Hearty Spices

Veggies - Peel and chop a Carrot finely . Finely chop handful of Beans and keep aside. Boil ¼ cup of Peas and keep aside. Finely chop 4 Spring Onions and seperate the whites from greens. Fried Rice - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan, add finely chopped 3-4 Garlic pods and fry for a minute. Then add the carrot, beans, peas and fry for 2 – 3 minutes mixing regularly. Add spring onion whites and fry till the onion pieces are translucent. Break open 3 Eggs and fry until they are scrambled. Add ¼ tsp of Ajinomoto (optional), 1 tsp of Soya Sauce, Salt to taste, 2 tsp of Pepper Powder and mix well. Add 1½ cup of Cooked Rice and fry for 2 – 3 minutes. Now add the spring onions greens and fry for 2 – 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Spice Powders - Grind 4 tbsp of Besan(Chickpea Flour), 8 dried Red Chillies, 1 tsp of Sugar and 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds to fine powder and keep aside. Brinjal - Remove the stems of 12 small Brinjals (Eggplant/Vankaya), slice them into thin pieces lengthwise and drop them in salted water in a bowl. Fry - In a wide skillet, heat 1 tbsp of Oil and toast few Curry Leaves and 1 tsp of Mustard Seeds . Add brinjal pieces and 1 tsp of grated Ginger to the skillet. On medium-high heat, saute turning often with a ladle till the pieces turn to gold color. Just before turning off the heat, stir in besan mix along with Salt to taste and 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder . Mix and fry for few more minutes and sprinkle ¼ cup of Roasted Cashews . Serve hot with rice.

Biscuits - In a bowl, cream together ¼ cup of Butter and 1/3 cup of Sugar until well blended. Add ½ tsp of Vanilla Essence, 2 tsp of Honey and combine. Add the 1 cup of All Purpose Flour (Maida), ¼ tsp of Baking Soda, 1 tsp of Baking Powder and 1 tbsp of Cocoa Powder to the butter mixture and mix. Add 2-3 tbsp of Cold Milk to form soft dough. Roll the dough into a large roti and using a knife, cut into thin rectangle shape pieces. Use a fork to prick over the rectangle pieces and sprinkle Sugar on top of each. Bake - Grease a baking tray and place each rectangle piece on the tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 155 C / 310 F for 16-19 mts or till the edges are toasted. Once baked, the cookie will feel soft on touch but once cool it will harden. Cool for 3 minutes before proceeding with the filling. Repeat the process with remaining dough. Filling - Mix ¼ cup of Butter with 1/3 cup of Icing/Powdered Sugar, 1 tsp of Cocoa Powder and Few drops Vanilla Essence in a bowl...

Marinade -  Marinate 2 lb boneless Chicken (thigh meat), cut into bite sized pieces with 3 tbsp of Yogurt, 2 tbsp of Lime Juice, 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 1½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 1½ tsp of Garam Masala Powder, 1½ tsp of Coriander Powder, 1 tsp of Cumin Powder, Salt to taste and refrigerate overnight. Chicken -  Heat 1 tbsp Oil in a pan. Add the chicken with all the marinade and cook on medium high flame, stirring frequently till the chicken is cooked and all the water has evaporated and is dry. Gravy -  Heat the 2 tbsp of Butter in a pan and fry 2 Bay Leaves, 2 Cardamoms and 4 Cloves till fragrant. Add finely chopped Red Onion and saute till brown. Now add 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and fry for a minute. Add 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder and 1 tsp of Garam Masala Powder and fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato puree made from 2 medium Tomatoes, blanched, peeled and pureed . Cook till the oil separates and add chicken, ½ tbsp of Kasoori Methi(dr...

Pasta: Bring water to a boil in a big pot and add Salt, 1 tsp Olive Oil, 4 cups of Penne Pasta and cook over medium flame for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain and reserve ½ cup of Water for later. Run pasta under cold water to keep the pasta separate. Spinach Pesto: Boil water, add Salt, chopped medium bunch of Spinach and blanch for a minute and immediately run cold water over it. Blend spinach with ¼ cup of fresh Parsley, ¼ cup of Pine Nuts / Walnuts, 2-3 tbsp of grated Parmesan Cheese (optional), 2 Garlic Pods, 1 tsp of freshly ground Pepper, 3-4 tbsp of Olive Oil, Juice of ½ Lemon and Salt to taste in to a slightly coarse sauce. If needed, add some strained spinach water to ease grinding. Bechamel Sauce: Heat 3 tbsp of Butter / Olive Oil in a pan on medium flame. Add ¼ cup of All Purpose Flour and whisk immediately until it forms a smooth paste. Now slowly add 300 ml of Hot Milk and whisk continuously until you get a smooth uniform mixture. Cook it for 2-3 minut...

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and splutter ¼ tsp of Mustard Seeds and ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds . Add 3 finely chopped Onions, 2 Mullakadalu (Drumsticks), cut into 2 inch pieces, 5-6 Curry Leaves and Salt to taste . Increase the heat to medium and fry till the onions are soft and light golden brown in color. Add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder , 2 tsp of Chilli Powder, 2 peeled and cubed Aritikayalu (Plaintains) and mix well. Cover and cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes stirring occassionally. Add 1½ cup of Water , bring to boil then reduce the flame to medium low. Allow cooking till the plantains turn soft and all the water is absorbed. Now add 1 cup of Warm Milk to the curry and cook till it reaches desired gravy consistency. Adjust Salt and just before turning off the heat, add ¼ tsp of Garam Masala and 3 tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves . Mix well and turn off the flame. Serve hot with rice.

Cookie Dough - In a bowl, cream together ¾ cup of melted Butter, 1 cup of Brown Sugar and ½ cup of White Sugar until well blended. Beat in the 2 tsp of Vanilla Essence, 1 Egg and 1 Egg Yolk until light and creamy. Mix in 2 cup of All Purpose Flour, ¾ tsp of Baking Soda and ¼ tsp of Salt until blended. Stir in 1 cup of Chocolate Chips and 1 cup of Toasted Almond Powder using a wooden spoon. Cookie - Drop cookie dough atleast 2½ – 3 inches apart using a tbsp onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 F for about 20-22 minutes till the edges are slightly toasted or till done. Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in airtight container

Okra - Heat 1 tsp of Oil and lightly toast ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds . Add a chopped Onion and a chopped Tomato and saute until the onions turns transculent. Add the 1 tsp of Grated Ginger, few Curry Leaves, 2 chopped Green Chillies, ¼ of Turmeric Powder and saute for few minutes. Finally add 2 cups of chopped Okra pieces , saute until they get well cooked in simmer and put off the stove. Yogurt - Whisk  2 cups of Yogurt with Salt and 1 tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves, keep aside. Once the cooked okra is cool, add to the whisked yogurt and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve chilled with rice.

Sambal - Saute 2 chopped Tomatoes with a pinch of Salt and ½ tsp of Oil till mushy. Place 7-8 dried Red Chillies in a bowl of water; bring it to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow staying for about 10 mins. Drain the chillies and grind with the sauteed tomatoes and 1 tsp of Sugar to a smooth paste. Tofu - Drain and cube 1 packet of Firm Tofu into 1 inch cubes. Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a saute pan, sprinkle a pinch of Salt and fry the tofu pieces, allow them to brown on one side, sprinkle more salt on top and flip them over, allowing the other side to brown as well. Remove from the stove and keep aside. Curry - In the same pan, heat a tbsp of Oil, saute thinly sliced 2 Onions (into 1 inch pieces), an inch of Ginger, chopped and 4 chopped Garlic cloves till browned. Add the sambal along with the a tbsp of Tomato Paste / Puree and 1 tsp of Soy Sauce and fry till thick - about 5 to 8 minutes. To this, add about a cup of Water , mix well and stir ...

Chilli - Coconut mixture - Grind 6 Green Chilies along with 1 tbsp fresh Grated Coconut and keep aside. Popu (Seasoning) - In a saucepan, heat 1 tsp of Oil on medium heat. Toast ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, 2 dry Red Chilies and 3-4 Curry Leaves in it. Curry - Add 1 cup of cubed Anabkakaya (Bottle gourd) and Chilli - Coconut paste. Stir in ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste and ¼ cup of Water . Close the lid and cook on medium-low heat, until the pieces are tender. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the 1 cup of Sour Yogurt . Turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the stove. Cover the pot with a lid and let the curry sit for about 15 minutes. Serve warm with rice.

White Cookie Dough - Beat the 1¼ cups of Sugar, ¾ cup of Ghee / Melted Butter / Oil, ½ tsp of Vanilla Essence and 2 tbsp of Yogurt till smooth. Add 2 cups of All Purpose Flour, ¼ tsp of Baking Soda and ¼ cup of Semolina to the sugar-ghee mixture. The dough should be kneaded well for at least 7-8 mts, add few tbsps of cold milk and chill for a few minutes. Divide into two parts. Chocolate Cookie Dough - Take one part of the dough and add 1 tbsp of Cocoa Powder and knead till well combined, add a little milk if required. Make small balls and keep aside. Nankhatai - Pinch dough of the white cookie dough and shape into small balls and roll each of them it into a thick cylindrical shape. Now place a cocoa flavored ball on the surface. Along the edges of this cocoa colored ball, roll the cylindrical shaped white dough and gently flatten. Garnish with almonds on top of each flattened ball by slightly pressing into the dough. Place on a greased tray with enough space between eac...

Rava & Dal - Cook ½ cup of Split Yellow Moong Dal in microwave for 10 minutes. Dry roast 1 cup of coarse Wheat Rava for 6-7 minutes. Wash the wheat ravva and dal and soak them together in water for 15-20 minutes. Pongal -  Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a pot. Add ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds and once they splutter and turn slightly brown, add 1 tsp of grated Ginger, 3-4 Curry Leaves, 2-3 slit Green Chillies, 1-2 broken Red Chillies and 1 tsp of Peppercorns and combine. Add a pinch of Asafetida, 1 cup of packed chopped Spinach Leaves and saute for 5-6 minutes. Add the drained wheat ravva and dal and stir fry for a minute. Add 5 cups of Water and Salt to taste to the above mixture, bring to a boil, cover and cook on medium to low heat till both the dal and wheat rava are cooked (30 minutes). Alternately can use pressure cook until 2 whistles. Serve hot with a pickle of your choice, curd and papad.

Bread - Cut 6-8 slices of White Bread into small cubes and keep aside. Popu (Seasoning) - Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a pan on medium heat. Add ½ tsp of Channa Dal, ½ tsp of Urad Dal, ¼ tsp of Mustard Seeds and 1 tbsp of Cashew Nuts , fry them until slightly toasted. Upma - Add 3-4 Curry Leaves, 3-4 slit Green Chillies, finely grated inch of Ginger and finely diced Onion . Saute til the onions are translucent. Now add a big pinch of Turmeric Powder, finely chopped Tomato and Salt to taste . Cover the pan with lid and let the mixture cook for 4-5 minutes or till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. Add the cubed bread pieces and lightly sprinkle some water . Gently mix until the mixture is incorporated. Turn off the heat and add Juice of ½ Lemon/Lime and mix lightly. Garnish with finely chopped 4-5 sprigs of Coriander Leaves . Serve hot.

Gasagasalu (Poppy Seed Powder) - Roast 3 tbsp of Poppy Seeds in a pan for about 3 minutes, until they start to change color. Add 3 dried Red Chillies, a pinch of Salt to them and grind into coarse powder. Veggies - Cut 20 Okras to quarter to half inch wide rounds after trimming the ends. Fry - In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of Oil . Add and toast ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ of Urad Dal, ½ of Channa Dal  and a sprig of Curry Leaves . Add the okra pieces and mix once and fry stirring very rarely until they are free from moisture. Add the poppy seed powder, ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder and Salt to taste . Mix gently and saute for few more minutes. Serve hot with rice.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the ¾ cup of Butter at room temperature and 1 cup of Sugar until fluffy. Beat in a Egg, 1 tbsp of Milk and 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract until smooth. Whisk in 2 cups of All Purpose Flour, 1 tsp of Baking Soda and ½ tsp of Salt into butter mixture, stirring until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Stir in ½ cup roasted, salted Pistachio, 1 cup of White Chocolate Chips and combine. Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies to allow for spread. Bake for 11-14 minutes, until edges of the cookies are light golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen.

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan, add 3 Cloves, A small Cinnamon stick and a Bay Leaf . Fry for 3 minutes and add 5 slit Green Chillies, 2 sprigs of Curry Leaves and 4 Onions (cut lengthwise). Fry till the onions are soft. Add 3 washed, peeled and cubed Potatoes . Cover and cook them on low flame for about 7-10 minutes stirring in between till the potatoes turn soft. Add 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder, 1 tbsp Chilli Powder and Salt to taste . Mix well, cover and cook for another 3 minutes in low flame. Add 2 cups of Water and bring to boil. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the potatoes to cook on low flame till thick gravy is formed. Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves . Serve hot with rice.

Dal (Lentils) - Pressure cook 1 cup of Toor Dal (Kandipappu) with 2 cups of Water till 3-4 whistles and mash to smooth. Set aside. Charu (Soup) - In a sauce pan, add 2 cups of Water , 1 Brinjal (cut into cubes), 1 Onion (cut length wise), 3 Lady’s Fingers (cut into 2 inch size pieces), ¾ cup White Radish (cut into cubes), 1 Tomato (cut into cubes) and 6 Green Chillies (slit length wise) and on medium heat cook till the vegetables turn soft for 15-20 minutes. Add mashed dal, tamarind juice (1 big lemon-sized Tamarind, soaked in 2 cups of water and pulp extracted), Salt to taste, 1 tbsp of Sugar, 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder and allow to boil in low heat for 15 minutes. Adjust tamarind juice and salt according to taste while cooking. Popu (Seasoning) - Heat 1 tbsp of Ghee in a pan. Add 3 crushed Garlic, 1 tsp of Mustard Seeds , 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 4 Red Chillies and 2 sprigs of Curry Leaves and allow them to splutter. Add this seasoning to pappu charu. Allow to cook for 3 more...

Marinade - Marinate washed and cubed 1 kg Mutton with 1½ cups of Yogurt, 2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder, 1¼ tbsp of Coriander Powder, ¾ tsp of Cumin Powder and ½ tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste for 30-40 minutes. Masala - Dry roast 1½ tbsp of Poppy Seeds for 4 minutes and soak in water for 10 minutes. Soak 4 Cashewnuts in water for 4 minutes. Make paste of the poppy seeds, cashewnuts and 4 tbsp of grated Fresh Coconut . Kurma - Heat 1½ tbsp of Oil in a heavy bottomed vessel or pressure cooker; add 4 Cloves, 2 Cardamom, 1″ Cinnamon stick and a Bay Leaf . Fry for few seconds and add chopped 2 large Onions and fry till transparent. Add the slit 5-6 Green Chilies and 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and sauté for 3 minnutes. Add a chopped Tomato and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the marinated mutton and cover cook over medium heat till the water from the meat and yogurt is almost absorbed. Add the poppy seeds-coconut paste and Salt to taste to the mutton an...

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of All Purpose Flour, 1 tsp of Baking Soda and ¼ tsp of Salt . In a large bowl, cream together ¾ cup of Butter and 1 cup of Sugar until light. Beat in a Egg, 2 oz of melted White Chocolate and 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract . Gradually incorporate the flour mixture, mixing until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Stir in 2/3 cup of Dried Cranberries and 2/3 cup of White Chocolate Chips . Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between each cookie to spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies turn lightly golden around the edges. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 36 cookies.

Rice - Wash and soak 2 cups of Basmati Rice for ½ hour. Prep - Clean and wash ½ kg (approx 1 lb) Mutton and marinate with 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder, ½ tsp of Salt and ½ tsp of Chili Powder . Grind 6 to 7 Green Chillies with 1 cup of diced Tomatoes and set aside. Grind 1/4 cup of chopped Mint Leaves and 1/4 cup of Cilantro and set aside. Masala - In a heavy bottomed vessel or a pressure cooker, heat 1 tbsp of Oil, 1 tbsp of Ghee and add 2 inch Cinnamon, 4-5 Cloves, 4 Cardamom and 2-3 Bay Leaves . When they pop, add 1 cup of finely sliced Onions and saute until they turn golden brown. Add 2 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute well for another minute. Add the ground chillies mixture and saute until the raw smell goes. Now add 1 cup of diced Tomatoes and saute for few minutes. Then add the mint-cilantro paste and saute for few minutes, add 1/4 cup of Mint Leaves and 1/4 cup of Cilantro and mix well to the masala. To this add the mutton pieces and mix well. Close the lid a...