Hearty Spices

Cube the bread into inch pieces, will need about 2 heaped cups . Heat  ¼ cup  of  brewed coffee in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute. Dissolve 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, 2 tbsp of Semi sweet Chocolate morsels, 2 tbsp of Nutella in the hot coffee, without forming any lumps. Keep aside. Beat an egg lightly in a big bowl. Add   ¾ cup of Sugar, 2 tbsp of Cream cheese, ½ cup Milk, ¼ cup Heavy Cream, ½ tsp Vanilla essence, pinch of cardamom powder and  1/8 tsp Nutmeg   and mix well. Mix in the coffee-cocoa mixture and whisk to combine.  Butter a  loaf pan / dish and pour the mixture into it. Add the bread cubes and soak for at least 20 minutes, up to an hour. Press down the bread occasionally using a spoon or fork, making sure all the bread is submerged.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Place the pan in a roasting pan/tray filled with hot water. The water must come up to an inch of the pudding pan...

Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds and few Curry Leaves . Add a cup of shredded Cabbage and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add Salt to taste and cover cook for 10 minutes. Add a tsp of Coriander Powder, a tsp of Cumin Powder,  ¼ cup of fresh/dry grated Coconut, 2 tbsp of Crushed Peanuts (optional) and remove from heat. Serve hot with steamed rice and papad.

Pressure cook ¾ cup of Toor Dal with 2½ cups of Water, 2 cups of chopped Bottlegourd, ½ medium sliced Onion, 3-4 slit Green Chillies, a pinch of Turmeric and marble sized Tamarind. Remove from heat after 3 whistles and let it cool. Open the lid, add Salt to taste and mash the dal. Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan, splutter few Curry Leaves, 3 crushed Garlic cloves, ¼ tsp of Mustard and Cumin Seeds .When they start to pop, add a pinch of Asafotedia and remove from heat. Add the popu to the Dal and mix well. Serve with roti or rice.

Masala Powder - Dry roast 1½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, a tbsp of Coriander Seeds, a tbsp of Sesame Seeds and 5 Dry Red Chillies till sesame seeds are golden brown. Add a tbsp of Dry Coconut and sauté for a minute before removing from the stove. After cooling, make a coarse powder and keep aside. Wash and wipe 500 gms of Ivy gourds , cutting them into thin slices or rounds. Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan and splutter a tsp of Mustard seeds, ½ tsp Cumin Seeds and ½ tsp of Urad Dal . Add and sauté 5 crushed Garlic cloves and few Curry Leaves . Add the Ivy gourd pieces, Salt to taste , ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and cover cook for 15 minutes stirring in between. Reduce the heat to low and cook till for 5 minutes. Add the ground powder and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes before removing from heat. Serve hot with white rice.

Line up a layer of Nilla Wafers  in a 2-quart dish. Over the Nilla Wafers, layer a sliced Banana evenly. In a bowl, take 2 ½ cups of Cold Milk and whisk in 5 oz of Vanilla Pudding mix and mix well for 2 minutes. Let it sit on the counter-top till it sets. Layer half of it over the banana layer in the dish. Repeat the layers with Nilla Wafers, another Banana and more Vanilla pudding.  Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Clean and dice a Kg of Chicken to bite sized pieces. to it, add Salt to taste, a tsp of Red Chili Powder and set aside. Heat a pan and roast  a tbsp of Coriander Seeds, a tsp of Cumin Seeds, 10-12 Red Chilies till they turn slightly brown and set aside. In the same pan, saute 1½ cups of diced Red Onions, 10 cloves of Garlic, 2 inches of Ginger saute till the onion turns brown. Cool and blend together with the coriander, chilies and cumin seeds. Now in a pan / pressure cooker, heat 2 tsp of Oil and splutter  ¼ inch of Cinnamon, a tsp of Fennel Seeds, 2-3 Cloves, few Curry leaves , followed by ½ cup of roughly chopped Red Onion and saute till they turn translucent. Add the chicken pieces, ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder and saute till the outside of the chicken gets a bit brown (about 8-10 minutes). Now add  2 medium chopped Tomatoes and let them get cooked and start to get mushy. Add the ground masala and about ¼ c...

Coarsely crush a tsp of Cumin seeds with 3-4 cloves of Garlic and keep aside. Heat a tbsp of Oil to a pan; add and saute 3 slit Green Chillies, 2 Dry Red Chillies, few Curry Leaves for about 2 minutes on medium heat. Add 4 thinly sliced medium Onions, a pinch of Turmeric Powder and fry till the onions turn light golden brown. Add 2 cups of diced Pumpkin, Salt, a tbsp of Red Chilli Powder ; mix well and cover cook till the pumpkin cubes turn soft on medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Remove the lid, add 2 cups of Water, 1½ tbsp of Tamarind Paste, a cup of Powdered Jaggery and bring to boil. Add the coarsely crushed garlic mixture to it, mix and cover cook for 10 minutes till the stew turns a little thick consistency. Garnish with fresh Coriander Leaves and serve warm with steamed white rice.