Per 1 cup water:
1 tsp hot and sour soup paste
Ground limes* or crushed vitamin C tablets to taste
Salt to taste
Several dried mushrooms (opt)
1/2 cup cellophane noodles (saifun, or bean threads), dried
Combine all except noodles, cover, and bring to a boil. Add noodles and boil for 1 minute. Turn off heat and serve.
* In middle eastern markets you can buy whole dried Persian limes. Crack them open with the flat side of a knife. Inside you will find black flesh and seeds. Discard the seeds and pick out the black flesh into a coffee grinder. Discard the skin. Grind the flesh until powdered.
1 cup couscous, dried
1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped if necessary (raisins, apricots, or currants recommended)
1/4 cup nuts, chopped (cashews, pistachios, or almonds recommended)
1 1/3 cups water
1 Tbsp oil
Small pinch ground garlic
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp curry powder (see below)
Combine couscous, dried fruit, and nuts. Combine water, oil, and spices and bring to a boil. Add couscous mixture and take off heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
1 cup water
1 cup instant black beans
1 tsp Mexican chili powder (or 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/2 tsp cumin)
Mix beans and chili powder. Bring water to boil. Add beans, cover, take off heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with instant rice or chapatti (see below; either version), cheese, and cayenne pepper.
This is the longest-cooking of the recipes, at 20-25 minutes, but red lentils are the fastest cooking raw legume.
1 cup red lentils
2 tsp curry powder (see below)
3 cups water
Small pinch ground garlic
Optional: 1 cup of water and 1 cup instant no-boil rice
Combine all (except rice if using) and cook until beans are mushy but still retaining some texture. Take off heat. Add rice if using, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with chapatti (see below) if wanted, especially if not using the rice.
Make the toppings first, and these last. They are best fresh from the skillet and they cool quickly. This is a variation on an East African recipe.
1 cup flour + extra for kneading if necessary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp (I think) butter sprinkles
Enough water to make dough (1/3-1/2 cup)
Oil for frying
Mix dry ingredients. Gradually mix water in until dough forms. Use extra flour if the dough becomes too sticky. Break into tennis-ball size chunks and flatten each with your hands into a thin circle. Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet. Add chapatti and fry, adding more oil as necessary to keep the edges bubbling. When bottom is browned, turn over and fry as for the other side. Serve with favorite toppings.
Variation: Use corn flour for tortilla-like bread.
To make your curries taste really special, make your own curry powder from whole spices. Much more vibrant than premixed powders. This recipe is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian"
1 Tbsp whole coriander
1/2 Tbsp whole cumin
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp whole brown mustard
1/2 tsp whole fenugreek
3 whole cloves
1 dried whole cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Roast whole spices in a dry skillet until about half the mustard seeds are gray and the seeds are popping. Add turmeric and stir a few times until browned. Take off heat and grind in coffee or spice grinder.