This cuisine is a special one and it is better to search for small sized whole vegetables.

1 Cup Small whole potatoes.

1 Cup Small onions peeled

1 Cup Frozen peas

1 Cup Butternut Squash peeled, and chopped

1 Cup Baby carrots

1 Bunch Spinach Leaves

1 Cup Brussel Sprouts

2 Plantains

2 Tarro Root this can be found in Asian markets or in regular grocery stores

You can be creative and add any vegetables. Do not stick to the rules, if you have bigger vegetables cut them in chunks.

Boil the vegetables together with 1 cup of water and after they are cooked try to dry the water up as much as possible on high heat taking care not to burn them. Cool the vegetables and mix them in a bowl with:

2 Tbs. Mustard Oil available at Asian or Indian Groceries. You can also use Ghee or Clarified Butter

1 Tbs. Ground hot mustard powder

1 Tbs. Salt

1 Green Lime or Yellow Lemon juiced

1/2 Cup Chopped cilantro

1 Jalapeno or two Serranos chopped.

Serve with plain rice or the rice and lentil stew.

In Indonesia meats grilled on bamboo skewers are called Sate` and in Malaysia they are called Satay. Indonesian cuisine is a unique combination of spicy chilies and flavorful herbs and other seasonings with the sweet coconut, peanuts and honey. Sate` is one of the most popular dishes in Indonesia with it’s peanut dipping sauce. There is also a famous salad called “Gado Gado” which is a mixture of vegetables, potatoes and tofu served with peanut sauce. Sate` is made with lamb, chicken, shrimp, turtle, beef or pork.

Satay is very popular in Singapore. This island state stands out as a tropical paradise of different kinds of food. Singapore is the place where I first tasted Satay. The exotic cuisine of Singapore is a blend of various cultures brought by the different immigrant groups who settled there. It also interesting to realize that the Satay that you can buy from a vendor in Indonesia or a street food stall in Singapore is considered to be a very sophisticated cocktail snack in other parts of the world. There is really no comparison to this meal of sticks with barbecued meat dipped in a spicy sweet peanut gravy.

Indonesian Pork Sate` Marinade

2 Cups Lean Pork cut in thin long slices like miniature bacon, ¾ inch wide, 6 inches long, 1/8 inch thick,

4 Garlic cloves peeled and grated

1 Tsp. Fresh ground Black Pepper

4 Tbs. Soy Sauce

1 Cup Shallots or Onions chopped

1 Tbs. Ginger peeled and grated

1 Tbs. Galangal peeled and grated (optional)

½ Cup Coconut milk

2 Tsp. Coriander Powder

1 Tsp. Turmeric Powder

1 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper Powder

2 Sticks Lemon Grass diced or one tablespoon Lemon Rind

1 Tbs. Brown Sugar

1 Tbs. Salt

2 Tbs. Oil

1 Package Bamboo skewers soaked in water for about one hour. This prevents it from burning the skewers in the oven or the grill

Blend garlic, black pepper, soy sauce, shallots or onions, ginger, galanghal, coconut milk, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, lemon grass, brown sugar, salt and oil in a food processor or blender. In a bowl put the mixture from your blender and marinate the pork in it for about two hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and set to broil.

Thread the marinated pork pieces into the bamboo skewers and lay them on a broiler pan. Place it in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until cooked. It is better if you turn the pork once halfway through the cooking and rub the other side with the remaining marinade.

The Indonesian Sate` Peanut Sauce

1 Cup Creamy peanut butter

1 Cup Shelled raw Peanuts little fried in a fry pan without oil for flavor

½ Cup Candlenuts (optional)

1 Cup Coconut Milk available in cans at grocery stores

8 Dried Hot Chilies soaked in hot water or half teaspoon Cayenne Pepper powder

2 Tbs. Tamarind pulp available at Indian or Asian Grocers

8 Shallots chopped

4 Garlic cloves peeled and grated

1 Stick Lemon Grass chopped or one tablespoon grated Lemon Peel

1 Tbs. Chopped Jalapenoes or any hot Green Chilies

4 Tbs. Soy Sauce

2 Tbs. Lemon Juice

¼ Tsp. Ground Black Pepper

1 Tbs. Brown Sugar

4 Tbs. Oil

1 Tsp. Salt

In a food processor or blender first chop the fried peanuts and the candlenuts. Add soaked chilies or cayenne, shallots, garlic, lemon grass, green chilies, soy sauce, lemon juice, pepper, sugar and salt. Heat the oil in a pot then take it off the burner to cool it a little. Add all the blended ingredients to the oil and keep cooking on medium heat. Gradually add the peanut butter, coconut milk and tamarind pulp. Keep stirring till the mixture gets thick. Use as a dipping sauce for any type of Satay. This is my own developed recipe and I think it goes very well with any barbecued meat, fish or vegetables.

Methi Aloo

Fenugreek and Potatoes

2 Cups Potatoes chopped up small with skin on

1 Cup Fenugreek leaves chopped up small or you can get dried ones at some Indian or Asian grocery.

2 Tbs. Safflower or Vegetable Oil

½ Tsp. Whole Fenugreek Seeds

½ Tsp. Whole Mustard Seeds

½ Cup Chopped fresh Tomatoes

1 Tsp. Sugar, optional

1 Tsp. Salt or to taste

1 Cup Water

If you find fresh Fenugreek leaves, just pull out the leaves only and discard the stems. Chop the leaves fine. Otherwise you can only use the whole fenugreek seed as a seasoning. Heat the oil, and put in the whole fenugreek and mustard seeds. As they pop, add the potatoes, sugar and salt. Fry these in medium heat for about five minutes and add the water. When the potatoes come to a boil, turn the heat as low as possible and cover the pot. After about seven more minutes check and stir and put in the tomatoes. Cook some more till you have a thick sauce over the potatoes. You are free to add any other vegetables or Spinach with this too. Serve with chapatis or over rice, with a little plain yogurt on the side if you are Vegan use a non dairy yogurt substitute.

There are a lot of different foods you can make for breakfast in India. You can fry onions with tomatoes, green chili and cilantro, add cream of wheat and some water, the result should be wet and dry. This is called Upma in South India. You can also make pancakes with rice flour called Appams. Appams are gluten free but the flatbreads and Upma are not. You can always experiment making the breads with gluten free flour too. Cooking is so much fun, almost anything is possible to make. In North India most people prefer Daal, Lentils and Rotis or Flatbread. Puris or fried bread is sometimes served with mixed vegetables. Sundays and holidays when everybody is home many different items are made in the morning because lunch is usually late, around 1.00pm. Children mostly eat Chapatis with fruit and milk or rice and milk. It gets difficult to mention everything because there are so many things you can make and still invent. Cooking is an on going art that never stops. Every chef cooks his or her own way. I am still learning.