Coconut vegetable soup

Ingredients:
6 sliced Button or Straw Mushrooms
1 sliced Carrot
1 cup of Snow peas (frozen or fresh)
4 oz of Water chestnuts (canned, sliced)
1 cup of Bean sprouts (fresh)
2 stalks of Scallions (fresh, chopped)
1 tbsp of Ginger (fresh, chopped)
1 tbsp of Lemongrass (sliced)
Few stalks of cilantro/coriander (fresh, chopped)
400 ml of coconut milk
400 ml of water
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Red chilli flakes
1 cup of lime juice

Preparation:
1. Heat wok and add 1 tbsp of soyabean oil on medium heat.
2. Saute ginger, scallions. Then add mushrooms, water chestnuts and bean sprouts and saute.
3. Add salt, sugar, red chilli flakes and mix with vegetables.
4. Add coconut milk, stir and let it simmer. Add water.
5. Add carrots, snow peas, lemongrass bits.
6. Let the soup cook for 7-10 minutes on low heat. Keep stirring.
7. Add lime juice and stir.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

Green Bean Poriyal

Ingredients:
3 cups of Green Beans (French Cut)
5 tbsp of grated dried Coconut
1 tbsp of coriander seeds or powder
1 tbsp of dried red chilli flakes
1 tbsp of mustard seeds
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Steam the french cut green beans before preparation.
2. Mix the grated coconut, coriander seeds/powder, dried red chilli flakes in a bowl.
3. Heat a non-stick pan on low heat.
4. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and let it heat until mustard seeds can be added.
5. Saute mustard seeds until they start popping. Then add the mixture from step 2 to the pan.
6. Saute mixture for 2 minutes before adding the steamed french cut beans.
7. Add salt to taste. And continue cooking for 5-7 minutes until the spices blend in with the beans.
8. Serve hot. Best served with plain rice or rotis.

Ras-e-daar Zucchini

Ingredients:
4 Green Zucchinis (peeled and chunked)
2 sliced medium-sized tomatoes (chunked)
1/2 red onion (chunked)
2 slices of fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp of coriander powder
1 tbsp of cumin powder
1/2 tbsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp of chilli powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 cups of water

Preparation:
1. Blend fresh ginger, garlic cloves and jalapeno pepper to form a paste.
2. Heat a non-stick wok on low heat. Add vegetable oil to pan. Add red onion chunks and saute. Add zucchini and saute. Add tomatoes.
3. Add paste from step 1 to the pan and mix in with vegetables.
4. Add spices to the pan - coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and chilli powder and blend in with vegetables.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Once the vegetables are reasonably sauted, add water and let the curry simmer.
7. Cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
8. Once curry is ready, serve hot with rice.

Coconut Naadu

Ingredients:
2 cups of freshly grated Coconut (Nariyal)
2 cups of Jaggery (Gud)
1/4 cup of water
1 tbsp of freshly ground Cardamom (Elaichi)

Preparation:
1. On low heat, melt jaggery with water. Stir occasionally.
2. Add ground cardamom powder and stir into mixture.
3. After 5 minutes of stirring, add grated coconut into mix.
4. Continue to let the mixture simmer. Stir until the mixture starts to thicken.
5. Once the mixture has thickened sufficiently, turn off the heat.
6. Let the mixture cool down.
7. Make balls of this coconut mixture.
8. The naadus are ready to eat. Enjoy!

Boondi Raita

Ingredients:
2 cups of Plain Yogurt (Dahi)
100 ml of Milk
1 cup Boondi
1 cup Water
4-5 sprigs of Fresh Coriander leaves (Dhania patta) (finely chopped)
1/2 tbsp Freshly roasted Cumin powder (Jeera)
1/2 tbsp Red Chilli powder (Mirchi)
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Soak boondi in a cup of water for 3-4 minutes.
2. Mix yogurt and milk in a bowl and stir till creamy.
3. Add in cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt to the creamy yogurt and stir.
4. Drain water from soaked boondi.
5. Add boondi to raita.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves before serving.
7. Serve chilled.

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice
200 grams Green Peas
200 grams Green Beans (cut)
1 carrot (chopped)
1 medium sized Beet (chunks)
1/2 medium sized Red Onion (finely chopped)
1 slice of fresh Ginger (finely chopped)
4-5 sprigs of Coriander leaves (Dhania patta) (chopped)
1/2 tbsp of Black Mustard seeds (Sarso)
1/2 tbsp of Garam Masala
1/2 tbsp of Red Chilli powder (Mirchi)
1/4 tbsp of Turmeric (Haldi)
1 tbsp of Vegetable Oil

Preparation:
1. Rinse and soak 1 cup of basmati rice for 20 minutes.
2. In a deep sauce pan, saute mustard seeds and ginger in vegetable oil for a couple of minutes on medium heat.
3. Add chopped red onions and saute for another minute.
4. Add garam masala, haldi, mirch powder, salt and stir.
5. Add carrots, beans, beets, and peas and saute.
6. Drain water from soaked basmati rice.
7. Add basmati rice to pan, 2 cups of water and stir.
8. On low heat, let rice cook for 25 minutes.
9. Cover pan and stir as needed until rice is cooked.
10. Serve hot with chopped coriander leaves as garnish.

Sarso Baingan

Ingredients:
1 medium sized eggplant (baingan)
1 fresh Green Chilli (finely chopped)
1 tbsp of Vegetable Oil
1/2 tbsp of ground Mustard seeds paste (Sarso)
1/2 tbsp of Kala Jeera
1/4 tbsp of Turmeric (Haldi)
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Slice eggplant and steam for 15 minutes or until soft in microwave.
2. In a pan, saute kala jeera in vegetable oil for a minute.
3. Add eggplant, turmeric and salt.
4. Add sarso paste and stir.
5. Cook for 18-20 minutes.
6. Garnish with green chilli.
7. Serve hot.

Tamatar Urad Dal

Ingredients:
1 cup of Whole Urad Dal (Black Gram Dal)
1 medium sized Tomato (chunks)
1 slice of fresh Ginger (finely chopped)
1 tbsp of Ghee
Pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
1/2 tbsp of Cumin powder (Jeera)
1-2 dried whole Red Chillies (Lal Mirch)
4-5 sprigs of Coriander leaves (Dhania patta) (chopped)
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Rinse and pre-soak whole Urad dal for 4 hours.
2. Take soaked urad dal, drain water, rinse again.
3. Cook dal in microwave for 30 minutes or until soft.
4. Once dal is cooked, saute red chillies and ginger in ghee for a minute separately.
5. Add cumin, salt and a pinch of hing along with chopped tomatoes.
6. Add this tadka to the cooked dal.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves before serving.
8. Serve hot.