Hearty Spices

Filling - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and saute 4 Red Chillies, a tsp of Cumin seeds, a tsp of Urad Dal, 2 tbsp of Sesame seeds, 3 tbsp of Peanuts, an inch of Ginger piece, 3-4 Garlic cloves, 1/2 chopped Onion and A pinch of Turmeric. Sauté the mixture until onions are golden brown. Make a smooth paste with little water along with Salt to taste. Curry - Clean, drain and wipe 20 Dondakayalu / Ivy Gourds / Tindora. Cut the ends of for each and at one end, make 2 slits keeping one end intact. Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and add few Curry Leaves, Dondakayalu.  Saute them for 10 minutes on medium heat or until the rawness disappears. Add the above prepared mixture to the pan and mix well. Add few spoons of water to get the curry to desired consistency. Remove from heat and serve warm with rice. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of Corn Starch with 2 cups of  Water until there are no lumps and keep aside. Heat a cup of Water and 1 1/4 cup of Sugar in a saucepan and mix well. Bring the syrup to boil and then add the corn flour mixture to the saucepan, mixing continuously. Reduce to medium heat and keep stirring until the mixture thickens. Add a tsp of Lime Juice and more stirring. Add 2 tbsp of Ghee and more stirring until the ghee is incorporated. Add powdered Cardamom Powder (2 Cardamoms), 3 tbsp of Chopped Cashews, a pinch of Food Color and more stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan or the spatula.  Transfer the mixture into a glass tray and garnish with chopped nuts of your choice. 

Dehusk the 2 Sweet Corns and chop them into bite sized pieces. Keep aside. Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pressure cooker (pan). Add few Curry Leaves, a Bay Leaf, 2 Cloves and 1/2 inch of Cinnamon Stick and saute for a min. Add a finely chopped large Onion and 4-5 slit Green Chillies and saute till the onions are golden brown. Add a pinch of Turmeric powder, a tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute till the raw smell disappears. Add a finely chopped Tomato, 1/2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, a tsp of Coriander Powder  and mix well. Cook till the tomatoes are well incorporated into the mixture. Add Salt as needed and Corn pieces to the cooker along with a cup of Water and close the lid. Pressure cook for 2 whistles and remove from heat.  Once cool, remove the lid and add a cup of Coconut Milk and cook on medium heat for few minutes until desired gravy consistency is reached. Remove from heat and serve warm with Ghee Rice.

Wash  3 cups of Basmati Rice  and soak in  3 cups of Water . Boil and peel  8 Eggs  and make slits on their sides and put them aside. Press the "Saute" button on the Instant Pot and heat 2 tbsp of Oil . Add a tbsp of Cumin Seeds and a tbsp of Fennel Seeds along with 2 Cardamoms, 5 Cloves, 1 Bayleaf and 1/2 inch Cinnamon Stick . When they start to splutter, add a tbsp of Cashews and saute them till golden brown. To the pot, add a finely chopped / sliced Onion,  3 slit Green Chillies and saute until it turns golden brown. Add a tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste, pinch of Turmeric Powder, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 1/2 tsp of Coriander and Cumin Powders each. Mix well and add a finely chopped Tomato to the pot. Combine well and keep stirring to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot. When the mixture turns mushy, add 1 1/2 tsp of Salt, the soaked rice + water and mix well. Close the lid and the valve and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Quick rele...

Chana / Chole - Soak 2 cups of Chole / Chana overnight in 6 cups of Water. Drain and keep aside. In a pressure cooker, add the soaked Chole/Chana, 5 cups of water, 2 tea bags, a Bay Leaf, an inch of  Cinnamon stick, a Cardamom and Salt to taste. Pressure cook on high heat for 3 whistles and then reduce to low heat and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Drain and reserve the water and discard the spices. In a pan, add 2 tbsp of Oil and saute Half a chopped Onion, 3 slit Green Chillies until golden brown. Add a pinch of Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste and a tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and saute till the raw smell goes away. Add 2 chopped Tomatoes and saute till the gravy comes together. Add a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 2 tsp of chole masala and add the drained Chole to the pan. Coat them with the masala gravy and saute for 2 minutes. Then, add a cup of the reserved water and cover cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with Cilantro Leaves ...

Finely chop 2 tbsp of Cashewnuts and 2 tbsp of Almonds and keep aside. Heat a cup of Heavy Whipping Cream and 3 cups of Milk (Full fat) along with 2 tbsp of Milk Powder in a saucepan stirring occasionally.  Get the milk to a boil and add the chopped nuts along with a pinch of Saffron Strands . Boil the milk on medium heat stirring constantly to avoid boiling over until the quantity is reduced to 2/3 rd or half. Add 1/2 cup of Sugar and continue to stir. Get the milk to another boil and remove from heat. Transfer to smaller containers / serve ware and let it cool. Once it reaches room temperature, cover and freeze the containers for 8 hours.  Serve chilled.

Dough - Take a cup of All Purpose Flour, 2 tbsp of Rice Flour and a cup of Wheat Flour in a bowl. Add Salt to taste and 2 tbsp of Warm Oil to the mixture. Mix well and add required water to the mixture to get to a soft chapathi dough consistency.Make a ball out of the mixture and let it rest aside. Filling - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and saute a thinly sliced Onion, 2 minced Green Chillies until onions turn golden brown. Then add Salt to taste, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, a tsp of Cumin Powder, a tsp of Chat Masala to the pan and mix well. When the mixture comes together, remove from heat and let it cool. Binding paste - Add a tsp of All purpose Flour to a tbsp of Water and make paste. Roll the dough into a thin sheet and cut them into rectangular strips (3 x 6 inches) and cook them on a hot girdle (like Chapati). When cooked, remove them from the girdle and keep aside. Repeat until all the dough is used.  Take each cooked strip and fold them from one side to hol...