Hearty Spices

Uggani: Grind 2 tbsp of Roasted Chana Dal into fine powder. Wash  1 large bowl of Puffed Rice in water and soak for about 2 minutes. Squeeze away the water by taking a handful of soaked puffed rice each time. Once you have all the water removed, add the fried gram dal powder and Salt to taste. Mix well and keep aside. Heat  2-3 tbsp of Oil in a pan, and splutter  1 tsp of Mustard Seeds, few Curry Leaves, a pinch of Turmeric Powder . Add and saute  2 sliced Onion, 5-6 slit Green Chilies till golden brown. Add 2 Tomatoes, finely chopped and cook till soft. Add the puffed rice and mix well. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of Lemon Juice and chopped Coriander Leaves before serving hot. Chili Bajjis: Wash 10 Bajji Green Chilies , make a slit on one side making sure that the stalk is intact. Scoop out the seeds using a knife and keep aside. In bowl, mix 2 tsp of Carom Seeds Powder / Cumin Powder and Salt to taste . Stuff this mixture inside ...

Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter ½ tsp of Mustard Powder and ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds. Add and saute  a pinch of Asafoetida,2-3 Red Chilies and 3-4 chopped Garlic Cloves for 3-4 minutes. Add a large chopped Tomato, 1½ tbsp of Rasam Powder, ¼ tbsp of Turmeric Powder, ½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, Salt to taste and let the tomatoes cook. Add a small piece of Tamarind or 1 tbsp of Tamarind Paste, 5-6 cups of Water, a tbsp of Jaggery and stir till melts and let it boil. After one boil, remove from flame and garnish with Coriander Leaves .

Cook 2 cups of Rice and cool by spreading in a plate. In a small bowl, take the lemon juice from 2 squeezed Lemons and add Salt to taste . After the salt melts, add the lemon juice to the cooled rice and combine. Heat the 3 tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds and saute 1½ tbsp of Chana Dal, 1½ tbsp of Urad Dal, few Curry Leaves, 3 tbsp of Peanuts, 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder till golden brown. Add 8-10 slit Green Chilies, 2 tbsp of Cashewnuts and saute for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add this seasoning to the prepared rice. Serve hot.

2 cups All Purpose flour 1 cup Brown Sugar (Optional - white) 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Baking Powder 1 cup (8 oz) Plain Yogurt (Optional - blueberry flavoured yogurt) 1 Egg 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 4 tbsp Butter, melted 1 cup Blueberries Preheat your oven to 175C (or 350F). Line a 12-cup muffin tray with muffin liners. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder & baking soda). Mix the wet ingredients (yogurt, egg, vanilla extract, butter) and blueberries in another bowl. Combine mixtures and spoon into muffin tray. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked.

Dough - Mix 3 cups of Wheat Flour with Salt to taste and 2 tbsp of Oil thoroughly. Knead with enough Water and  2 tbsp of Yogurt (optional).  Make soft dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.  Stuffing -  Boil 4 Potatoes, peel the skin and mash them well in a bowl. In a small bow, mix in 2 tbsp finely chopped Green Chillies, 1 tbsp of Red Chilli powder, 1 tbsp of Coriander+Cumin powder, 1 tbsp of Ginger Paste, 4 tbsp of Lemon Juice and Salt as needed . Add this prepared masala to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Paratha - Take a small ball of dough and dust it with flour. Roll into a thick roti (about 3-inch). Place the stuffing in middle of the roti. Cover it with ends of roti. Press gently by hand and turn another side. Dust this ball and roll smoothly up to 6-inch parathas. Heat a flat pan and place the aloo paratha on it. Cook for 1 minute on low flame. Turn other side and heat on medium flame until golden patches appear. Drizzle s...

Soak 2 cups of Rice and a cup of Urad Dal in sufficient water for 4-6 hours. Grind the soaked rice and urad dal into smooth thick paste adding sufficient water. Leave the batter overnight to ferment.  To the batter, add a medium finely chopped Onion, finely chopped 3 Green Chillies, few sprigs of finely chopped Coriander Leaves, a tsp of Cumin Seeds and Salt to taste .  Heat and grease a Ponganalu pan with little Oil on medium heat. Add few scoops of mixed batter to the mounds and cover cook for 2 minutes or till one side is golden brown. Remove the lid and turn the ponganalu and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove and serve hot with chutney.

Batter - In a bowl, add 1 large Red Onion, cut to ½ inch thin slices, Few Curry Leaves, ¼ tsp of Red Chili Powder, 2 tbsp of Chopped Coriander Leaves, Salt to taste and mix well. Add 1 cup of Chickpea Flour (Besan / Senaga Pindi), ½ cup of Rice Flour (Biyyapu Pindi), 2 - 3 tbsp of Hot Oil and combine well. Add Water as needed and combine in to whole mixture. Fritters (Pakodi)- In a deep pan, heat enough Oil to fry the pakodis. When piping hot, drop the pakodi batter into the oil. Deep fry the pakodis until golden brown color. Serve hot.