Alka's Recipe Folder - Main and Side Dishes

• Red Lentil and Eggplant Dal (Westernized)
• Arhar or Toor with Plantains (This is an Assam dish)
• Khichri
• Tomato Chutney with Sesame
• Chicken and Lentil Curry (Northern Dish)
• Cucumber and Black eyed peas (South Indian)
• Drumsticks Indian Style
• Beef Kabobs
• Kachoomber
• Potato Raita

If you would like to know more about Oriental recipes that mix well with traditional south asian dishes, please contact me at alkadidi@mybindi.com

Red Lentil & Eggplant Dal (Westernized)

Ingredients
3 tbsp clarified butter or regular butter
2 asian eggplants, cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
½ tsp coriander seed, ground to a powder (this is available in Indian store)
½ tsp cumin seed, ground to a powder
1 small chili chopped (reduce amount if too hot for you)
1 cinnamon stick
pinch allspice
½ cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1cup chicken stock
salt to taste (be careful as stock has salt as well)
2 tbsp chopped coriander (fresh) on top for garnish after cooking

In a medium saucepan, heat half the butter on high. Add eggplant and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Add the rest of the butter and the onions and continue the sauté for 3 minutes or until onions are soft, and add ginger to this. Then add the dry ingredients (coriander seed powder, cinnamon stick, allspice, salt). Saute for a minute. Now add the lentils and green chili. Mix well then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dal from sticking to bottom of the pan. Mixture is ready whtn a thick and creamy consistency is achieved. Add chopped coriander last. Serve with Naan or on a bed of rice with raita.

(This is a westernized version of an Indian Dal)
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Arhar or Toor with Plantains (An Assam dish)

Ingredients
2 Plantains
1 Cup Arhar or Toor
2 Cups water
¼ tsp tumeric powder
Salt to taste
¼ tsp kalonji (dried onion seed)
3 Bay Leaves

Directions
Take skin off the plantains and slice into ¼ inch thick slices. Fry over a medium heat in a little bit of oil for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Cook 1 cup Arhar in 2 cups of water. Simmer on medium with ¼ tsp tumeric until cooked. Add salt to taste and take off the heat. In another pan heat 3 tsp of vegetable, slightly heated, and add kalonji until seeds start to crack. Take it off the heat and cool a bit. Then take 3 bay leaves and add to kalonji mixture and heat it up again. Cool it down again and add the plantains to it. Add more salt if necessary at this time. Keep sautéing now until brown. Add daal to this and simmer for 20 minutes until done. Serve it with plain yoghurt and rice.
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Khichri

Ingredients
1 cup rice
1/3 cup Moon dal (split yellow)
4 cups water
salt to taste
3 tbsp butter
½ cup yoghurt

Directions
Wash the rice and dal and then add to a saucepan with the water. Cook on high until it reaches boiling point then simmer on low for 30 to 40 minutes or until fully cooked. (You want it to have a mushy consistency). Add the butter at this time and simmer some more. Then add the yoghurt folding it in. Serve with Tomato Chutney.
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Tomato Chutney with Sesame

Ingredients
3 cups of blanched and diced cherry or roma tomato
1 tsp ginger
green chili to taste
1 tsp fresh crushed garlic
salt to taste
1 tbsp sesame seeds that have been lightly roasted in a skillet and later crushed

Directions
In a some oil sauté the garlic, chili and tomato together. Add 3 tbsp of water and simmer it covered for 10 minutes. If you want it thicker let the water boil off some more. Add the Sesame last and serve with the Khichri.
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Chicken and Lentil Curry
(Northern Dish)

Ingredients
6 Chicken thighs (bone in and skinned)
1 medium red onion or Spanish
2 cloves of garlic
equal amount of ginger
¼ cup of Chana dal (split chickpea) that is rinsed and soaked the night before in water
1 tsp tumeric
salt to taste
¼ tsp blackpepper
1/8 tsp white pepper
Indian Cayenne (lal mirch) to taste
1 freshly diced tomato

Directions
Ground the onion, garlic, ginger in the food processor on high. Also add the tumeric and other spices to the mixture (all except for the salt, this is added later). Start frying mixture on a medium low heat until the onions are transluscent and oil starts to separate from the mixture and all the excess water is dried up. This is the longest part of this recipe and the most important step. Then add the tomato to this and keep frying until the juices are dried up again. Put in the chicken and salt and drained lentils stirring and sautéing for another ½ hour. Once oil starts separating again add 1 and ¼ cups of water and bring to boil over high. Bring back to medium and add more salt if required. Lower heat to a low simmer and continue covered for another 20 minutes. If you like garam masala you add a pinch at this time. Serve with Hot Naan or fresh chapattis or roti.
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Cucumber and Black eyed peas
(South Indian)

Ingredients
1 cucumber (seeded, peeled, quartered and cut into 1/8 inch slices
¼ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk diluted with ½ cup water
2 fresh hot green chiles (Serrano or Thai) split lengthwise up to stem
15 curry leaves
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup black-eyes peas (cooked)
2 tsp coconut oil

Directions
Put cucumbers and diluted coconut milk with chiles, curry leaves, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over over a medium high heat (so you don't burn coconut milk). Reduce heat and add the black-eyed peas and simmer on medium low until the cucumbers are soft and transluscent (about 5 minutes). Add the coconut oil and salt to taste and serve warm with idli and sambar.
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Drumsticks Indian Style

Ingredients
2 tbsp plain yoghourt
2 vegetable oil
1 tbsp paprika (mainly for colour)
1 tbsp garam masala (ask mom)
1 tsp ground cumin
quarter tsp ground ginger
half tsp salt
4 skinless chicken legs
fresh coriander
lemon or lime (fresh)

Directions
Combine all the ingredients (except for lemon and coriander) in a bowl and the washed chicken. I like to rinse my chicken with a little bit of vinegar and then rinse again with water. Add the cleaned chicken to the yoghourt mixture. Marinate for as long as possible.Ý Generally a day is fine but less time is fine too if you don't have the time.Ý The flavours will be more robust the longer you marinate.

Place chicken on a greased bar-b-que grill over a medium heat. Brush with the remaining yoghourt mixture. Close lid and cook, turn only once. It should take about 25 minutes or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced.Ý The last step is to squeeze lemon or lime and sprinkle with a small amount of chopped coriander (dhania). Enjoy!
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Beef Kabobs

Ingredients
1 tbsp minced gingerroot
1 jalapeno or hot green chili pepper, seeded and minced
juice of a whole lemon
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce 3 tsp sugar
1 tsp mustard
1 lb cubed stewing beef
Garnish with thinly slice onions that have been rinsed with water to take the edge off

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl with the beef. Note: the pepper will add flavour and spice to the dish and if you are a wimp with hot then reduce it as much as possible or just omit it. But try it with a little bit of it if you're brave. It is a must that you marinate this overnight or the flavours will not penetrate the dense meat. Skewer it and grill on a greased surface on a medium heat and slow cook covered. Let it take its time and you can keep adding the marinade to it. I like my beef cooked medium so that the meat is still a little pink inside but that's where individual tastes come into play. Cook it longer or less depending on your preference.
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Kachoomber

This is a great addition to any bar-b-que menu as it accompanies chicken or beef quite well and is like a salsa.

Ingredients
1 large tomato diced
half cup of small diced cucumber
1 tbsp of finely chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp lemon or lime
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh mint

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl. Cover and chillÝ in fridge and take out when ready to serve dinner.
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Potato Raita

Ingredients
• 2 large potatoes boiled and skins off
• 1 cup of yoghourt
• 1 tsp sour cream (optional)
• quarter tsp ground cumin
• black salt or regular salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• paprika for garnish

Directions
Slice the potatoes scalloped style and lay in a small dish. Mix together the yoghourt and sour cream and pour over top. Sprinkle with the cumin, salt, black pepper, and black pepper and paprika.Ý If you like dhania you can chop a small amount up and sprinkle over top.

The only addition that you need is some warm pitas to complete the meal and will compliment the kebobs or the chicken. Now you have a complete Indian Grill ready for entertaining and covering all four food groups.

Hint: I find that if you want a wine with your meal, a Zinfandel or any type of blush wine goes well with this kind of spicy meal. Enjoy your summer outdoors!
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