Hearty Spices

1 cup Rice Flour 1 cup Sooji ½ cup All Purpose Flour Salt as per taste 1 tsp Cumin Seeds A pinch of Asafetida 1 tsp crushed Ginger 1 tsp Green Chilli paste ½ cup chopped Onion 3-4 cups Water Oil Mix sooji, maida, rice flour, salt, cumin seeds, asafetida, crushed ginger and chilli paste, salt with 3-4 cups of water to make very thin runny batter. Heat griddle and once it is hot sprinkle chopped onion. Now sprinkle the batter with your hand. Drizzle oil on top. Let it get golden brown and crispy on the bottom. Serve hot with spicy coconut chutney. Cocunut Chutney: 1 cup freshly grated coconut ½ cup fresh Coriander Leaves 3-4 green chillies chopped Salt as per taste Sugar ½ tsp ½ tsp Lemon Juice For tempering: 1 tsp Oil 2 dry Red Chillies 3-4 Curry Leaves ½ tsp Mustard Seeds a pinch of Asafetida Grind all ingredients together into a smooth consistency. Heat a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds let them splutter, add red chillies and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds on low heat. Now add a...

Heat ½ tbsp Ghee  in a pan; saute a cup of cubed Paneer  for 2 minutes till golden brown. Remove them and place in warm  water for 3 minutes, drain and keep aside. In the same pan; saute  a tsp of Ginger Garlic paste  for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of Turmeric Powder, a tsp of Coriander Powder, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 4-5 slit Green Chillies  and mix well. Add 2 diced Green Capsicums and cook till they turn slightly soft for 5-7 minutes. Add and stir a quartered Tomato and cook for 7 minutes with a lid. Add the paneer cubes, toss well and cook for 5 minutes. Add a pinch of Garam Masala Powder, ½ tsp of Kasuri Methi and mix well. Garnish with few fresh Coriander Leaves and serve hot with rotis.

Pongal - Roast ½ cup of Moong Dal in a pan till golden brown in color. Pressure cook ¾ cup of Rice and the roasted moong dal with a pinch of Turmeric Powder and 3 cups of Water for 5 whistles. Keep the cooker aside and let the pressure in the cooker subside.  Heat 2 tbsp of Ghee; saute slightly grounded - 20 Peppercorns, 1½ tsp of Cumin Seeds , followed by 1 tbsp of finely chopped Ginger and few Curry Leaves . Add this seasoning to the rice and dal mixture along with Salt to taste and mix well till the consistency is like soft and velvetty pudding. Add hot water if the pongal is too thick. Serve hot with gosthu or chutney. Gosthu: Spice Mixture - Roast ½ tbsp Coriander Seeds, 1 tbsp Chana Dal, 4 Dried Red Chillies and 1 tsp Gram Flour or Rice Flour (if needed ) in a tsp of Oil until aromatic and lightly browned. Cool and grind to a paste. Alternately you can also use 1 tbsp sambar powder.   Gosthu - Pressure cook ¼ cup of Moong Dal in ½ cup of Water until soft a...

Heat 1 1/2 tbsp of Ghee in a pan. Add and roast 2 tbsp of chopped Cashews until golden brown and remove them. In the same pan, add a cup of Besan and roast for 6-8 minutes on medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, add another 2 1/2 tbsp of Ghee and keep mixing and cook for another 25 minutes. Remove from heat, once it emanates aroma and then add 1/2 cup of powdered Sugar, a tsp of Cardamom Powder and mix well. Make laddus from the mixture once cooled down. 

2 big bunches fresh Spinach Leaves (washed thoroughly and blanched in hot water for 3 mts) 1 Onion, finely chopped pinch Turmeric powder Pinch roasted Methi powder pinch Cumin powder ½ tsp Coriander powder ½ tsp Ginger Garlic paste 1 tsp Red Chilli powder Salt to taste 1½ tbsps Olive Oil For poppu ½ tsp Cumin Seeds 2 Garlic Flakes, crushed 5-6 Curry Leaves Chop the blanched spinach and keep aside. Heat olive oil, add the cumin seeds and once they splutter, add the garlic flakes and curry leaves and saute for few secs. Add the onions and saute till transparent, approx 4-5 mts. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 4 mts. Add salt, turmeric pwd, roasted methi pwd, coriander pwd, cumin pwd and red chilli pwd and combine well. Add the chopped spinach leaves and saute for 8-10 mts. Turn off heat. Serve hot with rice

2-3 cup Snake gourd/potlakaya, de-seeded and chopped into small pieces 2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped ½ tsp Turmeric Powder Salt as per taste Popu: 1 tbsp Oil 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Urad Dal 4-5 fresh Curry Leaves Pinch of Asafeotida Clean potlakaya by scrubbing thoroughly some salt on its skin. Rinse in water. Cut into half and remove its seeds. Chop potlakaya into small pieces. Finely chop green chillies also. Heat oil in a medium pot. Add first three ingredients under tempering. Fry for a minute or till the blackgram dal turns reddish brown. Add curry leaves and asafeotida/inguva and fry for a minute, then add finely chopped green chillies. When the chillies are cooked add chopped potlakaya and sauté till all flavours are mixed together. Add turmeric and mix and let it cook by covering a lid on medium heat for 20 mins approx. When all pieces are cooked and curry becomes dry as water gets evaporated. Lightly whip some home-made yogurt, once the curry is coole...

2 cups Whole Urad Dal 4 small Onions, finely chopped 7 Green Chillies, finely chopped 1 small bunch Coriander Leaves, finely chopped 2 tsp Cumin Seeds Salt to taste Oil for deep frying Soak urad dal in water for about 4-5 hours/overnight. Drain water completely. Grind dal in a mixer/blender without adding water to tight paste. The batter must be thick that when you make vada's they should not run out of shape. Remove and add salt, jeera, chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves and mix well. Heat a deep pan with oil. For making the vada's you can use your hands or a thick polythene sheet. Back at home in India, we use plantain leaves (arati akulu) to make these vada's. Take a small ball of batter on to your left hand, pat into round shape and make a hole in the center. Drop gently into hot oil from the sides. Fry till golden brown turning them both sides. Serve hot with coconut chutney. Kobbari Chutney: 1 cup Grated Coconut 10 Green Chillies, slit length wise 2 tbsp...