Roasted Chestnuts

Wash the Chestnuts thoroughly under cold water. Cut an X mark into one side of each nut with a sharp, pointy knife to allow the steam escape caused while roasting.

Roast them for 15-20 minutes in a pan with a closed lid. The skin will pop open like a flower and the inside (nut) will be pale golden color. Allow to cool down and then peel off the skins.

Potato Sandwich

Mashed Potato - Pressure cook 3 medium Potatoes to tender. Cool and peel the skin and mash to smooth paste.

Masala Mixture - Heat a pan with 1 tsp of Oil. Sauté a thinly sliced Onion, finely chopped 3 Green Chillies and fry till the onions are translucent. Add 4-5 Mint Leaves and fry for another 2 minutes. Then add the cooked mashed potatoes, Salt to taste and ¼ tsp of Garam Masala. Simmer for 2 minutes and allow cooling.

Sandwich - The sides of the 12 Bread slices can be trimmed if needed. Top a slice with the Masala mixture and spread well. Press another slice over it. Grease both sides with Ghee and roast either on a hot tawa or in a sandwich maker.

Serve with tomato ketchup.

Aloo Tikki (Potato cutlets)

Scrub, peel, dice and boil 2 Potatoes in microwave for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of Green Peas to them and boil again for 3 minutes. Mash the boiled potatoes, peas in a bowl and add 2-3 finely chopped Green Chillies, an inch of minced Ginger, 3 tbsp of Finely chopped Coriander Leaves, Salt to taste, ½ tsp of Garam Masala, ½ tsp of Chaat Masala (optional), 1 tsp of Roasted Cumin Powder, ½ tbsp of Lemon Juice, 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder and 2 slices of powdered toasted Bread. Mix well and roll into lemon sized balls and flatten them shaping into cutlets or round burger shaped patties.

Heat 1 tbsp of Ghee on a pan and shallow fry 3 to 4 tikkis at a time till a crisp golden color crust is formed on both the sides. Remove on to an absorbent paper and serve with tamarind chutney or with pav.

Strawberry Bread Pudding

8-oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1 cup Sugar
3 large Eggs
2 ½ cup Milk
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
10-11 cups White Bread, cubed
2 cups Fresh Strawberries, quartered

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

In a bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, mixing at medium speed until very smooth, then slowly blend in milk and vanilla extract. Dump all bread cubes and strawberries into the bowl and turn gently with a spatula to allow the bread to soak up the liquid.

Pour into prepared pan and gently smooth into an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes, until pudding springs back slightly when you touch the top and the edges begin to turn golden.

Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 10.

Vadiyalu Curry

1 cup of Vadiyalu - Fry in oil till golden brown and set aside.
3-4 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
8-10 Curry Leaves
3 Medium Onions, finely chopped
Salt, as needed
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1½ cup Water
Freshly Chopped Coriander Leaves for garnish

Heat oil in a pan. On low flame, fry cumin seeds and mustard seeds till they splutter. Add curry leaves, onions, salt and turmeric powder. Fry till the onions turn soft and light golden in color on medium flame. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for about 2 mts. Then add chilli powder and mix well. Add the fried vadiyalu and water. Bring it to boil, reduce the flame and cook for about 15 mts. Adjust salt and chilli powder. Once the vadiyalu are cooked and the gravy turns thick, turn off the flame. Add chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Note - Can add ¼ cup of milk after the curry is taken off the flame.

Tofu Butter Masala

2 cups of Tofu Cubes (Optional - roast in a tsp of oil)
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
Salt - to taste
Oil

For Gravy:
1 tbsp Coriander powder
½ tbsp Garam Masala powder
½ tbsp Red Chili powder
2 tsp Tomato Ketchup
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 cup Milk
¼ tsp Turmeric

In a bowl, whisk in all the gravy ingredients and keep aside.
Heat some oil in a wok, sauté onion and ginger garlic paste for couple of minutes. Add in the gravy mixture. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes on low flame. Finally add Tofu cubes and season with salt. Simmer for 7-8 minutes on medium-low flame. Make sure the cubes are dipped into the sauce. Serve hot.

Mamidi Rasam

1 Mango (Seed with little flesh around)
3 cups of Water
1 tsp Rasam Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
Salt
Fresh Cilantro
For Popu:
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
a pinch of Asafetida
1 tsp Ghee (Clarified butter)
Few Curry leaves

Add the Mango seed to the water in a bowl. Add salt, turmeric, and rasam powder and let it boil till the mango gets cooked. Once the mango is cooked, temper with the popu ingredients and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Apple Cake

3,4 Red delicious or Gala Apples, cut into bite size pieces (not too small or too big)
200gm unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
4 eggs (large)
200 gm All Purpose Flour
2½ tsp Baking Powder
200 gm Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease the pan well with butter/PAM. Cut the apples in advance, doesn't matter if they discolor while you prepare the batter.
Cream butter, sugar very nicely until double in volume. Add eggs and vanilla and beat till smooth and well blended.
Gently mix the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
Add flour-mixture to the wet-mixture slowly until well blended. Take care not to over mix the dough. The batter should be really soft now. Fold in the apples.
Pour into the pan and bake for 45 min, check if done by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. If needed, bake cake for 10 min more. Cool cake for 20 min and then place a plate over the pan and invert. Serve with runny custard.

Kodiguddu Pulusu (Eggs in Tamarind Gravy)

Eggs - Boil 6 Eggs, peel them and make slits along the length of each egg. Lightly fry them in a tsp of Oil with a pinch of Turmeric Powder for 5 minutes.

Gravy - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil, crackle ¼ tsp of Mustard Seeds and a pinch of Fenugreek Seeds. Add few Curry Leaves, 3 crushed Garlic Cloves and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 Onions, finely chopped, 4-5 Green Chillies, slit and saute till golden brown. Add 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder, Big pinch of Turmeric Powder, ¾ tsp of Coriander Powder, ¼ tsp of Cumin Powder, mix well and saute for few seconds. Add a chopped Tomato (optional) and saute for 4-5 minutes. Mix in 2-3 tbsp of Tamarind Paste, 2 cups of Water and bring to a boil. Add Salt to taste, ½ tsp of Sugar, ½ tsp of Garam Masala, reduce heat and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and let them cook in the gravy for 10 minutes or till the required gravy consistency is got.

Garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves and serve hot.

Pulgam & Tomato Chutney

Pulgam - Roast ¾ cup of Split Yellow Moong Dal in a pan till golden brown. Soak 1½ cup of Rice along with the Moong Dal in water for 15-20 minutes.

Heat a tbsp of Ghee; saute a tsp of Cumin Seeds, 10-12 Fresh Curry Leaves, ¼ tsp of Whole Black Pepper (optional) for few seconds. Add the drained rice - dal, mix well and saute for few seconds. Add Salt to taste, 4¾ cups of Water and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Garnish with 10-12 Cashewnuts that are lightly fried in ghee till golden.

Tomato Chutney - Clean, blanch, de-skin and puree 3 Tomatoes and keep aside.

Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter a tsp of Mustard Seeds, ¾ tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ tsp of Urad Dal (optional), 10-12 fresh curry leaves. Add a tsp of grated Ginger, 2-3 slit Green Chillis, a pinch of Turmeric Powder and combine. Add the tomato puree and let it cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add 1½ cup of Water and let it come to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add a tsp of Jaggery or Sugar, Salt, 2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder; combine and remove from heat. Garnish with few chopped Coriander Leaves.

Penne Arrabiata

3 cup Penne, cooked
2 small Onions, finely chopped
2 Tomatoes, diced
1 cup Tomato Puree
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup Frozen/Fresh Peas, Carrots and Beans
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp dried Basil
2 tbsp Parley, finely chopped (Can use Cilantro)
Salt, as needed
Pepper, as needed
2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil in a deep wide pan and sauté garlic and onion till soft and fragrant. Add in tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, pepper, chili flakes, basil and oregano and cook till tomatoes are soft and done. Add the veggies and penne and mix to coat well with sauce. Cover cook for 5-7 minutes and sprinkle chopped parsley. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.
** Can substitue 3 tsp of Italian Seasoning for Oregano & Basil.

Mango Cheesecake

Base - Crush 4.5 oz of Graham Crackers into fine crumbs and pour into a mixing bowl. Add 4 tbsp of unsalted Butter and mix well. Press the crumbs mixture into a pie pan / container and chill for an hour.

Prep - Melt 8 oz of White Chocolate in a bowl. Put 10 oz of Cream Cheese on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes to bring it to room temperature.

Cheesecake - In a bowl, add the Cream Cheese and beat it with a hand mixer to make it fluffy. Add 3/4 cup of Whipping Cream to the cream cheese and beat until well incorporated. Add the melted white chocolate, 1/4 cup of Sugar (or as needed) and  1 1/2 cup of canned Mango Pulp along with 2 tbsp of Lemon Juice to the bowl and beat well. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Gelatin mixture - In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of Water and 10 gm of unflavored Gelatin Powder (1 1/2 sachets) and mix well. Once it blooms (about 5 minutes), microwave for 15 seconds and mix well until fully melted. Add this mixture to the cheesecake mixture and mix well.

Pour all of the mixture into the previously prepared chilled base. Spoon about 1/4 cup of canned Mango Pulp on top and using a fork, make swirls all around. Chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Serve chilled.

Haritha's Chicken Biryani

Marinate - Clean 1.5 lb chicken pieces and marinate with 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp red chili powder, 1 tbsp garlic paste, 1 tbsp ginger paste, 2 tbsp yogurt, 2 tbsp of fried onion, 2 tbsp of chopped mint and coriander leaves, and 3 tbsp chicken Biryani masala overnight in the fridge.

Fried Onions - Heat a pan and add 2 tbsp oil to it. Clean and cut 3 onions into thin long slices. Fry these pieces in the oil on low flame till the onion pieces turn crispy and brown in color. At this point, the aroma of caramelized onions would be prominent. Strain the onion pieces out and keep aside.

Gravy - In the same pan, add the marinated chicken pieces and on low flame cook it covered till the chicken is cooked. Add 1 tbsp masala powder to it and stir in every 10 minutes so that it won’t get burnt. Cook till the chicken piece is cooked i.e. the piece should be separated easily.


Rice - Wash 2½ cups basmati rice and keep aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile take a pan, add 2 tbsp of ghee / butter to it. Add 1 tbsp of Shahjeera, 3-4 bay leaves, 2 cardamoms and 4-5 cloves to it and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the basmati rice and fry for 3-4 minutes stirring continuously. Then add 1 tsp salt to the rice and 5 cups of water. Transfer to a rice cooker and cook till done. Fluff the rice with a fork and keep aside.

Optional Toppings - Take a small pan, heat ghee / butter and then fry some cashews and raisins. Keep aside.


Biryani - In a oven-proof dish, spread rice as first layer and then on top of it, lay the chicken pieces and the gravy. Over it spread some mint leaves (about 10-12) and then spread rice again over it. Then spread the onion pieces kept aside earlier and then again spread some rice over it. Over it, spread the fried cashew and raisins and then chopped coriander leaves over it as final layer.

Bake - Place this dish in the oven under 250 degrees C for 10 minutes. While serving mix the rice one with a serving spoon to make sure the biryani is mixed well.


Serve hot with Sherwa and Raita.

Gobhi Manchurian (Cauliflower Manchurian)

Cut a small Cauliflower in to bite -sized pieces. Boil a pan with Water and drop the cauliflower pieces in it. Cook till 70% cooked, remove and add to Cold Water. Drain the water from the mixing bowl and add 2 tbsp of All Purpose Flour, 2 tbsp of Corn Flour, Salt to taste and a tsp of Red Chilli Powder. Sprinkle water as needed and coat all the cauliflowers lightly with the mixture.

Fritters - Heat 2 cups of Oil in a deep pan. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the coated cauliflower pieces until golden brown, remove and drain the excess oil on a paper towel.

Veggies - Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a wok. When hot, add finely chopped 2 Garlic cloves, 3 tbsp of Ginger, 4 Spring Onions (Whites), a finely minced Onion and 5-6 minced Green Chilles. Fry them until they start to turn light brown in color.

Sauces - Add 4 tbsp of Tomato Ketchup, 1 tbsp of Green Chilli sauce , 2 tbsp of Soy sauce, ½ tsp of Ajinamoto (MSG) (optional), 1 tsp of White Pepper, a tsp of Black Pepper and 1 tsp of Sugar to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add 3 tbsp of Corn Flour (mixed in little cold water) and mix well without lumps. Add the fried cauliflower fitters and mix well till the fritters are coated with the sauces & veggies. Garnish it with reserved spring onions (Greens). Serve hot as an appetizer or with fried rice.

Ugadi Pachadi

Pulupu (Sour) - Extract 3-4 tbsp Tamarind Juice.

Vagaru - Finely chop 1 cup of raw Mango along with the skin.

Chedu (Bitter) - Pluck the petals off 1 tbsp Neem Flowers.

Theepi (Sweet) - Grate 1 cup of Jaggery.

Kaaram - Chili Powder to taste.

Uppu - Salt to taste.

Others - Cut 1 Banana and 1 tbsp Coconut meat into small pieces. Mix all the above into a semi liquid form and water as needed.

Serve cold.