Oats dosa

Ingredients;
1 cup oats flour(You can run the rolled oats in mixer until powdered)
1 cup rice flour
salt and water required

Method;
In a large bowl combine both oats flour and rice flour,along with required salt.Add water to the flour and mix until smooth ans slightly thin batter is formed.Heat a griddle,add ladle full of batter to the hot griddle and form into thin and even circle.Smear 1tsp of oil around the batter,when one side is done turn on the other side and cook.Serve hot with coconut chutney.</div>

Veg vermicelli(sevaiyan) khichadi

Ingredients;

450gms roasted vermicelli(sevaiyan)   1 carrot medium finely chopped   1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas  1/2 cup french beans finely chopped  1/2 cup cauliflower florets   1 large onion finely sliced   1 large tomato finely chopped   5 green chillies (broken into 2 pieces)  5 garlic cloves(finely sliced)  1/2 tsp turmeric powder  4 cloves  salt to taste  2 green cardamom(elaichi)  few curry leaves 1' stick cinnamon  700ml water   4tbsp oil

Method;

Heat oil in a pan,add cinnamon stick,cloves and green cardamom.When the aroma rises ,add the onions,green chillies,curry leaves,garlic cloves and saute for few min,until the onion turns pink.Now add the veg and stir fry for few more minutes.Add the tomatoes,turmeric powder and salt to taste.Cook for few more minutes and add the water.Bring the mixture to boil.When boiling add the roasted vermicelli and stir well.Cover the pan with lid,simmer the heat and cook until the vermicelli is well done.Serve hot with onion raita.

Idli manchurian/chilli idlis

Ingredients;

Left-over idlis 8(fresh idlis r not suitable for making manchurian)
3 finely chopped green chilli
1 large onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
few curry leaves
2tsp light soya sauce
1tsp green chilli sauce
1/4 tsp ajinomoto
1/2 tsp salt
pinch sugar
2tbsp oil
spring onions/green onions chopped-few tbsp (optional to garnish)

For batter;

4tbsp cornflour 2tbsp maida(self-raising flour)
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
pinch red food color
salt less than 1/4 tsp
oil to deep fry idlis

Method;

Cut idlis into equal sized cubes.In a bowl add cornflour,maida,red chilli powder,red food color,salt and required water to make a very thin batter.Mix well until smooth and thin batter is formed.Heat enough oil in a pan to deep fry idlis.when oil is hot,dip idlis in prepared batter and drop it into hot oil.Fry the idlis until golden brown and crispy.Drain the deep fried idlis on paper towel and allow to cool.In another sauce pan heat 2tbsp oil,when oil is hot add the diced onions,garlic ,curry leaves and green chillies.Saute the onions,garlic and green chillies for few min,now reduce the heat and add the light soya sauce,green chilli sauce,ajinomoto,sugar and salt to the onions.Stir well the mixture and add couple of tbsp of water until a light sauce is formed.Now add the fried idlis to the onion gravy and stir well until the sauce is well coated on all idli pieces.Increase heat and stir fry the idlis until dry and crisp.

Dry bread manchurian

Ingredients to fry bread;

6 bread slices
2tbsp cornflour
1/2 tbsp maida(self-raising flour)
salt and pepper to taste
oil required

Ingredients for manchurian sauce;

1 large onion diced
1 small capsicum/bell pepper diced
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 piece ginger minced
3 green chilli chopped
1tbsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp chilli
 vinegar 1/2 tsp
 red chilli powder less than 1/4 tsp
 ajinomoto few pinches
 red food color
1/4 tsp sugar
2tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method;





In a deep bowl,make a very thin batter out of cornflour,maida.pepper,salt and water.Heat a tawa or a pan,dip the bread slices in the prepared batter until the batter is lightly coated on the bread slices and place the bread slices on hot tawa.Smear 1tsp oil around the bread slice and fry them until the both sides of bread are golden in color.Remove the bread slices on a plate and chop them into bite size squares. Next heat 2tbsp oil in a pan,when hot add the diced onion,diced capsicum,chopped green chillies,minced garlic and ginger.Saute the onions for few seconds.Reduce the heat to medium and add the red chilli powder,soya sauce,vinegar,ajinomoto,red food color,sugar and salt to taste.Add 1tbsp of water to make a thin sauce and increase the heat.When sauce starts to boil,add the fried and chopped bread squares to the sauce.Stir well so that the bread pieces are well coated with sauce and fry until the bread manchurian is dry.Serve hot.

Bindi(ladies finger or okra) ke pakore

Ingredients;

10 okra (ladies finger or bindi)chopped into thick slices
5 tbsp self-raising flour(maida)
2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs
oil for frying

Method;

Take a bowl,add maida,salt and pepper and little water.Mix into thick batter.Dip the okra slices into the batter and coat with bread crumbs.Deep fry the okra slices in hot oil till golden brown.Serve with tomato sauce.

Spicy paneer pasta

Ingredients;

340gms pasta(1 box)
250gms paneer(Indian cottage cheese)
1 onion large size
3 medium tomatoes chopped
4 sliced garlic cloves
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder or as per your taste
1 tbsp garam masala powder
  1tbsp corriander powder
4tbsp oil
salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves and finely chopped
 tomatoes for garnishing

Method;

Cut the paneer into bite size pieces.In a small bowl,mix garlic and ginger paste,garam masala powder,red chilli powder and 1/2tsp salt.Marinate the paneer cubes in the prepared masala for 5 minutes.By the time cook pasta till firm with little salt as per instructions.Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan,when hot fry the marinated paneer pieces until slightly browned.Drain the roasted paneer pieces and set aside.In the same pan,add 2tbsp more oil,add the sliced onions and garlic.Fry on medium heat until onion turns brown.Now add the chopped tomatoes,1tsp red chilli powder,coriander powder and saute till tomatoes are cooked and tender.Add the fried paneer cubes to the tomatoes and add 1tsp salt and few tbsp water.Cook for few minutes until slight gravy is formed.Add the cooked paste to paneer gravy and toss well without breaking paneer cubes.Finally add chopped coriander and chopped tomatoes.Toss well pasta again ans serve hot.

Bajra khichdi

Ingredients:

100 gms Bajra
40 gms Yellow Moong Dal
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ghee

Method;

Soak 100 grams bajra for about an hour. Remove the husk by grinding coarsely in a mixer at a low speed. Mix moong dal when it becomes completely husk free. Transfer the contents in a pressure cooker with water and salt. Cook for 10 minutes. Add hot water if required. Mix hot ghee.

Bajra aloo roti

Ingredients:

2 cups Millet Flour (bajre ka aata)
1/4 cup Onions (finely chopped)
1/4 cup Potatoes (boiled and mashed)
3-4 tbsp Fresh Coriander (finely chopped)
2 tsp Green Chilli and Ginger Paste
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder (amchur)
1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
Salt to taste Ghee (as required)

Method;

Mix all the ingredients together properly and then make a soft dough by adding warm water.Take little portion of the dough and make a round ball. Roll it out giving it a round shape.Now cook this roti in a hot tawa (griddle). The rotis are ready when both the sides turn golden brown.

Palak shorba

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Ghee
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Red Onion (chopped)
11/2 tsp Ginger Root (grated)
1 Medium Turnip (chopped)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder
Salt (to taste)
2 cup Vegetable Stock
1 lb Spinach (frozen/ fresh) (chopped)

Method;

Take a pan and heat ghee in it. Put cumin seeds in it and fry, till they start emitting a fragrance. Add turnip, ginger and onion, mix well and sauté for 5 minutes, on medium heat. Put turmeric, salt and red chili powder and saute again. Now, add vegetable stock to it, cover the pan and let it cook for about 20 minutes, on low heat, so that the turnips become soft. Proceed further by adding spinach and cooking the shorba for 5- 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and make a puree of it, using hand blender, in batches. Transfer it back to the pot and heat again. Serve hot.

Paneer stuffed tomatoes

Ingredients:

5-6 medium size Tomatoes
150gm Paneer grated or mashed
1 Onion finely chopped
Finely chopped Coriander leaves
2 Green chilies (finely chopped)
Red chili powder to taste.
Gram Masala to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Grated cheese
1 tbsp Oil
Salt

Method;

Wash the tomatoes and set dry. Cut the top of tomato like a cap. Gently scoop out the centers. Keep aside the scooped portion and chop the cut tops.Heat oil in a kadhai add chopped onions and green chilies till tender.Now add the pulp of chopped tomatoes and fry for a minute and all dry masalas and fry for a minute more.Add Paneer, mix well and cook for a minute.Fill tomatoes with the mixture.Top with grated cheese and chopped coriander. Place tomatoes in a cooker container. Put little butter and pressure cook for one whistle. (You can also bake it in a hot oven at 200 degree C for 20 minutes). Paneer Stuffed Tomatoes is ready.

Frozen paneer masala

Ingredients:

1 pkg Frozen fried paneer
2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
1 Onion (chopped)
4 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Oil
Coriander leaves (chopped)
4 tsp Masala powder
2 tsp Chilly powder
1 Tomato (chopped)

Method;

Defrost the frozen fried paneer in a microwave. Keep it aside. Now add oil in a pan and heat it. Add garlic paste and ginger and stir, till it turns into brown. Now add onions and stir, till onions become translucent. Mix masala powder and coriander powder and stir. Then tomato pieces with chilly powder and stir well. Pour a little water, add salt and stir, till masala blends well in water. Add paneer, cover the pan and cook on a medium flame for some time. Now garnish it with coriander leaves and serve.

Hot and sour paneer and veg soup

Ingredients:

2 cups Vegetable Stock
1 1/2 cups Firm Paneer (Small Cubes)
1/4 cup Button Mushroom (Sliced)
1/4 cup Red Capsicum (Finely Chopped)
1 tsp Oil
I tsp Corn Flour
20 ml White Vinegar
2 Spring Onions (Chopped)
Soya sauce to taste
1/4 cup Celery (Finely Chopped)

Method;

Take a non-sticky frying pan and fry paneer in it for few minutes and leave it aside. Combine together spring onions, vegetable stock, capsicum and mushroom in a sauce-pan.Heat the vegetables till boiling point and then cover and simmer for 5 min. Add paneer and vinegar to the vegetables and bring to boiling point.Mix corn flour in water to make a smooth liquid paste. Pour in the corn flour paste slowly to the boiling soup while stirring the soup constantly until it is thickened.Remove the soup from heat. Suggestions: Add soya sauce and celery for taste and serve hot.

Paneer black pepper(kali mairch)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Coriander leaves (chopped)
1/2 cup Mint/Pudina (chopped)
2 Cinnamon sticks (medium size)
500 g Cottage Cheese
3 Green Cardamoms
4 Cloves
3 pinches Cumin Seeds
2 Onions (medium sized)
2 Bay leaves
5-6 Garlic cloves
4 tbsp Fresh Cream
2-3 Green Chilies
2 inch piece Ginger
1/2 cup Yogurt
1/2 tsp Garam Masala (powder)
1 tbsp Peppercorns (crushed)
1/2 tsp Coriander/Dhaniya (powdered)
Salt (to taste)

Method;

Start with cottage cheese and cut it into medium- sized cubes. Fry them in 1 tsp of oil. (optional)Take a large saucepan and heat some oil in it. Put cumin seeds in it and fry, till they start to crackle.Add onions to the pan and fry them until they turn brown.Remove the onion from pan and let them cool down. Now, crush them along with ginger, green chilies and garlic, in the blender. In the saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil and add cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves to it, along with ground paste. Mix them well. Now, add coriander powder, garam masala powder, salt, fresh cream and whisked yogurt. Mix them well again.Add water to the pan and bring it to boil. Now, further add paneer cubes to it, along with chopped mint and coriander leaves. Cover the pan with the lid and let it cook on low- medium temperature, for 10- 15 minutes.When it is done, sprinkle ground peppercorns on top and serve it hot, with rice or chapattis.

Aloo paneer pops

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes (boiled and mashed)
200 g Cottage Cheese (grated)
4 tbsp Refined Flour
1 Onion (chopped)
1 tbsp Raisins (soaked)
3 Green Chilies (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1 cup Cornflakes (crushed)
1/2 tsp Chat Masala
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
2 tbsp Green Coriander (finely chopped)
Oil for frying
Salt

  Method;

Heat one tbsp oil in a pan and sauté onion. Mix all the other ingredients and fry for 2 minutes. Now make a fine batter of refined flour. Make cylindrical shaped croquettes out of the mixture. Dip each one in the batter and put on a plate. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Deep fry till golden and crispy. Serve with ketchup or coriander chutney.

Peas stuffed paratha

Ingredients:

  For Dough
1 cup Wheat flour
Salt to taste
Water to knead

For Peas Stuffing
1 cup Cooked Peas (pureed)
1 tsp Green Chili paste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Amchur (Dried Mango Powder)
Salt to taste

For Cooking Oil Method;

Take wheat flour in a bowl and add salt to it. Knead the flour into soft dough, adding the desired quantity of water. Keep it aside. In a pan, add the all the ingredients given for peas stuffing and make it into a dry paste.Make lemon size balls out of the dough.Roll them into small circles and stuff about a tsp of the dried paste in the center.Cover the stuffing from all the sides. Dust the stuffed balls in flour and roll out into thin rotis. Heat a pan and cook both the sides.

Papad paratha

Ingredients:

  1 cup Coriander Leaves
1 tsp Oil
4 to 5 Fried Papad
250g Wheat Flour

Method;

Knead the wheat flour into dough and make small balls. Mix in coriander leaves with crushed papad (fried). Roll a ball of the kneaded flour into small round shapes. Stuff it with papad mixture and roll it out into parathas. Apply some oil and cook on tava. Serve it hot. Serve it with chutney or pickle.

Besan paratha

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Besan (Gram Flour)
1/2 cup Atta
1-1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
4 pinches Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves (finely chopped)
1 medium-sized Onion (finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Ghee to shallow fry

Method;

  Mix all the ingredients except ghee in a bowl and knead it into soft dough using warm water.Cover the dough with a muslin cloth and leave it for 15 minutes. After the desired time period, divide the dough into equal portions and roll out each portion into a small circle.Now apply a little ghee in the center of each circle and fold all the adjoining sides.Roll out the above into a bigger circle and place it on a heated griddle. Once paratha is cooked on one side, turn it over; apply ghee on the cooked side. Now allow to cook the other side and repeat the same process till both sides are properly cooked.Put off the flame and serve Besan Paratha with curd or pickle.

Tandoori paneer

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Paneer (cut into 1½ inches cubes)
3 tbsp Tandoori Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Coriander Powder
2 tsp Ginger & Garlic Paste
1 Onion (chopped)
1 Capsicum (cut into 1-inch pieces, deseeded and cored)
1 cup Thick Yoghurt
1/2 Bunch Coriander Leaves (chopped)
2 tbsp Lemon Juice 3 Lemons halved and
 Chat Masala (serving)
1/4 tsp Caraway seeds (crushed)
Oil Salt (to taste)

Method;

Cut onions into 11/2 inch pieces, separating each layer of the onion. Cut the capsicum, tomato, onion and paneer into same size. Mix the remaining ingredients into the yoghurt. Add vegetables and paneer into yoghurt mixture. Mix them well and marinate in the fridge for least for 8 hours. Now take skewer add one piece of paneer, capsicum, paneer, onion, paneer, tomato. Grill it for 15 min. Remember to brush it with marinate several times while grilling. Lastly apply oil.During grilling turn the skewers slowly. Sprinkle chat masala over the grilled panned & vegetables. serve with tomato sauce

tandoori baby corn

Ingredients:

250 g Baby Corn
100 g Curd
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tsp Red Chili Paste
1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
1/2 tsp Black Salt
Salt, to taste
20 ml Mustard Oil

Method;

Take a muslin cloth and put curd in it. Tie the cloth so that water drains out of it. Now, put this strained curd in a bowl and add red chili paste, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala powder, mustard oil, black salt, salt, cumin powder and cardamom powder. Mix well.Soak baby corn well in this masala paste and then grill it in hot tandoor, till it is cooked.Serve hot.

Tandoori aloo

Ingredients:

  1 Cup small potatoes
2 Garlic (crushed)
2 tsp Cumin seed powder
1 tbsp Red chilli powder
4 Kashmiri Chillies
2 Garlic flakes
2 Cups water
Salt to taste

Method;

Wash the potatoes and peel them. Slit them half way on two sides. Place them all around the microwave turntable. Place a glass of water in the centre to prevent from getting wrinkled. Place it on microwave for 10 minutes. Grind kashmiri chillies and garlic flakes to make a paste. Heat the oil and add paste with salt. Mix it well and microwave it for 1 minute. Add potatoes, cumin seed powder and red chilli powder. Place the potato mixture in an oven at 350F. Serve hot with rotis.

Methi paneer veg

Ingredients:

  2 cups Methi (Fenugreek Leaves)(chopped)

200 gm Paneer (Cheese)(cubed)
2 Onions (sliced)
2 Tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/8 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Ghee Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method;

  Spread around half cup of salt over methi for 6-7 hours or overnight, to reduce its bitterness.Wash with water and drain to remove the excess salt. Heat the oil in flat pan and fry paneer cubes on medium-high heat, until golden. Remove and soak into salted warm water for 20 minutes. Drain properly. Heat the ghee in a frying pan and fry onions until brown. Add tomatoes, chili powder, sugar, turmeric powder and salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally over medium low flame. Add paneer and methi, and cook uncovered for 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat. Serve with chapatti.

Alu methi palak

Ingredients:

2 bunches Palak (Spinach)
1 tbsp Coriander Powder
2 bunches Methi Leaves (Fenugreek)
1 Onion (chopped)
3 Potatoes (parboiled)
10 Garlic Pods
5 Green Chilies
1/2 cup Peas
1 tsp Garam Masala
1-inch Ginger

Method;

  Grind chopped onions, garlic, green chilies, ginger, and coriander powder to form a paste.Cut potatoes into small cubes and keep aside.Boil water in a pan and add chopped palak and methi.After two minutes, remove from heat, strain the water and mash the leaves lightly. Heat oil in a kadai, add the masala paste and stir fry till the moisture evaporates.Add mashed leaves and boiled peas to the masala and fry.Now, add potatoes and mix well.Once the potatoes are done, add garam masala and salt. Serve hot with chapatis.

Subz makhni

Ingredients:
• 11/2 cups Mixed Vegetables (carrots, peas, cauliflower, French beans)
• 1/2 tsp Cornflour
• 1/4 tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves (kasuri methi)
• 3 cups Tomatoes (chopped)
• 1/4 cup Red Pumpkin (chopped)
• 12-mm piece Ginger (chopped in small pieces)
• 1/2 cup Onions (chopped)
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds (jeera)
• 2 large Garlic Cloves (chopped)
• 2 Cloves (laung)
• 1 Cinnamon Stick (dalchini)
• 1 tsp Oil
• 1/2 cup Low-fat Milk
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• Salt (As per taste)
• 1 tbsp Coriander (chopped) - for garnishing

Method;

  Take a large pan and fill it with 3/4 cup water. Add red pumpkin, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, onions, cinnamon and cloves. Cover it with lid and keep it over low flame. Occasionally, check the vegetables. When they become soft, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool. Weed out cloves and cinnamon from the mixture and drain out the water.Using a blender, blend the vegetables to make a smooth puree. Take a non-stick pan and heat the oil in it. Add cumin seeds and when they start to crackle, add fenugreek leaves and chili powder. Mix well and cook for a few seconds.Now, add the vegetable puree (prepared before), sugar and salt in it and bring it to boil.Pout the milk in a cup and put cornflour in it. Mix it well and add to the prepared gravy. Turn the knob of the gas to low flame. On the low flame (simmer), add the mixed vegetable to the hot makhani gravy and cook for 5- 6 minutes. Remove from the flame and garnish the sabzi with freshly chopped coriander leaves. Your subz makhani is ready.

Red lentil curry

Ingredients;

2 cups red lentils(arhad ki dal)
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry paste
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ginger root, minced

Method;

Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear (this is very important or the lentils will get "scummy"), put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary). While the lentils are cooking: In a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in vegetable oil.While the onions are cooking, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well. When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready.When the lentils are tender drain them briefly (they should have absorbed most of the water but you don't want the curry to be too sloppy). Mix the curry base into the lentils and serve immediately.

Raw banana(kachhe kele)spicy rings

Ingredients:

2 - raw bananaslarge
 3 - green chillies
1/2 bunch - green coriander leaves
1/4 tsp - turmeric powder
1/2 tsp - pepper (coarsely crushed)
1 tsp - cumin seeds
1 pinch - asafoetida
Fresh ginger, a big piece
2 tbsp - Bengal gram flour (besan)
3/4 tsp - salt
Cooking oil, for seasoning and roasting

Method;

Wash and halve the bananas and pressure cook without adding water. Set aside to cool. Peel and chop the ginger lengthwise into slender pieces resembling match sticks. Grind green chillies, coriander and turmeric powder into a thick paste adding a few drops of water if required. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the crushed peppers and the cumin seeds. When they crackle add asafoetida, besan and the ground paste at half minute intervals and saute together for two more minutes and switch off flame and then add the ginger.Peel the cooked bananas and mash well.Add the banana mash and salt to the sauted paste.Knead together into a thick dough. Take a lemon size ball of the banana mixture and flatten it on your palm. Make a hole in the center . Arrange a batch of banana rings on a greased hot tava, pour a spoon of oil around each banana ring and roast on low flame. Turn over and cook the flip sides of the banana rings till they become golden in colour. Remove the spicy banana rings on to a plate. Enjoy with tomato sauce, mint chutney or any other delicious dip of your choice.

Masala bread tikka

Ingredients:-

Bread- 10 nos,
Potato-4 medium
Green chilli chopped -2 nos,
Coriander powder-1tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp
Mustard seed-1/2 tsp
Curd-5 tbsp
Salt

  Method;

Boil the potato, skin off and mashed thoroughly. Take a pan and add oil, add mustard seed when start to spluttering add the mashed potato,salt,all masala powder and green chilli.Mix well.Cut and remove the brown sides of the bread.Spread the 1 tsp. curd on the one side of the bread. Then, spread the potato masala on the top of the curd. Take another slice of the bread; spread the curd on the one side of bread.Place this slice on top of the potato masala bread slice. Cut into four equal size pieces. Take a pan add 1 tsp of oil/ghee and put the bread slices and cook until side become brown color.Using a flat specula and flip the next side, cook until it becomes golden brown. Serve with tomato ketch up.

Sweet potato pakora

Ingredients;

Sweet potato(meetha gajar) 2 medium
Besan flour-1/2 cup
Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
water as per consistency

Method;

Take bowl add besan flour, red chilli powder, salt and enough water to make little thick batter. Keep it aside. Remove the skin of sweet potato and cut into thinly round shape. Heat oil in a pan for frying.Dip the sweet potato slices into the batter and frying till golden brown.Remove from oil and set them into a paper towel for minutes to squeeze excesses oil. Note;U can use brinjal potato, big green chillies,mango,banana or dudhi,flowergobi instead of sweet potato.

sweet and salty strawberry fried balls

Ingredients:-

Fresh Strawberries – 5-10 nos,
Semolina/Rava-1 cup
Milk-1/2 cup
Sugar-1/2 cup
Coconut slices-1 tbsp
Sesame seed-1 tsp
Cardamom powder-1 tsp
Baking soda- a pinch
Salt – a pinch

    Method;

Make a smooth puree of strawberry with milk and sugar. In a bowl take the rava ,coconut slices,sesame seed,cardamom powder and pour the strawberry puree, a pinch baking powder into this mixture and mix well.Make a little thick batter.Add a pinch of salt into the above batter and keep it aside for 40-60 minutes. Heat kadai on a medium heat. Sprinkle each mould with little oil.Pour batter in each mould cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes till brown in color or cooked well and sides turn .Flip them over with the help of stick and cook again for 5- 10 minutes.

Minestrone veg soup

Ingredients;

Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Chopped onion – 1 medium
Chopped zucchini – 1/4 cup
Frozen Italian beans- 1/4 cup
Minced celery- 1/2 stalk
Minced garlic- 2 tsp
Vegetable broth-4 cup Red kidney beans, drained-1 can (15 ounce)
White beans, drained- 1 can (15 ounce)
Diced tomato – 1/2 can(14 ounce)
Shredded carrot-1/2 cup
Minced fresh parsley-1 tbsp
Dried oregano-1tsp
Ground black pepper-1/2 tsp
Dried basil – 1/2 tsp
Dried thyme(fudina)-1/2 tsp
Hot water-11/2 cups
Spinach-3 cup
Small shell pasta – 1/2 cup

Method;

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a pot.Sauté onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and all spices.Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.Add spinach leaves and small shell pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.

Chilly mushroom gravy.

Ingredients:-

Mushroom – 250 gm
Capsicum - 1/4 cup chopped

For the gravy sauce:-
Onion chopped – 1/2 cup
Soy sauce – 1 tbsp.
Tomato ketchup – 2 tbsp.
Paprika (Kashmiri red chili powder/red chili sauce) - 2tbsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp.(optional)
White vinegar – 2tsp
Corn starch – 2-4 tsp

For garnishing:-
Spring onions - Chopped coriander leaves – 1/4 cup
Garlic chopped – 4-6 tbsp

  Method;

Take a pan with little oil and add cleaned mushroom, salt and add pinch turmeric(optional) cook till all water evaporate.Heat oil in a pan and add onion and sauté onions are become transparent.Add tomato ketchup, soy sauce, red chili sauce/paprika and coriander powder cook until oil start to separate. Add the chopped capsicum.Mix 2 tsp. corn starch with 3tbsp. water and add it to the above mixture .Cook for 5-7 minutes until sauce become thicken.Add the cooked mushrooms and cook for 5-10 minutes.Finely add green onion and chopped garlic,coriander leaves,1tsp vinegar and toss again for 2-3 minutes.Serve hot with roti.

Roasted soya chunks veg

Soya chunks – 1 cup
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Red chili powder – 1tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
garam masala powder – 1tsp (optional)
Onion chopped – 1 big
Tomato chopped – 1 small
Garlic chopped – 1/2 tsp.
Ginger chopped – ½ tsp.
Salt
Oil
     
  Method;

Wash soya chunks then soak in hot water for 1/2 an hour. Squeeze all water well. Pressure cook the soaked soya chunks with water and salt for 1-2 whistles and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan add onion, little salt and and sauté till onions turn light brown in color. Now add ginger and garlic and sated for a second.Add tomato and fry till tomatoes are done.Add all powders and fry at low heat till raw smell goes. Finally add cooked soya chunks into above masala mix and mix well, just springle little water, close the lid and cooked 5-10 minutes at low heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Soya chunks curry with coconut

Ingredients:-

Soya chunk- 1 cup
Onion cut into medium cubes-1/2 cup
Tomato,chopped-1 medium
Potato,cut into medium cubes-1medium
Grated coconut-1/2 cup
Garlic pods-2-3 nos;
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tbsp
Red chilli powder-1/4 tsp
Whole Black pepper-5-7 nos; or use
 pepper powder ½ tsp
garam masala powder-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-1 strand
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method; Soak soya chunks into the hot water for 30 minutes. ·Discard the water and squeeze the excess water off the soya chunk and keep it aside (cut the soya chunks into two halves) Pressure cook soya chunks with salt,little water and keep it aside. Meanwhile roast the coconut, 2 tbsp onion, whole black pepper, garlic until coconut become brown in color.Finally add coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and roast for 1-2 minutes.Grind the above roasted coconut mixture with water and make a smooth past.Heat oil in a pan and add onion and sauté till onion become transparent.Add the tomato, sauté for 2-3 minutes, and then add the potato cubes.Add the ground coconut paste into mixture and sauté for 2-4 minutes. Finally add the cooked soya chunks and close the lid, cook it for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with coriander, curry leaves.

Peas masala coconut curry

Ingredients:-
Butter Peas-250 gm. (I used Frozen)
Onion, chopped -1/2 cup
Tomato, chopped-1 medium
Grated coconut-1/2 cup
Garlic pods-2-3 nos;
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1 tbsp
Red chilli powder-1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp
Mustard seed-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves-1 strand
Coriander leaves for garnishing

    Method;

Pressure cook butter peas with salt,turmeric powder with little water and keep it aside.Meanwhile roast the coconut, 2 tbsp onion, garlic until coconut become brown in color.Finally add coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and roast for 1-2 minutes. Grind the above roasted coconut mixture with water and make a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seed,when start to spluttering add onion and sauté till onion become transparent.Add the tomato, sauté for 2-3 minutes.Add the ground coconut paste into mixture and sauté for 2-4 minutes.Finally add the cooked butter peas and close the lid, cook it for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with coriander, curry leaves.

Mushroom manchurian.

Ingredients:-

Mushroom-6-10 nos;
For Dipping Ingredients:-
Plain flour-5tbsp
Cornflour-3 tbsp
Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp
Salt
Water
Oil for frying
For Dry masala
Onion, chopped-1 big
Ginger, chopped- 1 tsp
Garlic, chopped-5 tsp
Green chilli, chopped-1-3 nos
Soya sauce-1-2 tbsp
Tomato sauce-2-3 tbsp
Kashmiri Red chilli powder/PaprikaKashmiri Red chilli powder/Paprika-1 tbsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Vinegar-1 tbsp.
Salt
Oil

For Garnishing
Spring onion, chopped-3tbsp, coriander leaves

Method;

Clean the mushrooms thoroughly.Make a thick batter,using dipping ingredients.Dip mushroom in the batter and fry it till golden brown in colour.Keep it aside.In the same oil ,add chopped onions and fry until transparent.Add the chopped garlic,ginger,green chillies and saute for 3-5 minutes.Add all the powders and soya sauce,tomato sauce,vinegar and salt.Saute for a while.Add the fried mushroom and combine well.Make sure that mushrooms are well coated with the sauce.Garnish with spring onion and coriander leaves.Serve with fried rice.

Spicy potato sauted with onion and tomato paste

Ingredients;

4 Medium sized potato heads
4 medium sized yellow/white onions
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of tomato paste
2/3 to 1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon of Pepper or Hot Chili Pepper powder (or to taste)

Method;

Cut onions vertically. Cut the potatoes in squares of 1 inch, and a thickness of 1/3 to 1/2 of an inch. Don’t make them too thick otherwise they won’t cook fast enough Heat the olive oil in a cooking pot, then cook the onions on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until they start to turn slightly brown.At which point, add the potatoes, add the salt and pepper, mix the tomato paste with 1/2 cup of water and add to the pot and give it a nice stir. Lower the heat and let the potatoes cook and simmer for about 20 minutes. Make sure to stir every 3 minutes so they don’t stick to the pot. If you find that the liquid dried out from the pot, you can add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water

Veg stew of okra(bindi)

Ingredients;

1kg of Okra(bindi)
1 and 1/2 medium sized onions
4 large mushrooms, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 large can of diced tomatoes (preferably firewood)
4 cloves of freshly peeled garlic, minced
2 bell peppers
salt
1/2 to 1 cup of Coconut Oil (or other oils) for frying

Method;

Cut/discard the stems of Okra, rinse well, then let dry. Chop all the other vegetables and mince the garlic.In a deep pot, fry the Okra in 1/2 cup of oil until they turn brownish, then place them on paper towels or in strainer to strain away the oil. In the same pot, add 4-6 teaspoons of fresh oil and saute the onions and mushrooms until they turn golden/lightly caramelized. Add the bell pepper and saute for 3-4 more minutes.Add the okra to the cooking pot, stir well, then add the diced tomatoes and chopped tomatoes, the garlic,and salt, mix well and let stew on low heat for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Spinach mushroom lasagna

Ingredients
For the Bechamel (White) Sauce
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup finely chopped Onion
1/2 tbsp Garlic paste (minced garlic)
2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
1-3/4 cup 2% Milk
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Bay leaf
ground Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

For the Pasta and Layering

  7 Brown Rice Lasagna Sheets,
5 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, or store bought 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese,
4 oz fresh Mozzarella Cheese, crumbled
Pinch of Salt
For the Spinach and Mushroom Stuffing
10 oz (abt 300 grms) fresh Spinach, with trimmed ends
1/2 tbsp Salt
4 oz Button Mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thick

Method;

Blanch spinach in boiling salted water for about 10 seconds or until just wilted. Transfer to a cold water bath or just sprinkle cold water to stop it from cooking further and let it cool. Takes about a minute.Now squeeze out the water as much as possible.Chop it coarsely and set aside.In a pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and add the mushrooms.Cook them until slightly browned. Set aside.In the same pan melt 2 tbsp butter in medium heat until its starts foaming.Add the onion and garlic pasta and cook whisking it until the onions are soft.Next, add in the flour and cook - keep whisking it to avoid the butter from browning. We do this in order to toast the flour (to avoid the raw grainy taste later on) Gradually add in the milk and bring the mixture to a boil over med-high heat. Keep whisking it. Add the bay leaf, nutmeg, salt and pepper and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Whisk it on and off.When you find the mixture is thick and saucy, add in the Parmesan cheese and whisk until mixed. Remove the bay leaf. Set aside abt 1/4 cup of the sauce and in the remaining sauce, whisk in the spinach until well combined. You would have around 2 cups of the spinach-bechamel sauce While this is happening, in another pan, cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. In another bowl, whisk the ricotta cheese along with salt until smooth. Set aside. Preheat Oven to 425F. Grease your baking dish with some butter. I used a 6 cup (1.5 L) 8X6X2" dish for my lasagna, but you can use whatever you have. Layer the bottom with some bechamel sauce (abt 1/4 cup that you set aside). Now place 3 noodles on top of it, side by side. Since I did not have much of a space, I overlapped my noodles. Note: From here on you can layer it as your fancy strikes. Just make sure to have some sauce and cheese leftover for the last layer to cover the noodles. Spread about 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture.Sprinkle Parmesan over the spinach mixture.Layer that again with 3 more noodles.Layer that with 1/2 cup spinach mixture and 1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese.Layer the ricotta cheese mixture over it and spread until it covers the layer,followed by mushrooms. Cover with remaining spinach mixture completely enclosing the pasta and toss in the mozzarella cheese as last layer.Cover the top with foil (grease the inner side of the foil with some oil so that it doesn't stick to the cheese)and bake for 10-15 min or until it starts bubbling. Remove the foil and now Boil the lasagna for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is browned in spots. Let it cool for about 10 minutes and then cut them into pieces. Serve.

Butter beans(white and thin kidney beans) with tomato

Ingredients;

3 cups canned butter beans
1 large onion,chopped
1 carrot,chopped finely
1-2 garlic cloves,minced (or as per taste)
about 1/2 tsp dried oregano and thyme (or use double of the fresh herbs)
2 large tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
pinch of sugar
salt to taste
few sprigs of cilantro to garnish

Method;

In a skillet add about 1 tsp oil and saute the onions and garlic with salt. When slightly soft, add the carrots. Chopping them small helps to cook it faster. Add the tomatoes, the dried herbs and the tomato paste. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup water and cook it in high heat. We want the tomatoes to get mushy and well cooked without any raw smell. In fact it gets aromatic with the herbs - esp. Oregano.When most of the water has been absorbed, add the beans. Make sure to rinse the canned beans in cold water first. Add the sugar . The sugar is to balance any tart/sour taste from the tomatoes and cutting down the acidity. Add the cilantro and give it a toss until well stirred with the tomato mixture. Make sure to be gentle since the beans can disintegrate.Serve hot. This is not dry nor like a gravy.

Dal bukhara

Ingredients;
1 cup (7oz/200 grams) Whole Black Gram (Indian Black lentils/Urad dal)
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
4 med-large Tomatoes chopped, preferably ripe
2 tbsp Tomato paste,
1 Jalapeno/Green Chilies, as per taste
Abt 2" ginger, peeled and grated
2-3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp Cumin
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Turmeric
Large pinch of Asafoetida
1 tsp Cumin-Coriander powder
1 tsp dried Fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
Abt 1 tbsp Jaggery, grated, or as per taste -
  About 1/3 cup finely chopped onions (optional) and
cilantro sprigs for garnish

.Tips;
 Tomato Paste: If you do not have tomato paste, you can substitute it with some tomato puree - approx 2-3 tbsp for 1 tbsp of the paste. 2. Jaggery: Sugar generally tends to balance out that acidic/sour taste of the tomatoes. But you can use regular sugar instead. You would need to adjust the amount according to the taste of your tomatoes.

Method;

Soak the lentil for 6-8 hours. I do it the previous night after washing it in cold water couple of times. You can choose to either cook it on a stove top for 30-40 minutes (or until cooked) or go the Indian (easy and fastest) route of using your pressure cooker. Take only around 10 minutes without you having to check on water levels. Add the bay leaf and 3 cups water to the lentils. Pressure cook to 3-4 whistles. Its perfectly OK if its mushy 'cos that's what you want for this.Mash it with a potato masher. Though you don't per se this much water to cook the lentils, I add it since this is a gravy based dish. Set aside. While the lentils were cooking, you can alternatively heat up a pan. Add 1-2 tbsp butter (or 2-3 tsp oil, if richness is not necessary). Add cumin along with Asafoetida and when aromatic, add the onion and chilies. Saute for a minute and add the garlic and ginger.Next goes the chopped tomatoes. Add the salt and saute for another minute.Add 1 cup water, increase the heat and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes or until you find it becoming more of a sauce.Close with the lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 6-8 minutes until u find it thickens into a red gravy.Add the cooked lentils to it,and stir to combine.Cover the lid,reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for atleast 10 minutes.Few minutes before serving,crush the kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves with your fingers and add it to the dal.Stir to combine.Serve hot,garnish with some finely chopped onions and coriander leaves.

Channa palak

Ingredients

1 cup cooked chickpeas, or used canned after draining it well
1-2 bunches of spinach, coarsely chopped
  1 red onion.chopped
2-3 medium tomatoes,chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds(saunf)
1 stick cinnamon
2 bay leaf(tej patta)
pinch of clove powder and cardamom powder (optional)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp mango powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1-2 green chillies, thinly sliced (or as per taste) salt to taste

Tips * I usually add cinnamon, bay leaf and turmeric while cooking chickpeas and then discard the cinnamon and bay leaf once the chickpeas is cooked.

Method;

In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil. Add cumin, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom powder, bay leaf in that order. The second the aroma starts wafting, add the onion and then ginger garlic paste. Saute until onion get soft. Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies along with the rest of the seasoning including salt. Add about 1/4 cup of water and increase the heat. Cook until the tomatoes break down and become like a gravy. Reduce heat and discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.Add the chopped spinach on top. Let it wilt slightly.Add the chickpeas and close with the lid. Cook until the spinach wilts completely. Stir to combine , add more seasoning if you required. You can add more water and mash few of the chickpeas to create a thick consistency.Serve hot with roti or rice.

Spinach cheese swirls

Ingredients;

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed at room temp
1 cup of frozen spinach, thawed and all moisture squeezed dry
2-3 spring onions, chopped
Italian seasoning - or simple salt/pepper
1/4-1/2 cup mixed cheese, grated

Method;

Preheat Oven to 400F. Lay out the pastry sheets on a floured surface and spread it with cheese.Mix the spinach, onions and seasoning in a bowl and then spread it over the cheese. Now slowly roll the sheet from the shortest end closer to you - like a jelly roll.Cut them into slices and either brush it with butter. Place them in a baking sheet and bake them till golden. Serve them warm.

Tuvar dal koftas in spinach gravy

Ingredients;

 For Spinach Sauce

A bunch of spinach
  1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp sugar and
 salt to taste

To be ground into a paste

2-3 cloves garlic grated
 25mm ginger
1 green chili or as per taste
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp cashew nuts
coriander leaves
1 tsp aniseed

For the Koftas

1 cup toor dal ( yellow lentil ), soaked in warm water for minimum 30min
1 medium onion
grated ginger
some coriander leaves

  Method;

Drain the toor dal well.Saute the onions,ginger and chilly in little oil with salt. Grind coriander leaves, onions,ginger with Toor dal with no water. It should be a coarse paste with salt, if not added before. Make balls out of them and steam in a cooker. Make sure not to over steam since it can get v hard. Cool and keep aside.Wash the spinach and blanch them in water for 2-3 min. Liquidise it in a blender.Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the ground paste to it. Cook for a while.Add the spinach along with curd,salt and sugar. Simmer for 5-8 min.Place the steamed balls in a plate and pour the gravy on top.

Baked soyabean koftas

Ingredients

For the Koftas

  1 cup Soya beans
1 large potato
1 small onion, (shallots/red onions work great.)
1-2 green chillies, finely sliced (or as per taste)
few cilantro(coriander leaves) sprigs for garnish
juice and zest of one lemon
salt to taste
About 1/2-1 cup of Soya chunks (Indian stores)
For Simple Gravy
1 onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
about 1/4-1/2 cup tomato puree
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Method;

Soak the soy beans overnight. Cook them in a pressure cooker. No problems if it gets mushy. Steam the potato in the steamer (with the skin. It has nutrition too) Now mix all the ingredients for the koftas together except the soya chunks/TVP. Mash them with your hands or pulse it up in your food processor - whatever works for you.If you are not able to make it into a ball and the dough seems moist, add some soy flour to thicken it up.Spread the soy chunks on a plate and coat the balls with them.Repeat with all the balls and place them in a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for about 10-15 minutes in an 400F oven. Meanwhile in a skillet, in a 1/4 tsp oil (or skip the oil. Just place the onions and cumin on the hot skillet with some salt. The salt will bring out the moisture and help the onions cook easily. That way you cut the oil and make this dish oil free), saute the cumin seeds along with onions, ginger garlic paste and the spices together for a minute until soft.Add the tomato paste (if using) and the puree. Add enough water to make sufficient gravy and once it comes to a boil, thicken it up with little soy flour/cornstarch and bring it to a simmer. Remove the koftas from the Oven and pour half the sauce over each of the koftas until they are soaked in the gravy. Bake them for another 10 minutes and before serving pour out the remaining gravy.

Baked carrot and sweet potato fries

 Ingredients;
1 sweet potato, washed and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
6-8 carrots, washed and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dried herbs (try parsley, rosemary, or thyme)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Method;

Preheat oven at 400°F. Cut sweet potato and carrots into french fry strips. In a large baking sheet, toss carrots and sweet potatoes with olive oil, dried herbs and salt & pepper. Arrange in a single layer and make sure to flip the fries over two or three times to brown evenly. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Fried modak for Ganesha

Ingredients;

 For the outer covering;

Plain flour / Maida - 1 cup
  Fine Semolina - 2 tbsps
  Ghee - 1 tbsp
  Salt - 1/2 a pinch

  To make the dough for the outer covering;

Mix all the ingredients together. Knead into a smooth and soft dough by adding the required amount of water little by little. Cover the dough and allow it to stand for at least one hour.

Ingredients to make the sweet filling;
Dried coconut/ Copra (grated) -1 cup
  Jaggery (Crushed) - 1 cup
  Cardamom - 2
  Grind all the ingredients together in a mixer till they come together as a ball of sweet filling .

To make the modaks;

Take a plum size ball of the dough and roll into a thin poori. Make a small ball using a tablespoon of the sweet filling (Pooranam) and place it in the centre of the poori.Gather the edges of the poorie like a bag with the filling inside, twist and press together to make a peak on top. Make modaks similarly till the entire dough and the filling are used up. Heat oil in a kadai. Gently slide the Modak . Decrease heat and fry on all sides turning them now and then using a perforated ladle.When they look cooked increase heat and fry till the Modaks become crisp and golden in colour. Remove the fried modaks using the perforated ladle and drain on a paper towel.

Chickpea subji

Ingredients:

Chole(kabuli chana) - 1 Cup
Salt - To Taste
Red Chilli - 2
Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves - few
Hing - a pinch

For Seasoning: Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Method:

Soak the Chole in water overnight.The next day pressure cook the chole and allow for 3 whistles.Heat the pan, pour some oil and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds begins to sputter, add hing, curry leaves, broken red chilli and then add the cooked chole and salt and mix it well.Finally add the grated coconut and mix it well

Black eye beans curry(lobiya)

Ingredients:

black eye beans(lobiya)0- 1/2 Cup
Onion - 1 big size and 1 small size.
Salt - To Taste
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
For Grinding;
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ginger - 1 small piece
Green Chilli - 2 medium size

For Seasoning
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Jeera -1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few

Method:

Pressure cook the lobiya and keep it aside.Finely chop 1 small onion and keep it aside.In a pan, pour the oil and when the oil is hot add the cumin seeds/jeera and when the cumin seeds starts to sputter add curry leaves.Now add the finely chopped onion and fry it until it becomes transparent.Add a pinch of turmeric to the fried onion and keep it aside. Grind another onion along with tomato, ginger, green chilli, cumin seeds.Add this ground paste to a pan and fry it till the raw smell goes off.Once the ground masala is cooked, add the cooked lobiya along with the seasoned onion mixture and add salt and mix it well.Add required amount of water to make the mixture as gravy Garnish with coriander leaves Serve the hot-hot Lobia with Rice / Chappati.

Potatoa curd gravy

Ingredients:

Potato 2
Chopped Green chilli 1 Teaspoon
Chopped ginger 1 Teaspoon
Curd 4 Tablespoon
Coriander powder 2 Tablespoon
Gram Flour 2 Teaspoon
Red chilli powder 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves few
turmeric Powder 1 Teaspoon

For Seasoning:

Oil 1 Tablespoon
Cumin seeds/Jeera 1 Teaspoon

Method:

Pressure cook the potatoes and peel the skin and cut it into small square shaped pieces and keep it aside In a bowl mix the curd along with coriander powder, chopped green chilli,ginger,red chilli powder,turmeric powder and keep it aside.In a heavy bottomed pan, pour the oil and add cumin seeds. When then cumin seeds starts to sputter add gram flour and fry it till it becomes light brown color.To this add curd mixture and fry it for sometime till the oil leaves from the mixture.Now add the chopped cooked potatoes and stir it will and add required salt.Add two cup of water into the gravy and let it boil. Once the gravy starts boiling then reduce the flame into low and allow the gravy to cook for about 5 minutes.Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves The delicious potato curd gravy is ready to serve with hot chapatis

Babycorn-alu masala

Ingredients:

Baby corn 15
Potato 3
Salt To Taste
Small onions 1/2 Cup
Tomato 3
Cumin Seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Oil 1 tablespoon

For Grinding:
Onion 2
Garlic Pods 2
Pudhina leaves 1 tablespoon
Coriander Leaves 1 tablespoon
Red Chilli powder 1 /4 teaspoon
Green Chilli 1
Oil 1 tablespoon
Coriander Powder 1/2 teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder 1 tablespoon
Cashew nuts 10
Salt To Taste

Method:

Chop the onions and keep it aside. Soak the tomatoes in boiling water for some time and remove the skin. Grind the tomatoes and keep it aside.Pressure cook the potatoes and baby corn. Remove the potato skin and smash the potatoes.Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, when the cumin seeds starts to sputter, add onions and fry it till it becomes transparent.Grind the ingredients and add it to the frying onions and allow it to fry till we get good aroma of the ground masala ingredients. To this add tomato paste and mix well and allow it to fry.Finally add cooked corn and smashed potatoes and salt and mix well.Add necessary water and allow the masala to boil and becomes thick.Serve with Chappti/Roti

Carrot grounut cashew masala

Ingredients:

Carrot 2
Onion 2
Salt To Taste
Tomato 2
Coriander Leaves few
Dry Methi leaves 1 tablespoon
Oil 1 tablespoon
Coriander Powder 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder 1 teaspoon

For Grinding:
Grated Coconut 1/4 Cup
Cashew nuts 10
Grated Carrot 1/2 Cup
Red Chilli 2
Ground nut 1/2 Cup

Method:

Finely chop the onions and keep it aside.Chop the tomatoes and grind it and take the tomato paste in a separate bowl.Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and fry till it becomes transparent.To this add masala powder, coriander powder, tomato paste and mix well.Heat another pan separately, add grated carrot and ghee and fry for a while Grind the fried grated carrot, cashew nuts, ground nuts, red chilli and grated coconut in a mixer and keep it aside.Add the ground mixture to the boiling masala in the pan and mix well along with salt.To this add grated carrot and necessary water Once the carrot is cooked well, garnish the masala with coriander leaves and methi leaves.

Palak (spinach)vada

Ingredients:

Chopped (Spinach)1 Cup
Green Chilli 2 Nos
Channa dal(Gram dal)1/2 Cup
Oil For Frying
Urad dal 2 tablespoon
Chopped Ginger 1 Teaspoon
Hing A Pinch
Salt To Taste

Method:

Mix all the dals and Soak the dals in water for 3 hours.After 3 hours filter the water and keep the dal for 1 more hour.After an hour, Keep 3 table spoon of the dal separately in a bowl and grind the remaining dal with salt and a pinch of hing without adding water. Add the above ground mixture with the 3 table spoon of the dals in a bowl along with green chilli and ginger and keep this aside. Clean the chopped spinach in water to remove sand from it.Add the chopped spinach to the dal mixture and mix it well. Heat the oil in a kadai and once the oil is hot, make small rounds of ground dal and press it in the center and put it in the oil and deep fry it. Once the Vada becomes brownish color take it out in a bowl with a paper towel to dry the oil and serve hot. Y

Chappati upma

Ingredients:

Carrot 1
Potato 1
Beans 100gms
Onion 1
Tomato 1
Chapatti 4
Green Chilli 1
Salt To Taste

For seasoning:
Oil 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds 1 tsp

  Method:

Cut the Chapattis into small pieces and keep it aside.Chop the vegetables & onions into smaller pieces and keep it aside.Heat the oil in pan, and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begins to sputter, add the broken chilli and chopped onion and fry till onion turns transparent.Now add the chopped vegetables and fry them till they are cooked completely.To these cooked vegetables, add chapatti pieces and mix it well. Add the necessary salt and mix it well. Now the delicious Chapatti upma is ready to serve hot. You can also add Capsicum and Green Peas with this upma.

Puri with masala alu(potato) sabji

Ingredients for Poori:

Wheat Flour(Atta)1 Cup
Rawa(Semolina) 2 tablespoon
All purpose flour(Maida)1/2 Cup
Salt To Taste
Hot Milk/Water 1 Ladle Water As needed
Oil 1/4 Litre

Ingredients for Masala:

Potato 4 big size
Onion 1
Tomato 1
Salt To Taste
Mustard Seeds 1 teaspoon
Green Chilli 2
Channa dal 1 teaspoon
Coriander Leaves few
Turmeric Powder 1/4 teaspoon
Oil 1 tablespoon

Method to prepare Masala:

Pressure cook the potatoes and once cooked, remove the skin and break it into small pieces.Finely chop the onion and tomato and green chilli and keep it aside. In a heavy bottomed pan, add gingelly oil and add mustard seeds when the oil is hot.When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add channa dal and fry until it becomes golden red color.Now add turmeric powder, along with chopped green chillies, tomato and onion.Fry it till tomato and onion are cooked completely.Now add cooked potato pieces and mix it well along with salt.Add required water and make the consistency little thin so that it will be like gravy.Finely garnish with chopped coriander leaves.The delicious Potato masala is ready to serve with Poori Method to make Poori Take the rawa in a pan, add hot milk/water and leave it for 5 mins.To this add wheat flour(Atta) along with maida, salt and water and knead it to a tight dough Make small balls of the wheat flour. Take one ball of wheat flour and roll it to 4-5 inch poori using a rolling pin. The same way make other balls of wheat flour In a heavy bottomed pan, pour the oil and when the oil is hot, gently put the rolled dough.Immediately start flickering hot oil over the top of it with a spatula so that it will swell up like a ball.This should take only a few seconds. Flip the poori over and cook the other side until golden brown. Yummy poori is ready to serve with Masala.

Tamarind upma (imli)

Ingredients:

Raw Rice 1 Cup
Parboiled Rice1 Cup
Coconut 1/2
Red Chilli 10
Hing 1/2 teaspoon
Tamarind 1 small lemon size
Oil 1/4 Cup

For Seasoning:
Urad dal 1 teaspoon
Channa dal 2 teaspoon
Curry Leaves few
Mustard Seeds 1/4 teaspoon
Oil 1 teaspoon

Method:

Soak both the rice in water for 2-3 hours.Soak the tamarind in water and extract the juice and keep it aside Drain water from the soaked rice and add this to grinder along with the red chilli, grated coconut, salt and hing Grind to a sooji like batter.To this add tamarind extract and stir it well In a heavy bottomed pan, add some oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add the chana dal, urad dal and curry leaves and fry till the dals turns golden brown color. To this add ground batter and keep the flame low till the oil separates from the upma Serve the delicious upma with raw onions

Coconut milk cake

Ingredients;

Gram Flour 1 cup
sugar 3.5 Cup
Ghee 3/4 Cup
Wheat flour 1 cup
Coconut 1
Cashew nuts 20
orange powder 1 teaspoon

Method:

Take a flat plate and grease it with ghee and keep it aside Grate the coconut and take 1/3rd part to fry and grind the remaining in a mixer to extract thick coconut milk.Again grind the coconut by adding little water and take the 2nd milk separately Again grind the coconut with water and take 3rd milk separately. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, add 4 teaspoon of ghee and add gram flour and fry for a while till a good aroma comes. The flour should not become red color. Take the fried flour separately Now the same way, add 4 teaspoon of ghee in the pan, and fry the wheat flour and take it aside Add another 4 teaspoon of ghee and add broken cashews and grated coconut and fry it till the coconut becomes golden brown color Heat another heavy bottomed pan and add the 2nd and 3rd coconut milk along with sugar and stir continuously with a ladle When the sugar syrup reaches thick string consistency, add the fried flours and fried coconut, cashew nuts and mix it well When the mixture starts to boil, add the first coconut milk, and stir well. When the mixture starts to become thick, add ghee and stir well Add orange powder and cardamom stir well. When the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan remove the mixture from flame and pour it in the greasy plate.Allow the coconut milk cake to cool off Now cut the cake mixture into square/diamond/rectangle shapes using knife When the cake is dried off completely, remove each piece carefully and store it in a airtight container. Now the delicious mouth-watering coconut milk cake is ready to serve Note: If the mixture is removed from flame well before the actual time, then no need to worry, serve the sweet as coconut milk halwa.

semolina,vermecelli and poha ladoos

Ingredients:

Rawa(Semolina) 1 Cup
 (100 gms) Vermicelli
1 Cup Aval 1 Cup(poha)
Ghee 1 Cup
Cashew nuts 10
Sugar 3 Cups
Cardamom powder 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Heat the pan and dry roast rawa, vermicelli & aval till the rawa turns golden brown colour.Take the roasted rawa(Semolina), vermicelli, aval and sugar in a mixer Grind it to a nice powder and take the ground flour in a vessel and keep it aside In a pan, heat a little amount of ghee and add the cashews and fry until it turns golden brown color and keep it aside.Now heat the remaining ghee in a low flame and add cardamom powder Take the ground Rawa/Sooji mixture in a separate pan and 1 ladle of ghee around the ground mixture along with few cashews and using a spoon mix the mixture well. Make sure that the ghee- Rawa/Sooji mixture is in a right consistency that lets you make small lemon sized balls.Now take small quantity of Rawa/Sooji mixture and press it hard to make it like a small ball/lemon Repeat the above steps for the remaining ground Rawa/Sooji mixture. The delicious triple shot Laddu is ready for serving. Store it in an air tight container.

Singdane aur gudh ke ladoo(groundnut and jaggery balls)

Ingredients;

Peanuts 2 Cups
Jaggery 3/4 Cup
Water(For dissolving jaggery) 1 ladle

Method:

Take jaggery and fried peanut . Remove the skin of the fried peanut and keep it ready. In a pan, add jaggery and water and allow the jaggery to dissolve. When the jaggery gets dissolved, strain the jaggery juice to remove sand particles. Again add the strained jaggery juice in the pan and allow it to boil in low flame till it becomes stone consistency( When a drop of jaggery juice is added to water, it should not dissolve, rather we should be able to rotate it to a ball)When the jaggery juice reaches the correct consistency, remove from flame and add it to the peanuts and mix well Wet the hands and take small quantity of the peanut-jaggery mixture and make it to equal sized balls.

Spinach creamy pasta

Ingredients:

For Pasta;
6 0z penne pasta approx. 2 cups uncooked pasta
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
Sauce 2 tablespoons
 olive oil 2 tablespoons
 all purpose flour (plain flour, maida) 1 teaspoon
 dry basil 1 teaspoon
 Italian herb mix 1/8 teaspoon
 black pepper 1/2 teaspoon
 red chili flakes adjust to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 0z chopped spinach without stem about 2 cups

Method;

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt and oil.After water boils add the pasta. Cook the pasta until it is tender this will take about 10 minutes. Drain the water and set pasta aside. Heat the oil over medium heat and add all-purpose flour, then stir for a minute. Add basil, Italian herb mix, black pepper, and chili flakes, and stir for another minute.While stirring slowly add cream making sure there are no lumps. After it comes to a boil, add milk then bring it to a boil again.Add spinach, mix it well and let it cook for 2-3 minutes stirring continuously, then turn off the heat. Add Mozzarella cheese and stir.Pour the sauce over pasta and toss.

Cabbage pizza

Ingredients:

Dough;

2 3/4 cupsAll Purpose flour (Plain flour or Maida)
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon dry active yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
White Sauce 2 tablespoons
 olive oil 2 1/2 tablespoons
All Purpose flour (Plain flour or Maida) 3/4 cup
 milk 1 teaspoon
 salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  Cabbage Topping;

3 cups sliced cabbage
1/2 thinly sliced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (Green coriander)
2 chopped green chilies

Method: Dough: Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and let it sit for about 20 minutes or until the yeast becomes frothy.Add sugar, salt and oil to the flour and mix well. Add the yeast water and make into a dough. The dough should be soft and a little sticky. Add more water if needed.Cover the dough and let it sit for about four hours. The dough should be double in volume.Knead the dough well using a little dry flour. White Sauce: Heat the oil in a small heavy saucepan over low-medium heat.Add the flour and cook until the flour changes into a light brown color.Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking slowly until it is smooth and thick. Add the salt and black pepper. Cabbage Topping: Mix the cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, and green chilies with the white sauce. Method of pizza Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees, placing a pizza stone inside for about 30 minutes so the pizza stone will be hot.Divide the dough in to two equal parts and roll into two 8 inch diameter pizzas.Place over greased cookie sheets. Put about a half teaspoon of olive oil over the pizza. Evenly spread the cabbage mixture onto the pizza.Slide the cookie sheet on the pizza stone and let it cook for about five minutes.To make a crispy pizza crust, remove the pizza from the cookie sheet and place over the pizza stone.Let it cook for about 7 minutes, or until the edges are golden-brown.

Palak (spinach )chat

Ingredients:

Approx. 5oz spinach leaves
4 tablespoons besan, gram flour
4 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
Approx. 1/4 cup of water use as needed
Oil to fry

For Serving
Approx. 1/4 cup of tamarind sweet and sour chutney.

  Method;

Clean and pat dry the spinach.Keep about 10 large spinach leaves aside; chop the remaining spinach very fine, this will be about 2 cups of chopped spinach. Next make the batter to fry the spinach leaves, mix 2 tablespoons of besan, 2 tablespoons of corn starch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Add approx. 2 tablespoons of water slowly to make a batter. Note: batter should be thin in consistency but still should be able to cover the spinach for frying. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Frying pan should have approx. 1inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should come up but not change color right away. Dip the spinach leaves in the batter one at a time and slowly drop into the frying pan. Fry the spinach until both sides are light gold. Turn them occasionally. This will take about 2 minutes. Keep aside. In left over batter add chopped spinach, salt, corn starch and besan mix it well, this should be the consistency of soft dough, add water as needed. Take about 1tablespoon of batter shaping in small balls drop them into the oil. Fry them until they are golden brown. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Take them out over paper towel. Serving suggestion Dip the small pakoras in tamarind chutney and serve them with the fried spinach leaves.

Veggie wrap

Ingredients:

4 Phulkas (Flat Indian Bread)
1/2 cup Corn Kernels
4 medium sized Mushrooms thinly sliced
1/2 cup Cabbage finely shredded
1 small Carrot finely shredded
2 small cubes Cheese grated or crumbled
4 tablespoon Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoon Cream Cheese or Veg Mayonnaise or Hung Curd
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder

Method;

Keep 4 phulkas ready without applying any fat over them.Put 1 teaspoon olive oil in a nonstick pan and keep it on medium flame.When oil is hot, add cut mushrooms and corn.Season to taste with salt and pepper. Then saute till mushrooms are cooked. Mixture should become completely dry, so cook till all water evaporates.Switch off the flame and let it cool down.Now to assemble the wrap, keep one phulka in a dish. Apply the spread of your choice (cream cheese in this case)spread it evenly all over the phulka.Now add 1 to 2 tablespoon of mushroom and corn mixture in the central part.On that put cabbage and carrot. Sprinkle some salt and paper on it. Now put 3/4 tablespoon cheese and spread it vertically.Add tomato sauce on the pile. Fold from both sides and the wrap is ready to serve. Assemble the wrap on the tava and keep it on slow flame for 2 minutes. This will make the wrap hot and crispy.

Cheese para

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
50 grams (1 3/4 ounces) cheese (Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese)
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water to knead the dough
Oil for frying

Method;

Grate the cheese finely. (Use the smallest size possible) Take cold butter and chop them into small pieces using a knife. Make sure the butter is straight out of the fridge and is not at room temperature. Using cold butter will make the cheeslings crisp and flaky. Mix salt, red chili powder, grated cheese and butter in the flour.Add water little at a time and knead the mixture into a firm but smooth dough. Cover the mixture with a damp cloth/ kitchen towel and let it rest for 15 minutes. Knead the dough and divide this into 4 equal parts.Roll out each part into a circle of approximately 8-inch diameter.Cut into rectangular pieces such that each cheese ling is about l 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Heat oil on medium heat.Once the oil is hot, drop the pieces and fry till they are golden brown. Do not fry them until brown else the cheese will taste bitter. Tips Since the cheese is added directly to the flour while kneading the dough, make sure that it is finely grated else the cheese will separate while frying and will burn. For 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 50 grams of cheese is sufficient for a subtle cheese taste. However you can increase the amount of cheese in case you want the cheese to dominate the taste. Be careful while adding more cheese as it can separate while frying. You can substitute the red chilli powder with ground pepper as well.

Spicy veg chilli

Ingredients ;
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion,
chopped 2 large bell peppers (1 green, 1 red),
 chopped 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
salt to taste
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 to 1 chipotle chile pepper(dried capsicum chilli or jalepeno) in adobo sauce(made of paprika,oregano,salt,garlic and vinegar) chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans,(RED KIDNEY BEANS OR RAJMA) drained and rinsed
1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro(corainder leaves), plus
 torn leaves for topping (optional)
Shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese,
 sliced scallions and/ or plain low-fat yogurt, for topping (optional)

Method;

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, carrots and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, chipotle, tomato paste and tortillas and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste is brick red, about 4 minutes (add a splash of water if the mixture begins to stick). Add the coffee and simmer until almost completely reduced, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, cocoa powder, beans and 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens slightly, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the large stems off the cauliflower and coarsely grate the florets on a box grater. About 10 minutes before the chili is done cooking, stir in the grated cauliflower. Cook 10 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped cilantro and season with salt. Add some water if the chili is too thick. Ladle into bowls and add toppings.

Stir fried veg

Ingredients
1 cup spinach leaves (sliced)
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup carrots sliced
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup jalapenos(red and green capsicum)
1/4 cup peas(mutter)
1/4 cup mushroom sliced
1/4 cup shallots(small red or purple onions)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar to taste
1 tbsp Thai chilli in oil
1 cup bean sprouts
salt to taste


Method;

Heat a little peanut oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat, and stir in the Thai chili in oil and soy sauce When mixed and aromatic, add all the other ingredients except the sugar and bean sprouts Stir fry until just cooked (the vegetables should still be crispy), tasting for balance and sugar(If the mixture becomes too dry, add a little water. If it remains too wet, add a little arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce) Add salt as required Remove from the heat and stir in the bean sprouts Serve with steamed Thai jasmine rice

Bottle gourd yakhni(dudhi ki sabji)

Ingredients;

500 grams (about 20 oz.) bottle gourd peeled, cut into roundels and washed
2 teaspoon(s) cumin seeds
4 cloves
1/2 teaspoon(s) each of asafoetida and dry ginger powder
2 whole red chilli(es)
1 teaspoon(s) aniseed powder (saunf powder)
  1 teaspoon(s) hot spice mix (garam masala) powder
2 cup(s) yoghurt beaten
2 cup(s) water
2 tablespoon(s) oil
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Method;

Pat dry the bottle gourd roundels. Heat the oil for deep frying in a pan and fry the bottle gourd roundels till they are slightly browned. Drain and keep aside. Heat oil in another pan till very hot. Add the cloves, asafoetida and cumin seeds. Fry on medium heat for 2 minute(s) or till the cumin seeds are a shade darker. Add the deep fried bottle gourd roundels, aniseed powder, dry ginger powder, whole red chilli(es), salt and water. Let it come to a boil on high flame. Reduce the flame and keep on medium / low heat for 5 minutes or till the bottle gourd roundels are tender. Now, mix in the beaten yoghurt and stir slowly till it has fully blended with the curry. Let it boil on low heat for about 5 minutes. Mix in the garam masala powder and put off the flame. Serve immediately with: hot white rice or Indian bread (Roti).

Whole cauliflower in mughlai gravy

Ingredients;

  2 small sized cauliflowers (whole)
6 cup(s) water
1 teaspoon(s) each of turmeric, hot spice mix (garam masala) and red chilli powders
2 green chilli(es)
1 tablespoon(s) each of ginger, garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon(s) cumin seeds
2 teaspoon(s) coriander seeds
1" piece cinnamon broken
4 green cardamoms
  2 tablespoon(s) cashewnuts
2 large onion(s) finely sliced
4 tablespoon(s) milk
1 cup(s) tomato puree
1 cup(s) water
2 tablespoon(s) grated paneer / cottage cheese (optional)
4 tablespoon(s) oil
salt to taste
fresh cream (optional) and
 finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Method;

In a pan roast together cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cardamoms and cashewnuts till they are aromatic. Fry the sliced onions on medium level till brown. Allow to cool. Grind together browned onions, roasted spices, green chillies and chopped ginger-garlic with a little water. In a pan bring to boil the water along with some salt. Place the cleaned cauliflowers in hot water for about 10 minute(s). Remove from water, wash well and wipe dry. Heat half the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan till hot. Add the cauliflowers (flower side in oil). Cover and cook while stirring occasionally on medium level till the cauliflowers are browned lightly and cooked. Remove fried cauliflowers from the pan and keep aside. Add the remaining oil, heat it till hot and fry the paste on medium level till the oil separates. Add the turmeric powder, hot spice mix (garam masala), red chilli powder and fry for a few seconds. Add the tomato puree, water and sprinkle salt to taste. Mix well. Reduce the flame and add the milk slowly whilst stirring to get a thick gravy. Stuff a little of this gravy in between the cauliflower florets and stems. Add some water to the remaining gravy to get a desired consistency. Add some of the chopped fresh coriander, grated paneer / cottage cheese (optional) and simmer for about 5 minutes.Pour the gravy into a bowl. Now place the stuffed cauliflowers in the same pan and pour the gravy over it evenly. Cover tightly and keep on low flame for about 5 minutes or till it is heated through fully. Alternatively arrange the cauliflowers topped with gravy on a serving plate and heat through in a preheated oven. Garnish with fresh cream (optional) and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Spicy turnip(mooli)

Ingredients;

  500 grams (about 20 oz.) turnips peeled chopped and washed
2 large onion(s) chopped
2 tomato(es) chopped
1 teaspoon(s) each of grated garlic and ginger
2 green chilli(es) chopped
1 teaspoon(s) each of sugar, cumin powder and coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) turmeric powder
1 cup(s) water
2 tablespoons butter / oil
salt to taste
finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Method;

Heat the butter / oil in a pressure cooker till it is medium hot. Add the chopped green chilli(es), grated ginger and garlic. Fry briefly. Add the chopped onion(s) and saute on medium heat for 3 minute(s) or till the onions are lightly browned. Now, add the chopped tomato(es), salt, and the turmeric, cumin and coriander powders. Stir fry on medium / low heat for 3 minutes or till the fat leaves the sides of the cooker.Add the chopped turnips and mix. Add the water and stir well. Close the cooker and bring to maximum pressure on high heat. Now, reduce the heat and cook on low level for about 15 minutes. Open the cooker after all the steam has escaped. Add the sugar and very lightly mash the cooked turnips. Keep on the flame for a few minutes to dry out excess water if any. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

NOTE: A heavy bottomed vessel could be used in place of the pressure cooker. The quantity of water may be more than doubled and accordingly, the entire cooking process would take a longer time. Serve immediately with: hot white rice, Indian bread (Roti) or sliced fresh white bread.

Malai palak(creamy spinach)

Ingredients;

  2 tablespoon(s) ghee (clarified butter) / butter
4 dry red chillies
1 tablespoon(s) finely chopped ginger
2 green chillies slit
600 grams (about 24 oz.) tender spinach washed and finely chopped
1 teaspoon(s) sugar
salt to taste
2 tablespoon(s) cream
finely chopped fresh coriander to garnish (optional)

Method;

Heat the clarified butter in a heavy-based pan. Add the whole dry red chillies and fry till they darken. Add the ginger and fry till it is light brown. Add the green chillies and fry briefly.Add the chopped spinach, sugar, salt and mix well on high heat. Cook without covering on medium-high heat stirring frequently for about 20 minutes or till the spinach is cooked and dry. Mix in the cream. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander (optional). TIP: Deep fried cottage cheese or tofu cubes can be added to the spinach just before all the water has dried up. Cover and keep warm so that the cottage cheese or tofu cubes are soft. Mix in the cream just before serving.

Scrambled paneer(cottage cheese)

Ingredients;

  4 cups crumbled cottage cheese (paneer)
2 medium onion(s) chopped
1 teaspoon(s) cumin seeds roasted
2 flake(s) garlic chopped
2 green chilli(es) chopped
1 teaspoon(s) hot spice mix (garam masala) powder
  ½ teaspoon(s) turmeric powder
2 medium tomato(es) chopped
4 curry leaves chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons butter / ghee (clarified butter) / oil
salt and pepper to taste
finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish.

Method;

Heat the butter / ghee / oil till it is very hot. Drop in the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the chopped green chilli(es), garlic and curry leaves (optional). Stir fry for a few seconds. Now add the chopped onion(s) and saute on medium heat for 2 minute(s) or till the onions are translucent and crunchy. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, salt and pepper. Stir fry on medium / low heat for 3 minutes or till the fat leaves the sides of the pan. Now, add the garam masala powder and the crumbled cottage cheese. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for about 3 minutes. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. NOTE: Tofu could be used in place of Cottage Cheese. Serve immediately with: buttered toast or sliced fresh white bread.

Chana dal and capsicum veg

Ingredients ;

250 gm chana dal
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 large red capsicum cut into strips
1 large tomato chopped
1/2 onion sliced
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp mustard seeds(rai)
2-3 dry red chillies
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
5-6 curry leaves
  1/4 tsp ginger paste
1/4 tsp garlic paste

  Method;

Soak chana dal in water for a few hours prior to use Heat oil and add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, ginger and garlic pastes, and cloves Add 1/4 onion and let it heat till they turn translucent Add tomato and curry leaves and then the chana dal, making sure to add enough water to cover the dal as it boils Cook on medium-high heat with a closed lid for 30-40 minutes until the chana dal softens, while continuing to replenish the water (boiling and not cold water) now and again as it evaporates When it is nearly cooked, open the pot and reduce heat and allow curry to thicken to desired consistency In a separate pan, heat oil, add dry red chilis, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds and 1/4 onion and add capsicum and allow to saute for 15 minutes while turning once or twice When the capsicum had softened, add it to the chana dal and let the mixture simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes Drizzle some dried parsley for garnish and/or a few freshly chopped coriander leaves

Kaju(cashew ) curry

Ingredients;

250 gm raw cashew
3 cups thin coconut milk or water
1 medium onion sliced
2 green chillies
  3 cloves garlic crushed
5 cm cinnamon stick(dalchini)
8 curry leaves
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp raw curry powder
1 cup thick coconut milk or fresh milk
salt to taste

Method;

Place the cashews in a bowl, add boiling water, close with lid and soak for about 4 hours or overnight Drain the water from cashews and add salt, turmeric, raw curry powder, and mix well until cashews are well coated Heat the oil in a medium saucepan then add onions, green chilies, crushed garlic, cinnamon and fry until onions are soft and golden brown Add the cashews and keep stirring until well coated with oil and onions Add thin coconut milk (or water), close with lid and cook on slow heat until cashews are soft and cooked Add the thick coconut milk (or fresh milk) and bring to a boil on slow heat Turn off heat and add salt to taste

Deviled potatoes and onions

Ingredients;

500 gm potatoes
250 gm onion (slice)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
100 ml oil
1-2 curry leaf
1/2 tsp mustard seed(ground)
1 cm cinnamon stick(dalchini)
1 tsp lime juice

Method;

Boil the potatoes, peel and cut into bite size pieces Place the potato in a bowl and and add the salt, turmeric, chilli powder and paprika powder Heat the oil and when hot add the curry leaves followed by the onion, mustard and cinnamon stick Fry until the onions are a golden brown, then add the potato and keep tossing with the onion until browned and heated through.Discard the cinnamon stick and sprinkle the lime juice on top justprior to serving

Chickpea masala vada

Ingredients:
1 cup split chick peas* (chana dal)
4 to 5 green chilies
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 tsps salt
Optional: A pinch of asafoetida powder*
Optional: 4 to 5 individual fresh curry leaves* chopped finely
A spring of cilantro leaves(coriander) chopped finely Optional:
 1 small onion chopped finely
24 oz oil for deep frying

Method:

Soak the split chick peas in water for 3 to 4 hrs.Heat the oil.Meanwhile wash the split chick peas well and grind it along with the ginger, green chilies, salt, optional asafoetida powder to a coarse paste.Add the chopped cilantro, optional curry leaves and onions and mix in well. On a plastic sheet or Ziploc like bag spread a dab of oil.Take a lump (size of a small lime) of the batter and spread it to 2 inch diameter circle. Slide this into the hot oil. Hold the bag and turn the bag upside down onto the four fingers of your hand and slide it upside down. . 4 to 5 circles can be put into into the oil at a time.Deep fry both sides until golden brown and remove from oil onto a paper towel.Repeat for the rest of the batter. This can be made without the onions also.

Potato curry sandwitch

Ingredients:

  3 medium sized Potatoes (cooked, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes)
One onion thinly sliced
Green chilies, any kind finely chopped 5 to 6 (can be adjusted to taste)
Salt 3 tsp or to taste
Turmeric powder* (a pinch) (optional)
Mustard seeds* 1 tsp (optional)
Oil (any kind) 2 Tbsp
8 white bread slices
1/4 cup butter or oil

How to prepare:

Heat oil in a pan.Add the optional mustard seeds.When they crackle add the onions and fry till transparent.Add the green chilies and give it 2 to 3 fries.Add the optional turmeric and the salt.Now add the potatoes and fry nicely till everything is mixed very well.Fry till the potatoes take in the turmeric color and the dish comes together.Heat the sandwich maker. Meanwhile spread the clarified butter or oil on one side of the bread slices. This helps the bread slice brown better and evenly. Place a scoop of the curry in between two bread slices with the buttered side facing up. Place the bread with the curry in the sandwich maker and brown it. It will come out in triangles depending upon the sandwich maker chosen. It kind of resembles pocket sandwiches/hot pockets.Repeat for as many as needed.

Donut(vada)patties

Ingredients:

  1 cup split black lentil* (urad dal)
4 to 5 green chilies, jalapenos or Serrano chillies
1 tsp salt
Optional: A pinch of asafoetida powder* (hing)
32oz oil for deep frying
A spring of cilantro(coriander leaves) finely chopped

Method:

Soak the split black lentil for 2 to 3 hrs Grind to a fine, tough paste the lentils, green chilies, salt, optional asafoetida powder. Add just enough water for the lentils to move around and get ground to a tough paste. The ground batter should be a tough, like one big lump of dough. This is very important. Add the chopped cilantro to the batter and mix in well. Heat the oil. Do not make it very hot. It should be just hot enough to sizzle when the dough is dropped in. Take small lemon size balls of the batter and flatten it into a 3 inch round shape on a plastic bag or small sheet. Dabbing the fingers in water helps flatten the batter without sticking to the hand. Make a hole with your finger in the middle. At this point it will look like a donut. Slowly lift the dough off the plastic by turning the flattened dough upside down on the four fingers of your hand and slip it into the hot oil.Repeat to make 5 to 6 and slip it into the oil.Deep fry till they turn golden brown on both sides. Repeat for the rest of the batter/dough. Tastes best when served hot or as soon as it is made. Gets soft and a little hard when cold. Try to make as much as needed for the day as it does not stay good for the next day or so. If prefered an onion can be chopped finely and added to the batter and the same procedure is followed.

Mysore pak

Ingredients ;

3/4 cup split pea flour (besan or chana flour), sifted
2 cups clarified butter
  2 cups sugar
2 cups water
4 to 6 inch pan greased with clarified butter and keep this aside

Method:

Add the water and the sugar to a heavy bottomed vessel and bring it to boil on medium high heat. Let it boil till the sugar syrup attains a single thread consistency. What this means is that after approximately 10 min or so (be sure to be right there and keep checking for it may take more time or less) when the syrup is poured into the same vessel with a spoon the last drop will fall like a single thread. This is a very important step in the preparation of this dessert. If the sugar syrup is too thick then the squares will be hard. If it is too thin then the squares will not set. So it is necessary to monitor and make the syrup to a single thread consistency. Some people also drop a drop of the syrup in a cup of water. If the syrup lumps into a ball then it is the right consistency. Now add 1 cup of clarified butter. Immediately start adding the flour slowly, constantly stirring the syrup with the other hand till all of the flour is added to the syrup. Keep stirring till the flour and the sugar syrup mix in well without any lumps to a smooth consistency. Now keep adding the other cup of clarified butter little by little, stirring all the while. Stirring continuously is a important step in the preparation of this dessert. Otherwise the mix will burn or stick to the vessel. Also the stirring makes the dessert porous and flaky. When the mix starts to leave the sides of the vessel, becomes a mass and most important starts to froth up and give a delicious smell it is ready to be taken of the heat. Pour this mix as soon as it froths up into the greased pan, shake the pan lightly so the mix levels and spreads evenly in the pan. When it is 3/4 cooled cut it into squares or diamonds with a sharp knife. Cool completely for atleast 3 to 4 hrs and store in a airtight container. It stays for upto 10 days on the shelf stored this way.