Hearty Spices

Vankaya / Brinjal / Eggplant - Wash and cube ¼ kg Purple Eggplants and place them in salted water. Popu (Seasoning) - Heat 1¼ tbsp of Oil and add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds and let them splutter. Add a pinch of Cumin Seeds and 5-6 curry Leaves and toss for 10 seconds. Add a pinch of Asafoetida and saute for few seconds. Add the cubed eggplants and stir fry for 5 minutes without lid on medium heat. Stir continously to ensure they don't get burnt. Add 1 tsp of Ginger-Green Chilli paste, Salt to taste and a Big pinch of Turmeric Powder and combine. Cook for 2 minutes and add 1 tsp Coriander Powder, a pinch of Methi Powder and 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder and combine. Cook with the lid on low to medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and cook on high for 4 minutes. Garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves . Serve hot with rice / rotis.

Rice -  Pressure cook 1 cup Rice with 3 cup Water for 5 whistles. Once the pressure is release, mash the rice and a cup of Milk and mix well. Keep aside.  Add 2 cups of Yogurt and Salt to taste to the rice.  Popu (Seasoning) - In a pan, add 2 tbsp Oil and heat. Add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp of Chana Dal, 1 tsp of Urad Dal, ¼ tsp of Cumin Seeds, 2 tsp of chopped Green Chilies, 2 tsp of chopped Ginger, 1-2 Dry Red Chilies, 2 tsp of Peanuts (Optional), 2 tsp of Cashews, 2 tsp of Raisins (Optional) and Curry Leaves to the skillet. Toss them till a nice aroma arises. Mix the popu ingredients to the yogurt rice and garnish with chopped Coriander, Pomegranate Seeds and grated Carrot .

Masala Powder - Heat ½ tsp of Oil in a pan. Roast ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, 1½ tbsp of Coriander Seeds, ½ tsp of Peppercorns, ¾ tsp of Fennel Seeds, 6-8 Red Chilies, 2 Cardamoms, 1" Cinnamon and 6-7 Curry Leaves on medium heat stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and grind to a powder. Ginger Garlic paste - Soak 1 tsp of Poppy Seeds in warm water for 10 minutes. Make paste of 2 Green Chilies, 8 Garlic cloves, 1" Ginger and poppy seeds. Keep aside. Curry - Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a saute pan. Add 1 cup of chopped Onions and 5-6 Curry Leaves and saute till transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute. Then add the washed and cubed 1 kg Chicken to the pan and cook on high heat for 4 minutes. Reduce to medium heat, add Salt to taste, ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder and 1 cup of chopped Tomatoes and mix well. Let the chicken cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Add 1 cup of Coconut Milk and transfer the contents to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook fo...

Bread - Heat 1/3 cup Ghee / Clarified Butter  in a pan, add the 1 Bread loaf, torn into bite-size pieces and fry till they turn a golden brown. Remove and keep aside. Nut Powder - In the same pan, heat 1 tsp of Ghee , toast 2 tbsp of Almonds and 2 tbsp of Cashewnuts . Grind them along with 6 Cardamoms to fine powder, leaving few toasted almonds and cashew nuts aside for garnish. Halwa -  In a saucepan, boil 1 litre Milk with 1¼ cup of Sugar , stirring till it blends into the milk. Add the fried bread pieces and the  1 tsp of Ghee to this mixture. Let it simmer till the bread pieces turn soft and cook in the milk mixture. Add the nut powder and combine well. Garnish with the toasted almonds and cashew nuts. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled and serve.

Dal (Lentils) - Pressure-cook 1 cup Masoor Dal with ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder and a cup of Water for upto 2 whistles. Mash the dal and keep aside. Popu (Seasoning) - Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a pan, add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, 2 Red Chillies and ¼ tsp of Asafoetida . Once the mustard splutters, add Few finely chopped Curry Leaves and toss. Veggies - Add 1 tsp of finely chopped Green Chillies, 2 tsp of finely chopped Ginger and 2 tsp finely chopped Garlic . Combine well and add ½ cup of finely chopped Onions and saute till onions are soft. Add ½ tsp of Chilli Powder, ½ tsp of Coriander Powder and Salt to taste . Immediately add 1 cup of chopped Tomatoes and saute till tomatoes are mashed. Add a cup of water and allow to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Finally add the cooked dal and ½ tsp of Kasuri Methi and mix well. Remove from heat when desired consistency is reached. Serve hot with rotis / rice.

Rice - Wash and soak 2 cups of Basmati Rice for ½ hour. Masala - Heat a tbsp each of Ghee and Oil in a pan. Add ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds and ½ tsp of Shahjeera and let them splutter. Add 6 Cloves, 2” Cinnamon Stick, 5-6 Cardamoms and 2 Bay Leaves and toss them till a nice aroma arises. Veggies - Add ½ cup of chopped French Beans, 1 cup of cubed Potatoes, 1 cup of cubed Carrots, 1 cup of Cauliflower florets, ¼ cup of Green Peas, ½ cup of chopped Capsicums  and 3 Green Chillis , slit lengthwise. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add 2 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute for a minute. Pulav - Add soaked rice and fry for 2 minutes. Then add 2 tbsp of chopped Mint Leaves, 1 tbsp of Coriander Leaves, ¼ tsp of Garam Masala Powder and Salt to taste . Stir well and add Add 3¾ cups of Water and cover and cook till done. Garnish - Fry 1 cup of sliced Onions in 2 tbsp of Oil till brown on low heat. Garnish the Rice with the fried onions and 1 tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves ...

Puffed Rice - Take a big bowl and fill half of it with water. Add 8 cups of Puffed Rice in it and soak them. After 5 minutes, take handfuls of ouffed rice and squeeze the water out. Place them in a colander to drain. Upma (Mixture)- Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add and fry a Sprig of Curry Leaves, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds and ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds . Add finely slices pieces of a large red Onion, ¼ cup Peanuts, 4 Green Chilies and a ripe Tomato . Saute for 5 minutes till the tomato is cooked. Add ½ tsp of Turmeric and Salt to taste . Stir fry for 2 minutes and turn off the heat. Add the puffed rice to the hot mixture and mix well. Add finely chopped ripe Avacado, 2 tbsp chopped Cilantro, Juice of 1 Lime and 1 tbsp powdered Chana Dal (with Coriander Seeds, Red Chili and Garlic) . Combine well gently. Serve hot.

Vada Pappu - Soak 5 tbsp of Split Yellow Moong Dal (Pesara Pappu) in water for ½ hour and strain. Uncooked chalimidi - Soak 1 cup of Raw Rice for 2-3 hours in warm water. Drain and dry the rice on a dry cloth until completely dry and powder coarsely. Mix the coarse powder with ½ cup of Sugar or Jaggery adding 1-2 tsp of Water . Add 2-3 tbsp of Grated / Chopped Coconut and ½ tsp of Cardamom Powder . Mix well to make smooth dough. (Can use ready-made rice powder too.) Cooked Chalimidi - Add the rice powder is to the warm sugar or jaggery syrup and cooked in low heat to form the dough. Add the Coconut and Cardamom Powder to it and stir till no lumps are visible.

Veggies - Peel 2 medium Potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Take a stock pot with water, add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to it. Par boil the potatoes in until half cooked. Remove and Keep aside. Cut 1 small Cauliflower into small florets and blanch in the same hot water. Keep it separately.  Curry - Heat 2 tbsp Oil in a saute pan until smoking hot. Add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and 2 tsp of Ajwain (Carom Seeds) and wait for them to crackle. Add finely chopped or grated 1" Ginger and saute it. Add finely chopped 4 Green Chillies and again saute for a minute. Add the par-boiled potato cubes and fry till light brown in color on Medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower florets and stri-fry till thy appear to be in light brown shade too. Add 1 tsp Garam Masala and chopped Cilantro . Sprinkle ½ tsp of Lemon Juice and mix well. Adjust Salt to taste. Serve hot with Roti, Naan, or Rice.

Potatoes - Boil 2 medium Potatoes in water until tender. Peel the skin off and chop into cubes. Methi (Fenugreek) Leaves- Pluck the leaves off a bunch of fresh Methi Leaves . Wash and pat dry the leaves. Curry - In a saute pan, heat 1 tsp Oil . When hot, add 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds and 1 tsp of Mustard Seeds and toss. Add finely chopped 1 Red Onion, 4 Green Chilies and 4 Garlic cloves . Saute till the onions turn transparent. Add a pinch of Turmeric Powder and Salt to taste . Mix well. Add the cubed potatoes and sauté them for few minutes until they turn light brown in color. Now, stir in fresh methi leaves and cover cook till they wilt. Remove from heat and close the lid and allow them to absorb the flavors for few minutes. Serve hot with white rice or rotis.

Masala Red Chili Powder - Dry roast ¼ tsp of Coriander Seeds and 1/8 tsp of Cumin Seeds in a pan. Using a mortar and pestle, powder them along with a Garlic Clove . Dry it for a few minutes and grind again adding 2 tbsp Red Chili Powder and ¼ tsp Salt . Keep aside. Brinjals (Eggplants) - Wash 10 - 12 small Brinjals (Vankaya) and pat them dry. Place them in a single layer in a heavy bottomed, wide skillet on medium heat. Pour 2 tbsp Oil over them and cover the skillet. After 5-7 minutes of cooking on one side, turn the eggplants to the other side. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cooling. Stuffing - Puncture each eggplant in the middle without breaking it. Put ¼ tsp (to ½ tsp) masala red chili powder in the puncture and close gently. Return the same skillet back to medium heat. Add 4-5 Curry Leaves , 3 tbsp chopped Cilantro and Salt to taste . Toss the skillet until curry leaves are fried well. Place the brinjals back in the sk...

Prep - Soak ½ cup of Chana dal in water and pressure cook upto 2 whistles. Cook ¾ cup of Saggubiyyam (Sago) in 2 cups of Water till soft. Payasam - In a cooker, add the 1 cup of Jaggery, soaked in 1 cup of strained Chana Dal Water (for 10 minutes) and let it cook for 7-8 minutes on low heat. Add the cooked chana dal and sago along with the liquid and let it slowly simmer for 6-7 minutes, stirring in between. Add 2 cups of Milk, ½ tsp of Cardamom Powder and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Garnish - Heat a pan, add ½ tbsp of Ghee , toast 8-10 Cashewnuts and few Raisins till golden brown. Add them to the payasam and serve hot or cold.

Water, Tomatoes & Tamarind - Heat a deep pan, add 3 cups of Water, finely chopped large Tomato, 2 tsp Tamarind paste, Salt to Tast, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, 4-5 Curry Leaves and ½ tsp of Jaggery (optional). Bring to boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes. Dal - Cook and mash 2 tbsps of Toor Dal (optional). Keep Aside. Charu Masala - Roast and grind 1 tsp of Toor Dal, 2 tsp of Peppercorns, 1½ tsp of Coriander Seeds, ¾ tsp of Cumin seeds, and a pinch of Fenugreek Seeds into a coarse powder. Add mashed dal and masala to the boiling charu and boil for 5 minutes. Popu (Seasoning) - Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a pan. When hot, add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds and as they splutter, add a desseded & torn dry Red Chilli and 3 Curry Leaves . Toss for few seconds and add ¼ tsp of Asafetida (Hing) and remove from heat. Add this seasoning to the Charu and mix well. Garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves . Serve hot with rice.

Masala - Heat a tsp of Oil in a pan. When hot, add 1 tbsp of Urad Dal (minappapappu), 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds and 1-2 torn and de-seeded dry Red Chilies . Stir fry for few seconds till the dal is golden brown in color. Remove and keep aside. Chilli & Peels - In the same pan, heat another tsp of Oil . When hot, add 2 slit Green Chillies and saute for a minute. Add the peels of 2 large Ridge gourds chopped into pieces and fry on medium-heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp Tamarind Paste to it and leave aside to cool. Grind - After cooling, grind the masala to coarse mix and then add the Chili and peels to it. Grind to a coarse paste by adding Salt to taste . Popu (Seasoning) - Heat ½ tsp of Oil in a pan and add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds . Once they pop, add 1-2 Dry Red Chillies and a big pinch of Asafoetida . Toss for few seconds and pour the seasoning over the ground pachadi / chutney. Serve with hot rice.

Eggs - Boil 4 large Eggs in a pan filled with water for 20 minutes. After cooling, shell the eggs and make 3 - 4 slits halfway on them. Keep aside. Spices - Heat 2 tbsp Oil in a saute pan. Once hot, add 1 tsp Cumin Seeds, 2-3 Cardamom Pods, 3-4 Cloves and 3-4 Peppercorns . Toss them till they start to sizzle and pop. Veggies - Take a medium-sized Onion and 1-2 Green Chilies and finely chop them. Add them to the saute pan and fry till browned. Clean and chop a large Tomato and a cup fresh Fenugreek Leaves and add them to the pan too. Spice Powders - Add Salt to taste, ¼ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, ½ tsp of Coriander Powder and ½ tsp of Cumin Powder to the pan and mix well. Cook till the tomatoes are pulped and the oil comes out from the sides. Curry - Beat 1 tbsp Yogurt in a cup of water and add it to the pan. Stir till the mixture is mixed well with the onion-tomato mixture. Allow it to come to a boil, and then add the slit boiled eggs to the ...

Dry - In a mixing bowl, seive 1½ cups of All Purpose Flour, ¼ tsp of Baking Powder, ½ tsp of Baking soda and a pinch of Salt together into a smooth mix. Then, add a cup of Freshly chopped Strawberries and ½ cup of semi sweet or dark Chocolate Chips to it. Wet - In a blender / mixer or in a bowl, mix ½ cup of Vegetable Oil, ½ cup of Sugar, 2 ripe mashed Bananas and ½ tsp of Vanilla Essence into a smooth mixture. Bread - Gently incorporate the dry and wet ingredients together and mix in ¼ cup of sliced Almonds. Pour into a well greased loaf pan. Top off with some silvered almonds. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 50 mins. Serve warm or cold.

Dal Mixture - Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a small pan. When hot, add 1 tbsp of split Black Gram Dal (Minapappu), 1 tsp of Bengal Gram Dal (Senagapappu) (optional) and 1 tsp of Coriander Seeds . When golden brown, add 2 slit Green Chilies and 2 dry Red Chilies and toss for a minute. Finally add a big pinch of Asafetida and immediately remove from heat. Keep aside to cool. Ginger & Coriander - Remove the skin on 1½ - 2 inch Ginger and slice into thin pieces. Clean a big bunch of Coriander Leaves (about 1½ cups) and chop them. In the same pan, add 1 tsp of Oil , add ginger and sauté till it turns red (approx 3 minutes). Add the coriander leaves and sauté further for a minute. Remove from heat and cool. Grind - Grind the roasted dal mixture, sautéed ginger-coriander, 1 tbsp of grated Coconut (optional), 1 tbsp Tamarind paste, 2-3 tbsp Jaggery along with Salt to taste , to a slightly coarse paste by adding about ¼ cup of Water . Popu (Seasoning)- Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a small pan. ...

Lentils (Dals) - Soak ½ cup of Toor Dal (Kandipappu), ½ cup of Channa Dal (Senagapappu), ½ cup of Moong Dal (Pesarapappu), ½ cup of Urad Dal (Minapappu), ½ cup of Rice in enough cold water for atleast 6 hours. Batter - Grind the soaked lentils along with 6 dried Red Chilies and Salt to taste into a smooth dosa like batter. Seasoning (Popu)- Heat 2 tsp Oil in a small pan. When hot, add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin seeds and a pinch of Asafoetida . Once they splutter, add 6 Curry leaves and toss for 10 seconds and remove from heat. Add the seasoning to the batter. Ada - Heat a griddle / dosa pan on medium heat and pour about a ladleful of batter. Spread the batter around with the ladle in the form of dosa. Add ½ tsp of Oil around the dosa and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Flip the dosa and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve hot accompanied with Allam Kothimeera chutney (Ginger Coriander Leaves Chutney).

Yogurt Mixture - Beat a cup of Yogurt with ½ cup of Water smoothly without lumps for about 30 seconds. Onions, Green Chilies, Ginger and Turmeric Powder - Finely chop 2 medium Onions, 4 Green Chilies and an inch of Ginger . Add these to the beaten yogurt along with ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder . Popu / Seasoning - Heat 2 tsp Oil in a small pan, add ½ tsp of Cumin seeds and ½ tsp of Mustard seeds . After they splutter, add 4 Dried Red Chillies , 1 tsp of Split Black Gram Dal (Minappappu), ¼ tsp of Fenugreek seeds and a pinch of Hing . Once the dal is golden brown reduce to low heat and add 2 sprigs of Curry Leaves . Add this to the beaten yogurt mixture and mix well. Garnish - Finely chop a small bunch of Coriander leaves and keep aside. Add Salt to taste to the beaten yogurt mixture and garnish with the chopped Coriander Leaves. Serve cold with hot white rice.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Batter - In a mixing bowl, combine ¾ cup of All Purpose Flour, ¾ cup of Sugar, 1 tsp of Baking Powder, ½ tsp of Baking Soda and ¼ tsp of Salt ; set aside. With an electric mixer, combine 6 tbsp of Unsweetened Dutch-process Cocoa Powder and 3 tbsp of Hot Water until a thick paste forms. Add melted 3 tbsp of Unsalted Butter, 6 tbsp of Buttermilk, 1 large Egg and 1 Egg White ; beat until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth. Cream Cheese Icing - With an electric mixer, beat 3 oz of Cream Cheese and 1 cup of Confectioners Sugar until light and fluffy. Cupcakes - Scoop batter into prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread Light Cream-Cheese Icing over tops.