Hearty Spices

Soak a cup of White / Green Peas in Water for 6 hours. Pressure cook the peas with 2 medium Potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into pieces and a Clove, 3 cups of Water, a pinch of Turmeric for 6 whistles on medium heat. After cooled, mash the peas and potato lightly. Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan. Add 3/4 tsp of Cumin, a tsp of Fennel Seeds, a Bay Leaf, a Cinnamon and saute for 2 minutes. Add a finely chopped Onion and saute till golden brown. Add a tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and saute for 2 more minutes. Add a finely chopped Tomato, 1/2 cup Mint Leaves, 3/4 cup Coriander Leaves and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, Salt as needed, a tsp of Garam Masala, 1/2 tsp of Coriander Powder, 1/4 tsp of Cumin Powder and a cup of Water as needed. When the gravy is cooked, add the mashed peas mixture to it and mix well. Cook until the curry comes together. Remove from heat. Add 5-6 Puris or Papdis to a plate. Add the prepared gravy over them. Garnish with a tsp of C...

Stir in a tbsp of Instant Coffee in a tbsp of Hot Water in a bowl and keep aside. In a large bowl, beat a cup of Butter for about 45 seconds and add 3/4 cup of White Sugar, 3/4 cup of Brown Sugar, 2 tsp of Cinnamon, a tsp of Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp of ground Nutmeg, 1/4 tsp of Baking Soda, 1/4 tsp of Salt, 1/4 tsp of Ground Cloves, a tsp of Vanilla and blend well till incorporated. Add in 2 Eggs , the prepared Coffee and mix well. Beat in the 2 1/4 cup of All Purpose Flour until well combined. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set. Allow to cook on the cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

De-husk 4 ears of sweet corn (~ 3 cups of Corn Kernels) and pressure cook them for 2 whistles on medium heat. After they are cooled, run a knife to separate the kernels from the cob into a bowl.  To the bowl, add a 1/2 finely chopped Red Onion, 1-2 finely minced Green Chillies, 1/2 cup of Chopped Cilantro, Juice of a Lime, Salt to taste, 1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder, 1/4 tsp Cumin Powder, 1/2 finely chopped Tomato (optional)  and mix well.  Serve with Tortilla chips.

Clean and drain 250 gm of cooked, deveined and peeled Shrimp into a bowl. Add 1 1/2 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder and a pinch of Turmeric and give it gentle mix. Set aside for 30 minutes. Wash and drain 1 1/2 cups of Basmati Rice into a bowl. Soak in 1 1/2 cups of Water. Set aside for 30 minutes. Click on "Sauté" on the Instantpot and after a minute, add 3 tbsp of Oil . Once the oil is hot, add the marinated shrimp gently to the oil and cook until the oil separates. Push the shrimp to one side of the pot and add 2 Cloves, 1 Cardamom, 1/2 inch Cinnamon, 1/2 Bay Leaf, 1/2 Star Anise, 1/2 thinly sliced Onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add Salt as needed, 1/2 tsp of Ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell disappears. Add a finely chopped Tomato, 1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder, 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder and keep stirring. Add 1/4 cup of Chopped Coriander Leaves and 1/4 cup chopped Mint Leaves and give it  good stir. Add the water from the set asi...

Start the Instantpot in "Saute" mode. Add 2 tbsp of Ghee and a Cinnamon Stick, a Bay Leaf, 2 Cardamoms, 4 Cloves and a tsp of Cumin Seeds . After 30 seconds, add 1/4 cup of Cashews and roast till golden brown. Add a sliced Onion, 2-3 Slit Green Chillies and cook until the onions turn golden brown. Add a tsp of Ginger Garlic paste and cook for another minute. Add a chopped Tomato, 1/4 cup of Peas and cook for another 2 minutes.  Click on "cancel" and add 1 1/2 cups of Water, a cup of Basmati Rice, a tsp of of Salt, a tsp of Coriander Powder, a tsp of Garam Masala, 1/2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder and give it a good stir. Set the Instantpot to "Manual" and pressure cook for 5 minutes on Sealing mode. After the time is up, allow the pressure to be naturally released. Open the lid and fluff up the rice with a fork. Garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves and serve warm with Potato chips and Raita.

Heat 3/4 cup of Oil in a bowl and keep aside.  Take a cup of Chickpea Flour / Besan in a bowl, add the hot Oil to it and whisk until smooth.  Heat a pan with a cup of Sugar and 1/2 cup of Water until the sugar melts. Bring to a boil and cook till one-string consistency is reached. Add the besan mixture and mix well. Then add the 3/4 cup of warm Ghee and mix well until the mixture is thick and smooth. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes until it gets thick and bubly. Now, remove from the heat and continue to mix for another minute. Pour the mixture into a greased pan/mould and spread evenly. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, unmould and slice.

Wash, drain and soak 500 gms of diced boneless chicken in a bowl with Salt Water. In a bowl, take 1/3 cup of Cracked Wheat, a tbsp of Rice, 1 1/2 tbsp of Oats, a tbsp of Urad Dal, 1/2 tbsp Masoor Dal, 1/2 tbsp of Moong Dal, a tbsp of Chana Dal, a tsp of Sesame Seeds, Water as needed and soak for atleast 4 hours. After 4 hours, drain the water and grind the pulses to a fine, smooth mixture adding water as needed.  In a pressure cooker, add 4 tbsp of Ghee and heat it. Once hot, roast 1/2 cup of Cashews and drain them into a plate once they are golden brown. In the same ghee, add 12 Almonds and roast till nice aroma emanates. Drain them on to the same plate and add 15 Pistachios and roast and drain as well. In the same ghee, add a Cinnamon Stick, 4 Cardamoms, 5 Cloves, 1 tsp of Black Peppercorns, a tsp of Shahijeera, a small sliced Onion and roast till golden brown. Add 2 tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and roast for 2 minutes. Add the chicken, 3-4 Slit Green chillies and cook on hi...