Hearty Spices

Wash, slit and deseed 6 large Banana Peppers and keep aside. Roast ¼ cup of Roasted Peanuts, a tsp of Cumin Seeds and ground them together. Wash, peel, cook and mash 2 Potatoes in a bowl. To the mashed potato, add and mix a finely chopped Onion, 5 finely chopped Green Chillies, 2 tbsp of Coriander Leaves, ½ tsp of Garam Masala ½ tsp of Amchur, ½ tsp of Coriander Powder, 1 tsp of Chilli Powder and Salt to taste . To it, add the ground Peanut mixture, mix well and stuff the banana peppers with this potato masala mixture. Preheat the oven to 500 F. Grease a baking tray place the stuffed peppers on it. Brush them with the remaining oil and bake for 20 minutes, turning once in between.

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add 3 large cleaned, thinly sliced Leeks (only white part) and 4-5 peeled and roughly chopped Medium Potatoes . Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have begun to soften and brown slightly, about 8-12 minutes. Add 6 cups of Vegetable Stock / Water , and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Blend until smooth either using an immersion blender, or by carefully transferring to a blender in batches. Add   ½ cup of Heavy Cream , and season to taste with Salt and a tbsp of Lemon Juice . Ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of  ½ cup of Sour Cream , and a tsp of 1/3 cup of minced parsley .

Caramel - Heat ½ cup of Sugar in 2 tbsp of Water on high heat. Swirl the pan frequently till the sugar has melted and turns a dark golden brown. Pour it into a 6" inch cake tin, working quickly; tilt the dish to coat the base completely. Keep aside for a few minutes to set. Tear 8 slices of Bread into small pieces into a bowl; pour  1½ cups of Milk over it and soak for a while. Mash the bread with the back of a spoon till the mixture is smooth. Mix in 2 tbsp of Sugar, a tsp of Vanilla Essence and few roasted Nuts . Pour the Bread Mixture over the caramel; cover the top of the dish with aluminium foil and steam cook in pressure cooker for 15-20 mins. Remove and when cool enough, invert onto a dish and cut into pieces. Refrigerate till it sets and serve cold.

Marinade - Wash 400 gm of Chicken pieces and place in a bowl. To it add ½ tsp Turneric Powder, ½ tsp Red Chilli Powder, 2 tbsp Yogurt, 2 tsp Lemon Juice, 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste and ¼ tsp of Salt . Mix well and marinate for over 30 minutes. Masala Powder - In a pan, dry roast 1 tsp of Poppy Seeds, 6 Cloves, ½ tbsp. Black Peppercorns, 2 tsp Fennel Seeds, 6 Red Chillies, ½ tsp Cumin Seeds, 2 inch Cinnamon Stick and make a fine powder after it cools down to room temperature. Gravy - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and sauté a chopped Onion till they turn translucent. Add 2 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 chopped Tomatoes and cook until the oil separates from it. Add the masala powder, 1 cup of Water and continue cooking until the gravy comes together. Add the chicken with its marinade and continue cooking over a high heat, stirring constantly. Add Salt to taste, ½ cup of Water and mix well. Cover cook for 10 minutes on low heat. After 5 minutes...

Rice - Cook 2 cups of Rice ; sprinkle a pinch of Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste, a tbsp of Oil and 10-15 Curry Leaves to the cooled rice and keep aside. Red Sorrel Mixture - Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a pan, saute a tsp of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Fenugreek Seeds, 2-3 dry Red Chillis and roast till they turns red in color. Remove from pan, cool and grind into a coarse mixture. In the same pan, heat ¾ tbsp of Oil , add and roast the  2 cups of washed Red Sorrel Leaves on low heat till they wilt for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and grind them together with the mustard seeds mixture to a fine paste without adding water. Remove and keep aside. Tempering - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter a tsp of Mustard Seeds. Add and saute 1-2 dry Red Chillis, ¼ tsp of Cumin Seeds, a tbsp of Channa Dal, a tbsp of Urad Dal for a minute till light brown in color. Then, add 3-4 slit Green Chillies, pinch of Asafoetida, 4-5 Curry ...

Peel a large Dosakaya , slice into half, remove the seeds and chop into bite sized pieces. Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; saute ½ tbsp of Channa Dal, ½ tbsp of Urad Dal, 2 Red Chillies, ½ tbsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ tbsp of Mustard Seeds . When the mustard seeds splutter, add few Curry Leaves . Add and saute  a chopped Onion, 3 slit Green Chillies and ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder till the onions turn brown in color. Add 2 chopped Tomatoes, Cucumber pieces, Salt to taste and mix well. Cover cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Add a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, a tsp of Coriander Leaves , mix, remove from heat and let it stand for 5 minutes. Serve with hot rice and roti.

Heat a pan and dry roast a cup of Whole Urad Dal on low heat till they turn light brown in color. Cool off and grind to very fine sand-like powder. Sieve the powder and use the fine powder that gets down through the sieve and grind the coarse particles leftover on the sieve again to a fine powder. To the powder, add a cup of powdered Sugar and mix well. Pour ½ cup of Melted Ghee to the mixture and make medium balls.

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; saute  and sauté ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, Pinch of Hing, 1 broken Red Chilli and them splutter. Add a twig of Curry Leaves, a chopped Onion, 3 slit Green Chillies, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and sauté till onions turn translucent. Add a tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder and saute for couple of minutes. Add 2 chopped Tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes become soft and mushy about 5-6 minutes. Add Salt to taste, 4-5 Drumsticks, cut into 2 inches, 1½ cup of Water and cover cook on a low heat. Keep stirring in between till the drumsticks are soft, for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot with rice.

Masala - Grind a chopped Onion, 4 pods of Garlic, chopped ½" Ginger, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, 1 tbsp of Coriander Powder, ¼ tsp of Garam Masala and 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder to a fine mixture. Rice - Wash and soak the a cup of Basmati Rice for 10 minutes. Heat a tsp of Ghee in a pan, fry the drained rice until the water is evaporated, for 2 mins and keep aside. Heat a tbsp of Ghee in a pan, add 3 Cloves, 2 Cardamom, a Biriyani Leaf, an inch of Cinnamon and fry for a minute. Add 2 sliced Onions to it and fry till they turn brown in color. Add the masala mixture to it and fry until ghee separates from the mixture. Add ¾ cup of Fresh Corn to it and fry for another couple of minutes. Add slightly roasted rice, mix well and add 2 cups of Water, Salt to taste and mix. Transfer to a pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle and simmer the flame for 8-10 mins. After the pressure is released open the lid; add a tsp of  chopped Coriander Leaves, 10 ghee fried Cashewnuts ...

Heat a pan; dry roast 2 tbsp of Coriander Seeds, 3 Dry Red Chilies (broken) and ½ tsp of Whole Black Peppercorns until golden brown. Remove from heat; allow cooling and grind to a fine powder. Wash, drain the water from the 1 lb of Ground / Minced Chicken or Mutton and blot with a paper towel. Add a cup of Fried Onions, finely chopped 20 sprigs of Coriander Leaves, finely chopped 5 Green Chilies, 2 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, a tsp of Garam Masala, a tsp of Dry Mango Powder, ground masala powder and Salt to taste . Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to marinate. Remove from fridge, and mix in ½ of a beaten Egg. (you could add bread crumbs if the kabab doesn't hold it's shape). Heat  2 tbsp of Oil on a skillet. Shape the Meat mixture into 3 inch ovals, slightly flatten them and place them in the skillet. Brown the kebabs on one side then flip them over and brown on the other side. Serve hot with Mint Chutney. Note - Place the kababs on an oiled bakin...

Beat  1/2 cup of Butter,1/2 cup of White Sugar, 1/2 cup of Brown Sugar and a tsp of Vanilla Extract until creamy and fluffy in a bowl. Add a large  Egg, a  tsp of Baking Soda, 1/8 tsp of Salt, 2/3 cup of Cocoa Powder, a tbsp o Milk and a cup of All Purpose Flour . Stir in 1 1/4  cups of White Chocolate Chips and mix well. Preheat oven to 350 F. Drop a well-rounded tsp of cookie batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving at least 2 inches gap between the cookies. Flatten the cookie batter rounds a little on top. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the centers are set. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to cool completely on wire racks.

Grind ½ cup of Roasted Gram Dal / Dalia, ¼ tbsp of Garam Masala Powder, ¼ tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, ½ cup of chopped Coriander Leaves, ½ tbsp of Cumin Seeds and make a dry powder. Add 1 cup of Fresh Corn, Salt to taste and grind again to a coarse mixture.  Take small amounts of the corn mixture and make balls out of them. Press them gently to look like a round shaped Pattis, place each one in a plate of All Purpose Flour  and dust roughly on it. Once dusting the patties with the flour is done, heat 2-3 tbsp of Oil in a nonstick pan and shallow fry them turning them for every 3-5 minutes until they are fried. Place them on a tissue paper to absorb excess oil and serve hot with ketchup.

Marinade - Take the cleaned 500 gm of Minced Lamb/Goat, 2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 2 tsp of Salt, a tbsp of Ginger Garlic Powder, ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder, ½ tsp of Thick Yogurt and a tbsp of Garam Masala in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon and keep aside. Curry - Heat 3 tbsp of Oil in a pan at medium heat; add and sauté the 3 Cloves, 2" Cinnamon Stick and 2 Green Cardamoms for a minute. Add the a large sliced Onion, ½ tsp of Salt and stir fry them till they are golden brown in color. Add the marinated minced meat and mix well using a wooden spoon. Cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes. Open the lid and break up the lumps of meat using a wooden spoon, add a finely chopped Tomato and stir well to mix. Cover the lid and let it cook for 20 -30 minutes, stirring it occasionally. Once the water has completely dried, add the 4 sliced Green Chillies and ½ cup of chopped Mint Leaves . Let it cook covered for a minute more. Serve warm with steamed rice or...

Heat a tbsp of Olive Oil  in a pan; saute a tsp of Mustard Seeds till they splutter. Add and saute a tbsp of Bengal Gram Dal, Black Gram Dal, few Curry Leaves, 2 tbsp of Peanuts  till the dals turn golden brown. Add and saute  a sliced Onion, 4 slit Green Chilies, 1" minced Ginger for 2 minutes. If using tomato, add  a chopped Tomato and sauté on medium heat for 4 minutes. Add Salt to taste, 4 cups of Water and bring to a boil. Now, reduce heat, slowly add 1½ cups of W heat Ravva to the water and mix continuously. Cover cook on low heat for 12 minutes. Remove fom heat, garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve hot. 

Heat 1 tbsp of Ghee in a pan; add a cup of Cracked Rava and saute on medium heat till golden brown. Add a cup of Milk, 2 cups of Water to the rava and mix in slowly. Keep sitrring till the rava is cooked thoroughly on low heat till the mixture thickens. Add a Cup of Sugar, 3 powdered Cardamoms and mix well till the desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat, garnish with toasted and crushed Almonds, Pistachios and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Heat ½ tbsp  of Ghee and a tbsp of Butter in a pan; add and sauté ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, a tsp of Cumin Seeds and allow them to splutter. Add  a tbsp of Black Gram Dal, an inch of Cinnamon Stick and saute till the dal turns light brown. Add few Curry Leaves, 6 slit Green Chillies, 1½ tbsp of Broken Cashewnuts  and saute for a few seconds. Add  a large diced Capsicum , and fry them for 7 minutes, taking are not to over cook and retaining their crunchy texture. Add Salt to taste, Black Pepper Powder to taste and mix well. Reduce heat,  add and mix 2 cups of cooked rice. Cook for 2 minutes and add 2 tbsp of Grated Coconut (optional)  and mix with the rice. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Marinade – Clean and cut 1 kg of Chicken into bite-sized pieces . Marinate the chicken in ½ cup of Yogurt, 1 tbsp of Coriander Powder, ¼ tsp of Cumin Powder, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, Juice of ¼ Lemon and ¾ tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste for 15 minutes. Curry - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; sauté a Star Anise and 1” inch of Cinnamon Stick . Add 2 medium Onions, chopped, 4 slit Green Chilies and sauté for 4 minutes. Add ¾ tbsp. of Ginger Garlic paste and sauté for another 4 minutes. Add in 1 tbsp of Red Chili Powder , mix well and add the marinated chicken to the pan. Cook on high heat for 4 minutes, mixing once in a while. Reduce to medium heat, add Salt to taste, 1 tbsp of Poppy Seeds soaked in little milk and mix well. Cook for 8-10 minutes till oil seperates. Add 1½ cup of Water and bring to boil; reduce the heat and cook for 12-14 minutes. Add 1½ tsp of Garam Masala Powder, ¾ cup of thick Coconut Milk and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh Coria...

Veggies - Chop 6 Brinjals to small chunks and keep aside. Trim the ends of 15 Broad Beans / Chikkudikayalu and cut into 2 halves. Keep aside. Curry - Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a pan; saute 3 cloves of Crushed Garlic and 3 Slit Green Chillies on medium heat. Add and saute few Curry Leaves, a tsp of Cumin Seeds, a chopped Onion and a pinch of Turmeric Powder till the onions turn to golden brown. Add the brinjal chunks, broad beans pieces and Salt to taste . Cover cook on low heat till the veggies turn soft, for about 10-12 minutes. Add a cup of Water , mix, cover cook on medium heat till the beans are cooked, about 6-8 minutes. Add a tsp of Red Chilli Powder , if needed and  a cup of Milk ; cook till a thick gravy consistency is reached. Garnish with few Coriander Leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.

Preparation – Grind a slice of Bread, a tsp of Corn Flour and ½ cup of Milk into thick paste, for about 2-3 times. Pound the 5 Cardamoms to make fine powder. Slice 10 Almonds to thin pieces and keep aside. Heat 3½ cups of Milk in a saucepan till it is reduced to 2½ cups of Milk, stirring in between. When the milk is reduced, add the Bread-cornflour paste and mix well. Keep stirring the milk till the mixture is thick. Add ¾ cup of Sugar , powdered Cardamom and mix till the right consistency is reached. Remove from the heat, add thinly sliced almonds and let it cool to room temperature. Spoon this mixture into Kulfi Moulds or into small cups and freeze for 6 hours. Serve chilled.

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; saute 5 cups of chopped Sorrel / Gongura leaves . Keep aside. In the same pan, saute a pinch of Asafetida, ½ tsp of Fenugreek Seeds, 1 tbsp of Channa Dal, 1 tsp of Urad Dal, 10 red chilies and 3 cloves of Garlic . Allow it to cool and grind coarsely while adding Salt . Grind the Sorrel Leaves too along with it. Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and add a tsp of Mustard seeds, 2 Red Chilies, Few Curry Leaves, a pinch of Turmeric Powder and a tsp of Cumin Seeds . Add this tempering to the ground gongura mixture in a bowl; add a tsp of Oil to it. Serve with rice and ghee.