Hearty Spices

2½ tbsp Tur dal / Kandipappu 2½ tbsp Moong dal / Pesara pappu 2 tbsp Channa dal / Senagapappu 2 tbsp Masoor dal 1 tbsp Urad dal / Minappapappu 1 Onion, finely chopped 4 Green Chilies, slit 1 tsp Ginger, finely minced ¼ tsp Turmeric ¼ tsp Red Chilli Powder 1 Tomato, finely chopped 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped 1 tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tbsp Oil For Poppu: ½ tsp Cumin Seeds Pinch of Hing 2 Red Chilies, tear and de-seed ¼ tsp Coriander Seeds, crushed (optional) ½ tsp Garam Masala Powder 1 tsp Ghee In a pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water and all the five lentils/dals and pressure-cook upto 3 whistles. If cooking over stovetop, cook till the dals are almost cooked. Mash the dals lightly. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add green chilies and ginger and stir fry for 15-20 secs. Add the chopped onions and saute for 5 mts. Add red chilli pwd and turmeric pwd and combine. Add the chopped tomato and saute for 5 mts. Add the pressure-cooked dal along with salt and combine. Add a cup of water ...

2 cups Fresh Panner, cut into cubes 1 Onion, sliced thin 5-6 Green Chilies, chopped finely 1 tbsp Ginger, crushed 2 tbsp Garlic, crushed 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder Salt, as needed 2 tbsp Soy Sauce 1 tbsp Corn Starch / Corn Flour ½ cup Spring Onion, finely chopped for garnishing Oil 1½ cup Water Fry paneer cubes till golden brown in oil and soak them in water for few minutes. Now heat oil in a pan and add green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and fry them. Add onion, salt, black pepper powder and mix well. Then add paneer cubes and soy sauce and mix gently. Add 1½ cup of water and let it cook for sometime. Mix cornstarch / cornflour with ¼ cup of water and add this to paneer mixture. Mix well till it gets thick. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve hot.

1 cup Basmati Rice, uncooked 2 cup Water 1 large Onion, chopped 3 Green Chilies 2 tbsp Oil 1 Bay Leaf ½ tsp Mustard Seeds ½ tsp Cumin Seeds 2 Cloves 1 Cardamom ½ inch Cinnamon 2 cups Carrots, grated Salt, as needed Clean and soak the rice in water. Cook rice separately in soaked water and salt. Put a wok over medium heat, warm the oil. Add mustard, bay leaf, cumin, cloves, cardamom pod, and cinnamon. Cook until the spices puff up and darken (1 to 2 seconds), then add the sliced onion, chilies and grated carrots and saute until browned (8 to 10 minutes). Add the rice to the carrot mixture and stir gently. Turn off the heat and let the pan stand covered on the burner for 5 minutes. Then uncover, fluff up the rice gently and serve.

Preheat the oven to 160C (315F). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat together 1 stick butter (113 gm) and ½ cup sugar until creamy. Add 1 egg and ¼ tsp vanilla essence and beat well. Sift 1-cup plain flour and 1-cup self-raising flour (add 1½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp of salt in 1 cup flour) and fold into form soft dough. Turn out onto a sheet of baking paper, cover with another sheet and roll out to ¼ inch thick. Using biscuit cutters cut out shapes and place on the tray. Bake in batches at 325 F for 20-minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack, then spread with Vanilla Icing. Makes about 15 biscuits. Vanilla Icing: Sift 1¼ cup icing sugar in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp cubed and softened butter, ½ tsp vanilla essence and 1-2 tbsp boiling water . Stir until the mixture is smooth and spreadable. Spread or pipe the icing on biscuits.

Prep - Cook 1½ of White rice and keep aside to cool.  Dry roast 5-6 tbsp of Peanuts and 2 tbsp of Cashewnuts;  keep aside. Wash, peel and grate a raw Green Mango for about 1½ cups and dry roast it for 3-4 minutes; keep aside. Popu (Tempering) - Heat 1½ tbsp of Oil  in a pan and splutter  1 tsp of Mustard Seeds . Add 1 tbsp of Channa Dal and 1 tbsp of Split Urad Dal ; saute till they turn golden brown on medium heat. Add 3-4 broken Red Chillies, 6-8 slit Green Chillies, 1 tsp of Grated Ginger (optional), 5-6 Curry Leaves, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and ¼ tsp of Asafoetida ; tossing them for a few seconds. Add the roasted peanuts and cashewnuts; remove from heat into a bowl. Rice - Spread the cooked white rice on to a wide plate, sprinkle Salt as needed and reserved tempering. Combine well till the tempering is well blended with the rice. and serve hot.

Mix together 1 mashed boiled potato , 1 mashed boiled carrot, ½ tsp of white pepper powder (black pepper or chopped green chilies), 1 tsp of grated cheese, salt, 1 tbsp of breadcrumbs (or powdered rusks). (You can use any veggie of your choice. Can use chopped palak also). Mix well and make the shape of a Patti. Make a bigger Patti if you are using it to make a burger. Heat a non-stick pan and add 1 tsp oil and shallow fry the Pattis. Fry well on both sides till they turn golden brown. For the burger: Slice a bun (for a burger) and slightly toast it. Spread tomato ketchup on the toasted side of the bun and place the vegetable Patti on it. Now place onion, tomato and cucumber slices over it. (Can use mayonnaise also)

Pressue cook a cup of Toor Dal, a chopped Onion, a chopped Tomato, 2 bunches of washed and cut Spinach Leaves, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, a tbsp of Oil and ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder  along with 2 cups of Water for 3 whistles or 20 minutes. Once the pressure is gone, add Salt to taste and a tbsp of Tamarind Paste and mix well. Tempering - In a saucepan, heat a tsp of Ghee and lightly saute  2 minced Garlic cloves, a tsp of Cumin Seeds, a tsp of Mustard Seeds, 3 Red Chilli Pieces and few Curry Leaves . Add the tempering to the dal and mix well. S erve hot with white rice and appadam.

3 Sweet Potatoes, diced ½ cup Sugar 3 tbsp Butter Boil sweet potatoes in microwave for 15 minutes. Take a pan and melt butter in it. Then add the boiled sweet potatoes to it. Keep the lid closed so that the sweet potatoes are soft. Then add sugar to it. Serve hot or cold.

Meatballs: 1 lb Ground Lamb (can use chicken / turkey) 1 tsp Minced Garlic 1 tsp Minced Ginger 1 Beaten Egg 2 tbsp Bread Crumbs ½ tsp Red Chili Powder Salt, as needed 1 tbsp Oil 1 tsp Garam Masala Gravy: 1 inch Cinnamon Stick 3 Cloves 2 small Onion, diced 3 Green Chili, chopped 1 tsp Ginger Paste 1 tsp Garlic Paste 2 tbsp Tomato Paste 1 tsp Garam Masala few Coriander Leaves, diced Oil 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder Salt, as needed 1 tbsp Corn Flour, mixed in 2 tbsp water 1 tsp Soy Sauce Clean the ground lab meat and put it in a bowl. Mash it finely and then add salt, red chili powder, garam masala, breadcrumbs, beaten egg, minced ginger, minced garlic and oil. Now mix all these ingredients together and make lemon size balls. Fry them in oil till golden brown. For the gravy: Take a deep fry pan and add oil to it and warm it. When the oil is warm enough add cloves and cinnamon and sauté for a minute. Then add onions and diced green chili and fry golden brown. Add salt, red chili powder, salt...

Pressure cook a cup of Pesara Pappu (Moong dal) till done with a chopped medium Red Onion, a chopped medium Tomato, 3 slit Green Chilies, 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder, pinch of Turmeric Powder and ¼ tsp of Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds). Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a pan and saute a tsp of Mustard & Cumin Seeds . As the seeds splutter, toss in 2 broken Red Chilies and a pinch of Asafetida . Remove from heat and add it to the cooked dal along with  1 cup of Water  and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. Garnish with 2 tbsp of Lemon Juice and chopped Coriander Leaves and serve hot with white rice. 

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil and 1 tbsp of Ghee in a pan on medium heat. Add 8-10 Curry Leaves, 2 large Onions,sliced, 4 Green Chillies, slit, 16 Cloves, 2 inch Cinnamon Stick and 4 Cardamoms and stir fry for 10 minutes. Add 2 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute for 5 minutes. Add 2 ripe Tomatoes, chopped, 10 Mint Leaves and 1 tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves and stir well. Add Salt to taste and 2 tbsp of Tomato Puree and cook covered for 10 minutes. Reduce heat, add 2½ cups Basmati Rice , mixing well, saute for 4 minutes. Add 5 cups of Water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook till rice is done. Serve hot with raita / yogurt.

2 cups Peanuts 2 cups Sugar 1 tsp Ghee or Clarified Butter ½ tsp Cardamom powder Dry roast the peanuts in a pan for few minutes till light brown and cool it. Remove the skin and crush them lightly. Heat a pan and add the clarified butter (ghee) and the sugar. Melt the sugar in low flame. Add the cardamom powder. Grease a tray and the back of a spoon for spreading the mixture. When the syrup reaches hardball consistency, remove it from the flame. Add the nuts and coat it well with the sugar syrup. Immediately transfer it to the greased tray. Press the back of the greased spoon onto the mixture to spread evenly and cut them into slabs. Make sure to cut the slabs before it cools. Let it cool and store it in airtight container.

1 medium sized Cauliflower (washed in salt warm water) 1 tbsp Oil / Butter 2 tbsp Oil ½ tsp Jeera ½ tsp Mustard Seeds 1 Onion, chopped Few Curry Leaves ½ tsp Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste 2 big Tomatoes, chopped 1 tsp Red Chili Powder 1 tsp Coriander Powder ½ tsp Cumin Powder (Jeera powder) ½ tsp Garam Masala Powder Salt, as needed Coriander leaves, for garnish Heat 1 tbsp oil and add cauliflower florets, stir-fry for 5 minutes continuously on medium flame, remove and keep aside. In the same vessel, heat oil, add jeera and mustards, let them pop, add chopped onions and curry leaves, fry till slightly reddish. Add turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste, fry for few seconds, and add all powders and salt except garam masala powder and mix. Fry for few more seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes; cook till oil separates from the edges of the vessel. Add fried cauliflower florets, mix gently, covered, cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Add garam masala powder, mix gently, covered, cook...

Soak the a cup of Urad Dal for an hour. Rinse, drain the water and grind into smooth dough with minimum water. Add a tsp of minced Ginger, tbsp of Chopped Coriander Leaves, 4 finely chopped Green Chillies and Salt to taste before preparing to fry. Heat enough Oil in a pan to deep fry. Using a ziploc bag to shape the garelu, take a ball sized dough, place over the ziplock sheet. Slightly pat the ball with wet fingers to make into round shape with your index finger make a hole in middle of the round. When the oil is hot, take the shaped dough and drop immediately in hot oil. After shaping the garelu, whip clean the ziplock sheet and precede the same with the rest of the dough. Note: If the dough is loose: add a cooked/mashed potato or little rice flour. If the garelu are hard try a pinch of baking soda - but the soda will soak lots of oil.

Rice - Cook  3 cups of Rice in a tbsp of Butter / Ghee, 5 cups of Water and 1 cup of Coconut Milk . Let it cool. Tempering - Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan, saute 1½ tsp of Mustard seeds, 3 tsp of Chana dal, 3 tsp of Urad dal, 3 tsp of Peanuts, 4 tbsp of Chopped Cashews, 4 tbsp of Raisins, few Red Dry Chilies, few Curry Leaves and 3 tsp of Chopped Ginger . Once the dals are roasted, add 2/3 cup of Grated Coconut, Salt to taste and remove from heat. Add this tempering to the cooled rice and serve warm. For making coconut milk - Soak 1 grated coconut in 2½ cups water for 1 hour. Grind in a mixer using same water. Strain to extract the milk. Repeat process with the residue twice. Press out till residue is crumbly. The milk prepared at home has water content in it so 2½ cups can be used with rice to cook rice.  

1-cup Butter, room temperature ½ cup Brown Sugar 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 cups All Purpose Flour ½ tsp Salt 2/3 cup Toasted Pecans, chopped In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Mix in vanilla extract, flour and salt, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in pecans to evenly distribute. Form dough into a ball and place on a sheet of wax paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a log about 2 inches across or a little less. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 2 hours, or in the freezer until you’re ready to use it (it will last a couple of weeks). Preheat oven to 350F. Slice dough into slices that are no more than ¼ inch thick, allowing the dough to soften slightly before slicing if you are using frozen dough. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cookies will not spread very much, so you don’t need to leave too much room between them. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Cool on sheet for 2...

1-cup Urad Daal 5-6 Fenugreek seeds Salt, as needed Oil to deep-fry Water, to soak garelu 2 cups Yogurt (should not be sour) Sugar, as needed 1-inch Ginger 3 Green chilies Red chilli powder, pepper, cilantro, chaat masala (for garnish) Soak the Urad daal and methi / fenugreek seeds in water for 4 hours and grind. Add salt when ready to use. *Tip to make soft and light garelu: Mix the batter in one direction only and with a light hand. Heat Oil. Make wadas and deep-fry them to a golden color. Transfer the fried wadas in water and let them soak for 3-4 minutes. Lightly squeeze the water out. Beat the yogurt and make it smooth. Grind together the ginger and chilly. Add this to the yogurt. Add salt and sugar. Dip the wadas in the yogurt, garnish and serve chilled. Note: Can add tadka too - Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds, curry leaves & pinch of hing.

10-12 Baby Potatoes, boiled and peeled ½ cup Cashewnuts 2 big Onions, cubed 1 cup Tomato Puree 1-cup Fresh Mint Leaves 2 Bay Leaves 2 Cloves ½ tsp Fennel Seeds 1 tbsp Chopped Ginger 1 tsp Garam Masala 1 tsp Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Coriander Powder 1 tsp Cumin Powder 1 tsp Pomegranate Seed Powder (anardana powder) - optional 1 tsp Chilli Powder Salt, as needed Oil, as needed In a pan add 2 tbsp oil and fry the onions till the raw smell leaves. Let it cool. Grind the onions, cashews, mint leaves and ginger into a thick paste. (Add garlic if needed). In a deep-bottomed pan add some oil and fry aniseed, bay leaves and cloves. When the aroma arises, start adding the onion paste, tomato puree, and all the other powders. Give a good stir, simmer the stove to medium and add a cup of water, as the gravy keeps getting thick. Let it cook for a while. Now add the potatoes and leave it for another 10 minutes. Garnish with some fresh cilantro, fresh cream, chopped onions and mint leaves.

2 cup Okra, thinly sliced into rounds 1 Onion, finely chopped 3 Green Chillies., finely chopped 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped Saute them in oil, until they turn crisp and crunchy, like you normally do for a dry curry. Mix together 1-cup yellow cornmeal, ½ cup whole-wheat flour, 1 tsp each- baking powder and soda, ½ tsp salt . In another bowl, mix - 2 eggs (optional - remove yellows), 1 cup buttermilk, 2 tbsp of molasses/sugar and 4 tbsp of peanut oil . Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 ° F. When you are ready with cornbread batter and sauted okra, place the empty iron skillet in oven and heat it up. Remove the hot skillet from the oven. First place the okra in the skillet, then pour the cornbread batter over it. Spread the batter neat and even with a spatula. Place the iron skillet in oven, bake at 400° F, for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Serve with gravy curry.

1¼ cup All Purpose Flour Salt, as needed 1½ tsp Baking Powder ½ cup White Sugar ¼ cup Butter 2 Eggs ½ tsp Cinnamon Powder 4 tbsp Milk 1 Large Apple (tart), peeled, cored and sliced For topping: ¼ cup All Purpose Flour 2½ tbsp Butter ¼ cup Brown Sugar ¼ tsp Cinnamon Powder 2-3 tbsp Crushed Walnuts (optional) Preheat oven to 345 F. Grease and flour a round baking pan. Prepare the topping by combining brown sugar, cinnamon powder and all purpose flour well. Cut the butter into this mixture using a fork until it appears crumbly. You can also add a few tbsps of chopped walnuts (optional). Keep aside. Sieve all purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, cream butter with sugar. Use a hand blender to make a smooth creamy mixture. Add the beaten eggs and combine well. Add cinnamon powder and combine. Fold in the flour mixture little by little alternating with milk. Do not overbeat; just fold the dry till there is not trace of any flour. Pour batter into the greased and f...