Hearty Spices

Dal - In a saucepan, add washed 1 cup of Moong Dal, ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder, a drop of Oil, 2 cups of Water and cook till the lentils are cooked without loosing their shape, about 10-15 minutes. Curry - Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a pan, add 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, few Fenugreek Seeds (Optional), ¼ tsp of Asafoetida, halved 1-2 Dry Red Chillies, Few Curry Leaves and saute till the spices are golden brown. Add finely chopped 2-3 large Garlic Cloves, slit 2-3 Green Chilies and saute for few seconds. Add thinly sliced 4-6 Spring Onion Whites, finely chopped an inch of Ginger and sauté till onions are translucent, about 1-2 minutes. Add ½ - 1 tsp of Garam Masala, finely chopped 2 medium Tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes till tomatoes are mushy. Add the cooked moong dal, 1 tsp of Jaggery, Salt to taste, 1- 1½ cups of Water and simmer the dal for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle juice of ½ medium Lime, Spring Onion Greens and let it cook for another 2-3 min...

Garnish - Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp of Ghee and toast 2 tbsp of Cashewnuts and 1 tbsp of Raisins till golden brown. Remove and keep aside. Dal & Jaggery Syrup - In the same pan, add  ½  cup Split Yellow Moong Dal and roast it for approx 4 minutes till it turns a light brown shade. Remove from pan and pressure cook in 1 cup of Water till soft and mushy. Add 3/4  cup of Jaggery and ¼ cup of Water and bring to boil till the jaggery melts. Remove from heat and keep aside. Payasam - In a heavy bottomed vessel, boil  ½ cup  of Milk , stirring once in a while. Once the milk is boiled, add the cooked dal and combine well. Next, add the jaggery syrup and keep stirring on low heat till well combined for 12-15 minutes. Add the ½ tsp of Cardamom Powder and toasted cashews and raisins. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled.

Masala Powder - Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a non-stick pan. Add chopped 4-5 Garlic Pods, 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 1½ of tbsp Urad Dal, 1 tbsp of Chana Dal, 1-2 dry Red Chillis, ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds and stir on medium heat till they turn slightly red. Immediately remove the roasted spices, straining the left over oil and keep aside. Veggies - In the same pan, add slit 2-3 Green Chilli, 2 cups of Grated Carrot and on medium flame saute till the rawness of carrot disappears (approx 3-4 mts). Remove and keep aside. In the same pan, add a tsp of Oil and saute ¾ - 1 cup of chopped Coriander Leaves for a minute. Remove from heat and cool. Chutney - Grind the roasted Masala, followed by the sauteed carrot and coriander, 1 tbsp of Jaggery and Salt to taste , to a coarse paste adding little water. Popu - Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a pan, add ½ of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Urad Dal, few Curry Leaves and fry till the dal turns red. Remove from heat and add to the chutney along with juice of...

Preheat oven / Airfryer to 400F. In a bowl, mix in 1 finely chopped Capsicum, 1 small finely chopped Onion, 1 tbsp of Butter (optional), 2 tbsp of Tomato Ketchup, 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder and Salt to taste . On a baking pan, place an aluminium foil and then the  6 Wheat Bread slices over it. Over the bread slices, evenly place the capsicum-onion mixture. Sprinkle 2 tsp of Shredded Mozarella Cheese over them and bake for 10 minutes or till cheese melts. Serve hot.

Rice - Wash and soak 2 cups of Basmati Rice for 10 minutes. Pulav - Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a pan; add 2-3 Bay Leaves, an inch of Cinnamon Stick, 2-3 Cloves, 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds and 5-6 Cashew Nuts . Fry for a minute or till the nuts change to golden color and add a sliced Onion and lengthwise cut 2-3 Green Chillies . Saute and add 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste, Salt to taste, 1 tsp of Garam Masala Powder, ½ cup of Green Peas and mix well for 2-3 minutes. Add a cup of Milk and stir in the rice and 3 cups of Water . Stir once and cook on medium high heat uncovered for 10 minutes and then cover and cook for another 5 mins. Once cooked fluff the pulav with fork. Serve hot with spicy curry.

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together ½ cup of Butter, 1 cup of Sugar and ½ cup of Brown Sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 Eggs one at a time, 1½ tsp of Vanilla Extract and ½ cup of Mashed Banana (1 medium) . Stir in 3 cups of All Purpose Flour, 1 tsp of Baking Soda and 1 tsp of Salt , then mix in 1¼ cups of Chocolate Chips / Chocolate Chunks until well-mixed. Shape dough into 1 to 1½ inch balls and place on baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between cookies to allow for spread. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until cookies are a light golden brown. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 40 cookies.

Marinade - Marinate 4 Chicken Legs, slit with ¼ cup of thick Yogurt, 2 tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp of Lemon Juice, 2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 1 tsp Pepper Powder, ½ tsp of Cumin Powder, 1 tsp of Garam Masala, Salt to taste and pinch of Tandoori Color (optional) for at least 3 hours or overnight in fridge. Stove - Heat 2 tbsp Oil in a pan and add the chicken pieces to the pan. Cover the pan and let it cook on slow heat. Cook slowly until cooked on one side, then turn and cover again. Add oil if necessary. When cooked, increase the flame and let it cook until it changes its color to brown. Oven - Preheat the oven to 450C. Add Oil to a grill pan and place the chicken legs in the pan, cover with an aluminium foil and grill for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and grill for 10 minutes. Turn the pieces and grill for another 10 mins. Sprinkle some lime juice on top and serve.