Dal Fry

I know this sounds really simple, but I had to experiment for about two years to get it just right. Last night's was simply yummy so i thought I would share.

Ingredients:

1)Dal - 1 cup (I used the flat lentils here arhar dal but you can use just about any skinned lentils you have in your kitchen)
2)Tomato - 1 small, chopped finely
3)Onion - 1 small, chopped finely
4)Chilli - 1 medium to large, chopped into a long piece n then slit
5)cilantro - 1 teaspoon, chopped

Spices:
1)Mustard seeds - a pinch
2)Cumin seeds - 1/2 a teaspoon
3)turmeric - a pinch
4)all spice powder (garam masala) - a pinch
5)paprika / red chilli powder - a pinch
6)dry mango powder - a pinch (you can also substitute this with about 10 drops of lemon juice for the tang)
7)Salt to taste

Preparation:

1) Boil the dal with slightly excess water.
2) Heat 2 teaspoons oil. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they sputter, add onion. When onions start turning gold add the tomato and chillies.
3) Add the dal once the tomatoes start oozing oil.
4) Add the all spice, paprika, turmeric, dry mango and salt.
5) Add 1 tablespoon of water and boil for about 2 minutes. The dal should be medium watery.
6) Add cilantro before serving.

Peanut chutney

Another old-time favorite that I would love with bread. This too, is a great accompaniment to most Indian dishes.

Ingredients
1) 1 cup peanuts, dry roasted and skin removed (UNSALTED)
2) 2 green chillies
3) 1 clove garlic
4) a pinch dried mango powder OR tamarind juice (if you don't have any of these, use some sour yogurt - you may leave 2 tablespoons of yogurt out overnight to ferment it)
5) mustard seeds
6) curry leaf
7) 2 teaspoon oil
8) A pinch asafoetida (heeng)
9) salt.

Method:
1) Roast Ingredients 1,2,3 in one teaspoon of oil.
2) grind with salt and water and ingredient 4 till you get a smooth paste.
3) heat oil. Add ingredients 5,6,7 and add to chutney.
4) Serve with anything you like.

Apple-Yogurt salad

Healthy, tasty and light. You can throw in your own variations to it by adding spices, or other dried fruit. The basic recipe is what i have given below.

Ingredients:
1) 2 red apples, cored and diced
2) 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts.

Dressing Ingredients:
1) One cup curd/thick unsweetened non-flavored yogurt (if you are using home made 'curd', hand it in a cotton cloth for an hour.
2) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
3) A pinch of brown sugar
4) 2 teaspoon sparkling apple juice
5) 1 teaspoon ginger juice (grate ginger and squeeze)

Method:
1) Mix all the dressing ingredients EXCEPT brown sugar
2) Add these to the salad ingredients and mix well.
3) Garnish with sprinkled brown sugar

Fruit Panzanella

Here's the sweet version of a panzanella. I have tried not to sweeten it too much so that it may be served as a course at a full meal. Something I don't see being very "desserty" and is hence not classified so.

This recipe again takes off the lemon juice. I prefer substituting that with a thicker juice, to hold in the fruit flavors.

Ingredients:
1) half a cored apple, diced into small cubes
2) 1/2 cup diced pineapple
3) 4 black olives, cut into very small pieces
4) 2 slices of bread (multigrain or whole wheat for a healthier option) cut into small croutons and dried till crunchy (either in microwave or the sun)
5) 1 tablespoon walnuts
6) 1 tablespoon pistachio or almonds (the latter tastes better with bread)
7) 7and 8 can be substituted with 2 tablespoon pine0nuts
8) 1 tablespoon raisins

Dressing:
1) 1/2 cup strawberry, cut into large chunks and mashed
2) 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
3) 2 teaspoons brown sugar (can be substituted with 1 teaspoon honey)
4) One tablespoon red wine (optional, but very strongly recommended by me)
5) grated lemon rind.

Method:
1)In a bowl, mix all the salad ingredients you will be using.
2) In another bowl, take the mashed strawberries and stir. Some strawberry juice should separate.
3) Add the orange juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar (quick tip - one sachet of the Barista brown sugar is perfect for these proportions :D ). Keep a pinch of brown sugar aside.
4) Add the lemon rind and red wine.
5) Pour over the salad ingredients
6) garnish with a sprinkle of the remaining brown sugar.

Footnotes:
1)Although the red wine is optional, I love the body it provides to the dressing. Also, the red wine prevents the other fruit from changing color.
2) It might be tempting to try, but please please emlimitae diary in this recipe. Makes it too heavy and adds too many elements in what is to be just a starter. Moreover, this would be a part of the meal and not the meal itself so its important to keep this dish a little disbalanced, ingredient wise.


Variation:
This is a little tricky but gives an amazing result.
Take 3 tablespoons of white sugar and 2 tablespoons water. When the sugar melts add the bread slices. stir till the bread is caramalized. And add it to the salad. Elimitae the brown sugar in the dressing. However, this is a sweeter version and something that cant be consumed in too much quantities at a meal.

Panzanella

A very light Italian salad. Okay, okay. I admit this is not the actual original recipe. I have played around with it in terms of dressing. I personally like crispy ingredients staying crispy, and I have substituted the original light, lemony dressing with a heavier but smoother mixed oil dressing.

It makes for a great summer salad, light on the stomach, and fun on the tastebuds.

Ingredients:
1) 1 cup bread slices (cut into small pieces and dried till crisp in a microwave, or in the sun - NO toast, PLEASE!!!)
2) 1/4 of a cucumber, diced into small cubes
3) One large tomato, diced
4) 1/4 green bell pepper (optional yellow, but avoid red, it could get too "sweet" for the salad)
5)a bit of Iceberg lettuce or salad greens
6) 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
7) 1/2 a cored green apple (optional)
8) 1/2 cup fresh pineapple - diced (optional)
9) 1/4 cup walnuts - optional

Dressing Ingredients:
1)1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2) 1 tablespoon sesame oil
3) 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4) 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (I prefer Thai ginger here)
5) 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
6) sea salt
7) A pinch white pepper (optional)
8) 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional) (But I personally LOVE this option... especially if you are using herbed bread, balsamic gives a very nice edge)

Method:
1)In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients (or whatever you are using)
2) In a separate bowl, mix up all the dressing ingredients
3) Pour over salad and toss.

Footnote:
1) The original recipe calls for only olive oil, lemon juice, and eliminates the ginger. The authentic Italian recipe uses stale foccacia, and the sour-ish taste of the foccacia clashes with the ginger. I personally prefer to get my zest with the lemon rind, so that the lemon juice does not soak into the bread and make the pieces soggy.
2) An all-fruit panzanalla tastes divine. Watch the space. :)

Bread Upma

This is not south Indian. It's a convoluted home-concocted stuff which is great as a brunch item, evening snack or for school lunches!

Ingredients:
1) 2 slices of (brown, or whole wheat) bread, broken into small bits
2) 1 medium red onion chopped (I personally like chives here, they taste great)
3) 1 very small carrot, grated
4) 1/4 green bell pepper, cut into small strips
5) 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
6) half a lemon
7) one green chilli, cut into small pieces
8) a pinch of turmeric
9) 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
10) cumin seeds
11) salt.

Method:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add cumin. Add onions and fry till pink. Add chopped green peppers and fry till tender. Add carrots. Add the green chillies.
2) Chop the bread slices into tiny tiny pieces and add these pieces.
3) Add the salt, turmeric and cilantro and stir.
4) Finish off with the squeezed lemon.

Note:
You may add other vegetables of your choice, like chopped botatoes, boiled beans, green peas, zuccini, etc.

Green Coconut chutney

This has many many many variants, which I will be putting as a footnote. Here's the basic recipe.

Ingredients
1) 1/2 cup chopped fresh coconut
2) 1/4 cup chana dal (green gram - dried, roasted, and split)
3) 2 big green chillies
4) 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, washed
5) a very very small piece of ginger (optional)
6) 3 leaves of mint (optional)
7) 2 teaspoons plain unsweetened unflavored yogurt (optional)
8) salt
9) half a teaspoon oil
10) a pinch of mustard seeds
11) a pinch of cumin seeds
12) a pinch black gram (split)
13) one stick curry leaves.

Method:
1) Combine ingredients 1-8 (whatever you are using) and grind. Add water as required. You should get a smooth paste.
2) Heat oil. Add the black gram lentil. Let it change shade. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Add curry leaves and fry till curry leaves are crispy.
3) Pour this into the chutney (and NOT the other way around)
4) Serve with whatever you want to eat it with.