Hearty Spices

Soak a cup of unroasted Peanuts in the water for 5 minutes and keep aside. In a bowl, mix 4 tbsp of Gram Flour, 2 tbsp of Rice Flour, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ½ tsp of Garam masala powder (optional), a pinch Asafoetida (optional), ½ tsp of Turmeric powder, Salt as per taste and keep it aside. Drain the water completely and sprinkle the powder to the peanuts and tossing gently to coat evenly. Grease a microwavable plate with a tsp of Oil , spread the peanuts in the  plate and drizzle a tsp of Oil on the peanuts and cook it till it becomes crispy (5 minutes), mixing every 2 minutes.

Batter - Mix a cup of A ll Purpose Flour, 1 tsp of Fennel Seeds, 3 to 4 crushed Cardamoms in a mixing bowl. Add 3 tbsp of Milk powder, 3 tbsp of Yogurt and mix into a thick batter with  ½ cup of Water . A llow the batter to rest for 30 minutes. Blanch a tbsp of Almonds and Pistachios in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Slice them and keep aside.  Sugar syrup - H eat ½ cup of Sugar in ¼ cup of Water in a saucepan over low heat till the sugar melts. Make  a ½ inch string or 1 string consistency.  Malpua - Heat a tbsp of Ghee in a pan. Add 3 pinches of Baking Soda to the malpua batter and mix well. Lower the heat and taking 2-3 tbsp of batter at a time, gently pour into the pan making small pancakes. Fry  till crisp and golden flipping the malpuas a couple of times. Immediately place them in the warm sugar syrup and after coating them, remove to a serving tray. Optional - P our 2 tbsp of Rabri on top and garnish with the chopped almonds and p...

Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a pan, saute a medium finely chopped Onions, 2-3 finely chopped Green Chillis till they turn transparent. Add a pinch of Turmeric Powder, a pinch of Cumin Powder, ½ tsp of Coriander Powder, ½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ¼ tsp of Kasuri Methi and combine. Add a medium chopped Tomato and cook till they turn soft, approx 3-4 minutes. Add a cup of grated Paneer , mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 4-5 tbsp of Milk and toss on medium high heat till the milk evaporates. Add a pinch of Garam Masala Powder, Salt to taste and combine. Garnish with fresh Coriander Leaves and serve hot with rotis or bread.

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pressure cooker on medium heat, saute a finely sliced medium Onion. Add an inch of Cinnamon, a Cardamom, 2 Cloves, a Bay Leaf, 3-4 Black Peppercorns and saute until the onions turn translucent. Add a pound of washed and diced Mutton, 2 tsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, a pinch of Turmeric Powder and saute for 5 minutes. Add a tbsp of Cashewnut Powder, ½ tsp of G aram Masala Powder, ½  tsp of B lack Pepper Powder, 4-5 finely chopped Green Chillies, 4 tbsp of Cream and Salt to taste . Add 2½ cups of Water and pressure cook at until the first whistle, then reduce to low heat and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the pressure completely dissipate. Now uncover the cooker, add few Mint Leaves and Coriander Leaves and cook on low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Garnish with crispy fried onions and serve with hot parathas or naans.

Filling - Mix a finely chopped Onion, 2-3 finely chopped Green Chillies, ¼ tsp of Ajwain Seeds, ½ tsp of grated Ginger, ¼ tsp of Cumin Seeds, Salt to taste in a bowl and set aside.   Dough - Mix 3 cups of All Purpose Flour, ½ tsp of Baking powder, 1/8th tsp of Baking Soda, 1 tbsp of Sugar,Salt to taste, ¼ cup of oil,½ cup of Yogurt in a bowl and knead into soft dough.Set aside for atleast 1-2 hours.  Kulcha - Divide the dough into small pieces and make rounds of each. Roll it out into a small chapati with the help of a rolling pin, place a spoon of filling in the center of the rolled out dough and bring all the sides up to enclose the filling. Press it down and roll into naan shaped kulchas. Oven - Set the oven at 400F and to broil. Place the Kulcha on a baking pan and let it broil for 2-3 minutes until the top is browned. Turn the kulcha and broil for another 2 minutes. Stove top - Heat a pan on med-high heat and place the Kulcha. Pour little oil on a...

Heat oven to 350°F. Beat a cup of Butter, 2 cups of Sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add 2 Eggs and a tsp of Vanilla Extract ; beat until light and fluffy. Stir together 2 cups of All Purpose Flour, 3/4 cup of Cocoa Powder, a tsp of Baking Soda and 1/2 tsp Salt ; gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in a cup of White Chocolate chips and a cup of Chocolate Chips . Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely before storing.

Stuffing - Grind together 1/3 cup of grated Coconut, 3 Green Chillies, ¼ cup of packed Coriander Leaves, ½  tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ " of Cinnamon, Salt to taste by adding a tbsp of Wate r . Stuff the 1/4 Kg of Purple Eggplants with this stuffing and keep aside. Curry - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan, saute few Curry Leaves, a dry torn Red Chilli, a pinch of Asafoetida for few seconds. Place the stuffed brinjals in the oil and cook on medium high flame for 2-3 minutes. Cover cook on medium low heat for 12-14 minutes, checking in between to ensure they don’t burn or stick to the pan.Add 1½ tsp of Tamarind Extract, a tsp of Jaggery along with ¼ cup of Water and left over stuffing paste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover cook for 10-12 minutes till the gravy thickens. Remove lid and cook over low heat and let the eggplants roast well for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve with rice, pappu pulusu or sambar

Rice Rava - Boil 3¼ cups of Water, ½ tsp of Salt, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder in a saucepan. Add 2 cups of Rice Rava (Uppidi Pindi) and combine. Place lid, reduce heat and cook till soft. Remove from heat, spread out the cooked rice rava on a wide plate to cool. Squeeze juice out of 2 big Lemons , add ½ tsp of Salt to the juice and mix well. Keep aside.    Popu - Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan, splutter ¾ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ¾ tsp of Cumin Seeds, a tbsp of Channa Dal, a tbsp of Urad Dal, 2-3 broken Red Chillies for few minutes. Add 4 slit Green Chillies, 1¼ tsp of finely minced Ginger, Peanuts as needed, few Curry Leaves and a pinch of asafoetida , saute for 30 seconds or till the peanuts are roasted. Add the popu and lemon juice to the cooked rice rava and combine well. Let it sit for at least 1-2 hrs for the flavors to set in. Serve hot with yogurt or papad.

Heat 3 cups of Water in a saucepan and add a large chopped Tomato, a tsp of minced Ginger, ½ cup of Tamarind extract, a tbsp. of Toor Dal, a tbsp. of Rasam Powder, ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder and bring to boil. Add 2 tbsp of Chopped Coriander Leaves, Salt to taste and bring to another boil. Heat a tbsp of Ghee in a tempering pan. Saute ½ tsp of Mustard and ½ tsp of Cumin seeds along with 2-3 pods of Garlic, few Curry Leaves and a pinch of Asafetida . Add this tempering to the charu and mix well. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Cream a cup of Butter with   ¾ cup of White Sugar and  ¾ cup of Brown Sugar , until combined. Add 2 Eggs and a tsp of Vanilla and mix well. Combine  2½ cup of All Purpose F lour, a tsp of Salt, and a tsp of Baking Soda in a separate bowl and gradually stir into butter/sugar mixture. Once combined, stir in 2 cups of Chocolate chips and a cup of coarsely chopped Pecans. Spoon dough onto ungreased cookie sheet in a tblsp amounts. Bake in a 375 F oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Wash 250 gms of Okra , dry and chop them into ½" pieces. Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan, splutter ½ tsp of Mustard seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, few Curry Leaves . Add a finely chopped Onion and saute till transparent. Add the okra pieces, a pinch of Turmeric Powder and combine. Saute on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Now reduce to low heat, add a tbsp of Yogurt or Lemon Juice and cook for 4-5 minutes. Saute in between so that they don’t burn. Add ½ tsp of Red Chilli Powder, ½ tsp of Cumin Powder, ¼ tsp of Coriander Powder and reduce heat to cook till the okra turns soft. Add 1½ tbsp of Roasted Peanuts , combine well and cook for another minute on medium high heat, season with Salt and remove from heat. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Channa Dal - Soak 1½ cups of Channa Dal in water overnight. Batter - Drain the water from the dal and grind to a coarse paste without adding water. Add 6-7 finely Green Chillies, a large chopped Onion, 2 tbsp of chopped Corriander Leaves, 2 tbsp of chopped Mint Leaves, few chopped Curry Leaves, an inch of minced Ginger, Salt to taste and run the mixie once to mix. Vada - Take a lemon sixed ball of batter and pat into a round shape on a greased palm. Slide it into the hot oil to deep fry till golden in color. Repeat till all the batter is done. Serve hot with green chutney/coconut chutney or tomato sauce.

Wash ¼ kg of Purple Brinjals and make + quarters with stalk intact Masala Paste -  Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a pan; saute 4-5 Garlic cloves and a Cinnamon stick for a few seconds. Add a thinly sliced Onions till golden brown, for 4-5 minutes. Keep aside to cool. Once cool, make a coarse paste. Remove the paste into bowl; add Salt to taste, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, a tbsp of Jaggery, a tsp of Coriander Powder, combining well and stuff the brinjals. Curry - Add a tsp of Oil in a pan; splutter few Curry Leaves and a pinch of Fenugreek Seeds . Place the stuffed brinjals in the oil and cook on medium high flame for 2 minutes. Cover cook on low heat for 12-14 minutes, stirring in between. Add  lemon sized Tamarind  to a cup of hot water . Bring to a boil and reduce flame and place lid and cook over low heat for 13-15 minutes. Remove lid and cook till the brinjals roast well and it comes together like a dry saute (mudda kura), for about 8-10 minutes. Turn ...

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Combine 8 oz of Cream Cheese with ¼ cup of Sugar and 1 egg in a mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Stir 1 cup Chocolate chips into the cream cheese mixture. Set aside. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off, and set a heatproof mixing bowl over the water. In the mixing bowl, combine  ¼ cup of Butte r with a cup of chocolate chips ; stir until just melted and blended together. Stir in the remaining ½ cup of Sugar and 2 eggs , then sift together   2/3 cup all-purpose flour,  ½ tsp of Baking Powder, and ¼ tsp of S alt ; stir into chocolate until evenly blended. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate layer. Top with remaining chocolate mixture (this doesn't need to completely cover the cream cheese layer). Using a knife, swirl the top chocolate layer into the cream cheese to make a marble...

Eggs - Hard boil 6 Eggs and make slits in them. Drizzle a tsp of Oil in a pan and roast them for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle a pinch of Turmeric Powder , toss and remove them from heat to keep aside.  Prep - In the same pan, add chopped pieces of  3 Drumsticks and toss them for a minute. Remove and keep aside. Curry - Add  a tsp of Oil and splutter ½  tsp of Mustard Seeds, a torn Red Chilli, 3-4 crushed Garlic Cloves and few Curry Leaves . Add 2 finely chopped Onions and sauté till they turn transparent. Add a tsp of Red Chili Powder, ½ tsp of Coriander Powder, Salt to taste ; combine. Now add  a large chopped Tomato , drumstick pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes, combining them often on medium heat. Add the eggs and combine. Cover cook on low heat for two minutes. Add  2 cups of Water , increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered till it forms thick gravy, approx 10-...

Soak ¼ cup of Yellow Moong Dal in a cup of Water and keep aside for 30 minutes. Heat a tsp of Oil and splutter ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds . Add and saute thinly sliced ½ Onion, 2 cloves of Garlic and 3 slit Green Chillies for 1 minute. Add  a pinch of Turmeric Powder, 2 cups of chopped Fenugreek Leaves, Salt to taste and cook for few minutes.   Add the drained and soaked moong dal along with  ½ cup of Hot Water . Sprinkle a tsp of Besan and mix well bringing to a boil. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, till the moong dal is cooked. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Marinade - Mix the washed, gashed and diced 650gms of Mutton along with 3 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste, 2 tsp of Salt, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, a cup of Yogurt, a cup of roughly chopped Mint Leaves, a cup of roughly chopped Coriander Leaves, 4-6 finely sliced Green Chillies, 2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 2 tbsp of Lemon Juice, a tbsp of Garam Masala, a tbsp of Coriander Powder in a bowl until well combined. Set aside covered for 3 hours to marinade. Fried Onions - Heat 4 tbsp of Oil in a pan, add and sauté 4 medium finely sliced Onions sprinkled with a pinch of Salt till they are golden in color. Once done, remove the pan from heat and separate half of the onions by removing them on to a plate and spread them out. Add the remaining oil and onions to the marinade and mix well. Milk & Saffron - In a small bowl, add ½ cup of warmed Milk and soak a pinch of Saffron Threads in it. Rice - Wash 3 cups of Basmati Rice well and soak in cool water for 30 minutes. Heat suff...

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it.  In a medium bowl, melt together 1/3 cup of bittersweet/semisweet  Chocolate chips and 2 tbsp of Butter. Add in ½ tsp of baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp low fat Sour Cream . Whisk in a egg, a egg white and 1½ tsp of Vanilla Extract . Gently mix in  ¾ cup of all purpose flour  and  1/3 cup of cocoa powder, mixing until no streaks of flour remain. Batter will be thick. Spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool brownies completely in the pan. Store in an airtight container. Makes 12 brownie wedges

Wash 2 cups of Idli Rice in a bowl, add ¼ cup of Poha to it and soak in water for 4-5 hours. Wash ½ cup of Urad Dal in a bowl, add a pinch of Fenugreek Seeds and soak in water separately for 4-5 hours. Drain and reserve the water. Grind the urad dal, methi seed with some of the reserved water for smooth and fluffy batter. Grind the rice to to a smooth batter. Mix both the batters together in a large bowl, add Salt as needed and mix well. Cover and let the batter ferment for 8-9 hours. Gently mix the batter. Grease the idli moulds. Pour the batter in the moulds steam the idlis in a pressure cooker for 10-12 mins or until the idlis are done. Peanut Dal Chutney -  Heat a tsp of Oil  in a pan, roast ¼ cup of Peanuts  on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add few Curry Leaves, ¼ cup of Roasted Chana Dal, ½ tbsp of Sesame Seeds and saute for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cook and grind to smooth paste along with 3-4 Green Chillies, half inch Ginger pieces, ...

Wash, peel and scoop out the seeds of a large Dosakaya (Lemon Cucumber). Cube it into bite-sized pieces. Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan and splutter a tsp of Channa Dal, a tsp of Urad Dal, a tsp of Mustard Seeds, a tsp of Cumin Seeds and few Curry Leaves . Add and saute a chopped medium Onion, 3-4 slit Green chillies till light brown in color. Add and cook a large chopped Tomoto, dosakaya pieces, Salt to taste and a tsp of Red Chilli Powder . Mix well, cover and cook, until done, stirring now and then. Add a cup of Yogurt , mix gently and cook without lid until you see the curry starts bubling on top. Simmer on low heat for 2 minutes, remove from heat.