Hearty Spices

Prep - In a saucepan, bring about 4 cups of Water to boil, gently drop  3 medium Onions and 4 ripe Tomatoes . Cook on high for 10 minutes. Drain the water and let onions and tomatoes cool down. Once cool grind onions and tomatoes to smooth paste, seperately. Soak 3 tbsp of Cashewnuts in little water and grind to smooth paste. Paneer - Heat a tbsp of Butter and fry the 250 gms of Paneer cubes to golden brown. Bring a cup of Water to boil, remove from heat and add the paneer cubes to it, let them sit aside for 5 minutes. Curry - Heat 3 tbsp of Butter in a pan on medium heat. Add and saute the onion paste for 5 minutes till it turns golden brown. Add 2 tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and saute for another minute. Add  2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, cashewnut paste, Salt to taste and mix. Add the tomato puree, ½ tsp of Kasuri Methi, ½ tsp of Coriander Powder, 1½ tsp of Garam Masala Powder ; simmer and let it cook fo...

Garish - In a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp Ghee / Butter and saute few Cashewnuts and Rasins . till golden brown. Keep aside. Vermicelli - In the same pan, toast 2 cups of Vermicelli until they turn light golden brown. Keep aside. Kesari - Boil 4 cups of Water along with a pinch of Saffron, Cardamom Powder and Food color (Optional). Once the water is bubbling hot, stir in the roasted vermicelli, reduce heat and close the lid. Once the water is absorbed, stir in a cup of Sugar and mix well. Serve hot / cold.

Heat  a tbsp of Ghee or Oil in a pan; splutter  a Bay leaf, 2 Cloves, an inch of Cinnamon, a Cardamom, a tsp of Cumin Seeds, few Cashews and few Curry Leaves . Add and saute a thinly sliced Onion, a tsp of Ginger-Garlic paste and 3-4 few slit Green Chillies till onions are browned. Add a cup of Green peas, 2 cups of Basmati Rice, Salt to taste and stir till everything is coated. Add 4 cups of Water and let it boil. Cover cook on medium heat till all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, let it sit for 10 minutes and garnish with Coriander Leaves before serving.

3 cups of peeled and cubed Red Pumpkin 1 big Tomato chopped 2 medium Onions, chopped 1 tbsp grated Jaggery 2 Green Chilli, slit 2 dry Red Chilli, deseeded and split into two ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Coriander Powder ½ tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Urad Dal 7 cloves Garlic, slighly mashed 10 Curry Leaves Coriander Leaves for garnishing Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin seeds, dry red chillis, urad dal, and garlic and curry leaves and fry till light brown. Add the chopped onions and fry till transparent. Add the cubed pumpkins, tomatoes, turmeric and salt and let it cook covered on low heat for 15 minutes. Add chilli powder, coriander powder and jaggery and mix well. Add ½ cup water, cover and cook on slow fire till pumpkin is soft and cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves. Variation: You can add sweet potatoes, chikkidi kaayi (Indian Beans), drum sticks and brinjal along with the pumpkin.

1 cup raw Rice 2 tbsp Chana Dal, washed ½ tsp Jeera 2 tbsp Grated Fresh Coconut ½ tsp Salt 2 cups Water Wash rice well and drain all the water. Spread on a paper napkin to dry out all the water. Rice grains have to be fully dry. Grind the rice grains in a blender/ grinder to a rawa consistency. Place a saucepan on the stove with water, chana dal, cumin and salt. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a medium heat, pour in the rice rawa slowly into the boiling water and keep stirring. Stir till all the water is absorbed by the rice rawa. Add grated coconut and stir in well. Turn off the stove, cover with a lid. After 15 minutes, spread on a lighlty greased plate. With wet hands make small balls. Sprinkle some water if rawa is too hard or breaking. Use a idli steaming stand to steam these rice balls. Place idli stand in a pressure cooker with little water to steam. Cover the pressure cooker and steam for 10 minutes. Notes: Can substitute Rice Rava instead of Rice and skip coconut...

2 tbsp of ragi flour 1 cup water 1½ cup of water + ½ cup milk 4 tsp of sugar or powdered jaggery ½ tsp of powdered cardamom Take the ragi flour in a cup and add ½ glass water to it slowly. Combine to smooth, lump free paste. In a vessel, take one glass of water or milk. Heat till the water reaches boiling stage. Then add the dissolved ragi flour solution slowly to the boiling water (milk), continuously stirring with a spoon. Wait for water (milk) to start boiling, and then add the flour mix. Add sugar or jaggery per your taste and pinch of cardamom powder. Reduce the heat to medium level, and simmer the ragi malt for 5 minutes, stirring in-between. Turn off the heat. Let it cool to warm, and then pour into a glass or cup. Makes 4 cups.

Wash, drain and cut the 500 gms of Chicken (boneless or with bones) into bite sized pieces and keep aside. Grind 3 Ripe Tomatoes, 10-12 Cashews, 3-4 slit Green Chillies into smooth paste and keep aside. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add 1/3 cup of Oil to it. Add a Cinnamon Stick, 1/2 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 2 Cardamoms, 1 Bay Leaf and let them splutter. Add a large finely chopped Onion to it and fry until light golden brown. Add a tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 2-3 slit Green Chillies and fry until golden brown. Add the drained chicken and cook on high heat for 4 minutes, while stirring. Add Salt as needed, 1/2 tsp of Garam Masala, a tbsp of Red Chilli Powder, a tsp of Coriander Powder, a tsp of Cumin Powder, a pinch of Turmeric Powder and mix well. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the oil separates. Add the ground tomato paste and cook on medium heat for another 5-6 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of Water and cook further by stirring for another 10-12 minutes. Add a tbsp of Butter, 2 tbsp of Heav...