Cucumber yogurt Salad

This is an Indian style salad, which is very pleasing to the toungue with a touch of crunchy tempering.

Ingredients:

Cucumbers - 2

Carrot - 1 long

Chick peas - 1 15 oz can (425 gms)

Yogurt - 1 cup

Tempering:

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Cumin - 1/2 tsp

Chana dal - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 2 long

Green chillies - 2-3 chopped finely

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Spring onions/onions - a hand full chopped

Oil - 1 tbsp

salt to taste

Method:

• Chop cucumbers and carrots into thin slices and save them in an easy to mix big bowl.
• In a tempering pan heat the oil, add mustard and let them crackle, then add cumin, half split red chillies and chana dal, let them fry in low flame. Now add the chopped scallions, green chillies and curry leaves, fry for 5 mins until they wilt/cook.
• Let the tempering cool and add it to the big bowl of vegetables, salt them and mix thoroughly. At this stage its kind of ready to eat.
• Add the chick peas and yogurt for an extra creamy taste.

Stuffed Chilli peppers

This is one of my own creations. I always get this long n thick chilli peppers during my vegs shopping, because of my craving for that nostalgic street food in India called "Mirchi bajji". This dish kind of replicates taste of the sour chillies inside the bhajjis. Here is what all u need to do..

Ingredients:
Long n thick chilli peppers - 6/7
Sesame seeds - 2 Tbsps
Peanuts - 2 Tbsps
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - a fist full
Onion pieces - hand full
salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp

Method

• Toast peanuts, sesame seeds and cumin and grind to a chunky mix. Then add the tamarind and salt to make a thick paste.
• Cut the chillies into 2 inch pieces and make slit lenth wise to stuff. With a sharp spoon or knife try to remove the seeds and extra flesh that might be very spicy to eat.
• Stuff the peppers and drop them into an oiled flat pan that can accomadate all the chillies.
• Let them fry in medium to simmer flame...turn the chillies to other side after they are done one side. Now sprinkle onion pieces all over the pan and close the lid, let the onions too wilt/fry.
• Now the dish smells like the street bajjis pack you open.
• Can eat this as a side dish for chapathis or rice with rasam/sambar/dal.