STIR-FRIED SWEET PEPPERS WITH COCONUT AND PEANUTS

Summer comfort food at it's best! I love these stir-fried peppers - or shaak as we call it in Gujarati - with rotli, these gluten-free flatbreads, or rice. It's flavourful, healthy, fresh, and light. Try it!

Adapted from here.

Stir-Fried Sweet Peppers with Coconut and Peanuts

makes: 4 servings

- 1 lb. (~1/2 kg) sweet mini peppers, stemmed, washed and sliced into rounds

- 1/4 cup raw peanuts

- 2 dried whole cayenne chiles

- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

- 2 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. sugar

- 2 tbsp. coconut, safflower, sunflower, or other neutral oil (not olive oil!)

- 1 tsp. cumin seeds

- 1 tbsp. caraway seeds (shah jeeru, or cumin seeds)
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds

- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

- 1/8 cup water

- 2 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Dry roast the peanuts, caraway seeds, and dried chiles on medium-low heat till they are fragrant and the peanuts and chiles are lightly browned in some spots. Turn the heat off and cool. Transfer the roasted peanuts, cumin, and chiles to a blender or spice grinder. Add the coconut, sugar, and salt and grind into a coarse powder.
2. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat and add the cumin and mustard seeds. Once they sizzle and the mustard seeds start to pop, add the turmeric and sliced peppers and mix well. Add the water, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
3. Uncover, add the coarsely powdered spices, and mix well. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes uncovered, stirring once.
4. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice, stir.
5. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with the chopped cilantro. Serve with roti or rice.

NIMONA: GREEN PEAS AND FRESH GARBANZO CURRY

This recipe is adapted from Banaras ka Khana - a wonderful collection of Banarasi recipes. Nimona is common comfort food throughout North India, but it has variations from region to region. This Banarasi nimona sounds plain but the spices combined with the ghee make a complex and fragrant dish with a really incredible lingering - not spicy - flavour of black pepper. And it's full of Spring with the fresh green peas and green garbanzos! It's also simple enough that you don't need spices that aren't readily available in any grocery store. I like to add a sprinkle of lemon juice just before eating to brighten up the flavours even more.

The photos are a bit rubbish but I was in a hurry...

Nimona: Green Peas and Fresh Garbanzo Curry
makes: 3 generous servings

- 1 cup shelled green peas
- 1 cup shelled fresh garbanzo beans
- 1 green chile de arbol or Thai green chile (or chile Serrano - in a real pinch)
- 1 in. piece ginger
- 2 cloves garlic (optional)
- 1 tbsp. ghee (or butter - don't use oil or you'll be making a different dish!)
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- 1 tsp. coriander powder
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 1-1/2 cups water

1. In a food processor, coarsely crush the green peas, garbanzo beans, ginger, chile, and garlic (if using).
2. In a pan, heat the ghee on medium and add the bay leaf and cumin seeds. When the cumin sizzles, add the powdered spices.
3. Add the coarsely crushed vegetables. Stir to combine and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cook till very fragrant, about 3-4 minutes, making sure the vegetables don't stick to the pan.
4. Add water and cook till the peas and garbanzos are fully cooked. Turn off the heat, add the salt and cilantro and stir to combine.
5. Serve hot with rice or roti.

PICKLED FRESH CHICKPEAS AND CARROTS: LEELA CHANA-GAJAR NU ATHAANU

This is a fresh pickled relish flavoured with fresh green garbanzo beans, carrots, and mustard, quite typical to Gujarat - home for me! Although this is Gujarati in flavours, it's neutral enough to be great with Indian food from any region. 

As I've mentioned before, I have a pickle affliction. And while I almost always relegate dried garbanzo beans to hummus, I simply love fresh garbanzos. They're a bit of work because of the shelling they require but they're totally worth it. I've never made Indian pickles before because I assumed they need things I can't be bothered to go find. But this recipe couldn't be simpler! If fresh garbanzos are out of season, make it with carrots alone.

I find dried garbanzos to be quite heavy so I seldom have them whole, but these fresh ones are mild, light, and easy to eat even raw with a bit of lemon, salt, and cilantro.

Adapted from Gujarati Chatko.

Leela Chana-Gajar nu Athaanu
Makes: 1 - 2 cups

- 1 cup fresh chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 4 small carrots, cut into 1 in. pieces
- 1/4 cup black mustard seeds, coarsely powdered in a blender (not in a food processor)
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. chile powder
- 1/2 cup safflower or other neutral oil
- 1 lemon, juiced

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the carrots and boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and remove the carrots from the water with a slotted spoon. Spread out the carrots on a dry kitchen towel to dry completely.
2. Bring the water to a boil again and add the chickpeas. Boil for 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat, and strain the chickpeas.
3. Spread out the chickpeas on another dry kitchen towel to dry completely.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, powdered mustard, salt, chile powder, lemon juice, and stir to combine. Add the carrots and chickpeas and mix everything well. Taste and adjust the salt and add more chile powder if you want more heat. Keep in mind that the vegetables will reduce in volume a bit as they pickle so it's best not to overdo the salt and chile.
5. Transfer to a clean, dry glass jar and close the lid. Leave the jar in a very sunny spot for 3 - 5 days.
6. Refrigerate and enjoy with any kind of Indian food!

EGG ROLLS: KOLKATA STREET-FOOD CLASSIC

Way back when, in small Southern towns out in nowhere, the one petrol station in the area was also a grocery store, general store, pharmacy, restaurant, fishing store, and gossip club. And we should all be glad that in the South, tradition prevails even if the venue gets a facelift. Like the Chevron on the way out of Nachitoches, LA that has some of the best fried chicken, shrimp, crawfish, boudin balls, and a lot more. In fact, stop at a petrol station in any small town around the South and you can have some of the best BBQ, biscuits, meat pies, fried chicken, a slew of meat jerky, fudge, banana pudding, pies, cakes, and even full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Regional food that comes as close as possible to street-food here in the US.

Meanwhile in countries like India and other parts of Asia, you can do an entire culinary pilgrimage of street-food. So many variations, creations, seasonal foods, and timeless classics that belong on the streets, not in a home kitchen.

Egg rolls are one such Kolkata street-food classic about which all my friends from Kolkata - Bengali or not - have unfailingly *raved*. I cannot stand Chinese food, even less so Indian-style Chinese food, so I'd stop listening at egg ro...

Until I had these and discovered they're nothing like the Chinese egg rolls... and then I was converted. When you're a continent away from Kolkata streets, these do the job quite well, are a snap to make at home, and especially delicious with beer! You can make a meal of one by filling it with seasoned shredded carrots or other raw vegetables. I made these from scratch but you can certainly use ready-made paranthas, or make extra and freeze for later.

Kolkata-style Egg Rolls

Makes: 6 rolls

Paranthas (flatbread):

- 1-1/4 cup white wheat or unbleached all-purpose flour (or your favourite gluten-free all-purpose flour mix)

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. olive oil (or any neutral oil)

- 1 cup warm water

Egg filling:

- 6 eggs

- 1/2 onion, sliced thinly

- 1 serrano pepper, sliced thinly

- 6 tbsp. ketchup, or more to taste

- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon, quartered

- 3 tbsp. chile sauce (optional)

1. Make 6 paranthas (flatbread):
1. Put the flour, salt, and oil in a large bowl. 
2. Add water 1/4 cup at a time to make a semi-firm dough.
3. Knead for 5 minutes till the dough is supple.
4. Let it sit for at least 10-15 min.
5. Heat a skillet (or flat griddle) at medium heat.
6. Divide the dough into 6 parts, roll between your palms into a round ball.
7. Roll each ball of dough into a circle, 6-7 in. each.
8. Put on the heated skillet and flip when the dough looks opaque, after about 1 minute.
9. Drizzle a tsp. of oil around the edges of the flatbread, cook for a minute or so .
10. Flip and cook for another minute or until you see brown spots on the flatbread (see the photo above).
11. Repeat for the remaining dough and set the paranthas aside for the egg rolls.
2. Make the egg rolls, 1 at a time:
1. Heat an omelette pan or skillet to medium-low heat.
2. In a bowl, beat one egg at a time.
3. Put a tsp. of oil into the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or brush to make sure the egg won't stick.
4. Pour the beaten egg into the pan. Immediately put a parantha onto the egg and gently press down.
5. Let everything cook for a minute or so. Flip so the parantha is on the pan and and cook for another minute.
6. Transfer to a plate with the egg facing up, and arrange some of the sliced onion and other garnishes on the egg, off-center (see the photo above). Add a light sprinkle of lemon juice.
7. Roll up and serve!

GUJARATI AT HEART: MUNG BEAN AND PEANUT SPROUTS

In Gujarati cuisine, there are so many ways to eat fangavela (sprouted) mag (mung beans): stir fried, cooked in a sweet and sour sauce, raw in salads, as a filling in various snacks, lightly steamed and mixed with other things including yogurt, the variations are endless.

I grow sprouts very often because I love them and it's so easy. And this is a pretty standard Gujarati way of making mung bean sprouts. I added sprouted peanuts just because I saw raw peanuts in the cupboard and thought, "Why not?!"

I usually make this without the onions, garlic, and ginger, which is the Jain way.

Asafoetida is a gum from a tree, and is used for it's digestive properties. It's also a flavour enhancer, especially in Gujarati cuisine where the use of onions and garlic is sparse at best. Asafoetida is quite de rigeur in Gujarati cooking but you can skip it if you don't have it. 

Jaggery is another very ubiquitous ingredient, a concentrate of cane juice, coconut palm sap, or date palm sap (also known as palm sugar, and a common ingredient in Thai cooking) among others. Jaggery has a softer, rounder sweetness than sugar and it's what we typically use but it's not indispensible so use sugar if that's what you've got at hand.

Serve this dish with rice and ghee - or rotlis (Gujarati version of roti) and ghee like I did - but please, no tortillas, naan, leavened bread, pita, quinoa, barley, brown rice, etc. Save those for something else.

Mung Bean and Peanut Sprouts
Makes: 4 - 5 cups

- 4 cups home-grown mung bean sprouts
- 1 cup peanut sprouts
- 1 medium white onion, chopped into a fine dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. minced ginger (~ a 1 in. piece)
- 1 chile de arbol, serrano, or jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp. powdered asafoetida
- 1 tsp. each powdered: turmeric, cumin, coriander
- 1 - 2 tsp. powdered red pepper
- 2 tbsp. jaggery
- 2 tsp. salt, or to taste
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro, to garnish (optional)

1. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pan (use a pan that has a lid), and add asafoetida. Let it sizzle for a few seconds, then add cumin and mustard seeds.
2. When the mustard seeds pop, add the chopped onion and green chile, minced garlic and ginger. Saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Add the powdered spices: turmeric, cumin, coriander, red pepper. Give everything a quick stir to mix and add a 1/4 cup of water.
4. Add the bean and peanut sprouts, and stir everything to mix well. Turn the heat to low if things are sticking to the pan.
5. Add enough water to fully cover the sprouts. Add jaggery (or sugar), give everything a quick stir.
6. Turn the heat to high until the water starts boiling, then turn it down to medium-low and cover the pan.
7. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes, then check the bean sprouts. They should be soft and cooked - if not, cover the pan and cook for 7 - 10 minutes longer. The peanut sprouts will be a bit crunchy.
8. Add salt and adjust sweetness to taste. Add the lemon juice.
9. Stir well and garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges for those who like it a bit more tangy.