Tiranga Sabzi

One of our favorite vegetables is Tiranga Sabzi, or Three-Colored Vegetables. The name is generic but in my case, the three vegetables we use are green / bell peppers, red potatoes, and carrots. Coincidentally, these are the colors of the Indian flag (more or less, haha). The last three ingredients comprise the 'tadka', so named for the sound it makes when the oil becomes heated.

Chopped carrots and bell peppers

Ingredients (Serves 3-4):

• 1 Bell Pepper
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Red Potato medium size( your favorite potato variety )
• 1 to 2 tbsp Vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp hing (asafoetida) 
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chili/cayenne powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Chop all the vegetables in strips approximately 2.5 x 1 cm (see photo)

Vegetables fully cut to size

2. Add the oil to a frying pan and heat it on medium-high heat (6 out of 10 on my stove)
3. Add a small amount of the cumin to the oil until it starts to simmer. 
4. Once it does, add all the 'tadka', lower the heat to low-medium (4/10) and add the potatoes. 

5. Partially cover the potatoes to steam them and heat for 7 minutes.
6. Add carrots
7. Add bell pepper, mix and heat for 5 more minutes

8. Make sure all three kinds of veggies are cooked. If not, heat for another 5 minutes.
9. Add salt, mix well, lower heat, and heat for 5 minutes. 

The dish is easy to make, quick, and relatively healthy. It is usually paired with roti, a common type of Indian bread. This is arguably the most patriotic sabzi an Indian can make, as the colors match those of the Indian flag!

Ready to eat!

Cucumber Raita

Raita is generally a semi-liquid preparation with a yogurt base. It usually goes well with greasy food. Cucumber, doodhi, and boondi raita are well known types of raita. Since yogurt is used, tadka should be made of ghee (separated butter).

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• Cucumber about 5" long and 1- 2" diameter
• Ghee (separated butter) 1 tbsp
  
• Jalapeno about 2" long sliced in to 10-12 circles or 1 tsp crushed pepper
• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
• Fresh green cilantro finely chopped 1tbsp or dried crushed mint leaves 1/2tsp
• Salt to taste
• Yogurt or sour cream
  

Directions:

1. Peel cucumber and shred it using larger mesh or dice it to very small size pieces
   
2. In a pan put ghee and heat till a mustard seed added makes sound, at this point add all mustard seeds. when they stop making noise add cumin seeds followed by jalapeno or crushed pepper. Take off the heat. For jalapeno make sure that all pieces get fried. crushed pepper does not need extra frying as it is dried.
3. Add cucumber, cilantro or mint and mix well and let it cool down to room temperature.
   
4. Add yogurt, salt and mix well.

In cucumber raita chopped tomato can be added also. Use of sour cream increases calories but gives thicker consistency to use it as a dip with chips. Doodhi raita can be prepared similarly but in step 3 steam it for 3 minutes. Roasted bellpepper raita is made by substituting bell pepper in place of cucumber. On picnics and barbecue parties it is a good addition