Hearty Spices

Toast 3 tbsp of Sesame seeds in a pan till they turn a light brown in color. Cool and pound them into a coarse powder. In a pan, Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; saute 10-12 Red Chillies for a minute. Add and saute 6-7 Garlic cloves for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Grind them into a coarse paste. On low heat, add a big bunch of washed Gongura Leaves to the same pan and cover cook till the leaves wilt. After cooling, add the wilted leaves and grind to a smooth paste. Add the pounded sesame seeds along with some Salt to taste. Serve with hot rice.

3 or 4 Drum Sticks cut into long pieces a Fistfull of sambar onions Any desired vegetable cut into slightly big pieces (brinjal, okra, beetroot, carrot, tomato) 2-3 Green Chillies ½ cup Toor Dal A small lemon size tamarind 2 tsp Udipi Sambhar powder (see recipe below) 1 tsp Jaggery (or more to suit your taste) ½ tsp Turmeric Powder Small Bunch of Coriander Leaves, finely chopped 1 tbsp Oil Salt to taste ¼ cup Fresh Coconut scraped or dessicated coconut For Sambar Powder: 1 tbsp Urad Dal ½ tbsp Channa Dal 2 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds ½ tsp Fenugreek Seeds 4-6 Dry Red Chilli Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1 Dry Red Chilli ¼ tsp Asafoetida Few Curry Leaves 1 tbsp Oil Wash and pressure cook the toor dal and mash it. Soak tamarind in water for some time and extract the pulp. Peel sambhar onions. Heat some oil in a pan and add slit green chillies onions and turmeric powder. Saute on medium flame for about 3 minutes till the onions turn glossy and translucent. Microwave vegetables...

1½ cup Kala Chana, soaked in water overnight 2 medium Onions, chopped fine 1 tsp Ginger, grated 4-5 Green Chilies, minced or sliced into fine rounds 3 small Tomatoes, chopped 1 tbsp Red Chili Powder 2 Bay Leaves 1" Cinnamon 2 Black Cardamom, left whole 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Chana / Chole Masala or ½ tsp garam masala Salt to taste 2 tsp Oil Fresh Coriander, chopped, for garnish ½ cup Curd 1 tsp Lemon Juice ½ tsp Chat Masala Pressure-cook the soaked kala chana with the bay leaves, whole black cardamom pods and cinnamon stick in enough water to cover the chana fully. (For 3 whistles). Remove the bay leaves, the whole cardamom and cinnamon stick and discard the water. In a wide pan, heat the oil. Add the grated ginger, the chopped green chilies & cumin seeds. Fry for a minute, then add the chopped onions. Fry till the onions become soft and are beginning to turn slightly brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and the garam masala/chana or chole masala and stir. Add ½ cup water and cook...

Flours - Seive together 2 cups of All Purpose Flour, ¼ tsp of Baking Soda, ¼ tsp of Baking Powder and ½ tsp of Salt . Keep aside. Coffee - Add 1 tbsp Hot Water to 2½ tbsp Instant Coffee Powder in a cup. Keep aside. Cream - In a bowl, cream together 1/3 cup of Butter, ½ cup of Brown Sugar and ½ cup of White Sugar until well blended. Beat in a Egg, 1½ tsp Vanilla Essence and 1 tbsp Milk until light and creamy. Dough - Add the coffee mixture to the cream and mix well. Mix in the sieved flours until just blended. Freeze - Cover the dough with plastic foil and place in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Prepare small lemon sized balls and place on baking sheet that has been lined with aluminium foil. Place each ball about 2 inches apart as they will spread. Lightly flatten the balls with a fork. Sprinkle some sugar on top of each ball. Bake - Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 C for about 10-12 mts till the edges are slightly toasted or till done. Once baked, the cookie will feel sof...

                         Dry roast ¾ cup of Moong Dal for 3-4 minutes and pressure cook it along with a cup of Rice in 4 cups of Water for 3 whistles. Dry roast 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ tsp of Black Peppercorns and pound them to fine powder. Keep aside. Heat a tsp each of Ghee and Oil in a pan; splutter a tsp of Mustard Seeds and ½ tsp of Urad Dal till golden brown. Add and saute few Curry Leaves, a broken Red Chilli, 2-3 slit Green Chillies, minced 2 inches of Ginger, 8-10 broken Cashewnuts for 3-4 minutes. Add the cooked rice and moongdal mix, a tsp of Jaggery, a cup of Milk, powdered cumin and peppercorn , a pinch of Turmeric Powder, ½ cup of Grated Coconut and mix well. Cook for 6-7 minutes on low heat, add Salt to taste, a tsp of Lemon Juice and combine. Serve hot with Sambar or chutney.

2 cup Basmati Rice 1 cup cubed Carrots ½ cup cubed Yellow Pepper Salt to taste 3½ cup Water (may need more later) 2 tbsp Oil To be ground together to a thick, rough consistency with 3 tbsp of water- 1 cup Spinach Leaves Small bunch of Coriander Leaves ½ cup Cashew Nuts 2 Green Chillies, halved 1 small Onion, chopped 3 cloves Garlic, peeled and halved 1 tbsp Lemon Juice Popu: 1 whole Red Chilli, halved 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 2 Bay Leaves Spice powders: ½ tsp Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Cumin Powder 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add the ingredients for tempering. When the seeds begin to sizzle, add the carrots and yellow pepper and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the spinach mixture and stir constantly over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the rice and the powdered spices, salt and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid burning. Do this for about 4 minutes. Add the water, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook till the rice is do...

Marinade - Mix 3 tbsp of Yogurt, 1 tsp of Chilli Flakes, ¼ tsp of Turmeric, 1½ tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 1½ tsp of Vinegar / Limejuice, 1 tsp of Ajwain, Salt to taste  and finely chopped 2 Shallots in a bowl. Make a few slits over the 5 Chicken Drumsticks and apply the marinade; let the chicken marinate in the fridge for about 5-6 hrs. Remove and bring to room temperature before grilling.  Ajwain Basting - Roast  ½ tsp of Ajwain  in a pan for a 30 seconds or till it starts to change color. Add 2 tbsp of Oil  and let the seeds fry for a minute. Keep aside for ½ hour. Grill - Pre-heat the oven on the grill at 180C and cook the chicken for about 20 mins (turn it over atleast twice), or till the juices run clear, basting occasionally with the ajwain oil and the remaining marinade.

2 cups All Purpose Flour 1¼ cups Wheat Flour 1½ tsp Salt ½ tsp ground Ginger 2 tsp Baking Soda 1½ tsp ground Cinnamon 2 cups Sugar 1 cup light Brown Sugar, not packed ¾ cup Vegetable Oil 1 cup Egg Substitute / 4 Eggs 1/3 cup Water 2 cups grated Zucchini 1 tsp Lemon Juice 1 cup chopped Toasted Pecans Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, egg substitute, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry – be careful not to overmix!, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 or 6 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes. OR the muffin versions cooked in about 25 minutes.

2 large Green Capsicums, cut into big squares 1 large Onion, finely chopped ¼ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste 2 Tomatoes cut into big pieces 1 tsp Red Chili Powder ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Coriander Powder ½ tsp Kasuri Methi (Dry Fenugreek Leaves) 1½ tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds Powder 1½ tsp Roasted Peanuts Powder Salt to taste Few Curry Leaves 1 tbsp Oil Chopped Coriander Leaves for garnish Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add chopped onions and curry leaves and fry till onions turn transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3 mts. Add red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, coriander pwd and salt and combine. Add the chopped capsicums and tomatoes and fry for 7-8 mts, without lid. Add a cup of water and cook for approx 10-12 mts with lid on low to medium flame. Allow the gravy to thicken. Add the groundnut and sesame seeds pwds and kasuri methi and combine. Cook without lid for 5 mts. Turn off heat. Remove onto serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice or roti...

Heat 1 tbsp oil /butter in a pan. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds . When they sizzle, add a pinch of asafetida, ¼ tsp turmeric powder . Immediately add 3 cups of corn kernels (from about 3 ears of corn), 1 cup water, salt to taste, 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro, 12 curry leaves, 2 to 4 fresh Thai or serrano chillies, sliced crosswise. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the corn is juicy and tender. If using frozen corn, thaw for a minute in the microwave before using, and reduce the cooking time a bit. Add a dash of lime before serving if you wish.

1 Cinnamon Stick, about 1 inch and broken 1 - 2 tbsp Oil (and another 1-2 tsp oil for the last step) 3 Bay Leaves 3 Whole Cardamoms 1 tsp Fennel Seeds 3 Cloves 2 tsp Urad Dal ½ tsp Turmeric Powder 2 medium Onions, chopped fine 2 tbsp Tomato Paste 8 Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless, diced into bite-size piece 20 Curry Leaves Salt to taste For the paste: 1½ tbsp Cumin Seeds 5 Dried Red Chilies 3 tbsp Coriander Seeds 1½ tsp Fennel Seeds 1½ tsp Black Peppercorn 1½ tsp White Poppy Seeds (optional) 3 - 4 medium Garlic cloves, chopped 2 inch Ginger, chopped Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in the pan of your pressure cooker. Add bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves and urad dal. Stir and fry over medium heat until the urad dal turns a golden red. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until they are soft and slightly golden. While the onions are cooking down, lightly roast cumin seeds, red chilies, coriander seeds, fennels seeds, black peppercorn, and the poppy seeds till they are fra...

2 cups All Purpose Flour ½ tsp Baking Soda ½ tsp Salt ½ cup Butter ¾ cup Cocoa Powder 2 cups Sugar 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 2/3 cup Buttermilk 2 cups Chocolate Chips Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Melt the butter in a small, microwave safe bowl. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter (still warm) with cocoa powder and whisk until very smooth. Whisk in sugar, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop dough in 1-inch balls into prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches between cookies to allow for spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges. Cool for 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Chikkudikaya (Broad Beans) - Wash, trim and cut the 250 gms Chikkudikayalu into 3 pieces. Boil 2 cups of Water in a pan and cover cook the beans along with salt till almost cooked. Drain and keep aside. Vepudu (Fry) - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 4 Curry Leaves and 2 crushed Garlic cloves;  fry for 5 seconds. Add  a chopped Onions, a finely chopped Green Chilli  and saute till transparent. Add ½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ½ tsp of Coriander Powder, ¼ tsp of Cumin Powder, Salt to taste and 1 tsp of Sugar ; mix well. Add the boiled beans and cook covered for 5 minutes on low heat. Garnish with Coriander Leaves (Optional)  and serve with steamed white rice. .

Soak 2 cups of chickpeas in water overnight or atleast 6 hours. Take them in a pressure cooker; add salt, one teabag (optional) and 4 cups of water and pressure cook them until they are just tender. Drain the water and separate ½ cup of cooked chickpeas. Blend these separated ones into into thick, smooth paste with little water. 1 cup Finely chopped, Juicy Tomatoes 1 Onion, finely chopped lengthwise 1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste (Optional) Popu: ¼ tsp Cumin seeds ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tbsp Chana masala powder ½ tsp Red Chili Powder ¼ tsp Turmeric Salt Fresh cilantro and lime juice - for garnish Heat 1tsp of oil or ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Add and toast cumin and mustard seeds. When seeds start to pop, add the onion and ginger garlic paste. Cook until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook on high heat until the tomatoes turn to soft. Press with a spatula and mush them. To this tomato sauce, add the cooked chickpeas, pureed chickpea paste, chana masala powder, salt, red chilli...

Veggies - Peel and finely chop 2 medium Onions and keep aside. Peel and grate / finely chop an inch of Ginger and keep aside. Also finely chop 3 tbsp of Coriander Leaves , 1 tbsp of Curry Leaves and 1 tsp of Green Chilies . Grate about 2-3 tbsp of Fresh Cocon ut and keep aside. Slightly crush about 1 tsp of Peppercorns and keep aside. Batter - Mix 1 cup fine Semolina / Sooji (Rava), ½ cup of Rice Flour, ¼ cup of All Purpose Flour (Maida) with 1 cup diluted Yogurt and enough Water (1½ - 2 cups of Water)  to it and mix until no lumps are formed. The batter should be thin enough to pour over the pan but should not have spreading consistency. Add Salt to taste, 1 tbsp of Cumin Seeds to the mixture and mix. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Crepes (Dosa) - Pour a ladle full of batter from the outward base of the hot tawa in a circular motion to the centre; fill the major gaps in between. But do not try to fill all the small gaps, those gaps helps in makin...

2 Eggs 1¼ cup All Purpose Flour ½ cup Sugar ¾ cup Butter 1 tsp Baking Powder A few drops of Vanilla Essence A handful of Dates, stoned and chopped Cream the butter and sugar. Whisk the eggs and add to it. Add the flour and baking powder and mix well. Add the vanilla and dates and mix. Line a muffin tray with baking cases and drop spoonfuls of the batter to each (ideally, ¾ th of the cases should be filled). Place the tray in the centre of a pre-heated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes at 180C. Cool on wire racks and Serve.

1¼ cup Freshly Grated Coconut ½ tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Urad Dal 1 tbsp Chana Dal 3 Dry Red Chilis, tear and de-seed 5 Green Chillis, cut each into two 4 Garlic Flakes Gooseberry sized Tamarind 2-3 tsp Oil Salt to taste ½ tsp Sugar (optional) Popu: ½ tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tsp Minappa pappu 5-6 Curry Leaves ½ tsp Oil Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin and toast them for a few seconds, add the dals and let them turn red. Next add the garlic, red chillis and green chillis and fry them for ½ minute on low heat. Lastly add the coconut pieces (or grated) and stir-fry for a minute. Remove from pan and cool. Once cool, grind the toasted ingredients, tamarind, salt and sugar to a slightly coarse paste by adding very little water (few tbsps). You shouldn’t make it into a smooth paste. Heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add the split black gram and let it brown. Add the curry leaves and toss them for a few seconds till the flavors come out. Turn off heat and add the seasoning ...

Dosa batter -   Wash 4 cup of Rice, a cup of Urad Dal, 1/3 cup of Chana Dal, 1/3 Cup of Moong Dal, 1/3 cup of Toor Dal, 1 tsp of Methi Seeds  together and soak them for 6-8 hrs or overnight. Next day morning soak a cup of Poha for an hour before starting the grinding process of the batter. Grind everything together to a smooth paste in the wet grinder for better results. Let it ferment for 9-10 hrs at room temperature. Pappulu Podi - Grind ¼ cup of roasted split chickpeas/putnala pappu, ¼ tsp of Cumin Seeds, a crushed garlic flake (optional), 2 dry red chilies (de-seeded), 1 tsp of Dry Coconut Powder (optional), Salt to taste to a fine powder and store in an air-tight container. Serve with rice and ghee, sprinkle over idlis with a dollop of ghee or sprinkle some of this podi over stir-fry dishes like beans/capsicum. Erra karam -   Heat a tsp of Oil in a pan; saute a large sliced Onion, 4 Red chilies and 3 Garlic flakes for 3 minutes. Remove and cool. Grind ...

Wash 2 cups of Beaten Rice (Poha /Atukulu) in water; drain and keep aside. Heat a tbsp of Oil , saute 2 tbsp of Peanuts  till they are toasted. Splutter a tsp of Mustard Seeds, a tsp of Cumin Seeds, a tsp of Urad Dal, a tsp of Channa Dal and a sprig of Curry Leaves . Add and saute a finely chopped Onion, 2-3 finely chopped Green Chillies, Salt to taste, a pinch of Turmeric Powder till the onions are soft. Add the drained beaten rice and mix gently to coat with the spices and onions. Adjust salt and Red Chilli Powder if required. Remove from heat, sprinkle a tbsp of Lemon Juice, fresh chopped Coriander Leaves  and let it sit for couple of minutes before serving hot.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F and prepare the baking sheets lined with baking / Wax paper.  In a bowl, sift together 2 cups of All Purpose Flour, a tsp of Baking Soda and 1/2 tsp of Salt and keep aside. In another large mixing bowl, melt a cup of Butter, add 3/4 cup of Brown Sugar, 2/3 cup of Sugar and 2 tsp of Vanilla Essence . Beat in a tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar and an Egg also to make a smooth mixture. Add in the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Add 2 cups of Chocolate Chips to the mixture and mix gently. Drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with the help of a spoon or shape into 1 inch balls by dampening your hands. Place the cookies at least 2 inches apart as the dough will spread while baking. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, till the edges start to brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for sometime on the sheet and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before storing them into an air tight container. ...