Hearty Spices

Garnish - Heat a tbsp of Ghee and roast 1 tbsp of Cashewnuts and 1 tbsp of Raisins till golden brown and keep aside. Rice & Dal - Dry roast 1 cup of Rice and 1 cup of Moong Dal in a pan till the dal turns golden brown. Then, pressure-cook the rice and dal with 6 cups of Water till 3 whistles and remove from heat. (1:1 Rice:Moong Dal and 1:3 Rice+Moong Dal:Water) Pongal - Add 4 cups of Sugar or Jaggery or both to the Pongal and mix well till the sugar/jaggery dissolves. Add  a powdered Cardamom, 2 tbsp of Ghee and combine. Garnish with roasted nuts and serve hot or cold.

Plantain - Wash, peel and cut a Plantain (aritikaya) into semi circles. Keep aside in a bowl of water. Masala paste - Grind a chopped Onion, 2 chopped Green Chilies, Inch of Ginger piece, 4 cloves Garlic, 4 Cloves, Inch of Cinannmon stick, ½ tsp of Coriander Seeds and 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds to paste without adding any water. Plantain (Aritikaya) Fry - Heat 4 tsp of Oil in a pan, add few Curry Leaves and plantain pieces. Allow the pieces to cover-cook on a low heat till they turn soft. Remove the lid and allow them to turn a little crispy. Once the pieces are soft and start turning color to light brown add the ground paste, 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste and continue frying in low flame till the raw smell disappears. Add a tsp of Oil if required. Once the pieces are crispy and golden brown in color, add 1 tbsp of Chilli Powder , mix well and remove from heat. Serve hot with rasam, sambar or pappu charu and white rice.

Prep - Cook 1 cup of Rice in 2 cups of Water and keep aside. Finely Powder 2 tsp of Mustard Seeds and keep aside. Make a paste of 1 medium sized Green Mango, peeled and cubed, ½ cup of finely chopped Fresh Coconut and 8 to 10 small Green Chillies . Heat 1 tsp of Peanut Oil , in a big sauté pan and toast ¼ cup of Peanuts to golden brown color and remove. Rice - Add another tsp of Oil or Ghee to the same pan. Toast a tsp if each - Cumin, Mustard, Urad Dal, Chana Dal, few pieces of dried Red Chillies and Curry Leaves . Add the Mustard seed powder, Smooth mango-coconut-chilli paste, 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder  and Salt to taste . Stir and sauté this mixture for 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat, until the raw smell is gone. Stir in the toasted peanuts and remove from heat. Add the rice, mix thoroughly and serve hot.

Red Garlic Chutney - Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a skillet and roast 1/4 cup of Garlic Cloves until brown. Drain and remove the Garlic and set aside. Add a cup of Shredded Coconut to the same skillet and roast until golden brown. Now, pulse the Garlic, Coconut, Salt to taste and 2 tsp of Red Chili Powder with very little Water to a coarse chutney ans keep aside. Green Chutney - To a blender, add a bunch of Cilantro, 2 Green Chili, 2 Garlic Cloves, 1/4 tsp of Cumin Powder, Salt to taste, Juice of 1 Lime and a tbsp of Water, or as needed and blend to a smooth chutney. Tamarind Chutney - Heat a skillet and add a cup of Water,  1/4   cup  of T amarind paste,   3  tbsp  of S ugar,  1/2  tsp of S alt, 1/2 tsp of Red Chili Powder,  1/2   tsp of  C umin powder & a small piece of Ginger and bring to boil. Boil on low heat until it coats the back of the spoon. Potato Mixture -   Wash, boil, peel and mash 4 Potatoes...

Preparation - Wash, peel and finely chop 2 Apples and keep aside. Toast 1 tbsp of Broken Cashewnuts and Raisins each to golden color in 1 tbsp of Ghee . Add and roast the 1 cup of Sooji and keep aside. Halwa - Heat another pan and add 2 tbsp of Ghee , add the chopped apples and sauté for few minutes. Add 1 cup of Milk, 1 cup of Water, pinch of Cardamom Powder  and let it boil. While it is boiling, slowly add the sooji and mix continuously. Reduce the heat. When the sooji is cooked, add 1 cup of Sugar and mix well. Cook for a minute and drizzle 1 tbsp of Ghee over the Halwa. Serve hot or cold after chilling in refrigerator.

Marinade - Marinate ½ kg of Mutton in 1 cup of Yogurt, 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 2 tsp of Coriander Powder, ¼ tsp of Garam Masala Powder, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder, ½ tsp of Cumin Powder and Salt for ½ hour. Curry - Heat 3 tbsp of Oil in a pressure cooker, add 3 Cardamoms, 6 Cloves, 1″ Cinnamon Stick and fry for 5 seconds. Add 1 cup of sliced Onions and 3 slit Green Chili and fry till onions are translucent. Add the mutton marinade and mix well. Let it cook in its own water on medium heat till oil separates. Add 2 cups of Water, cover and cook the mutton till soft on low heat for 3 whistles. Add a pinch of Nutmeg Powder before removing from heat. Garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves . Serve with hot rice or rotis.

Veggies - Wash, peel and chop the 2 large Potatoes into even sized pieces and boil in lightly salted water until tender. Clean and slice ½ cup of Button Mushrooms into small pieces(optional). Chop a medium Onion, a Capsicum, a Tomato and keep aside. Wash and finely chop 2 tbsp of Parsley and 2 tbsp of Coriander Leaves , keep aside. Eggs - Beat the 6 Eggs in a bowl, season with Black Pepper and Salt as needed. Add ½ cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese , Parsley and mix well. Omlet - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a frying pan, add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, capsicum, coriander and cook for 5 more minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Drain the potatoes well, then slice into smaller cubes if needed. Add the potatoes followed by eggs. Cover with a lid and cook it on medium heat. When one side is done and fluffed. flip it over and cook for another minute. Serve hot with ketchup after cutting the omelet into wedges. Garnish with chopped Coriande...