Coconut Cucumber Salad

Curry Leaf Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. mustard seeds
2 green chilies, chopped lengthwise
8/9 curry leaves
2 cups fresh cucumber, chopped finely
a pinch of turmeric powder
½ cup grated coconut, fresh or desiccated
salt and sugar to taste
1 tsp. of lemon juice
¼ cup chopped coriander
For Garnishing:
2-inch long coriander sprigs
Method:
1. Heat oil. Pop mustard seeds in it and add chilies and curry leaves.
2. Add turmeric powder and stir properly for a minute.
3. Add coconut, salt, lemon juice and chopped coriander. Stir properly for 2 minutes. Pour over cucumber. Taste and adjust the salt and sugar.
4. Remove from heat and cool.
5. Serve at room temperature garnished with the coriander sprigs.

Coconut Chatni
Ingredients:
half a fresh coconut, grated or 1 cup desiccated coconut
1 lime or lemon
3 fresh red or green chillies
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ghee or oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dhal
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
8/9 curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground asafoetida, optional
Method:
If desiccated coconut is used, sprinkle it with 3 tablespoons water and moisten evenly with the fingers. Peel the lime or lemon, removing all white pith. Cut in pieces and remove the seeds. In an electric blender combine citrus fruit with chillies and salt. Blend to a purée. Add the coconut and blend to a smooth paste, scraping down sides of blender and adding a little more liquid if necessary.
Heat ghee or oil in a small pan and fry the mustard seeds and dhal until the seeds pop and the dhal is golden, covering the pan with a lid as the mustard seeds will scatter. Add the nigella, curry leaves and asafoetida and turn off heat immediately. Mix with the blended coconut mixture,

Dry Cabbage and Coconut - Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 medium size cabbages, finely shredded
- 2 to 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 to 3 dried red chillies, chopped
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 8/9 curry leaves
- 1 cup fresh coconut, grated
- Salt to taste
Method:
Heat the oil in a pan. When hot, add the red chillies. As they begin to darken, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds start popping, add the curry leaves and finely shredded cabbage and stir well. Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. When all the natural water from cabbage has evaporated and the cabbage is soft, add the salt and fresh coconut, and cook for a couple more minutes. For convenience, desiccated coconut may be used instead of fresh coconut, in which case the desiccated coconut should be added earlier to absorb water from the cabbage. Remove from heat and serve.
This recipe can also be used substituting French beans for cabbage.

Yogurt Rice (Rice mixed with yogurt)
Ingredients for 4 to 6 servings.
1 c. rice cooked
2 1/2 c. water
1 c. yogurt
1 c. Sour cream
salt as per taste
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. urad dhal
10 sliced pieces cucumber
10 sliced pieces tomato
1 Tbsp. oil
10 curry leaves
1 hot green pepper (cut into 2 or 3 pieces)
1/8 tsp. asafoetida powder
1 red pepper (break into 2 or 3 pieces)
1/4 x 1/4 inch fresh ginger
1 tsp. coriander leaves (chopped)
Method:
Mix the rice with yogurt, sour cream and salt well. If you make yogurt rice in the morning to eat in the evening, you may use 1 cup of warm milk in the place of Sour cream. In a fry pan, saute mustard seeds and urad dhal in oil. When mustard seeds pop, add curry leaves, asafoetida, chopped green and red pepper, ginger and coriander leaves. When the whole mixture turns into golden color, remove from heat and pour it into the yogurt mixed rice. Mix well and garnish it with tomato and cucumber pieces. In the course of the day, if the yogurt rice gets solidified, add warm water to bring it to the semi-solid consistency. Good to serve this at picnics. Since it does not spoil fast, can be carried to be used as a lunch during short trips, specially in hot summer season.