Hearty Spices

Soak ½ cup of Moong Dal for 4 hrs or overnight. Grind soaked Moong Dal, 100 gm of Grated Cheese, Salt to taste, few chopped Coriander Leaves and 4 chopped Green Chillies to a fine paste in a mixer grinder. Heat a pan and apply Oil to it. Apply 2 tbsp of paste on one side of a bread slice and place the applied side on the hot pan. Turn it over and roast on the other side until the bread turns light brown. Serve hot with Tomato Sauce or hot garlic sauce.

Beat 2 cups of Yogurt well into a bowl and add finely chopped ½ of Onion, 3 Green Chilies, ½ of Tomato and Salt as needed to it. Slowly add Water as needed  to the yogurt mixture till the right consistency is acquired. Garnish with few chopped Coriander Leaves and serve with any rice.

Preparation - Wash, peel and cut ½ kg of Ridgegourd (Beerakaya) into small pieces and keep aside. Fry ¾ cup of Pesara Vadiyalu (fritters) in hot oil and keep aside. Curry - Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a pan and sauté ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds and few Curry Leaves . When they splutter, add and sauté  chopped large Onion, 5-6 slit Green Chilies till the onion pieces are transparent. Add a pinch of Turmeric Powder , mix well and add the beerakaya pieces to the pan. Add Salt to taste and cover cook till the beerakaya pieces are soft. When the beerakaya pieces are soft and cooked, add ½ tsp of Red Chili Powder and fried Vadiyalu to the pan and mix well. Remove from heat, cover and let it stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot after garnishing with few chopped Coriander Leaves .

Blend 4 cups of Cold Watermelon Cubes along with a tbsp of Honey and 2 pinches of Chaat Masala . Serve in glasses, add ice cubes and garnish with a sprig of mint .

Batter - Wash and drain 2 cups of Rice, ½ cup of Barli, ½ cup of Beaten Rice/Poha and ½ cup of Sago thoroughly in water. Add 1 tbsp of Fenugreek Seeds, 1 cup of Yogurt, Sufficient Water and soak for 4 hours. Grind to fine batter and add Salt to taste . Mix well and ferment for an hour.  Crepe - Heat a dosa pan and spread a tsp of Oil over it. Spread the batter into a crepe (thick as Uthappam)and cover cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Brown on both sides, remove from heat and serve hot with any chutney. Peanut Chutney - Heat  a tbsp of Oil in pan and saute a crushed Garlic Clove for a few seconds till lightly brown. Add a tbsp of Urad Dal, ½ tbsp of Coriander Seeds, ½ tbsp of Cumin Seeds, few Dried Red Chillies  and saute till golden brown. Remove from heat and allow cooling. Grind along with a cup of Roasted Peanuts, small lime sized Tamarind, Salt to taste, ½ cup of Water till smooth and set aside. Popu for Chu...

Preparation - Clean, peel, boil and mash 2 Potatoes in a bowl. To it, add cleaned and finely chopped 2 bunches of Spinach Leaves, finely chopped 2-3 Fresh Green Chilies, finely chopped large Onion, 1½ tbsp of grated Ginger and finely chopped small bunch Coriander Leaves . Combine well and add crumbled 4-5 Bread Slices, coarsely pounded 1 tbsp of Coriander Seeds, a big pinch of Garam Masala Powder, a tsp of Amchur Powder / 1-2 tbsp of Lemon Juice, Salt to taste . Mix well and shape into round patties. Kebabs -  Heat a non-stick tawa and drizzle some oil. Place the kebabs and shallow fry on both sides till brown. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Cashew Poppy Paste - Dry roast 1½ tbsp of Poppy Seeds for 4 minutes and soak along with 4 broken Cashewnuts in water for 10 minutes. Make paste out of them along with 4 tbsp of fresh grated Coconut and keep aside. Mutton - Clean, wash and cube 1 kg of Mutton and marinate with 1½ cup of Yogurt, 2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder, 1¼ tbsp of Coriander Powder, ¾ tsp of Cumin Powder and 1 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste . Keep aside for 30-40 minutes. Gravy - Heat a tbsp of Oil and Ghee in a heavy bottomed pan; saute 4 Cloves, 1 Green Cardamom, 1" Cinnamon Stick and a Bay Leaf for few seconds. Add 2 large chopped Onions, 5-6 slit Green Chilies  and saute till transparent. Add ½ tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and saute till browned. Add a large chopped Tomato and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the marinated mutton and cook over medium heat with lid till the water from the meat and yogurt is almost absorbed. Add the cashe...

Ras – Heat 4 cups of Milk in a non-stick pan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and cook the milk till it reduces to half the quantity, stirring continuously. Add a pinch of Saffron, a tbsp of Sugar to taste and mix well. Once the milk is reduced, add 2 tbsp of chopped Almonds and Pistachios, a pinch of Cardamom Powder and remove from heat. Malai - Heat 4 cups of Milk to a boil and slowly add 2 tbsp of Lemon Juice to it. When the milk curdles, remove from heat and strain in a cheesecloth. Pour cold water over the cheese cloth and drain the water off the paneer by hanging it over the tap for 30 minutes. Remove the paneer from the cheese cloth and knead till it becomes smooth dough. Make 12 small portions into balls and flatten them out without any cracks on the side. Heat 5 cups of Water in a pressure cooker, dissolve 1 cup of Sugar and add the flattened paneer discs. Close pressure cooker lid and cook until one whistle. Immediately switch off the stove and set the time...

Rice - Wash and soak 4 cups of Basmati Rice in a big bowl for about 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Add 1 tsp of Oil to a pan and sauté 1 tsp of Black Cumin Seeds till they sizzle and add the soaked rice along with Salt to taste . Add 9 cups of Water to the pan and bring to a boil and let it cook till the rice grains are just done. Drain and keep aside. Garnish – Peel and thinly slice 2 big Yellow Onions and keep aside. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of Oil/Butter and fry the onions on low-medium heat until they are golden brown in color. Remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl and keep aside. Toast 3 tbsp of Almonds, Cashewnuts and Raisins in 1 tbsp of Butter/Oil and keep aside. Soak a pinch of Saffron in ½ cup of Warm Milk in a small bowl and keep aside. Mutton Gravy - In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of Oil/Butter and add washed and cubed 1 kg of Lean Lamb leg Meat . Stir fry till the meat has browned on all sides and add ½ of the fried onions, 2 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and ½...

Roasted Red Pepper - Spray a large Red Pepper lightly with oil and roast over a flame, or broil in the oven at 450 F, till charred on the outside. Set aside and allow cooling. Once it comes to room temperature, peel the outside skin of the pepper and slice thinly. Caramelized Onions -  Heat 1 tbsp of Butter in a non-stick pan and saute a finely minced Garlic Clove, a large Onion, finely sliced with Salt to taste, Pepper to taste & ½ tsp of Curry Powder till caramelized and tender. Panini -  Layer roasted red pepper slices, caramelized onions, and top with Chopped Coriander Leaves and top with other slice of bread and heat in a Panini grill / pan till warm.

Marinade - Clean and cut the 500 gm of Chicken into bite-size pieces and marinate with 2 tsp of Vinegar, Salt to taste, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder for 3 hours. Then, boil the chicken in microwave or pan with closed lid for 10 minutes, till the water is evaporated. Masala Powder - Grind 3 tsp of Black Pepper Corns, 3" inch of Cinnamon, 5 Cloves, 2 Cardamoms, 1 Bay Leaf, 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder and ½ tsp of Coriander Powder  to a fine powder. Keep aside. Vepudu (Fry) - Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of Oil . Add 2 finely chopped medium Onions, few Curry Leaves and saute till they are brown in colour. Add 2 tsp of Ginger – Garlic Paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the boiled chicken, cook for 5-10 minutes, and add the masala powder. Cover cook for 20 minutes or till cooked. Remove from heat, garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve hot.

Grind ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ tsp of Fenugreek Seeds, a tsp of minced Ginger, 1 Green Chilli, 1 tsp of Mint Leaves, 1 tsp of chopped Corainder Leaves, 3 chopped Curry Leaves to a paste. Add 3 cups of Yogurt and 2 cups of Water to it and blend again. Add Salt to taste and couple of Ice Cubes and blend once again. Serve chilled.

In a saucepan, boil 5-6 cups of Water along with 2 tsp of Tamrind paste . Add Salt to taste, 3 tsp of Rasam Powder, ½ tsp of Sugar,  ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder and finely chopped 2 Tomatoes . Boil for 12-15 minutes and keep aside. Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a pan, splutter  1 tsp of Mustard Seeds, 2 Red Chillies, few Curry Leaves, 3 crushed Garlic Flakes and a pinch of Hing . Add the seasoning to the boiled charu and garnish with 2 tbsp of Coriander Leaves . Serve with steamed white rice.

Paneer Filling -  Grate Paneer to get a 1 cup of Grated Paneer . Wash, peel, boil and mash a small Potato to get ½ cup of mashed Potato . Mix them both together in a bowl. Add Salt as needed, 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 1 tsp of Garam Masala Powder, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, finely chopped 2 Green Chillies and chopped Coriander Leaves  to the bowl and mix well. Keep aside. Dough for Samosas (Shingaras) - Take 1 cup of All Purpose Flour In a bowl, add 3 tbsp of Oil and ¼ tsp of Salt to it kneading thoroughly for about 5 minutes. Add tsp of Water at a time to it, kneading for 3-5 minutes until the flour is made into a tight dough ball. Pinch off five equal sized balls from the kneaded dough, roll between your palms to get a circular shape, and keep aside covering with a moist cloth. Using a rolling pin on a smooth hard surface, flatten out the dough ball into an oval shape. Bisect each of them across the width to get two triangular pieces. T...

Use a mandolin / chef’s knife to slice  2 Cucumbers and 2 Carrots into matchsticks. Trim and cut 4 oz of Sugar Snap Peas into thin strips on a diagonal and combine them with the cucumbers and carrots in a large bowl. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine  2 tbsp of Brown Sugar, ½ cup of Rice Vinegar and microwave on high for 30 seconds, and then whisk to dissolve the brown sugar in the vinegar. Stir in ½ tsp of Chili Garlic Paste and pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables in the bowl. Stir to toss the salad in the dressing, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve chilled.

Seive a  cup of Besan / Gram Flour in a mixing bowl and add a cup of Oil  to this and mix well to a pouring consistency batter.  In a saucepan, add 1½ cups of Sugar to ½ cup of Water and stir in till the syrup starts boiling. Keep checking and stirring till one string consistency is reached. When the sugar syrup is ready, add the besan batter to it slowly and keep stirring. Keep stirring till the mixture starts balling up making sure the mixture don’t stick to the sides of the pan. Add  ½  cup of Ghee to it and keep stirring.  When the mix is pretty thick, move it to a greased plate, tap the plate couple of times to release air bubbles and let it sit for 10 minutes. Unmould the mysore pak and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Let it sit for 15 more minutes before serving.

Marinade - Marinate ¼ kg of Paneer, cut into 1” pieces in a bowl with a large pinch of Black Pepper Powd er, Salt to taste, ½ tsp of finely chopped Ginger, ½ tsp of finely chopped Garlic and 5 tbsp of Water mixed with 1 tbsp of  Corn Flour for 10 minutes. Paneer - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and place the marinated paneer; shallow fry till brown on all the sides. Remove and keep aside. Capsicum Paneer - In the same pan saute 1 tbsp of finely chopped Ginger, 1 tbsp of finely chopped Garlic and saute on high heat for 30 seconds. Add  6-7 tbsp of chopped Spring Onion Whites and saute for 2 minutes. Add a sliced Capsicum and stir fry on high heat for 2 more minutes. Add 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 1½ tbsp of Tomato Sauce, 2 tsp of Soy Sauce, 2 tsp of Vinegar, ½ tbsp of Sugar and mix well. Add the sauteed paneer, toss for a minute on high heat and add a tbsp of Corn Flour dissolved in 5 tbsps of Water ; Add Salt as ne...

Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of Oil . Add 1 tsp of Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp of Channa Dal and sauté till they turn golden brown. Add 2 broken Red Chillies, few Curry Leaves and sauté for few seconds. Add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, chopped large Onion and 2 slit Green Chillies ; sauté till the onions turn transparent. Add the 3 cups of diced Gummadikaya / Pumpkin and cover cook for 10 -12 minutes on low-medium heat. Add Salt to taste, 1 tbsp of Powdered Jaggery and cover cook till the pumpkin pieces turn soft and the curry comes together. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed white rice.

Marination -  Wash and dry ½ kg of Mutton in a bowl and add Juice of ½ Lemon, 1½ tbsp of Yogurt,  ½ tsp of Salt, ½ tsp of Ginger Garlic paste,  3-4 slit Green Chillis, ¼ tsp of Red Chilli Powder,  ½ tsp of Coriander Powder and Few Mint Leaves . Mix well and marinate for atleast 20 minutes. Masala Powder - Make powder of 3 Cloves, 1″ Cinnamon stick, 1 Cardamom, Pinch of Shahjeera,  pinch of Cumin Seeds and a Small piece of Mace ½ Star Anise . Keep aside. Gravy - Heat  2 tbsp of Oil + 1 tbsp of Ghee in a pressure cooker and saute  a Bay Leaf, 2 Cloves, ½″Cinnamon, 1 Star Anise, 1 Cardamom for a few seconds. Add 2 thinly sliced medium Onions and sauté for 7-8 minutes. Add ¾ tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, ¼ cup of chopped Coriander Leaves,  ¼ cup of Mint Leaves  and sauté further for another 5 minutes. Add ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder (according to taste), sauté for another 2 minutes. Add...

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of Oil, 1/3 cup of Honey and 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract till well mixed. Add and stir in  a cup of All Purpose Flour, 1 tsp of Baking Powder, ½ tsp of Baking Soda, ¼ tsp of Salt and ¼ cup of Light Brown Sugar  until almost combined. Add 1/3 cup of Chopped Walnuts and stir till well distributed. Shape into 1-inch rounded balls, place onto prepared baking sheet and press them lightly. Bake for 10 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes one dozen cookies.