Don't you hate it when you buy an ingredient specific to a particular recipe and it sits there in your pantry for months after you use it once? I do! I think that is the main reason why not many people try to cook Indian food at home. Most of the Indian recipes require ingredients that are used only in other Indian recipes. There are so many healthy, tasty, mouth watering Indian recipes, but not one American that I personally know has tried them at home, and they all love Indian food!

So, here's what I am going to do. I will make a list of 3 ingredients (mostly spices) and give 5 easy that use all those 3 ingredients. Then I switch to another 3 ingredients and 5 more easy recipes. Now you have 6 ingredients and 10 recipes. What if I gave you another 5 recipes that use all the 6 ingredients, maybe a little bit complicated recipes, but very yummy? Your pantry will no more be stacked with unused bottles of Indian spices! And you will learn to cook easy yummy Indian food at home!

So, here you go! The first three ingredients are:

1. Mustard seeds (brown smaller mustard is what Indians use)

2. Cumin seeds

3. Curry leaves (fresh curry leaves can be found in any Indian grocery store)

And here is the first recipe:

You are going to make a simple salad.

All ingredients:

1. One big cucumber

2. Two big carrots

3. Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp.

4. Cumin seeds-1/4 tsp.

5. Curry leaves-1 spring

6. Cilantro-1/4 of a bunch

7. Lemon juice-1 tsp.

8. Olive oil-1 tsp.

9. Salt to taste

Wash and peel the cucumber, cut into small pieces. Wash and peel the carrots, grate them. Mix them both in a bowl.

For seasoning:

In a small pan, heat oil on medium (maybe for a minute).

Add mustard seeds, when they start cracking, add cumin seeds. Leave them on low to medium heat for maybe 30 seconds. Add washed curry leaves and turn off the heat. You will see the curry leaves turn crisp...yummy!

Add this seasoning to the bowl with cucumber and carrots. Do not mix them until you are ready to serve. Add salt to taste, sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with chopped cilantro just before you serve.

This is a great starter for any meal and very healthy.

Two more recipes coming up with same three ingredients, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves!

Enzoy!

Cauliflower bajji

When I was in high school, I lived with my grandmother. I remember sometimes, in the evening when I would get home, I could smell the cauliflowers getting fried... it would smell sooo good. I would hear my grand mom say "wash your hands and come eat"... man, those were the days...

Well, I dont make these very often... today I did :)

For the batter:
2 cups besan (chick pea flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin)

1/2 bunch cauliflower, cut and cleaned.
2-3 zucchini, clean and cut.
2-3 onions

Mix everything for the batter in a cup of water. The consistency should be thick soupy.

Dip the veggies in the batter and deep fry in hot oil :)

Crab curry

3 large crabs, cut and clean
2-3 mid size onions
3/4th can of tomato paste (small can) or 5 tomatoes
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp of coriander powder
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp pepper powder
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Heat oil, add washed crab, fry for 5 mins until the water is evaporated and the crab starts to change color.
Add onions, fry for 5 more mins.
Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and red chilli powder, fry for 2 more mins.
Add ginger and garlic paste.
Add tomatoes (or paste-I used paste) and fry for 5 more mins.
Add water and cook closed for 5 more mins.
When the crab is cooked, open and cook on high till the gravy is dried up.
Garnish with cilantro.
Serve with curd rice or roti with raw onions and cucumber.

Pancake dosa

1 cup pancake mix
1/2 cup rava (sooji)
1/2 cup dahi (yogurt) or sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup coconut (optional)
1 small green chilli
1/4 small onion diced
Salt to taste

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard
2-3 curry leaves cut into small pieces.

Coarsely grind coconut, green chilli and salt.
Mix pancake mix, rava and yogurt and water.
Add the coconut mix and onion.

Heat oil, add mustard, when it splatters, add curry leaves.
Add seasoning to the dosa mixture.

Heat pan and pour the dosa. Cook on both sides with oil/ghee. Serve with saagu or chutney.

Pistachio Pesto

I am going to try this soon...

2 cup basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 cup pistachio kernels
½ cup olive oil
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 grind black pepper

To make 1 cup of pesto, place 2 cups of basil leaves, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 cup of pistachio kernels in afood processor. Process until smooth, leaving just a bit of texture. With the food processor’s motor stillrunning, slowly sprinkle in ½ cup olive oil through the feed tube. Add ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese anda grind of black pepper. Process to combine. Pesto will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.Bring to room temperature before serving.To store pesto for a later date or upcoming party, transfer pesto to an ice cube tray. Cover the tray andfreeze. When frozen, pop out the cubes into a freezer-safe bag and seal. Store in the freezer until readyfor use. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before intended use.

Shenga -Garlic Chutney

Ingredients:
1 cup grated coconut
2 garlic pods
1" ginger piece
1/2 cup ground nuts (pea nuts)
1/4 cup dhalia (kadle in kannada)
4 red chillies
1/2 tea sp tamarind paste
1/2 bunch coriander leaves (cilantro)
Salt to taste

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds
Kki patta
Hing

Fry everything in the ingredients section except the tamarind paste until the coconut turns little brownish and you get nice aroma. Grid to fine paste with little water with the tamarind paste. Season and serve with Dosa or idli.

Fish Fry

Ingredients:
Pomphret (cut into thin slices),
salt,
chilli powder,
hing.

Mix the powders and marinate the fish. Keep it in the fridge for 1/2 day or in the freezer for a couple of days. Thaw the fish (either in fridge or in microwave). Roll each piece in rice flour and deep fry.
Typical mangalorean fish fry is ready to be served with rice and daal.

Konkani style mangalorean prawn curry

Ingredients:
Shrimp 1lb,
Coconut 1/2 cup,
Red Chillies (fried)-4 or 5,
Tamarind paste 3/4 tsp.
Hing (asafoetida) powder - 1 pinch,
Coconut oil-2 tsp,
salt to taste.

Grind coconut, red chillies and tamarind paste to smooth paste. Boil the ground masala with water for about 10 minuts. Add cleaned and deveined shrimp to the boiling masala. Cook until shrimp is cooked.Take it off from the stove and add the hing and coconut oil. Serve hot with rice.

(Ummm....My mouth is watering...)

Goli Bajo

Goli Bajo

Typical Mangalorean evening snack:

Ingredients:
Maida 1 cup,
Curds (yogurt) 1/2 cup,
Green chillies-2 or 3,
Ginger 1/2 inch,
Cooking soda 1/2 tsp.
Sugar 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste.
Grind together green chillies, ginger and salt. Mix this with soda, sugar, maida and curds. Add water to get thick consistency. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Deep fry small balls in hot oil. Serve with ketchup and tea.

Pineapple Gojju

Pineapple gojju: (its a typical kannadiga recipe-I tried this last weekend and all my friends loved it)

Ingredients:
1 small pineapple, peeled and cut into small pieces-boiled in water with sugar and cooled
1 tsp. tamarind juice
1 tbsp. jaggery
1 long spring curry leaves
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Masala:
1/2 cup grated, coconut
4-6 red chillies
1 tbsp. bengal gram (Channa daal)
1 tsp. black gram (Urad daal)
1 tsp. cumin seeds (Jeera)
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds (Methi)
1 tsp. sesame seeds (Yellu in Kannada)
1/2 tsp. asafoetida (Hing)
1 tsp. oil

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a pan fry all masala ingredients (except the coconut) until lightly browned. Grind the fried masala with coconut and little water to a fine paste. Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add mustard seeds, when it pops add cooked pineapple, turmeric, curry leaves and fry for 5-8 minutes. Add salt, tamarind juice, jaggery, ground paste. Bring it to boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the gojju thickens.