Kadai Bhindhi

Ingredients:

3 tbspns sunflower oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 medium green pepper, seeds removed and sliced

300g okra, washed well-dried, tops removed and cut in half length ways

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

salt

1 tbspn lemon juice

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a kadai or heavy saucepan and fry the onion until soft.

Add the green pepper and continue to fry for a couple of minutes, then tip in the okra and stir well. Add the tomatoes, spice powders, salt and lemon juice and mix well.

Allow to cook on low heat, stirring frequently to keep the mixture from sticking, until the okra is tender. It will change from being slimy to quite firm.

Serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped coriander leaves.

Tip of the day:  Add some boiled rice while grinding for Dosa, this will give soft Dosas!

Hash Browns

Ingredients:

500g waxy potatoes

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

Method:

Cook potatoes in a pan of lightly salted, boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, grate them with a coarse grater and add salt and pepper.

Divide the potato mixture into 8 equal portions of equal size and shape into flattened rectangles with your hands.

Heat the oil and butter in a skillet and cook the hash browns, in batches, over low heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden brown.

Transfer the hash browns to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Tip of the day: While cooking smelly foods, soak a cloth towel and let it dry in the cooking area. It will absorb the smell of cooking and keep the room fresh!

Spinach with Chillies

Ingredients:

1 kg spinach finely sliced

1 onion chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

1-2 green chillies

juice of 1 lemon

oil

Method:

Heat the oil and then add the onion, garlic and ginger. When the onion becomes transparent, add the stems of spinach and add the turmeric; stir well to combine the ingredients.

When nearly cooked put in the spinach leaves and whole chillies. As the leaves wilt, sprinkle in a little salt to taste. Add a little bit of water just to keep it moist but the aim is for the spinach to cook on its own juice.

Squeeze on some lemon juice before serving, with hot rotis.

Serves 2-4

Tip of the day: To reuse cooking oil without tasting whatever was cooked in the oil previously, cook a 1/4″ piece of ginger in the oil. It will remove any remaining flavors and odors.