Jhal Muri (Bengali Bhel)

Date: 10/9/2010
By Sona

Indredients:

• 2 cup crisp puffed rice/Muri
  
• 1 medium red onion chopped
  
• 1/2 a boiled potato chopped
  
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
  
• A little chanachur, can use sev or bhujiya also
  
• 1 tsp mustard oil..very important substitute with pickle oil if you don't have this
  
• 2 green chilies chopped
  
• finely chopped fresh coconut piece
  
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped coriander leaves
  
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Combine all the ingredients and serve immediately so the muri does not get soggy

Aloo Pakora (Potato Fritters) with Cilantro Chutney

Date: 10/2/2010
By Sunita Mannamkunnath

Ingredients for Aloo Pakora:

• Chickpea flour (besan) -- 1 cup
  
• Cumin, ground -- 1 teaspoon
  
• Salt -- 1 1/2 teaspoons
  
• Warm water -- 1/2 cup
  
• Vegetables – 1 large Eggplant – sliced into rounds, 2 potatoes – sliced into rounds, 1 onion – sliced into rings
  
• 1 tsp Carom seed (Ajwain)
  
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

• In a large bowl, add the chickpea flour, cumin, salt, water. Whisk the ingredients to make a smooth batter.
  
• Heat oil in a heavy skillet on medium-high. Dip the cut vegetables one at a time into the batter to coat. Then drop into the hot oil and deep fry until lightly browned on all sides. Remove onto a plate lined with paper towels.
  
• Serve hot with cilantro chutney, mint chutney or Tomato ketchup.

Ingredients for Cilantro Chutney

• Cilantro, stems and all, chopped finely --1 bunch
  
• ½ Onion, chopped
  
• Hot chili peppers, minced -- 1-2
  
• Salt -- 2 teaspoons
  
• Lemon juice – juice of ½ a lemon

Method

• Mix all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until almost pureed.

Parippu (Dal) Vada

Date: 9/25/2010
By Renu Krishnan

Ingredients:
I

• Toor dal-2 cups

II

• Curry leaves - 10 to 12 leaves
  
• Green chilies – 3
  
• Ginger-1 medium size

Chop all these together.
III

• Onion chopped – 2 (medium size)

IV

• Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
  
• Salt to taste
  
• Gram flour(Besan)-1/4 cup

V

• Oil

Method:

• Soak dal for about 1 hour. Cook for about 5 min in microwave oven with 1 cup of water. Drain and grind to make thick paste. Do not add water while grinding.
  
• Add ingredients II, III and IV to the paste of dal and mix well.
  
• Heat oil in a cooking pan.
  
• Make oval shaped patties out of this paste and deep fry until golden brown.
  
• Parippu Vada is ready to serve.

Guidelines

GUIDELINES FOR THE COOKING CLASS

• The duration of the cooking class is 45 minutes. In that time you should be able to prepare the ingredients, cook the dish, taste it, and clean up. It is a good idea to cook a dish that takes about 20-25 minutes so that leaves you a few minutes to prepare the ingredients and clean up after.
  
• Bring all the ingredients/raw materials you need to prepare the dish. The kitchen is fully equipped with range, oven, microwave, utensils, knife, silverware, plates, etc. If you need special equipment or utensils to cook your dish for eg: mixers, idli moulds, etc., please bring them.
  
• Please bring at least 5 copies of the recipe for the students. It will be easier for them to help prepare and cook if they have a copy of the recipe to work with.
  
• It is important to leave the kitchen in the same way when you started, so please remember to clean up and put away anything you may have used.

Beetroot Fry (Mezhukku)

Date: 4/24/2010
By Renu Krishnan

Beets have high vitamin and mineral content and hence give protection against a number of health problems. The roots and leaves of the plant have been used for treating human ailments from a long time and studies are still been carried out to prove its beneficial effects in cases like cancer and hypertension.

Buying and Storing Tips
· While purchasing beets, always go for the smaller or medium sized ones with firm, smooth-skinned roots of deep color.
· If the beets are flabby or dried up, avoid them as it indicates that the beets are aged, fibrous, and tough.
· Avoid the beets that have soft, wet areas or have spots or bruises. This is an indication that the beets have been spoilt or gone bad.
· While storing the beets in a refrigerator cut a major portion of the greens along with their stems from the roots. This will help the roots to retain their moisture.
· It is always better to store beets unwashed in the refrigerator. This way they can be stored for around 3 to 4 weeks.

Ingredients:
I

• Beets- cut into cubes of size 1/4 inches - 3 cups
• turmeric powder - 1 tsp

II

• curry leaves - 10 to 12 leaves
• whole red chilies - 3
• red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

III

• oil - 3 tbsp
• mustard seeds - 2 tsp
• onion chopped - 1 cup

IV

• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup (for those who really like some coconut in the fry)

Method:

• Take ingredients I into a medium sized microwavable container. Add 1 cup of water and mix well. Cook this in a microwave oven for 20 minutes. Mix them well every 5 minutes to make sure that the beet is cooked uniformly.
• Add Ingredients II into the cooked beet.
• Heat oil in a cooking pan and add mustard seeds and let them sputter. Add chopped onion and fry until brown.
• Add the cooked beet along with ingredients II and mix well with the fried onion (for those who really like some coconut in the fry can add ingredients IV also).
• Keep the flame low until the beet is dry. Check salt and add to taste if necessary. Serve hot along with rice or chappatis.

Aloo Tikki

Date: 4/17/2010
By Kusum Gosain

Ingredients:

• Potatoes, boiled 4 large
• Moong dal 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Oil 2 tblsp + to shallow fry
• Cumin powder 1 tsp
• Asafoetida a pinch
• Green chillies, chopped 3
• Amchur/Mango Powder 1 tsp
• Green chutney as required
• Sweet chutney as required
• Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon

Method:

• Grate boiled potatoes and add salt, cumin powder and mix.
• Coarsely grind the moong dal. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add asafoetida and the ground moong dal. Stir and sauté till done/cooked. Add a little more oil if required.
• Add salt, mango powder and green chillies, mix and cook till dry. Set aside to cool.
• Heat oil on a flat pan. Grease your palm; spread a portion of potatoes on it. Place a portion of the moong dal mix in the centre and gather the edges and shape into a tikki (cutlet).
• Place the tikkis on the hot flat pan and fry. When one side is golden turn over and cook the other side till it becomes golden too.
• Serve with chutney.

Can also use this for Stuffing:
½ cup Green Peas, cooked and mashed
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder
2-3 Green Chillies
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
Make the stuffing same way as Moong Dal stuffing.

Stuffed Okra and Raita

Date: 4/10/2010
By Kartika Kumar

Stuffed Okra (this recipe can also be done with boiled potatoes)

Ingredients:

• okra slit lengthwise
• chopped coriander
• grated coconut
• sesame seeds
• a little sugar
• amchur powder
• turmeric powder
• red chili powder
• coriander powder (optional)
• salt
• lime juice
• a pinch of asafoetida powder
• mustard seeds

Method:

• Mix together the chopped coriander leaves, grated coconut, sesame seeds, sugar, salt, amchur powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and lime juice.
• Stuff each okra with this mixture.
• Put a little oil in a non-stick pan with hing powder (asafoetida) and mustard seeds.
• When the mustard seeds splutter, add the stuffed okra. Stir gently.
• Cover the pan and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Raita:

In a glass or steel bowl, mix together:

• regular whole or skim milk yogurt
• finely chopped onions
• roasted and ground cumin power
• crushed and dried mint powder
• salt
• red chili powder
• sugar
• water soaked raisins

Optional step:
Heat a large spoonful of ghee. Add cumin seeds to the ghee. When the cumin seeds splutter, carefully light the ghee with a match, then add it into the raita. Quickly cover the raita bowl with a steel or metal lid. This adds a smoky flavor to the raita.