Pan Indian cooking:

The story of our inheritance of food and cuisine goes back a long way indeed – even 500,000 years ago. Closer to when we live now, some of our food goes back over 5000 years ago – the recipes have come down to us un-tampered by time. Many of the vegetables, fruits, oil seeds, cereals, lentils, beverages and meats we eat/drink have either been with us since time immemorial, or have been recent entrants into our society, kitchens and stomachs.
Starting with humans who lived in the Paleolithic times, to the Indus valley civilization more than 5000 years ago, to the Aryans who came from Central and West Asia and settled in the Indian sub-continent, to the Mughals who brought a strong Islamic influence to the cuisine, and then of course the Europeans who came about 300 years ago, India has been a melting pot of influences, and the old has mingled with the new, churning up some really fantastic fare. Regional cuisines developed along the way with distinct flavors and key species or ingredients from the North, West, East and South of India. The range is from simple, easy to make fare, fairly complicated dishes needing time and advance planning, and of course the imperial and royal food that are still cooked in many places.
Today, the old world styles of cooking and traditional diets are giving way to processed and fast food. Here are a few recipes I hope will help you in your interest in wholesome Indian cooking. The ones I have picked can be very easily made with fresh and dried ingredients you get in Santa Cruz, or at the most a trip to the Indian Store in Sunnyvale/San Jose. You can also use the base recipes to innovate your own. The recipes are pan Indian in nature, though I myself am from South India.

HAPPY COOKING AND EATING!

Salad (Kosumbri)

Fresh grated vegetables with coconut shavings and soaked mung split beans

Ingredients:
- Carrots
- Coconut shavings
- Mung Beans
- Cilantro/mint/other greens
- Onion or Capsicum
- Chilies
- Salt
- Lemon
- Garlic (optional)
Supplies:
- Grater
- Bowls
- Knives
- Cutting boards
Recipe:
- Soak Mung beans for 20 minutes
- Grate carrots
- Add coconut shavings, and soaked mung beans.
- Add chopped cilantro/mint/other greens of your choice, along with chopped onion or capsicum with chilies for a zing.
- Add salt to taste, and a dash of lemon.
- You could use pepper instead of chilies.
- Some folks add roasted garlic to this to give an extra flavor.
- Rich in protein and Vitamin A and tasty too!

Salad (Raitha):

Freshly cut vegetables and greens in yoghurt with seasoning

Ingredients:
- Cucumbers
- Spinach
- Yoghurt
- Salt
- Red chilly powder
- Cumin
- Optional: pineapple, mango, banana and other fruit
Supplies:
- Knives
- Cutting boards
- Bowls
Recipe:
- Chop cucumber and spinach very fine.
- Add to yoghurt.
- Sprinkle salt, red chilly powder, and cumin to taste.
- You can also use chopped pineapple, mango, banana and other fruits to make a raitha.
- A meal in itself.

Rice Pulav

Ingredients:
- Onions
- Ghee (clarified butter) or sesame/other vegetable oil
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Bay leaves
- Crushed pepper/chopped chilies
- Ginger or garlic paste
- Turmeric
- Cumin
- Basmati rice
- Saffron
- Crushed cardamom
Supplies:
- Frying Pan
- Spatula
- Pot
- Knives
- Cutting board
Recipe:
- Soak Rice
- Fry a few onions in ghee (clarified butter) or sesame/other vegetable oil.
- Add some cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, crushed pepper/chopped chilies, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and cumin.
- When you get a nice roasted smell of onions browning, add soaked Basmati rice.
- Add double the quantity of water by volume to the rice and cook till done.
- Add a few strands of saffron on the top at the end and some crushed cardamom if you wish.


Wheat Rotis (row-tees)

Ingredients:
- Whole wheat flour
- Hot water
- Sea Salt
Supplies:
- Pots
- Bowls
- Moist Cloth
- Cutting board
- Rolling Pins
- Pan
Recipe:
- Mix whole-wheat flour with hot water and some sea salt.
- Knead well and set aside covering with a moist cloth.
- Take lemon sized balls and roll them into tortilla-sized circles.
- Heat up a pan and cook the rotis till done (when you see how its done, you will know – its hard to describe!)

Lentil (Dal)

Ingredients:
- Mung Beans
- Split Pigeon pea
- Turmeric
- Oil
- Mustard Seeds
- Curry Leaves (optional),
- Ginger
- Green Chilies
- Asafetida (optional).
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Tomatoes (optional).
Supplies:
- Pots
- Spoons
- Knives
- Cutting Boards
-
Recipe:
- Cook split mung bean or split pigeon pea in a cooker with a little turmeric.
- Prepare a garnish with a little oil into which you add some mustard seed, curry leaves (optional), ginger, chopped green chilly and asafetida (optional). Add this to the lentil and cook till done.
- Add chopped cilantro (optional) and top it off with a dash of lime.
- You can also add tomato to the lentil while cooking it (optional).
- Protein rich and easy to digest.

Eggplant roast (Bhartha)

Ingredients:
- Egg Plants
- Tomatoes
- Onions/spring onions
- Crushed garlic
- Ginger
- Chopped green chilies
- Salt
- Coconut shavings
Supplies:
- Tongs
- Bowls
- Knives
- Cutting Boards
Recipe:
- Roast the eggplant over a flame turning it over and over till the outside is black and the inside is cooked.
- Remove the charred skin and put the pulp into a bowl.
- Add chopped tomatoes, onions/spring onions, crushed garlic, ginger, chopped green chilly, salt and some coconut shavings (South Indian touch!).
- Eat with rotis or other breads.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:
- Coconut Shavings
- Chopped onion
- Green chilies
- Cilantro
- Mint
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Warm water
- Salt
- Lemon Juice
Supplies:
- Blender
- Bowls
- Spoon
- Knives
- Cutting Boards
Recipe:
- Put coconut shavings, chopped onion, green chilies, cilantro, mint, garlic, and ginger into a blender.
- Add a little warm or hot water and grind to a chutney like consistency.
- Add salt to taste and some lemon juice (if you can get hold of tamarind or Tamcon, then you could use that as a souring agent – else just use lemon juice).
- Great with rice, rotis, or South Indian pancakes (dosa), and steamed idly (rice dumplings) made with fermented batter of rice and black gram.

Coconut milk pudding

Ingredients
- Rice
- Coconut milk
- Molasses or unrefined sugar
- Nuts like almonds or cashew
- Raisins
- Crushed cardamom
Supplies:
- Pots
- Knives
- Spoons
Recipe:
- Cook rice, add coconut milk and boil well.
- Add molasses or unrefined sugar to taste.
- Cook till thick and add nuts like almonds or cashew, raisins, and some crushed cardamom.
- You can also use vermicelli instead of rice, but you will have to roast it in a little ghee/butter first.
- If you are not a vegan, you could also add milk to the mix while boiling.