Green Beans & Coconut Curry

2 pounds fresh green beans (washed, stems removed and cut in to ¼ inch pieces)
1 cup frozen shelled soya beans (edamame) optional
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
¼ teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
2 cups water

Tadka

1 ½ tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon red mustard seeds
1 tablespoon chana dal
1 tablespoon urad dal
2 dried red chilies (each broken in to three pieces)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1/8 teaspoon hing (optional)
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2 green chilies (each cut in to four pieces lengthwise 
2 stems curry leaves (remove leaves from the stems)
½ cup shredded fresh or frozen unsweetened coconut
¼ teaspoon home made ghee (optional)

Boil the water in a three-quart saucepan. Add beans, Soya beans (if using), salt, and turmeric. Cook for three minutes. Drain and wash the beans with cold water to stop from cooking further. 

In the same pan, heat oil in medium heat. Add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal and red chilies. Fry until mustard seeds start to pop and dals become light brown. Add cumin seeds, turmeric, hing, green chilies, curry leaves, and coconut. Fry for a minute and mix beans and ghee (if using) with popu. Cook for three minutes in low heat mixing often and transfer the curry in to serving dish. You can eat with rice, chapatties or plain. Makes four to six servings.

Variations: You can make this curry with cabbage; cabbage and carrot mixed same way except do not boil the vegetables for too long. 

NOTE: If frozen cut beans are used, avoid the boiling process and add them to the tadka. 

Toor dal Soup 

½ cup toor dal
3 cups water
Lime size tamarind (wash the tamarind and microwave with one cup of water in a microwavable dish)
1 large tomato cut in to ½ inch cubes
1 long green chili cut in to four pieces lengthwise
1teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
1 teaspoon brown sugar or jaggery to taste
1 stem curry leaves

Seasoning
½ teaspoon whole black pepper
1 teaspoon coriander seeds (dhania)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
Crush black pepper, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds in a mortar or coarse grind in a spice grinder. 

Tadka

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 methi seeds (Fenugreek seeds)
½ teaspoon red mustard seeds
1 dried red chili broken in to three pieces
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
10 peeled garlic cloves

2 teaspoons rice flour 
1/2 cup water

In a 3 quart-sauce pan dry roast toor dal in medium low heat until light brown. Cook dal with 2 cups water for 8 to 10 minutes. Dal should not be too soft. Squeeze the juice out of tamarind and add it to dal along with tomato pieces, green chilies, salt, turmeric, brown sugar, and curry leaves. Cook for 5 minutes. Add seasoning and mix.

In a small pan heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add methi seeds, mustard seeds, chilies, and fry until mustard seeds start to splatter. Add cumin seeds and garlic and fry for a minute to see some blisters on garlic. Mix this tadka in to the soup.

Mix rice flour and ½ cup water and pour in to the soup to give little thickness to the soup. Cook in medium heat for 2 minutes. You can add more water if the soup is too thick. 

NOTE: This soup tastes fantastic with rice or chapattis. 

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