Hearty Spices

Preparation - Wash, peel and finely chop 2 big Beetroots and take in a microwaveable bowl. Sprinkle some Salt and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes. Grind 1/3 cup fresh Coconut, 3-4 Green Chillies and Salt to a coarse paste. Curry - Heat a tsp of Oil in a pan; splutter ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, a pinch of Asafoetida, a tbsp Chana Dal, a tsp of Urad Dal, 2 broken Red Chillies and few Curry Leaves and saute for a minute. Add the cooked beetroot pieces and stir fry for 2 minutes. Now add the ground coconut-green chili masala and saute for another minute. Remove from heat; add juice of ½ lemon and mix. Serve it with steamed rice.

Roasting - Wash the 3 raw Bananas and prick them at several places with a sharp knife. Place each of them in a paper napkin and wrap them. Arrange the wrapped bananas in the oven and cook the bananas for 4 minutes. Turn the sides of the bananas and cook again for 4 minutes, or until soft. Remove them from the oven and the paper napkins, cut the ends and peel the skin. Mash the bananas well with a masher. Coarsely grind the 4 Green chilles and an inch of Ginger . Heat 3 tsp of Oil in a pan; splutter 2 tsp of Channa Dal, 2 tsp of Urad Dal, a tsp of Cumin Seeds and a tsp of Mustard Seeds . Saute the ginger-chili paste, ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder and few Curry Leaves . Add the mashed banana mixture and mix well till the mixture is combined well. Add Salt to taste, a tbsp of Lemon Juice and mix well till all the mixture is well mashed. Serve hot with plain rice.

Masala - Dry roast 2-3 Red Chillies, 1½ tsp of Chana dal, a tsp of Urad Dal, ½ tsp of Black Peppercorns, ½ tsp of Coriander seeds and grind to a fine powder. Potatoes - Wash 500 gms of Baby Potatoes and pressure cook till soft. Once cool, peel and prick them with a tooth pick to make small holes. Keep aside. Curry - Heat 2 tbsp Oil in a pan; splutter ¼ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ¼ tsp of Cumin Seeds ¼ tsp of Urad Dal, a pinch of Asafetida and few Curry Leaves . Add a finely chopped Onion and saute till golden brown. Stir in the cooked potatoes, a pinch of Turmeric powder, Salt to taste and toss gently. Add the ground spice powder and cook on low heat, turning the potatoes, so that it turns golden brown all over. Once potatoes get a lovely crisp brown texture with the spices, remove from heat. Serve hot with rice or with sambar rice.

Wash and soak 1/2 cup of Saggubiyyam in water for an hour. Grate 1/2 cup of Jaggery and keep aside. Heat a sauce pan with 3-4 tbsp of Water and add the jaggery to it. Once the jaggery melts, sieve it to remove all the impurities. Add the mixture back to the sauce pan and let it thicken till it reaches 1-string consistency. Remove from heat and let it cool completely. In another saucepan, take 1 1/2 cups of Water , the soaked Saggubiyyam and let it cook until they turn transparent/cooked. Add a cup of Milk, a tsp of Cardamom Powder and cook until the mixture thickens. Add the cooled jaggery mixture and mix well. Remove from heat and transfer into a bowl. Heat a tbsp of Ghee in a small pan and saute a tbsp of broken Cashews and few Raisins until golden brown. Remove from heat and add to the payasam. Serve warm or chilled. Note: Replace 1/2 cup of Jaggery with 1/2 cup of Sugar and add after the saggubiyyam is cooked.

Wash and soak 2 cups of Basmati Rice in 4 cups of Water for 30 minutes. Heat 4 tbsp of Ghee in a pan and sauté 10 broken Cashewnuts to golden color and keep aside. . To the same pan, add an inch of Cinnamon, 4 Cloves, 2 Cardamom and let them splutter. Add a medium sliced Onion, 3 slit Green Chilies and sauté till onion turns into golden. Add a tsp of Ginger Garlic paste, ¼ cup of finely chopped Coriander and Mint leaves and mix well. Drain the water from rice in to another bowl and keep aside. Saute the rice for about 3 minutes; add the drained water and Salt to taste . Mix well, cover and cook till done in a low heat. Garnish with sautéed cashews and serve hot.

Masala - Dry roast 1 inch Cinnamon, 2 Cloves, 2 Cardamom, 5 Cashew nuts, 2 tsp of Coriander Seeds and grind to fine powder. Heat 3 tsp of Oil in a pan; sauté a finely chopped medium Onion till light brown. Add and sauté finely chopped 4 Green Chillies and a tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste till the raw smell leaves. Add and sauté a finely chopped Tomato till it comes together like a gravy Add the ground masala powder and sauté till oil separates. Add an lb of washed, cleaned and diced Chicken, a tsp of Red Chili Powder, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste, a cup of Water (add more if gravy consistency is desired) and cook till Chicken is completely cooked and water is completely drained. Garnish with 2 tbsp of finely chopped Coriander Leaves and serve hot. 

Marinate – Clean 500 gm of Chicken , dice into small cubes and marinate them with ½ tbsp of Soya Sauce, an Egg, Salt, a tsp of freshly ground Pepper, a tbsp of All Purpose Flour, a tbsp of Corn Flour, ½ tbsp of minced Garlic and ½ tbsp of Green Chilli Sauce for an hour. Fry - Heat a shallow pan with about ¼ cup of Oil and lightly fry the chicken pieces until golden brown. Set aside. Chilli Chicken - In a pan, heat a tbsp of Oil, add ½ tbsp of minced Garlic, 2-3 slit Green Chillies, a tsp of Dry Chilli Flakes and saute for 2 minutes. Add a cubed Onions, cubed ½ Capsicum and saute until soft for 5-6 minutes. Add ¼ tsp of Vinegar, fried chicken, ½ tbsp of Soya Sauce, ½ tbsp of Green Chilli Sauce, Salt and a pinch of Sugar . Stir until well combined and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot.