Gongura Chicken (Chicken in Red Sorrell Leaves Gravy)

Marinade - Clean and dice a kg of Chicken into bite-sized pieces. Marinade the chicken pieces in a cup of Curd, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, a tbsp of Red Chilli Powder, 1½ tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and keep aside for 30 minutes.

Garam Masala - Dry roast and powder 4 Cloves, 3 Cardamoms, 3 tsp of Coriander Seeds,  1½ inch Cinnamon and keep aside.

Gongura Paste - Boil ¼ cup of Water in a saucepan, add and cook 2 cups of fresh Red Sorrel Leaves, a bunch of Coriander Leaves (optional), 4 slit Green Chillies and ½ cup of Mint Leaves for 3 minutes. Keep aside to cool and grind to a fine paste.

Curry - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; add and saute finely chopped 2 Onions, few Curry Leaves till light golden color. Add the marinated chicken and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat, cook for another 10 minutes, add the gongura paste and combine well. Add Salt to taste, ground masala powder and cover cook till the chicken pieces are tender. Serve hot with white rice or chapatis.

Lucknowi Moongdal

Dry roast a small cup of Moong Dal in a sautepan for 3 minutes. Wash the dal and pressure cook with 2 cups of Water, a pinch of Turmeric Powder, 1½ tsp of Ginger Green Chilli paste and a chopped Onion, till soft.

Once the pressure is off, remove lid and mash the dal lightly, add a pureed Tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Add ¼ tsp of Cumin Powder, ½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, a Pinch of Garam Masala, 1½ tbsp of Fresh Cream, mix and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat a tsp of Ghee in a sautepan, saute few Mint Leaves till crisp. Add and saute a finely sliced Onion till transparent. Add them to the dal, mix and serve hot with rice or rotis. 

Nuvvula Undalu (Simple Sesame Seeds Laddoos)

Roast a cup of White Sesame Seeds on medium heat until they turn golden brown. Keep aside to cool.

Chop a cup of Jaggery into a fine powder. Grind both the roasted sesame seeds and chopped jaggery into coarse powder. Make round balls using few drops of milk, if needed.

Dondakaya Vepudu (Ivy Gourd Fry)

Wash  250 gms of Ivy Gourds and cut out the tip and tail ends. Slit each of them into 3 lengthwise strips.

Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter a tsp of Cumin Seeds, 3 dry Red Chillis, a pinch of Asafoetida and few Curry Leaves for a few seconds. Add the sliced dondakayalu and combine. Add Salt to taste, a pinch of Turmeric Powder; mix well and saute on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Now reduce to low heat, add a finely sliced Onion and let it cook, approx 15-18 minutes (till they begin to have a wrinkled appearance and turn to a deeper color). Add 1¼ tbsps of Toasted Sesame Seeds; combine and let it cook uncovered for another minute and remove from heat. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Naan (with yeast)

Yeast - In ¾ cup of Lukewarm Water, dissolve 1 tsp of active dry Yeast and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Dough – In a bowl, take 2 cups of All Purpose Flour, a tsp of Sugar, a tsp of Salt, a pinch of Baking Soda and mix well. To it, add 2 tbsp of Oil, 2½ tbsp of Yogurt and mix well to make dough. Add yeast mixture and knead to make smooth and soft dough. Cover the dough and keep in a warm place for 3-4 hours till the dough becomes double in volume.

Naan - Heat a pizza stone in the oven for 30 minutes at 500 F and then put it on high broil. Knead the dough for about 2-3 minutes and divide the dough into six equal parts. Take each piece of dough, one at a time, and roll into 8-inch oval shape. Dust lightly with dry flour to help with the rolling. Lightly wet your hands and take the rolled Naan, and place onto the pizza stone in the oven. In about 2-3 minutes, the naan will have golden brown color on top and is cooked. Take it out of the oven and brush lightly with Ghee.

Chikkudikaya Tomato Vepudu (Broad Beans and Tomato Fry)

Wash ¼ kg of Chikkudukaaya / Broad Beans, string and cut them into 1″ pieces. Par-boil them in a saucepan till half-cooked.

Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a pan; saute 3 slit Green Chillis, a dry Red Chilli, few fresh Curry Leaves, a finely chopped Onion and saute on medium heat for 4-5 minutes till the onions turns transparent. Add ½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, Pinch of Turmeric Powder, Pinch of Cumin Powder, ¾ tsp of Coriander Powder, Salt to taste and combine. Add a chopped Tomato and cook till they turn soft or till oil separates. Add the par-boiled broad beans, a tsp of Jaggery and combine. Sprinkle approx 5-6 tbsp of Water and cover cook for 10 minutes. When the beans are cooked, remove from heat and garnish with fresh Coriander Leaves.

Instant Pot: Carrot Halwa

Wash, peel and grate a pound of Carrots (approx 4 cups). 

Press "Saute" and add grated Carrots, 1/2 cup of Whole Milk, 1/2 cup of Water to the pot. Close the lid, set the pressure valve and cook for 1 minute at high pressure. Open the valve to quick release. Press "Saute", add 1/2 cup of Sugar and cook for 7 minutes stirring continuously in between. Add 4 tbsp of Ghee and cook further until the halwa becomes dry. Add a tsp of Cardamom Powder and sliced Pistachio and Almonds. Mix well and serve.

Miriyala Kodi Vepudu 1 (Pepper Chicken Fry)

Masala Powder – Dry roast an inch of Cinnamon Stick, 4 Cloves, ½ tsp Cumin Seeds, 1 ½ tsp Corainder Seeds and 1 tsp of Peppercorns and grind to fine powder.

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; add and sauté a finely chopped medium Red Onion till translucent. Add 1½ tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and sauté for 3 minutes. Add and sauté 2 finely chopped medium Tomatoes, 3-4 slit Green Chili till mushy. Add 2 lb of cleaned and diced Chicken, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, Salt to taste, a tsp of Masala Powder and cook for 10-15 minutes till chicken is cooked on medium heat. Remove from heat, add remaining masala powder, few Curry Leaves and garnish with 3 tbsp of Chopped Corainder Leaves. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Pudhina Kothimeera Kodi Kura (Coriander Mint Chicken Curry)

Coriander Mint paste – Grind a cup of Mint Leaves, a cup of Coriander Leaves and 6 Green Chilies into a smooth paste and keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds. Add and sauté a large finely chopped Onion, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder till golden brown. Add 1½ tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and sauté till the raw smell disappears. Add a large finely chopped Tomato and sauté till mushy. Add the ground paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add an lb of washed, bite-size diced Chicken, ½ tsp of Garam Masala, a tsp of Chicken Masala Powder, a tsp of Red Chili Powder, a tsp of Coriander Powder, Salt to taste and sauté for 2 minutes. Add a cup of Water and cover cook till the chicken pieces are cooked and oil seperates. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Masala Mushroom Curry

Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan. Once hot, add and saute a Bay Leaf, 4 Cloves and 1" of a Cinnamon Stick for 10 seconds. Add in ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, a large finely chopped Onion and saute. Add Salt and allow the Onions to cook for 5 minutes. Add a finely chopped tbsp of Garlic, finely chopped 3-4 Green Chillies and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add a finely chopped large Tomato, mix, cover cook for about 10 minutes; stirring in between to make sure it does not burn. Add a tsp of Cumin Powder a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, mix and add ¼ kg of cleaned and quartered Mushrooms. Mix and allow them to cook uncovered. Once the Mushrooms are cooked, add a tbsp of Fenugreek Leaves, mix and serve hot with Rotis or Naans.

Mint Chocolate Delights

Preheat oven to 325F.

Beat a cup of Butter along with 2/3 cup of White Sugar, 2/3 cup of Brown Sugar and a tsp of Vanilla Extract into a creamy mixture. Add 2 eggs to it one at a time, incorporating into the creamy mixture. Gradually add in ½ tsp of Salt, a tsp of Baking Soda, 2/3 Cocoa Powder and 2 cups of All Purpose Flour to make a cookie batter. Stir in the 1 2/3 cup of Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels. Drop well-rounded tbsps of cookie batter onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set. Cool for 2 minutes before storing in air tight container.

Indo-Chineese Noodles

As per the instructions, boil water with 1 tbsp of Oil and 1 tsp of Salt. Once the water is boiling, drop a pack of Chineese Noodles in boiling water and cook as per instructions in pack for 4 to 9 minutes. Drain the water and run some cold water through the noodles so that they don't stick to each other.

In a wok, heat 2 tbsp of Oil and saute a tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste for 30 seconds. Add and saute a finely chopped Onion for 2 minutes. Add Salt to taste, 2 cups of finely chopped / length wise Vegetables (Carrots, Beans, capsicum, Cabbage) and cook till they are almost cooked. Add a finely chopped Spring Onion, mix and immediately add the noddles, 1-2 tbsp of Tomato Ketchup, a tsp of Venigar, 1-2 tbsp of Soya Sauce, 1 tsp of Chilli Sauce, a tsp of Black Pepper Powder and combine.

Stuffed Banana Peppers

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.

Potato & Leek Soup (Julia Child's)

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 Bread Pudding

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.

Spicy Andhra Chicken Curry

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, remove the cover and mix well cooking till the chicken is cooked. Sprinkle a tsp of Lemon Juice and 2 sprigs of Curry Leaves before serving hot with Steamed rice.

Gongura Pulihara (Red Sorrell Leaves Rice)

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 Leaves and saute for a few seconds. Add this tempering along with Red Sorrel misture to the cooled rice and combine well. Adjust the Salt and sprinkle ½ cup of Roasted Peanuts and mix well. Let it sit for at least an hour for the all theflavors to set in. (You can squeeze some Lemon Juice if needed). Serve with Yogurt. 

Dosakaya Tomato Kura (Lemon Cucumber Tomato 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.

Sunnundalu (Powdered Urad Dal Dumplings)

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.

Munagakaya Tomato Kura (Tomato Drumstick Curry)

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.