Hearty Spices

Preparation - Grind a cup of diced Onions coarsely and keep aside. Clean ½ kg of Chicken (with bones), cut into medium sized pieces and keep aside. Masala Powder - Dry roast 5-6 Dry Red Chillis , 1 tbsp of Coriander Seeds, ¼ tsp of Cumin Seeds, 2 Green Cardamoms, 2" Cinnamon Stick, 4 Cloves, 1 tsp of Fennel Seeds (saunf) and make powder.  Gravy - Heat 3 tbsps of Oil in a pan and saute 3 Green Cardamoms, 2" Cinnamon Stick, 6 Cloves and a Star Anise . When the aroma emnates, add the coarsely ground onions and fry till they are golden brown. Add 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste , chicken pieces and fry for few more minutes. Add the ground masala powder, Salt to taste  and mix well. Cover cook till oil separates, add 2 cups of Water and cook till done. Garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves . Serve with rice or rotis.

Kesari - In a pan, heat the ½ cup of Ghee and roast few Cashes and Raisins till golden color and keep aside. Add and roast 1 cup of Sooji/Semolina till the aroma rises. Add ½ cup of Sugar, ½ tsp of Cardamom Powder, 2 cups of Water and few drops of Color to it and keep stirring till the sooji is cooked and leaves the corners of the pan. Add the cashews and raisins to the prepared kesari. Dough - In a bowl, mix 2 cups of Maida/All Purpose Flour, ½ tsp of Salt and enough Water to make soft dough. Bobbattu - Take a clean plastic sheet and apply oil to it. Make roti size balls from the dough and stuff smaller ball of kesari inside the dough closing the dough ball. Gently press the stuffed dough with your hands on the plastic sheet and flatten it out as much as possible. Then, fry it on a flat pan with enough oil.

In a wok, heat 3-4 tbsp of Oil to smoking point, add and saute  a chopped Garlic . Fry for a few seconds and add 8 Curry Leaves, 3 Green Chilies and a medium Onion, chopped . Sauté them on high heat till soft (about 2-3 minutes). Add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, ½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ½ tsp of White/Black Pepper powder and Salt to taste , mix well. Add 1 lb of Chicken cut into bite sized pieces and fry on medium to high heat till the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add a pinch of Ajinomotto, 1 tsp of Soya Sauce and few drop of Red Food Color , fry for another 1-2 minutes of high heat. Adjust Salt and Chili powder if required. Garnish with 2 tbsp of Coriander Leaves and few chopped Spring Onions after removing from heat. Squeeze on the lemon juice and serve hot.

Preparation - Clean  1/3 cup of Toor Dal and 2/3 cup of Rice together and soak in water for few minutes. Wash and dry ½ cup of chopped Sorakaya (Bottle gourd), ½ large Potato, cubed, 1/3 - ½ cup Green Peas, 1 Carrot, chopped and 10-15 Green Beans, chopped . Heat a pressure pan, add 1 tbsp of Oil along with 4 Cloves, 1” Cinnamon stick, 1 tsp of Mustard Seeds and 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds. Once they start to splutter, add a pinch of Turmeric Powder, Few Curry Leaves, a sliced Onion and 5 slit Green Chilies . Sauté for a minute and add a large chopped tomato and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add 2½ tbsp of Samabar Powder and the vegetables, sauté for few more minutes. Drain off the water from the soaked dal and rice and add to the pressure pan. Saute for 2 minutes and add 3-4 cups of Water . Pressure cook for 3 whistles. After the pressure is released, add 1 tbsp of dry/fresh scraped coconut (optinal), 1 tbsp of Tamarind Pulp, Salt to taste and ½ tsp of Suga...

Stuffing - In a pan, slightly roast 2 tbsp of Peanuts, 2 tbsp of Sesame Seeds, 1 tbsp of Coriander Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, 3 Cloves, 1" Cinnamon, 1 Cardamom, ¼ tsp of Fenugreek Seeds and grind to powder. Heat 2 tsp of Oil and saute 2 chopped Onions, 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste till light brown and grind to paste with little water. Combine the ground powder, paste, 1¼ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, Salt to taste and Water as needed. Brinjals - Wash and clean ¼ kg of purple/white Brinjals (10-12). Slit + quarter with stalk intact. Place the stuffing inside the + and keep aside. Curry - Add 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan, splutter ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, 3 crushed Garlic cloves and few Curry Leaves tossing them for few seconds. Place the stuffed brinjals in the oil and cook on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add the leftover stuffing and cover cook on medium low heat for 15 minutes. Check and Stir in between to ensure the brinjals don’t burn or stick to the p...

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, cream together ½ cup of Butter and a cup of Sugar . Beat in an Egg , followed by 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract . Mix in ½ tsp of Baking Powder, ¼ tsp of Salt, 1 tsp of Instant Coffee Powder (optional), ½ cup of Cocoa Powder and gradually add  1¼ cups of All Purpose Flour , mixing till no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Stir in a cup of Semi-sweet or Dark Chocolate Chips. Place a tbsp of dough (about 1-inch balls) onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies begin to crack on the top. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2½ dozens.

Masala - Heat a pan on medium heat and dry roast 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp of Coriander Seeds, 1 Clove, 1" Cinnamon and 3 dry Red Chillis for 2 minutes. Remove and keep aside. In the same pan, heat 1 tsp of Oil,  add ½ tbsp of Channa Dal and ½ tbsp of  Urad dal (black gram dal)  and fry for 2 minutes till they turn red. Remove and keep aside. Add ¼ tsp of Poppy Seeds, ¼ tbsp of Sesame Seeds and ½ tbsp of Grated Coconut and fry for a minute and turn of heat. Add ¼ tsp of Asafetida and stir fry for a few seconds. Cool and grind all the roasted ingredients to make a powder. Preparation - Cook 1½ cup of Raw Rice  such that each grain is separate, add a tsp of Ghee, ½ tbsp  of Lemon Juice and combine. Wash and thinly slice 8 green or purple Brinjals / Eggplants into 2" pieces and place them in salted water. Vangi Bath - In a pan, heat 1½ tbsp of Oil , add  1 tsp of Mustard Seeds  and let them splutter. Add  1 tsp of ...