahl covered with 2-3 cups of water until it breaks down Cook the chopped cabbage with 1& ¼ cups of water till done. Add the dal and stir well. In a separate pan, dry roast the coconut powder and set aside.   In the same pan from above heat some oil and roast the cumin seeds until they splutter then add the onions and green chilies until the onions become golden. Grind the coconut powder and onion mixture into a paste and then stir into the cooked cabbage and bring to boil and temper In a separate pan heat the seasoning ingredients until the dahl turns golden. Add the seasoning to the cabbage. Mix well and serve with rice.