Black Bean Rice

1 cup cooked basmati rice( white or brown)

1/2 cup cooked black beans

1/2 cup red onion diced

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced orange bell pepper

1 medium avocado chopped into medium size chunks

1/2 cup cilantro leaves finely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin powder.

1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Salt to taste.

Toss all the ingredients, except cilantro together. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve. Serve along with chips and salsa for lunch.

Green Moong Sprouts

This is a fairly simple and easy way to make sprouts from green moong.

Soak 1 cup green moong in water. The water does not need to be warmed or heated. Add enough water to cover the moong, so that the water level is at least an inch above the moong in the container. After eight hours hours, drain all but 1/4 cup of water. It is important to leave some water in the bowl to help the moong sprout. Cover and keep aside. Check back after 8 hours, you should begin to see small sprouts emerge. They are ready to eat. If you prefer longer sprouts, let the moong sit in the bowl for another 6-8 hours. Enjoy !

I soak the moong in the morning, drain all but 1/4 cup of water in the night. Let it sit overnight and the sprouts are ready in the morning. If you prefer longer sprouts, they should be ready by evening.

Green Moong Sprouts Salad

1 cup Green moong sprouts
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
A few sprigs of cilantro to garnish
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss all the ingredients together and allow the salad to marinate for half and hour. Serve with a slice of toast for breakfast or as a salad to go with the main meal.

This dish is versatile and substitutions can be easily made with tomatoes, avocados, mint and walnuts for garnish.

See this post on how to make green moong sprouts.

Gajar, Gobhi, Shalgam ka Achar (Carrot, Cauliflower, Turnip Pickle)

A winter treat!

400 gm carrots, peeled and chopped into sticks
400 gm cauliflower florets
200 gm turnips, peeled and chopped into disks, 1/4 inch thick
250 gm mustard oil
50 gm finely chopped ginger
100 gm finely chopped onion
25 gm tamarind (dry), soaked in 1/2 C water, and sieved
5 Tbsp mustard seeds, roughly ground
2 Tbsp ground red chili powder
2 1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp garam masala
4 Tbsp salt
1 C vinegar
50 gm gud, powdered.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the carrots, cauliflower, and turnip, and boil for at the most 5 minutes.  Drain, spread in large trays, and dry.  Putting the trays under the fan for a couple of hours should do the trick.

Meanwhile, cook the ginger and onion in the mustard oil, on medium heat, for 15 to 20 minutes.  Now add the ingredients 7 through 13 (not the gud), and mix thoroughly.  Add in the gud last.  When the vegetables are dry, add into the spice mixture, and mix thoroughly.  Put in an airtight glass jar, and let it stand in the bright sun for 3-4 days.  Enjoy!

Mint and Cilantro Chutney

2 bunches cilantro, plucked and washed (about 4 C)
1 bunch mint, plucked and washed (about 1/2 C)
1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida)
1 raw mango, chopped into large pieces
2 green chiles (serrano)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black salt
1/8 C water

Add the water to the blender first, followed by the mango, green chile, hing, and salt.  Grind well.  Now add in the cilantro and mint, and grind.  The raw mango provides the tang to the chutney, but if it is not tangy enough, you may add some juice of lemon.  All of the salt, chiles and raw mango are to taste.

Samosa

Dough
2 C unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 C oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C - 1 Tbsp water

Stir together the flour and salt.  Add the oil, and mix it in thoroughly.  The flour will have a cornmeal like texture when you are done.  Now add in the water.  Since there is little water, it will take some time for the dough to come together.  Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Filling
5 medium sized potatoes, boiled and cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp oil
1/8 tsp hing (asafoetida)
2 heaped tsp dried coriander powder
1 tsp red chili (or to taste)
2 heaped tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)
2 tsp salt

Heat the pan, and then add the oil.  Once the oil is warm, add in the hing, followed by all the spices (ingredients 4 through 7).  Mix the spices well, and then add the potatoes.  Roast on high heat until the potatoes and spices are well mixed, and the mixture starts to brown.  Take it off the heat.

Paste
2 Tbsp flour mixed with a small amount of water to make a thick paste.

Assembly
Break up the dough into about 17 small balls.  For each ball, proceed as follows:
Roll out the ball into a circle about 4 inches in diameter.  cut the circle into half.
Take one semicircle, and apply paste to the side to make it a cone.  Stick well.
Fill the cone with the potato filling (not too much, about 1 Tbsp).  Now apply the
paste to the rim of the cone, and seal the top.  This makes a triangular pastry.
Do this for all the dough and filling.


Frying
Heat oil in a frying pan.  When the oil is medium hot (break off a teeny piece of dough, and add to the oil.  It should float up immediately, and not be dark brown), add in the samosas three or four at a time, and heat on medium/low heat.  Note that the crispness of the crust is dependent upon frying them slowly.
Enjoy with some green chutney!