AAPI Heritage Month: Recipes for Culture, Connection, and Education

• 1 cup split yellow moong daal
• ¾ cup basmati rice (my Mom buys Tilda basmati rice)
• 1 small or ⅓ large cauliflower
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 large tomato diced
• ¼ cup seed mixture (cumin, mustard, black onion, fennel, fenugreek) Some Indian stories may also sell a blend of spices you can uses called “panch foron”
• 3 tbsp oil (any cooking oil)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ¾ tsp spice mixture (ground cumin, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom)
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1-2 tbsp ghee

1. Roast the daal in a frying pan until medium brown. Wash and drain.
2. Wash the rice and drain.
3. Add 1 tbsp oil in a large (4 qt or so) pot
4. Heat the oil and add the seed mixture. Cook for a minute (make sure it doesn’t burn)
5. Add rice and daal, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric and cook for a couple of minutes. Add 5-6 cups of water. Boil the water mixture, cover, and then reduce the heat to medium.
6. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, check and stir a few times. You may have to add some more water.
7. In a frying pan stir fry cauliflower, green peas, 1/2 tsp turmeric in 2 tbsp oil for about 5 minutes or until cauliflower is light brown and soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and the ground spice mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes.
8. Add the vegetable mixture (step 7) into the rice and daal mixture (step 6). Mix well. Cook for 5 mins. Add the ghee and mix again. Taste to adjust for salt.

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts finely sliced (save the dark green for braising)
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 in ginger, minced
• 1-2 (or more!) green chilis, minced
• 5 curry leaves
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups day-old basmati rice
• Soy sauce
• Lime
• Salt to taste

1. Heat the butter in a wok or large saute pan on medium heat
2. Stir fry the curry leaves for a minute, then add the leeks and onions, turn up the heat to high, and cook for another 6-8 minutes until the veggies start browning
3. Add the garlic, ginger, and chilis, and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes
4. Add the eggs and stir fry until just scrambled. (If your pan is not non-stick enough to cook eggs, cook them in a separate pan and fold them in after step 5.)
5. Add the rice, stir nicely, and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the rice is hot throughout and is starting to lightly color
6. Add a squeeze of lime, soy sauce, and salt to taste

Ingredients for Red Bean Filling: (or buy pre-made red bean taste at your local Asian grocery store)

• 1/2 cup red beans pre-soaked
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 400 ml water
• 1 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil, optional

Ingredients for Red Bean Filling: (or buy pre-made red bean taste at your local Asian grocery store)

• 300 g all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1.5 tsp. instant yeast
• 150 ml cold water or even chilled water (see note) or 180ml milk
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil corn oil

1. Make the red bean paste for the filling. Add water, sugar, and soaked red beans into an instant pot, and cook with the bean procedure. Then transfer to a non-stick pan, and melt in butter (optional, you can use vegetable cooking oil too). Stir fry until the paste can stick together.
2. Once the paste is ready for wrapping, start to make the dough. Add yeast and sugar in cold water or chilled water. Mix well. Add flour and yeast water to a stand mixer and mix for around 1 minute at low speed. Add vegetable oil (optional) and continue kneading for at least 10 minutes until the dough is super smooth and elastic.
3. Roll out wrapper and assemble buns: Take the dough out, slightly dust the operating board and then divide the dough into 8 portions. Take one portion out, to get a smooth surface, knead the small for a couple of minutes, and then shape it into a ball. If kneading dough is a challenge, a beginner-friendly way is to roll out the wrapper and then roll it up, rotate it, and then roll it out again. With this method, you can make red bean buns with a smooth surface.
4. Press down and then roll out slightly to a larger wrapper, then turn the wrapper over (so the smooth surface on the outside) and roll like dumpling wrappers to get a thick bottom. Place a red bean filling in the center, gather the dough slowly using the space between your thumb and forefinger, and then tear off the excess dough. With this method, we can make cute round red bean buns. Turn the bun over and shape it into a dome (a little bit higher because it will flat a little bit ). Repeat to finish the remaining buns. You can achieve this by rolling the dough with two hands on the operating board.
5. Finish all of the buns, and transfer them to a lined steamer. Line your steamer and place the buns one by one, with space among each other. You can make 8 average size buns, or if you prefer smaller ones, you can make 10 red bean buns with those ingredients.
6. Cover the lid and now let them start one-time proofing. The time depends on lots of factors, including the room temperature and then the moisture. All we need to do is to watch the size of the dough. Your buns will be ready to steam when they are 1.5 times in size.
7. When the buns are ready to steam, add the wok or steamer with cold water and steam for around 13 minutes (on middle slow heat after the water starts to boil). Then remove from heat and let it stand for 5 minutes. Pillow soft and sweet red bean buns are now ready!

• ¼ cup of Moong Dal
• ¼ cup of Masoor Dal
• ¼ cup of Toor Dal
• ¼ cup of Chana Dal
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Salt
• Ginger paste
• Garlic paste
• Green chili paste (thai green chilies or similar heat index)
• Neutral cooking oil
• Few handfuls of fresh coriander / cilantro
• 1-2 tbs Mustard seeds
• 1-2 tbs of cumin seeds
• A few curry leaves (kari patta)
• 1-3 dried kokum or lemon juice
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• Handful of mint leaves, chopped
• Cumin powder
• Dried red chilies (optional)
• Laal mirch powder (optional)
• Garam masala powder (optional)

1. Wash and boil the dal with onion, salt, ginger, garlic, and chili paste. Add cooking oil when all the daal is cooked and soft. Either hand blend or add the entire pot to a blender to fully emulsify the lentils and ingredients. Return to the pot and add fresh coriander/cilantro and boil on low heat.
2. In a separate pan, add 2-3 tbs of cooking oil. When warmed, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, kari patta (curry leaves), and kokum (kokum can be replaced with lemon juice, and 1 large chopped tomato. Cover and let cook until it all looks like a paste.
3. Add the paste to the boiling dal (at this point you can also add whole dried chilies / laal mirchi powder to the pot for added heat).
4. Taste for salt and spice adjustments to your liking and simmer for an additional 10 min.
5. Add another fresh handful of coriander / cilantro and chopped up mint leaves. Top off with garam masala powder and cumin powder during the final stir.
6. Serve hot with bread, naan, basmati rice, or drink as as.