French Beans Upkari

Ingredients:

• 2 cups french beans
• 1 small potato (optional)
  
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• pinch of asafoetida
  
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-3 red chillies
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• salt to taste
  

Preparation:

1. Wash, clean, rinse french beans in enough water. If the beans are over grown then remove the strings on the sides. Chop the french beans to 1 cm size.
2. Peel and cut potatoes into thin strips.
3. Heat oil in a wok/kadhai, splutter mustard seeds. Now add cumin seeds and asafoetida, and fry till light brown. Add red chillies, curry leaves, and fry for a moment.
   
4. Add chopped french beans, potatoes and salt. Add just enough water till all the french beans are soaked. Cover lid and cook on medium flame till the french beans are half-cooked.
5. Now add the grated coconut, gently mix, and cover the lid again till it completely cooks.
   

Dal Ambat

Ingredients:

• 1 cup toor dal (yellow lentils)
• 4 dry red chillies
  
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 cup grated coconut
  
• 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• salt to taste
• 1 onion, finely chopped or 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• a cup of any of the following vegetables (chopped): potato/tendli (ivy gourd)/lauki (bottle gourd)/squash/egg plant

Preparation:

1. Pressure cook dal with 3 cups of water. After 3 whistles, reduce flame to low heat, and cook for 8 minutes. Now, turn off the heat.
2. Cook the vegetables and add to dal.
   
3. Lightly fry fenugreek leaves in oil, making sure they do not burn.
   
4. Add red chillies to this and in a few seconds turn off the heat.
   
5. Grind the coconut, red chillies, turmeric powder, tamarind paste and the fenugreek seeds to a fine paste. Add this paste to the dal. Add salt and bring the mixture to a boil.
6. In a small kadhai, heat the oil. Add the chopped onions (or crushed garlic) and fry till it turns brown. Add this to the boiling mixture. Serve hot with rice.

If you're looking for a no onion/garlic version, use this tempering:

• 1 tsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 4-5 curry leaves
  
• ½ tsp asafoetida (hing)

In a frying ladle, heat the oil and add the mustard. When the mustard splutters, add the asafoetida and turn off the flame. Add the curry leaves. Fry for a minute and add this to the boiling mixture.

Mushroom Matar

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup green peas
• 1 large tomato, diced
  
• 1/2" ginger, shredded
  
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
• salt adjust to taste
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
• 1 finely chopped green chili (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium high heat. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil. If the cumin seed cracks right away, the oil is ready.
2. Add the cumin seeds. As cumin seeds crack add turmeric. Stir-fry for a few seconds.
3. Add tomatoes, ginger, salt, coriander, and chili powder. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.
   
4. Add mushrooms & peas, cover the lid, & cook for 4-5 minutes.
   
5. Now add the fenugreek leaves.
6. Cook until mushrooms and peas are tender. Turn off heat.
7. Add lemon juice and green chili if you like. Serve hot.

Laucki chana dal

Ingredients

• 1 medium bottle gourd (doodhi)
• 1/2 cup yellow split gram (channa dal)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• a pinch of asafoetida
  
• 2 whole red chilies
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp of garam masala
• 1 tsp mango powder (amchur), adjust to taste
• a handful of chopped cilantro leaves
  
• 1 cup of water, adjust as needed

Method

1. Wash and soak channa dal for 1 hour or more.
2. Peel, wash and cut bottle gourd into ½ inch cubes.
3. Boil water in a pressure cooker. Add channa dal, turmeric, salt and lauki to the water, close lid and cook under full pressure for 3-4 minutes or 2 ‘whistles’. When done, grains should be soft but not mushy.
4. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
5. Add the cumin seeds as they crack add asafoetida, & whole red chilies stir for few seconds.
6. Next add ginger-garlic paste, & chili powder; stir for few secs.
7. Add channa dal and bottle gourd mix from the pressure cooker.
8. Cook till gram dal gets soft.
9. Turn off the heat and sprinkle mango powder, garam masala, and cilantro. Stir and cover the pan for few minutes before serving.

Kadhai Paneer

Ingredients:

• 1 lb paneer
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• pinch of asafoetida
• 3 green chillies, slit length-wise
  
• 1/2 tsp chilly powder
  
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 large white onion, diced into chunks
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
  
• 1 tsp fennel powder
• 1 tbsp chopped fenugreek leaves
• a bunch of finely chopped coriander leaves
  
• salt to taste
  

Method:

1. Chop the paneer and bell peppers into ½ inch cubes.
2. Heat the oil in frying pan on medium heat and the stir-fry bell peppers until they are tender; do not over cook them. Take them out and drain on a paper towel.
3. Using the same frying pan, test the oil by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
   
4. Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.
5. After the cumin seeds crack, add the green chillies, red chilly, turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste, and stir for few seconds.
6. Add the diced onion and salt, and saute till transparent.
7. Add the tomato sauce and mix thoroughly.
8. Add the coriander powder, fenugreek leaves, fennel powder, garam masala powder and coriander leaves; mix thoroughly.
9. Cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat.
10. Wait till gravy comes to boil add paneer and bell pepper and let it simmer for about five minutes on low medium heat.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Boondi Raita

Ingredients:

• 1 cup low-fat yogurt
  
• Water - for thinning yogurt
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp chat masala
• 1/2 cup Boondi (thin crispy gram flour balls)
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves

Method:

1. Take a mixing bowl and thin the yogurt with water.
2. Add red chilly powder, cumin powder, chat masala and salt. Beat well.
3. When you are ready to serve, add Boondi and serve as a Yogurt blend.
4. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Chicken Kundapuri

Ingredients:

• For the masala:
  
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 5-6 red chillies
  
• 6 black pepper corns
• 2" cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
  
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• For the curry
• 2 lb chicken
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3-4 tsp olive oil
  
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 1 cup water

Preparation:

1. Roast all the items under "For the masala" heading above. Grind it with a cup of water. Keep this aside .
   
2. In a pan, heat the oil, fry the curry leaves and cumin seeds - wait for a nice fragrance. Add the onion and tomato and fry until the raw taste is gone.
3. Add chicken, a cup of water and the ground masala.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 12-15 minutes, until the chicken is done.