Around The World On Your Plate

Ingredients: Seasoning: 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon urad dal 1 teaspoon channa dal 1/8th teaspoon asafoetida 1 sprig curry leaves 2 teaspoon oil Others: 2 cups cooked rice 3/4 cup chopped bell peppers (green, yellow, red, and purple) 1 green chilli chopped Salt to taste Cilantro to garnish 1 teaspoon lemon juice Method: Heat oil on medium in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add urad dal and channa dal and asafoetida along with curry leaves a saute for 20 seconds. Add in the green chillies and chopped bell pepper and saute. Once the bell peppers are just cooked, not too mushy, turn heat to low and add the cooked rice along with salt to taste and mix. Turn off heat and before serving some lemon juice and mix and garnish.

Serves: 2 Time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 5-6 slices of bread cubed (I used a baguette) 1 onion chopped 1-2 tomatoes chopped 1 green chilli chopped fine 1 teaspoon sambar powder or chilli powder salt to taste 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves Cilantro to garnish Water as needed Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add curry leaves and green chilli and saute. Add in the onions and saute until translucent.  Next, add the tomatoes and sambar powder or chilli powder and cook until tomatoes are tender. Add the cubed bread and sprinkle some water to moisten it.  Adjust salt to taste and mix everything well. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Ingredients: 1 cup rice flour 1 small onion finely chopped 1 green chili finely chopped 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/4 cup grated coconut Salt to taste oil as needed water as needed Method: In a mixing bowl combine flour, salt and mix well.  Next, add all the remaining ingredients except oil and water. Add water in small quantity and start to knead a soft dough.  Once everything comes together, grease it with oil and set aside covered. Divide the dough into equal portions. Take a banana leaf or an aluminum foil and generously grease it with oil. Place one of the dough balls in the center and start patting it down with your fingers, if it gets too sticky just wet your fingers and continue to pat it down to a small 6-inch round shape. Place a skillet on medium heat and grease it. Put the ready to bake rotti on the skillet  upside down so as that the banana leaf or foil is on top.  Once the bottom side of the rotti gets cooked, peel off the ban...

Ingredients: 1 cup dry green peas soaked for 4-5 hours 2 potatoes cubed 1 onion chopped 2 tomatoes chopped 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste Cilantro to garnish Salt to taste 1 cup coconut milk Seasoning: 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves Spices: 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1-1/2 teaspoon coriander powder 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed powder 1 teaspoon pepper powder Method: Soak dry green peas in water for 4-5 hours and pressure cook it. Heat oil on medium and add mustard seeds and let them splutter.  Next add curry leaves, followed by onion and ginger garlic paste.  Saute the onions until translucent. Add the tomatoes and spices and mix and cook until tender.  Next, add in the cooked peas and potatoes and coconut milk.  Adjust salt to taste and cook until potatoes are done. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or chapati. Note: If using fresh coconut, grind it alon...

Ingredients: 1/2 cup Sabut masoor dal soaked for 5 hours and cooked 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoons mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves 2 red chillies slit 1 medium onion chopped 1 teaspoon garlic minced 1-2 tomatoes chopped 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder(optional) Cilantro to garnish Salt to taste Method : Wash and soak the dal for 5 hours or overnight.  Drain the water and pressure cook with fresh water. Heat oil and add mustard seeds, red chillies, and curry leaves and saute for a minute. Next add onion and garlic and cook until translucent.  Add tomatoes and spices and cook until tender. Add the cooked dal with water as needed and salt to taste. Stir everything and cook on low heat until desired consistency is reached. Turn off and garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Serves:  3-4 Duration:  Cooking 20 minutes Soaking:  30 minutes Ingredients: 1-1/2 cup long grain rice washed, soaked for 30 minutes, and drained 2 cups mixed vegetables 1 sprig of Curry leaves 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder salt to taste 2 teaspoons of oil Cilantro to garnish Masala Paste: 1 sprig cilantro and mint leaves 2 green chillies 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic crushed 1-1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1" cinnamon stick 8 pepper corns 5 cloves 1/4 cup coconut Method: In a blender, add all the ingredients listed under masala paste and grind into a smooth paste and set aside. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add curry leaves (dry or fresh). Add in all the vegetables and saute well. Next add in the masala paste and mix.  Add drained rice and water along with salt and turmeric powder and mix well. Cover and cook on medium heat until rice is completely cooked. ...

Ingredients: 1/2 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas) 1 bunch of spinach chopped 1/2 cup onion chopped 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon of oil or ghee 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/8th of a teaspoon asafetida 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or to taste 2-3 red chillies slit Water as needed Salt to taste Method: Begin by pressure cooking toor daal along with spinach and water as needed. Once the daal is cooked, set it aside. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add asafetida and red chillies and saute for a minute.  Add onions and saute until translucent. Next add the cooked daal along with more water as needed to adjust the consistency of the daal.  Add turmeric powder and  tamarind paste and adjust salt to taste, cover with a lid and bring it to a boil and turn off heat. Serve it hot with some steamed rice. Note: You can completely skip adding onion.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas) 2 tomatoes quartered 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon of oil or ghee 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/8th of a teaspoon asafetida 1 sprig curry leaves 1 teaspoon tamarind paste or to taste 2-3 red chillies slit Water as needed Cilantro to garnish Salt to taste Method: Begin by pressure cooking toor dal along with tomatoes, turmeric powder and salt to taste with about 1-1/2 cup of water Cook the dal according to your cookers specifications and set aside. Next in a high sided pan, heat oil on medium and add mustard seeds and let them pop, add asafetida and curry leaves along with red chillies and saute for a minute. Next add the cooked dal along with more water as needed to adjust the consistency of the dal. Add tamarind paste to taste and adjust salt to taste, cover with a lid and bring it to a boil and turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with some steamed rice.

Serves: 4 Ingredients: 2 cups grated cucumber 1/4 cup chopped cucumber (optional) 1 cup yogurt 1/4 cup grated coconut 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1-2 green chilies Salt to taste Water as needed Cilantro to garnish Seasoning: 1 tsp oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves 1/8th teaspoon asafoetida  1-2 red chilies (optional) 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder Method: This recipe uses a total of 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon while grinding and 1/2 teaspoon for seasoning. Grind green chillies, grated coconut, and mustard seeds together. In a bowl, mix the grated cucumber and the above mixture along with yogurt and mix until everything is well incorporated, adjust the thickness by adding water as needed.  Add salt to taste and set aside. In a small pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add asafotida and turmeric powder along with chilies and curry leaves and let it sizzle for a few seconds.  Tu...

'' Servings: 1 Ingredients: 1 cup left over rice 1-2 teaspoon oil 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 1/8th  teaspoon   asafoetida  1/2  teaspoon  urad dal 1/2  teaspoon  peanuts 1-2 green chili slit 4-5 curry leaves 1/4th  teaspoon  turmeric powder 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste Salt to taste Cilantro to garnish Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Next add asafoetida along with green chili and curry leaves and saute for a minute. Add urad dal and peanuts and stir fry for a minute until urad dal turns a light golden color. Add rice, turmeric powder and salt and mix everything well and stir for a minute. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice and mix.  Garnish with cilantro and serve hot. Notes: Can garnish with freshly grated coconut as well. 

Potato Pinwheel Buns Ingredients: For the buns: 1-1/4 cup whole milk 2 tablespoons of sugar 2-1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast 1 teaspoon salt 3-1/2 tablespoons of butter 3-1/2 cups of all purpose flour and extra for dusting For the filling: 2 medium sized potatoes boiled, peeled, and mashed 2 green chilies sliced 1/8th teaspoon asafetida Cilantro to garnish Salt to taste 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 sprig curry leaves 1 tablespoon oil Optional: Sesame seeds Lemon juice For the filling: Boil, peel and mash up the potatoes and set aside.  Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds and let them pop, next add in asafetida, curry leaves, and green chilies and fry.  Now add the potatoes along with salt and turmeric powder and mix well.  Add some lemon juice (optional) and garnish with cilantro and set aside. For the buns: Begin by warming up milk to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, add yeast and s...

Onion rice: Ingredients: 1 cup cooked long grain rice. 1 sprig of curry leaves. Green chillies to taste. 1 tsp mustard seeds. 1 tsp urad dal 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or cannola oil 1 tsp turmeric powder Sat to taste. Cilantro to garnish. Method: Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, once it starts to splutter, add urad dal and green chillies and fry them till golden in color. Add curry leaves and turmeric powder and give it a nice stir.  Turn the heat to low and add in the rice and salt and mix well.  Turn off the heat and garnish it with cilantro.  Serve hot.