Seven Major Indian Spices

http://magazine.fourseasons.com/travel-food-style/food-restaurants/gourmet-food-recipes/seven-seasonings-the-key-spices-of-indian-cuisine


One tip.. a splatter screen is a must if you are using mustard seeds regularly!!

Plantains - Tamil Style

South Indian style plantain curry.

Diced, lightly salted, then braised in a pan with roasted mustard and split lentil seeds.

Uses about 2-3 tbsp oil for 2 large plantains. Salt to taste and chili powder to taste.

I add roasted flax seeds to the dish sometimes to give it better texture.


By the way, I added some rock salt to season this. Didn't have the heart to use the biggest crystal featured below though!

This other picture does show most of the salt crystals that were crushed and added to the meal!

Sundal - Chickpea Snack

Sundal is a quick and easy snack that can be made with just a few ingredients where the prime item is cooked garbanzo or chickpea. It can also serve as a nutritious and tasty addition to any salad. 

This is also a traditional dish made as a temple offering in south Indian temples when it is made without onions, garlic etc.

The recipe that we will list here includes onions, which adds a nice "kick" to it.

Ingredients:

1. Garbanzo beans (soaked overnight, boiled and strained) - 2 cups
Easy: Use canned beans!

2. Garam masala OR 
sambar powder OR
turmeric, red pepper flakes, cumin seeds (light crushed in mortar pestle), asafoetida 

3. Onions - 1/2 cup - chopped.

4. Vegetable oil or butter or any standard vegetable oil. - 1 Tbsp.

5. Mustard seeds - black or brown mustard seeds. 1-2 tsp.

Optional items but these make it taste superb!!

4. Green chilis, Cilantro - small amount (2-3 chilis, 5-10 small leaves cilantro) chopped fine.

5. Coconut flakes - unsweetened <<-- do NOT use sweetened flakes, read labels carefully!

6. Flax seeds or flax meal.  1 tbsp

7. Lemon or lime juice/wedge.

Instructions

This is a general procedure with most "curry" recipes.

1. Cook chickpeas or use can. Open the can, use a strainer basket and rinse the chickpeas from the can in at least 1-2 cups cold water. let it drain.

2. Add oil or butter to a dry skillet/wok and heat to medium heat for 2 mins. Add mustard seeds. If you have a mesh splatter screen cover skillet with that as mustard seeds tend to "pop". Once mustard seeds have popped, add flax seeds, let them brown a bit.

You can add asafoetida powder now (or if  using just garam masala or sambar powder then wait)

3. Add onions now, saute for a min or two. 

4. Now add masala powder, salt and turmeric to the onion, mix slightly. 

4b. Add coconut flakes (optional step). Stir it around for a minute. Add green chilis or red pepper if present.

5. Add the chickpeas now, stir around for 2-3 minutes. Switch off heat.

6. Add the chopped cilantro leaves. Mix in.

7. Serve into plates or bowls and provide a lemon wedge or spritz some lime juice directly. OR use as salad topping.