Hearty Spices

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...

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.

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 1 0 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 mi...

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 / b...

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...

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.