THAI RAW PAPAYA SALAD

An awesome tangy sweet and sour healthy salad.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups julienned ( like matchsticks) raw papaya

1cup diagonally thinly sliced French beans

1tsp sugar

1 medium sized tomato.

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2 tsp light soya sauce

3 dry red chillies( Can use fresh red/ green too)-If using dry, soak in hot water for 5 minutes to soften it

4 to 5 fat garlic cloves

Juice of 3 lemons

Salt-To taste

1/2 cup -Roasted coarsely crushed peanuts

METHOD:

Julienne the raw papaya.

Boil the sliced beans in water just enough to cover it.Add 1 tsp sugar to it, coz sugar helps to retain the green colour.Take it off from the fire , immediately after the first boil.Let it remain in the pan for 5minutes.Then drain the water and add ice cold water.The beans must be crunchy and green.Mix it with papaya.

Dice the tomatoes, discarding the seeds.Add this to the papaya , beans mix.

Make a paste of dry red chillies and garlic in a pestle and mortar.( Tastes better than the one made in a mixie)

Boil sugar and water till sugar dissloves.Add this to the chilli garlic paste.

Add the sugar chilli garlic mix to the vegetable mix.Add salt and lemon juice. Mix well.

Sprinkle groundnuts just at the time of serving, otherwise they will cease to remain crunchy.

VARIATION: 1 cup of diced cucumbers (after discarding the seeds) and ½ cup of fresh pomegranate seeds (Fresh anar ) added to the above mix tastes very nice too. Accordingly, increase the amount of red chillies, garlic and lemon juice.

SUNDAL( South Indian chick pea salad)

SUNDAL (South Indian chick peas salad)

Sundal is a traditional salad and snack.Its easy to prepare healthy, filling, spicy, tasty and tangy.It is served as a Prasad ,very often during the 10 day festival of Dussehra/Navratri, called " Golu"in Tamil Nadu .( which is where I hail from) This is the time when one goes to the homes of friends and invites them to come and witness the display of “ Golu Bommais”, at one’s home.Golu is a display of dolls & figurines, decorated in 5/7/9 /11 (i.e odd numbers) step like tiers, so as to have optimum visibility of all the figurines. Beautiful kolam or rangoli is made. When visitors come, the women (only married and unmarried but not widows-!!horrible practice ) are offered kumkum (Vermillion), haldi , chandan ( sandal paste) , betel leaves ( Paan) with betel nut (supari), Prasad and a gift – usually a blouse piece.The Prasad is very often “ SUNDAL”, made with white chick peas, black chick peas, white or red lobhia or black eyed beans, Bengal gram dal( chana dal) etc.Occassionally sweets are given as prasad after offering it to the Gods , following the puja.As kids , me and my siblings would love to go to various homes , sampling an array of the prasad.It was so much of pure and simple fun.

INGREDIENTS:

Chick peas (motay safed chole)- 2 cups

Turmeric powder( Haldi)-1/2 tsp

Refined Oil-1 tbsp

Asafoetida( Hing)-1/2 tsp

Dry red chillies-2

Cummin( Jeera) seeds- 1tsp

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Bengal gram( Chana Dal)- 1tsp

Black Gram ( white in colour) i.e Dhuli urad Dal- 1tsp

Curry leaves-10

Salt –To taste

Red chilli powder -1/2 to 3/4^th tsp ( Depending on how spicy one likes)

Raw mangoes peeled and chopped into tiny pieces-2 tbsp

METHOD

Soak peas overnight.Pressure cook with turmeric ,salt and just enough water to cook till done. In case you have forgotten to soak or decide to make it without advanced planning, pressure cook unsoaked chick peas.Simmer for 10 minutes after the 1^st whistle.Let it soak in the cooker for an hour and a half. Then add turmeric & salt and pressure cook again for one whistle and simmer for ten minutes.Let the pressure drop spontaneously.

Now take a pan , add oil, heat it up.Add asafoetida, broken dry red chillies, cumin and mustard seeds till the seeds splutter.Now add the two dals-bengal gram and black gram, cook on slow fire till they are slightly brown in colour.Now add the curry leaves. Add the boiled & drained chick peas, salt and red chilli powder.Mix well.Turn off the heat.Garnish with chopped raw mangoes and have it hot.It tastes very nice even at room temperature.
Optional garnishing-grated fresh coconut and lemon juice.

You can substitute chick peas with green peas, peanuts, other beans and all the other alternatives mentioned in the introduction.The same recipe can be used to cook various vegetables like fresh green beans, finely chopped potatoes, green or purple cabbage, small boneless fish pieces, boiled mutton & chicken cubes etc.Make sure the veggies remain crunchy and not overcooked.Let your imagination run wild and try the recipe with other alternatives of your choice.