Hearty Spices

Veggies - Peel and chop a Carrot finely . Finely chop handful of Beans and keep aside. Boil ¼ cup of Peas and keep aside. Finely chop 4 Spring Onions and seperate the whites from greens. Fried Rice - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan, add finely chopped 3-4 Garlic pods and fry for a minute. Then add the carrot, beans, peas and fry for 2 – 3 minutes mixing regularly. Add spring onion whites and fry till the onion pieces are translucent. Break open 3 Eggs and fry until they are scrambled. Add ¼ tsp of Ajinomoto (optional), 1 tsp of Soya Sauce, Salt to taste, 2 tsp of Pepper Powder and mix well. Add 1½ cup of Cooked Rice and fry for 2 – 3 minutes. Now add the spring onions greens and fry for 2 – 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Spice Powders - Grind 4 tbsp of Besan(Chickpea Flour), 8 dried Red Chillies, 1 tsp of Sugar and 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds to fine powder and keep aside. Brinjal - Remove the stems of 12 small Brinjals (Eggplant/Vankaya), slice them into thin pieces lengthwise and drop them in salted water in a bowl. Fry - In a wide skillet, heat 1 tbsp of Oil and toast few Curry Leaves and 1 tsp of Mustard Seeds . Add brinjal pieces and 1 tsp of grated Ginger to the skillet. On medium-high heat, saute turning often with a ladle till the pieces turn to gold color. Just before turning off the heat, stir in besan mix along with Salt to taste and 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder . Mix and fry for few more minutes and sprinkle ¼ cup of Roasted Cashews . Serve hot with rice.

Biscuits - In a bowl, cream together ¼ cup of Butter and 1/3 cup of Sugar until well blended. Add ½ tsp of Vanilla Essence, 2 tsp of Honey and combine. Add the 1 cup of All Purpose Flour (Maida), ¼ tsp of Baking Soda, 1 tsp of Baking Powder and 1 tbsp of Cocoa Powder to the butter mixture and mix. Add 2-3 tbsp of Cold Milk to form soft dough. Roll the dough into a large roti and using a knife, cut into thin rectangle shape pieces. Use a fork to prick over the rectangle pieces and sprinkle Sugar on top of each. Bake - Grease a baking tray and place each rectangle piece on the tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 155 C / 310 F for 16-19 mts or till the edges are toasted. Once baked, the cookie will feel soft on touch but once cool it will harden. Cool for 3 minutes before proceeding with the filling. Repeat the process with remaining dough. Filling - Mix ¼ cup of Butter with 1/3 cup of Icing/Powdered Sugar, 1 tsp of Cocoa Powder and Few drops Vanilla Essence in a bowl...

Marinade -  Marinate 2 lb boneless Chicken (thigh meat), cut into bite sized pieces with 3 tbsp of Yogurt, 2 tbsp of Lime Juice, 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 1½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 1½ tsp of Garam Masala Powder, 1½ tsp of Coriander Powder, 1 tsp of Cumin Powder, Salt to taste and refrigerate overnight. Chicken -  Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a pan. Add the chicken with all the marinade and cook on medium high flame, stirring frequently till the chicken is cooked and all the water has evaporated and is dry. Gravy -  Heat the 2 tbsp of Butter in a pan and fry 2 Bay Leaves, 2 Cardamoms and 4 Cloves till fragrant. Add finely chopped Red Onion and saute till brown. Now add 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and fry for a minute. Add 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder and 1 tsp of Garam Masala Powder and fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato puree made from 2 medium Tomatoes, blanched, peeled and pureed . Cook till the oil separates and add chicken, ½ tbsp of Kasoori Methi(dr...

Pasta: Bring water to a boil in a big pot and add Salt, 1 tsp Olive Oil, 4 cups of Penne Pasta and cook over medium flame for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain and reserve ½ cup of Water for later. Run pasta under cold water to keep the pasta separate. Spinach Pesto: Boil water, add Salt, chopped medium bunch of Spinach and blanch for a minute and immediately run cold water over it. Blend spinach with ¼ cup of fresh Parsley, ¼ cup of Pine Nuts / Walnuts, 2-3 tbsp of grated Parmesan Cheese (optional), 2 Garlic Pods, 1 tsp of freshly ground Pepper, 3-4 tbsp of Olive Oil, Juice of ½ Lemon and Salt to taste in to a slightly coarse sauce. If needed, add some strained spinach water to ease grinding. Bechamel Sauce: Heat 3 tbsp of Butter / Olive Oil in a pan on medium flame. Add ¼ cup of All Purpose Flour and whisk immediately until it forms a smooth paste. Now slowly add 300 ml of Hot Milk and whisk continuously until you get a smooth uniform mixture. Cook it for 2-3 minut...

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and splutter ¼ tsp of Mustard Seeds and ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds . Add 3 finely chopped Onions, 2 Mullakadalu (Drumsticks), cut into 2 inch pieces, 5-6 Curry Leaves and Salt to taste . Increase the heat to medium and fry till the onions are soft and light golden brown in color. Add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder , 2 tsp of Chilli Powder, 2 peeled and cubed Aritikayalu (Plaintains) and mix well. Cover and cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes stirring occassionally. Add 1½ cup of Water , bring to boil then reduce the flame to medium low. Allow cooking till the plantains turn soft and all the water is absorbed. Now add 1 cup of Warm Milk to the curry and cook till it reaches desired gravy consistency. Adjust Salt and just before turning off the heat, add ¼ tsp of Garam Masala and 3 tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves . Mix well and turn off the flame. Serve hot with rice.

Cookie Dough - In a bowl, cream together ¾ cup of melted Butter, 1 cup of Brown Sugar and ½ cup of White Sugar until well blended. Beat in the 2 tsp of Vanilla Essence, 1 Egg and 1 Egg Yolk until light and creamy. Mix in 2 cup of All Purpose Flour, ¾ tsp of Baking Soda and ¼ tsp of Salt until blended. Stir in 1 cup of Chocolate Chips and 1 cup of Toasted Almond Powder using a wooden spoon. Cookie - Drop cookie dough atleast 2½ – 3 inches apart using a tbsp onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 F for about 20-22 minutes till the edges are slightly toasted or till done. Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in airtight container