Hearty Spices

Dal - Wash ¾ cup of Moong Dal (Pesara Pappu) in a bowl, add water and soak it for ½ hour. Drain the water and keep aside. Veggies - Microwave finely chopped ½ head of Cabbage with little water for 15 minutes, stirring in between. Allow standing for 5 minutes in the microwave and spread in a plate to cool. Wash and clean 5 Green Chilies, an inch of Ginger and grind them to a coarse paste. Wash and chop few Curry Leaves finely. Fry - Heat 3 tbsp of Oil in a pan. Toast 2 tbsp of Cashewnuts and keep aside. In the same oil, add 1½ tsp of Urad Dal and fry till they change color. Then add ¾ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ¾ tsp of Cumin Seeds and fry till they splutter. Add the chopped curry leaves, coarsely ground chili-ginger paste, a sliced Onion and fry till they are transparent. Add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste , mix and cook for few seconds. Now add the soaked moong dal and mix well. Garnish with the fried cashew nuts. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice.

Masala Powder - Roast ¼ cup of Chana Dal, ¼ cup of Urad Dal, ¼ cup of Sesame Seeds, ¼ cup of Grated Coconut, ¼ cup of Peanuts, 1 tbsp of Coriander Seeds, 1 tbsp of Cumin Seeds, ¼ tsp of Cloves, ¼ tsp Cinnamon, ¼ tsp of Black Peppercorn, ¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds and 15 dried Red Chillies in a pan. Grind into a smooth powder once cool. Add a tbsp of Jaggery, tbsp of tamarind paste and a tsp of salt . Blend them to smooth consistency. Purple Brinjals (Eggplants) - Wash and make two cuts in 12 young Brinjals , one horizontal and one vertical keeping one end intact. Gravy - Heat a tbsp of Oil in a big pan. Add and toast few Curry Leaves and a tsp of Cumin Seeds and a tsp of Mustard Seeds. Add the brinjals to the pan along with the ground masala powder. Add 2 glasses of Water and stir in ½ tsp of turmeric and ½ tsp of Salt . Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring in-between. When brinjals are cooked to tender and masala sauce thickens. Remove from ...

Preparation - Melt the 3 tbsp of Ghee/Butter in a pan and roast  1 tbsp of Raisins until they puff up, and remove. Fry the 1 tbsp of Cashewnuts until golden and remove. In the same pan, add the 3 cups of grated Carrots and fry until soft. Milk -  Reduce the 2 cups of Whole Milk on a medium heat to 1 cup. If using 1 cup of Half and Half , heat up before adding it to the carrots. (Use only 1 cup of milk). Halwa - Add the milk to the grated carrots and cook down until really thick and it begins to come off the sides of the pan (for 10-12 minutes on medium-high heat). Add a pinch of Salt, 1/2 cup of Sugar,  3 powdered Cardamoms, few drops of Rose Water (optional) and Roasted Cashews and Raisins. Stir to combine well and serve warm. Tip - To thicken the halwa, add ¼ cup lightly toasted cashews (or almonds) and ground to a powder (optional) to the halwa.

Heat 1 tbsp of Olive Oil in a stockpot; add a chopped medium Onion, chopped 2 medium Celery Stalks, chopped 1 big / 2 small Carrots and a peeled and chopepd small Potato . Sauté until the onions soften and then add 2-3 cups of chopped Broccoli and 1 tsp of Red Chilli Flakes , saute for few minutes before adding 2 cups of Vegetable Broth and a cup of Water . Let it come to a boil, cover and simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Remove from heat and allow cooling a bit. Reserve a few tbsp of the vegetables and keep aside. Puree the remaining with a cup of Milk . Return to the pan with the reserved vegetables to the heat and add Salt and Black Pepper to taste . Add more water/milk, if required, to adjust consistency. When hot enough add 2 tbsp of Sour Cream / Whipping Cream (optional) and stir. Serve hot.

Bittergourd - Wash, peel and slice ¼ kg Bittergourd into thin rounds. Add 2 cups of Water, 1½ tbsp of Tamarind Paste, Big pinch of Turmeric and Salt to the bittergourd rounds and cook for 15 mts or till the bitter gourds are ¾th cooked. Drain any left over water and keep aside. Masala Powder - Dry roast and grind 1 tsp of Coriander Seeds, ½ tsp of Fennel Seeds and 2 dry Red Chillies into coarse powder. Fry - Heat 1½ tbsp of Oil in a pan, add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds and let them splutter. Add 4 Curry Leaves, a pinch of Asafoetida and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the thinly sliced 2 medium Onions and fry for 6-7 minutes till they turn brown. Add the masala powder and 1-2 tsp of Jaggery Powder and combine well. Add the cooked bitter gourds and stir fry. Constantly stir fry on medium heat ensuring they don’t burn or stick to the pan. Keep frying till they well roasted and this could take about 15-18 minutes. Adjust salt and serve hot with rice.

Rice - Cook 1½ cups of Rice , cool and keep aside. Cabbage Rice - Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a pan, add ½ tsp of Mustard and ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds and once they splutter, add a chopped Onion and saute until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add ½ tsp of Ginger Garlic paste and cook for another minute. Then, add a chopped Carrot and 3 cups of chopped Cabbage ; cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Add 2 tsp of Tomato Paste(optional), Salt to taste, ½ tsp of Garam Masala and ½ tsp of Red Chili Powder. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add the cooked rice, mix well and cook for couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot along with yogurt.

Lightly roast 1 cup of Sesame Seeds till golden brown color. Grind them into powder and then add ½ - ¾ cup of Jaggery , grind again. Make small lemon sized balls with the ground mixture.

Using a mortar and pestle, grind together a  tsp of Cumin Seeds, 1 1/2  tsp of Black Pepper Seeds,  4-5 Garlic Cloves and a sprig of Curry Leaves into a coarse paste. T ake 3 chopped Tomatoes, 8-10 Coriander Stalks  into a bowl. Press them with hands and extract the juices. Add 2 cups of Water and repeat the process. Squeeze and discard the tomato skins and stalks out of the bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, add the extracted Tomato mixture, 1/4 tsp of Turmeric Powder, Salt as needed, 3 slit Green Chillies, a tsp of Tamarind Paste and mix well. Let it boil until the green chillies are soft. Add the prepared Cumin-Garlic coarse paste and continue to boil until foam appears on the top.  Tempering - Heat a ts p of Oil in a pan; add a pinch of Asafetida, ¼ tsp of Mustard Seeds, 2 Red Chillies and a sprig of Curry Leaves . Remove from heat. Add the tempering to the rasam and remove from heat. Serve hot with Rice.

Marinade - Marinate 1lb of cubed boneless Lamb with ½ cup of beaten Yogurt and 1 tbsp of finely crushed Garlic for 2 hours. Fry - Heat 1 tbsp of Oil in a pan; add 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp of Coriander Seeds, 1 tsp of Fennel Seeds and few Curry Leaves , allowing them to sizzle. Add a finely sliced Onion and sauté till golden brown. Add 1 tbsp of freshly ground Black Pepper and marinated lamb along with marinade. Cook covered on low heat for 45 minutes or till lamb is tender and cooked through, stirring occasionally and adding Water as needed, if it begins to stick to bottom of the pan. Season with Salt , and add thinly sliced Bell Pepper and cook covered for another 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh Coriander Leaves and sprinkle Lemon Juice . Serve hot with rice.

Plantains - Skin 2 raw Plantains and cut them into small cubes. Add a cup of Water to them along with a big pinch of Turmeric Powder and Salt to a pan. Cook till soft but not mushy, keep aside. Masala Paste - Make a coarse paste of 1½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, 1 Green Chilli, 1” Ginger, 2-3 tbsp of Grated Coconut and 2 tbsp of Water . Curry - Heat 1½ tsp of Oil in a pan, add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds and when they splutter, add ¼ tsp of Split Gram Dal and let them turn golden brown. Add the few Curry Leaves, a slit Green Chilli and a pinch of Asafoetida/Hing . Immediately, add the cooked plantain pieces and combine. Adjust Salt. Add the ground mustard paste and combine. Cook for 2 minutes before removing from heat. Serve hot with rice.

Melt 4 tbsp of Butter in a microwaveable bowl for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of Milk Powder, ¼ tsp of Cardamom Powder and a tin of Condensed Milk and combine well. Return it to the microwave oven for 5 minutes, stirring every 1 minute. Let the mixture to cool. Grease your hands with a little of ghee and take a small ball of mixture and shape the pedas into a desired shape.

Prep - Wash and drain ¾ kg minced Meat and keep aside. Finely chop 3 large Onions, 4-5 Green Chilies, 2 Tomatoes separately and keep aside. Ground Powder - Dry roast ½ tbsp of Coriander Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ tsp of Poppy Seeds, 3 dry Red Chillis, Pinch of Fenugreek/Menthulu Seeds, Pinch of Fennel Seeds/Saunf (optional) and grind into a coarse powder. Curry - Heat 2½ tbsp of Oil in a pressure cooker, add green chilies, curry leaves, onions and saute till the onions turn transparent, approximately 4 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute further for another 3 minutes. Add minced meat and ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder and cook on high without lid for 4-5 minutes stirring in between. Add the ground masala powder, Salt to taste and combine well. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes on medium flame. Add a cup of Water and cook on pressure upto 4 whistles or until the meat is almost cooked. Remove from heat. After 3-4 minutes, remove lid, add 1 tsp...

Veggies - Break off the ends of a bunch of Asparagus (about 20 pencils) , holding the stalk at both ends, bend the stalk until it snaps. Cut them into about 2 inch pieces and keep aside. Clean, peel and mince 1 tbsp of Ginger . Roasted Asparagus - Heat 2 tbsp of Olive Oil in a pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds and let them crackle. Add ginger, 2 tsp of Lemon Juice, Salt to taste and ½ tsp of Black Pepper . Stir-fry for a minute and add asparagus pieces. Stir-fry for about 4 to 5 minutes until asparagus are tender but still have the crunch. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of Grated Parmesan Cheese or Cheddar Cheese and when melted, remove from heat. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Prep - Cook 1lb of Pasta to al-dente and keep aside. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Cheese Sauce - In a microwaveable bowl, heat 1 cup of Veggie Broth, 1 cup of Milk and a crushed Garlic Clove for 2 – 3 minutes or till hot. Discard the garlic clove. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of Butter , add 2 tbsp of All Purpose Flour and toast for about 2-3 minutes. Carefully pour the milk mixture in the saucepan and whisk thoroughly to remove any lumps. Bring to boil and simmer until the mixture thickens. Season with Salt, Pepper and ½ tsp of Nutmeg Powder . Add ¼ cup of grated Parmesan Cheese , mix well and keep aside. Pasta - Mix pasta with the veggie sauce and spoon into a baking dish. Top it with the cheese sauce and 1 cup of grated Fontina Cheese . Bake until the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes, before serving hot. Veggie Sauce - Chop 20 Asparagus pencils into 1" pieces , peel and chop 2 medium Carrots finely , chop 2 cups of Brocco...

Garnish - Heat a tbsp of Ghee and roast 1 tbsp of Cashewnuts and 1 tbsp of Raisins till golden brown and keep aside. Rice & Dal - Dry roast 1 cup of Rice and 1 cup of Moong Dal in a pan till the dal turns golden brown. Then, pressure-cook the rice and dal with 6 cups of Water till 3 whistles and remove from heat. (1:1 Rice:Moong Dal and 1:3 Rice+Moong Dal:Water) Pongal - Add 4 cups of Sugar or Jaggery or both to the Pongal and mix well till the sugar/jaggery dissolves. Add  a powdered Cardamom, 2 tbsp of Ghee and combine. Garnish with roasted nuts and serve hot or cold.

Plantain - Wash, peel and cut a Plantain (aritikaya) into semi circles. Keep aside in a bowl of water. Masala paste - Grind a chopped Onion, 2 chopped Green Chilies, Inch of Ginger piece, 4 cloves Garlic, 4 Cloves, Inch of Cinannmon stick, ½ tsp of Coriander Seeds and 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds to paste without adding any water. Plantain (Aritikaya) Fry - Heat 4 tsp of Oil in a pan, add few Curry Leaves and plantain pieces. Allow the pieces to cover-cook on a low heat till they turn soft. Remove the lid and allow them to turn a little crispy. Once the pieces are soft and start turning color to light brown add the ground paste, 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste and continue frying in low flame till the raw smell disappears. Add a tsp of Oil if required. Once the pieces are crispy and golden brown in color, add 1 tbsp of Chilli Powder , mix well and remove from heat. Serve hot with rasam, sambar or pappu charu and white rice.

Prep - Cook 1 cup of Rice in 2 cups of Water and keep aside. Finely Powder 2 tsp of Mustard Seeds and keep aside. Make a paste of 1 medium sized Green Mango, peeled and cubed, ½ cup of finely chopped Fresh Coconut and 8 to 10 small Green Chillies . Heat 1 tsp of Peanut Oil , in a big sauté pan and toast ¼ cup of Peanuts to golden brown color and remove. Rice - Add another tsp of Oil or Ghee to the same pan. Toast a tsp if each - Cumin, Mustard, Urad Dal, Chana Dal, few pieces of dried Red Chillies and Curry Leaves . Add the Mustard seed powder, Smooth mango-coconut-chilli paste, 1 tsp of Turmeric Powder  and Salt to taste . Stir and sauté this mixture for 3 to 5 minutes on medium heat, until the raw smell is gone. Stir in the toasted peanuts and remove from heat. Add the rice, mix thoroughly and serve hot.

Red Garlic Chutney - Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a skillet and roast 1/4 cup of Garlic Cloves until brown. Drain and remove the Garlic and set aside. Add a cup of Shredded Coconut to the same skillet and roast until golden brown. Now, pulse the Garlic, Coconut, Salt to taste and 2 tsp of Red Chili Powder with very little Water to a coarse chutney ans keep aside. Green Chutney - To a blender, add a bunch of Cilantro, 2 Green Chili, 2 Garlic Cloves, 1/4 tsp of Cumin Powder, Salt to taste, Juice of 1 Lime and a tbsp of Water, or as needed and blend to a smooth chutney. Tamarind Chutney - Heat a skillet and add a cup of Water,  1/4   cup  of T amarind paste,   3  tbsp  of S ugar,  1/2  tsp of S alt, 1/2 tsp of Red Chili Powder,  1/2   tsp of  C umin powder & a small piece of Ginger and bring to boil. Boil on low heat until it coats the back of the spoon. Potato Mixture -   Wash, boil, peel and mash 4 Potatoes...

Preparation - Wash, peel and finely chop 2 Apples and keep aside. Toast 1 tbsp of Broken Cashewnuts and Raisins each to golden color in 1 tbsp of Ghee . Add and roast the 1 cup of Sooji and keep aside. Halwa - Heat another pan and add 2 tbsp of Ghee , add the chopped apples and sauté for few minutes. Add 1 cup of Milk, 1 cup of Water, pinch of Cardamom Powder  and let it boil. While it is boiling, slowly add the sooji and mix continuously. Reduce the heat. When the sooji is cooked, add 1 cup of Sugar and mix well. Cook for a minute and drizzle 1 tbsp of Ghee over the Halwa. Serve hot or cold after chilling in refrigerator.

Marinade - Marinate ½ kg of Mutton in 1 cup of Yogurt, 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 2 tsp of Coriander Powder, ¼ tsp of Garam Masala Powder, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder, ½ tsp of Cumin Powder and Salt for ½ hour. Curry - Heat 3 tbsp of Oil in a pressure cooker, add 3 Cardamoms, 6 Cloves, 1″ Cinnamon Stick and fry for 5 seconds. Add 1 cup of sliced Onions and 3 slit Green Chili and fry till onions are translucent. Add the mutton marinade and mix well. Let it cook in its own water on medium heat till oil separates. Add 2 cups of Water, cover and cook the mutton till soft on low heat for 3 whistles. Add a pinch of Nutmeg Powder before removing from heat. Garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves . Serve with hot rice or rotis.