Hearty Spices

Eggs - Hard boil 6 Eggs and make slits in them. Drizzle a tsp of Oil in a pan and roast them for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle a pinch of Turmeric Powder , toss and remove them from heat to keep aside.  Prep - In the same pan, add chopped pieces of  3 Drumsticks and toss them for a minute. Remove and keep aside. Curry - Add  a tsp of Oil and splutter ½  tsp of Mustard Seeds, a torn Red Chilli, 3-4 crushed Garlic Cloves and few Curry Leaves . Add 2 finely chopped Onions and sauté till they turn transparent. Add a tsp of Red Chili Powder, ½ tsp of Coriander Powder, Salt to taste ; combine. Now add  a large chopped Tomato , drumstick pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes, combining them often on medium heat. Add the eggs and combine. Cover cook on low heat for two minutes. Add  2 cups of Water , increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered till it forms thick gravy, approx 10-...

Soak ¼ cup of Yellow Moong Dal in a cup of Water and keep aside for 30 minutes. Heat a tsp of Oil and splutter ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds . Add and saute thinly sliced ½ Onion, 2 cloves of Garlic and 3 slit Green Chillies for 1 minute. Add  a pinch of Turmeric Powder, 2 cups of chopped Fenugreek Leaves, Salt to taste and cook for few minutes.   Add the drained and soaked moong dal along with  ½ cup of Hot Water . Sprinkle a tsp of Besan and mix well bringing to a boil. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, till the moong dal is cooked. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Marinade - Mix the washed, gashed and diced 650gms of Mutton along with 3 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 2 tsp of Salt, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, a cup of Yogurt, a cup of roughly chopped Mint Leaves, a cup of roughly chopped Coriander Leaves, 4-6 finely sliced Green Chillies, 2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 2 tbsp of Lemon Juice, a tbsp of Garam Masala, a tbsp of Coriander Powder in a bowl until well combined. Set aside covered for 3 hours to marinade. Fried Onions - Heat 4 tbsp of Oil in a pan, add and sauté 4 medium finely sliced Onions sprinkled with a pinch of Salt till they are golden in color. Once done, remove the pan from heat and separate half of the onions by removing them on to a plate and spread them out. Add the remaining oil and onions to the marinade and mix well. Milk & Saffron - In a small bowl, add ½ cup of warmed Milk and soak a pinch of Saffron Threads in it. Rice - Wash 3 cups of Basmati Rice well and soak in cool water for 30 minutes. Heat suff...

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it.  In a medium bowl, melt together 1/3 cup of bittersweet/semisweet  Chocolate chips and 2 tbsp of Butter. Add in ½ tsp of baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp low fat Sour Cream . Whisk in a egg, a egg white and 1½ tsp of Vanilla Extract . Gently mix in  ¾ cup of all purpose flour  and  1/3 cup of cocoa powder, mixing until no streaks of flour remain. Batter will be thick. Spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool brownies completely in the pan. Store in an airtight container. Makes 12 brownie wedges

Wash 2 cups of Idli Rice in a bowl, add ¼ cup of Poha to it and soak in water for 4-5 hours. Wash ½ cup of Urad Dal in a bowl, add a pinch of Fenugreek Seeds and soak in water separately for 4-5 hours. Drain and reserve the water. Grind the urad dal, methi seed with some of the reserved water for smooth and fluffy batter. Grind the rice to to a smooth batter. Mix both the batters together in a large bowl, add Salt as needed and mix well. Cover and let the batter ferment for 8-9 hours. Gently mix the batter. Grease the idli moulds. Pour the batter in the moulds steam the idlis in a pressure cooker for 10-12 mins or until the idlis are done. Peanut Dal Chutney -  Heat a tsp of Oil  in a pan, roast ¼ cup of Peanuts  on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add few Curry Leaves, ¼ cup of Roasted Chana Dal, ½ tbsp of Sesame Seeds and saute for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cook and grind to smooth paste along with 3-4 Green Chillies, half inch Ginger pieces, ...

Wash, peel and scoop out the seeds of a large Dosakaya (Lemon Cucumber). Cube it into bite-sized pieces. Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan and splutter a tsp of Channa Dal, a tsp of Urad Dal, a tsp of Mustard Seeds, a tsp of Cumin Seeds and few Curry Leaves . Add and saute a chopped medium Onion, 3-4 slit Green chillies till light brown in color. Add and cook a large chopped Tomoto, dosakaya pieces, Salt to taste and a tsp of Red Chilli Powder . Mix well, cover and cook, until done, stirring now and then. Add a cup of Yogurt , mix gently and cook without lid until you see the curry starts bubling on top. Simmer on low heat for 2 minutes, remove from heat.

Toss together a pound of Asparagus, a tbsp of Olive Oil, ½ tsp of Salt, ¼ tsp of Pepper , making sure asparagus is well coated with salt and olive oil. Place on the grill and allow cooking for at least 5 minutes, turning occasionally.