Hearty Spices

Rinse a cup of Rice, a cup of Moong Dal together in a bowl and keep aside. Turn on the instant pot in “Sauté” mode. Add a tbsp of Ghee , and temper a tsp of Mustard seeds, a tsp of Cumin seeds . Once they crackle, add a Bay Leaf, 4 Cloves, 1/4 tsp of Asafoetida, and few chopped Curry leaves . Then add a tsp of Ginger garlic paste along with 4 minced Green Chillies and sauté for 30 seconds.  Add a Peeled and Chopped Carrot, few chopped Broccoli florets along with Salt . Mix and sauté for 30 seconds. Add a pinch of Turmeric powder, a tsp of Coriander Powder, a tsp of Jeera Powder, a tsp of Garam masala, washed and kept aside rice and dal. Now add 6 cups of Water and mix well. Turn off the sauté mode. Close the lid and cook on “pressure mode” for 12 minutes. Tempering : Heat a tbsp of Ghee in a pan. Fry 2 broken Red Chillies, a tsp of Red chilli powder, 4 tbsp of Fried Onions, 1/2 cup of Frozen Green peas .  Allow the pressure to release naturally. Now, add the prepared te...

Wash 1 1/4 cups of Rice and pressure cook for 3 whistles with 2 1/2 cups of Water . Once the steam is out, add a tsp of Turmeric Powder, a tsp of Salt, 2 tbsp of Oil, a sprig of Curry Leaves and 3 slit Green Chillies . Mix lightly and keep aside. Grind together an inch of Ginger piece, 3 tsp of Mustard Seeds, 3 Red Chillies and Salt to taste into a fine paste with 2 tbsp of Water. Heat a tbsp of Oil in a small pan and splutter  half sprig of Curry Leaves . Add 2 tbsp of Tamarind Paste, a tbsp of Jaggery, mustard paste and cook for 2 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool. Add to the rice and mix well. In the same pan, add a tbsp of Oil and saute 2 tbsp of Groundnuts, a tbsp of Channa Dal, a tbsp of Urad Dal, a tsp of Mustard Seeds . Add 2 broken Red Chillies, half sprig of Curry Leaves and saute for a minute. Add this to the rice too and mix well. Serve hot.  

Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a pan and splutter a tsp of mustard Seeds, Add a tsp of Chana Dal, a tsp of Urad Dal and roast until they are golden brown. Add 3/4 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 2 broken Red Chillies, a spring of Curry Leaves and roast for another 30 seconds. Add 2 slit Green Chilies, a cup of thinly sliced Onion and cook for 3 minutes on high heat while mixing in between. Add 1/2 ltr of Water, Salt as needed and cover cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.  In the meantime, take 50 ml Water in a cup and add 2 tbsp of Chickpea Flour (Besan) and mix well without any lumps. Add a tsp of minced Ginger, the besan mixture, boiled, mashed medium Potato (optional), a tsp of Lemon Juice and remove from heat.  Serve warm with Poori. 

Prepare a loaf pan with Parchment Paper and preheat the oven to 350F. Melt 1/2 cup of Butter in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, 1/2 cup White Sugar, 2 Large Eggs and beat together until creamy. Add 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract, a cup of Mashed Banana (2 1/2 medium Bananas), a tsp of Baking Soda, 2 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder, 1/2 cup of Old fashioned oats and mix well. Add 1/4 tsp of Cinnamon, 1/8 tsp of ground Cloves, 1/8 tsp of Nutmeg, 1/2 cup of Sour Cream 3/4 tsp of Salt and blend well. Slowly add in a cup of All-Purpose Flour and mix until a batter consistency is achieved. Fold in 1/2 cup of chopped Walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until the tooth pick test is passed.

Take 2 cups of Wheat Flour in a mixing bowl, Add 1/2 tsp of Ajwain / Carom Seeds, 1/2 tsp of Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp of Cumin Powder, a tsp of Garam Masala, a tsp of Chat Masala Powder, 1/2 tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, a tsp of minced Green Chillies, 2 tsp of Oil, a tbsp of Yogurt and Salt as needed . Mix well and slowly add water to make soft dough. Add a tsp of Oil and coat it over the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes in a covered bowl. Break away lemon-sized ball from the dough and roll into a thick paratha, while dusting with wheat flour as needed. Heat a pan and cook the paratha with a tsp of Ghee on both sides.  Serve warm with yogurt and pickle.

Heat a pan and sauté a cup of Sooji along with a tsp of Cumin Seeds on low heat until it is golden brown in color. Add Salt as needed and keep aside. Heat 1/4 cup of Oil in a pan and add a tsp of Mustard Seeds, 2 tsp of Chana Dal, 2 tsp of Urad Dal and saute until the dals are golden brown. Add 15 Cashews, a sprig of Curry Leaves, 3 finely chopped Green Chillies, a tbsp of minced Ginger and saute for few seconds. Add 4 cups of Water, a cup of Milk and let it come to a boil on high heat. Add the roasted Sooji and mix well on high heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set it aside for 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of Ghee and mix well.  Serve warm.

Prepare, cut and wash 500 gms of Chicken into medium sized pieces and soak in Salt water for 30 minutes. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add 4 tbsp of Oil . Once hot, add a thickly sliced Onion and saute until light brown. Add 5 finely chopped Green Chillies, 2 sprigs of Curry Leaves, a tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and saute on 5 minutes on high heat. Add a tsp of Coriander Powder, a tsp of Cumin Powder, Salt as needed, a tsp of Turmeric Powder, a tsp of Garam Masala Powder and combine well. Add few tbsp of Water, if needed. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 40 minutes while stirring, as needed. Add a tsp of Tamarind Paste, 1/4 cup of Chopped Coriander, few Curry Leaves and a tsp of Pepper Powder and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes and mix well. Serve warm with rice.