Starchy Vegetables - Crispy Indian Style

SOUTH INDIAN LOW SPICE CURRY

General method for a south indian styled curry, especially when working with starchy vegetables like potato, plantain (green unripe banana, yams, beet root, sweet potato etc:

Safety: Use a splatter screen or a partially closed lid for preventing mustard from jumping out. Keep all things dry of water, hot oil and water drops do NOT mix.

Sweet potato curry

- (Add to hot oil at medium/high heat in this order left to right) --> Mustard seeds (let it sputter for 1-2 mins), coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chopped cashews (can substitute with peanuts or yellow split peas - mainly for texture).. All of these sputter and splatter, so a half closed lid or splatter screen is useful at this stage.

Reduce the heat a little then..

If I have curry leaves and hing (a pungent edible resin) I add them at this stage...once these were browned, I added chopped onions, let it brown or caramelize depending on taste preference. and after this..

 I add chopped ginger..(and garlic sometimes).. after couple minutes I add the sweet potatoes (or any other vegetable).. after this I sprinkle salt, turmeric and also a little bit of black pepper. Turmeric's bio-activity is best when consumed with some pepper/chili powder etc.

if you do not want it spicy SKIP the red chili powder but do use some black pepper.

if you want it spicy, add red chili powder after you add turmeric. You can also supplement with chopped green chili peppers (

Cook to tenderness and it's ready to eat!

Similar method can be applied to most root/tube or starchy vegetables like carrot, jicama, beets, potatoes, green plantains etc.  This method it can also be used with turnip roots but cook it for lesser duration

Fresh curry leaves will be there at many Indian grocery stores. Their aroma is amazing when added to hot oil.

if you like crisp green plantain curry specifically.. check out this recipe that I posted on my blog a while ago..

 http://spicetruck.blogspot.com/2015/10/plantains-tamil-style.html

This is a recipe adapted from a live demo I conducted for my friends at New River Gorge when I had participated in a plein air painting workshop. I apologize for any errors in the language. Please let me know in comments or on my facebook page, and I will strive to fix it soon!

Thank you for your thyme :) ! 

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.

Indian Cuisine Map - Working Edition

This is a simple map that I am making in Google maps to record some of the places that have influenced my cooking style as well as places with amazing food that I still cannot make in my kitchen.

If you want to know more about India and the rich food that changes a lot over the whole subcontinent, do explore further!