Spiced Spring Vegetables and Coconut Polenta

½ cup unsweetened, grated, fresh, frozen or dried coconut (see note)

Hot water, plus 4 cups water, or more as needed

8 ounces asparagus (about 10 stalks)

About 2 ounces sugar snap peas (a good handful)

½-inch piece fresh ginger root

1 small serrano pepper or Indian finger chile pepper

4 or 5 red radishes

2 scallions

4 stems cilantro

1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

1 cup quick-cooking polenta (may substitute stone-ground cornmeal)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1½ tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seed

1 teaspoon chana dal or urad dal (see note)

5 or 6 fresh curry leaves (optional; see note)

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ lemon, or more as needed

Roasted, unsalted cashews, for garnish (optional)

If you're using frozen or dried coconut, place in a medium bowl and cover with hot water; let sit for a few minutes until defrosted or slightly rehydrated, then drain.

Discard the tough ends of the asparagus, then cut the rest into 1-inch pieces. String the snap peas and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Peel the ginger, then grate it. Stem and seed the chile pepper, then mince it.

Trim the radishes and cut into quarters from top to bottom. Trim the scallions, then chop the white and light-green parts. Tear or coarsely chop the cilantro leaves.

Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the teaspoon of salt, then gradually stir in the polenta; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until it is creamy and lump-free. Stir in the butter and coconut; the polenta should become lighter and fluffier. Partially cover and reduce the heat to its lowest setting.

Heat the oil in medium nonstick skillet or wok over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add a single black mustard seed. If it pops and sizzles, add the rest; have a splatter cover nearby and use it, as needed. Once the popping/sizzling subsides, stir in the chana or urad dal, if using, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cook, stirring for a minute or two until the dal's color deepens, then add the curry leaves, if using, and the ginger and chile pepper. Cover quickly to avoid spatters; cook for about 10 seconds, then add the scallions and ground turmeric. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the asparagus, snap peas and radishes (to taste). Season lightly with salt. Increase the heat to high; stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes; if the mixture seems dry, add a splash or two of water. Turn off the heat and add the cilantro.

Divide the polenta among individual wide, shallow bowls or spread across a platter. Top with the spiced vegetable mixture. Squeeze some juice from the lemon half over the top. Coarsely chop or crush the cashews, if using, and sprinkle over the mix. Serve right away with plain yogurt.

Notes: Here's breakfast-for-dinner, South Indian style, with a riff on a traditional vegetable stir-fry called uppittu or upma. Its author tweaked the recipe for her gluten-free friends by using polenta instead of semolina (couscous) as a base. Stirring coconut into it results in a delightfully fluffy texture. Chana dal are skinned, split black chickpeas (they are yellow) and urad dal are skinned, split black lentils (they are white). Both, and curry leaves, are available at Indian markets and some well-stocked international aisles of large supermarkets.

Serves 4

Nutrition | Per serving (using chana dal): 360 calories, 6 g protein, 41 g carbohydrates, 20 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 600 mg sodium, 6 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugar

Adapted from "Vibrant India: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes From Bangalore to Brooklyn," by Chitra Agrawal (Penguin/Random House, 2017).