Achari Gravy

1 tsp oil 
1 tsp kalonji,
1 tsp jeera an little
1 tsp methi seeds
2 tbsp onion paste (boiled and ground)
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
In a heated pan, add oil and then add the whole spices.  Then add onion paste and then ginger garlic paste. When onion is browned, add turmeric and chilli pwder. Add water small tsp sugar and boil and simmer.
Can be bottled and used as required.

Paneer Do Pyaaza

4 tbsp oil 
2 medium onions chopped square
1 tbsp cumin
5 crushed green cardamon
2 sliced onions
500 gms paneer
1 tbsp garlic paste
1tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp water
2 medium chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato puree
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
cover and cook
1 tsp red chili powder
cream as required
then add chopped paneer pieces and cook with some if not using cream . add salt
1 tsp gamma masala powder

1 inch ginger juliennes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro


In a heated pan add oil and fry onion (chopped in 4 parts and pieces seperated). Keep aside.
Then in pan add oil and when heated add cumin seeds and crushed green cardamoms and sliced onions. Fry it and then add ginger paste and then garlic paste. Add 2 tbsp water to prevent burning and then chopped tomatoes and then tomato puree. When heated through add the dry masalas. Cook through till oil rises. Then add cream as required or water (of course cream tastes better) Add garam masala towards end of cooking process. After switching of gas, then add julienne ginger and chopped cilantro leaves. Serve

Moong Dal Chilla

2 tbsp water
1 cup soaked moong
2-3 green chilli
1 inch ginger chopped
1 tsp jeera
1 tbsp cilantro chopped
salt to taste

Grind the above ingredients to a paste in a mixer. They can be cooked on non stick like a dosa/ roti. Or they can be steamed like idlis (even steamed -on greased banana leaves)

Healthy Chivda

1 cup chivda
1/2 cup chana dal
1/2 cup corn flakes
1/2 cup peanuts

Tempering:
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard
8-10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
1/4 tsp asafoetida.
Green chillis chopped.

Dry roast in pan above ingredients. Heat oil in a pan and add tempering ingredients. Then add the roasted ingredients to the tadka. Serve. Can be stored for a week or so in an air tight container.

Tree of Life

cauliflower florets 12-15 nos blanched in haldi water
Stuffing:
1é2 cups pine nuts
250 gms paneer grated
2tsp fine chopped ginger 
8 sprig corriander-more as per taste
salt to taste
Cheese Sauce:
4 tbsp butter and maida each
3-4 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp gouda  grated
3 tbsp chedder grated


stuffing-1é2 cup pine nuts roasted and roughly chopped
250 gms paneer grated and  mix 2tsp fine chopped  ginger grated..salt to taste
 open the floret and press in the stuffing in the spaces.
cheese sauce:
4 tbsp abutter & maida cook in a pan.  boil creme with thyme 3-4 sprigs . Mixthe creme and maida then add 3 tbsp prossed chese an the 1 tbsp gouda chese grated.
Plate the floretsand por the chese saoce over the floretsand garnish with grated cheese
bake with 8-10 min for 110 degre
bake 1 red pperr over gas remove the seeds-chopped
in 2tbsp butter add 1tbsp  garlic and smll finely chopped onion swaet it,1 tbsp sugar 1 pinch salt 1 tbsp  vinegae and gring with red pepper to get coulie serve with baked cauliflower

Coconut Colocasia Curry

18-20 colocasia cleaned and pealed and cut half
2-3 cups of water
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp lemon juice added in  1.5 cups dahi - to make it sour

Grind to a smooth paste:
8-10 blk pepper
jeera
coconut
methi seeds 1/2 tsp

Tempering:
2 tbsp oil
mustard seeds
4-5 dried red chillis
6-8  curry leaves

Boil in 2-3 cups of water..add salt to taste and 1/2 tsp turmeric with cut pieces of colocasia.
Add the paste to boiled colocassia give it a boil and then even the dahi. Turn off the gas.
Add tempering and cover and let it sit for few minutes berfore mixing and serving.

Vegetable Makhanwala

2 cups water
1/4 cups corn
1 medium carrot chopped in pieces
8-10 french beans cut into pieces
5-6 mushrooms sliced
2 tsp red chilli pwdr
1/4 cauliflower cut into florets
1/4 cups green peas blanched
1 and 1/2 cups tomato puree
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey for sweetness
2 tsp kasuri methi
1 tsp garam masla pwdr
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup cream to finish off
garnish with 1 tsp butter
salt to taste

Grind to a paste:
7-8 garlic cloves
1/4 inch ginger
1 inch cinnamon
4-5 green elichi

In a pan of  boiling water and add carrot and corn; then add cauliflower and beans; then mushrooms and peas. Then add the tomato puree and salt to taste. Add the red chilli powder, garam masala, kasuri methi and honey.
Add cream to finish off and mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Add a tsp of butter while serving.

Garlic Tendli

2 tbsp oil
400 gms tendli -washed and crushed lightly
20-25 grlic 4-5 dried red chillis
1/4 jeera tsp

In heated pan add the jeera. Roast it.  Then garlic and then tendli almost immediately and salt to taste. Cook covered till garlic turns red and tendli. No need to add water. Perfect for cold weather.

Mirchi Mutton

Step 1: ingredients
750 gms cleaned mutton
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp chili paste
5-6 cloves
8 green cardamoms
3-4 onion finely sliced
3-4 tbsp oil for cooking
1 tsp turmeric pwdr
1 tsp amchur pwdr
1/4 tsp fenugreek pwdr

step 2:
20-25 green chilli
salt
 tbsp lemon juice1 tbsp ginger chopped fine
1 tsp rai dal

Fresh 1 tsp jeera roasted and powdered (can coarse grind using rotla belan)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a pan pour 3-4 tsp of oil then add cloves and green cardamoms and then add the sliced onions and saute it till onion is sweated out. Then add mutton, ginger garlic paste, chili paste and salt and cook covered. Meanwhile in another pan add oil and add the 20-25 green chillies (slit partially). Pour 1 tbsp lemon juice and chopped ginger and rai dal.
Add after 20 min of mutton put on heat and let it all cook together till mutton cooked through. Add the chopped coriander.  Mix well. Add the tsp of fresh jeera powder and serve.

Sweet and Sour Mango Kadhi

Ready made (or home made) Boondi
ripe mango pulp
raw mango pulp
butter milk
2 tbsp besan
ghee
and slit green chillis 2 nos
tadka items: mustard seeds 1 tsp, 1/4 tsp methi seeds, curry leaves 

In a bowl mix raw and ripe mango pulp, butter milk and besan. Mix till there are no lumps. In a heated pan Add tadka items, pinch of hing and green chillis. Thn add the buttermilk mixture and cook till kadhi thickens . Add salt to taste. In a serving bowl, add the required boondi and pour the hot kadhi over it. Serve hot. Goes well with Jodhpuri Pulao.
Optional: Can replace soya chunks instead of boondi for a variation
No measurements..will hav to estimate.

Jodhpuri Vegetable Pulao

1.5 cups soaked rice
1/2 tsp saunf
6-8 raisins halved
15 cashews halved
10 almonds halved
2-4 dried dates
1 tbsp ginger paste
salt to taste
1/4 cup peas
3/4 cup curd
black pepper to taste
garam masala powder to taste


Heat ghee in a pan then add jeera and 1/2 tsp saunf, 6-8 raisins, 15 cashews, 10 almonds halved, 1 cup water, 2-4 dates Cook for a min till water almost dries up. Then add 1 tbsp ginger paste then soaked rice, 12 florets of cali then curd. Then pepper powder and garam masala. Add 2 cups water and peas and salt and bring to a boil. Then cover and cook till water evaporates.  Open only when serving. Goes well with boondi and mango kadhi.

Mirch Masala Cold Rice

boiled mashed potatoes 2 nos
2 tbsp boiled cauliflower
2 tbsp peas boiled
tomatoes 1- chopped
1 chopped onion
ginger garlic green chilli paste  1 tsp
green chutneyto taste
imli chutney to taste
salt to taste

In a heated pan add butter then chopped onion, chopped green bell pepper, chopped tomatoes. Meanwhile mix boiled cauliflower with masehd potatoes in a bowl. Add chopped tomatoes with ginger garlic chilli paste. Then kasmiri mirch powder and pavbhaji masala, salt to taste to heated pan. Then add potato -cauliflower-peas. In another bowl add and whisk curd with green chillies and left over rice.
tadka: mustard seed, jeera, curry leaves
Take a greased mould, arrange tomatoes sliced at the bottom then add a layer of rice mixture then layer of imli chutney then the cooked mixture. Above it put layer of green chutney then add the rice again. Cool it and serve by turning the mould upside down on a serving dish.

Chicken Curry

800 gms small pieces of chicken with bones

4-5 big elaichi
1 inch of cinnamon
3 bay leaves
jeera 1 tsp
2 -3 onion chopped
2 tomato's puree
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp corriander powder


In a heated pan add oil then add the big elichi and cinnamon stick , jeera and bay leaves. Then chopped onion. Fry till translucent. After cooling, grind to a fine paste. Then add to a heated pan. Then add pureed tomatoes then ginger garlic paste. Cook well then add red chilli pwder, corriander powder 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Cook till all masalas cook well. Then add chicken pieces with 1 litre water and cook 10-15 min till chicken is cooked.

Traditional Poha

thick poha-1/2 cup
Onion chopped-3 nos
green chillies chopped-3 nos
1 boiled potato chopped to about 10-12 pieces
sugar and salt to taste
2 tbsp chopped corriander

Wash poha and keep aside. Chop onions finely. In a heated pan add oil then mustard and then hing and curry leaves and then chopped onion.  Add salt and a pinch sugar to poha kept aside. Add chopped green chillies and boiled potatoes then turmeric powder. Then add the poha kept aside. Mix well.  Add chopped corriander. Squeeze half a lemon last.
Optional: Add a garnish of grated coconut. Little jeera in tadka along with mustard seeds is also another option.

Lauki Soya Chana Dal

.5 cup soy chunks
.5 cup chana dal
1 sml lauki chopped
1 onion chopped medium
ginger sml piece chopped fine or grated
3-4 green chillis
jeera 1 tsp
hing a pinch
turmeric, salt to taste

Boil channa dal and chopped lauki and grated ginger and chopped green chillies as well as soya chunksand salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker.  In a pan heat oil the add hing, jeera the chopped onion and fry. Then mix chana dal mixture and cook fr few minutes to incorporate all flavours.

Besan Ladoo

2.5 cups Besan
1 cup Sugar
2/3 cup ghee
6 elaichis

Roast besan carefully till aromatic and golden/light brown. Take care to not let it burn. To prevent lumps , sieve the besan before and once amidst roasting to ensure even roasting. Add the ghee and roast some more. Powder the sugar with skinned elaichis. When adding to besan add it through a sieve to prevent lumps. Mix everything well and roll into balls
Optional: As decoration, A cashew / almond sliver can be added on top for decoration
Alternatively,
Heat ghee in thick bottom pan and roast the besan for 15 min. Transfer it out in a different pan (to stop the besan heating further). Add castor sugar. Add the roasted dry fruits (if adding) at this stage and mix well. Quickly make balls while the mixture is still hot.

Soya Mutter Pulao

Soaked rice  -1/2 cup
Soya Nuggets 1/2 cup
Peas 1 tbsp
Chopped onion 1no
Chopped tomato 1/2 no
Whole garam masala: cumin, tejpatta, cassia, cloves, cardamom, pepper
Garam masala pwdr
coriander powder
For grinding:
garlic cloves-3
dry red chills-3
salt to taste
oil or ghee

Boil the soy nuggets, wash & drain and squeeze the water out and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker, heat oil/ghee and add the whole garam masala. When cumin splutters, add the chopped onion and the ground paste . Heat through. Then add the chopped tomatoes, coriander powder, peas, cooked soya, salt and rice and fry for a bit. The add adequate hot water. Add a pinch of garam masala. Cover the cooker and give 1 whistle.
PS: Its my go to recipe for a quick and spicy dish. I love it! I also substitute the peas with corn kernels or both. The sweetness of the corn goes well with the heat of red chillies.

Kashmiri Khatte Baingan

Ingredients:

Mustard oil

I small piece of cassia

1 tsp of cumin

2- green cardamom

1 tsp red Kashmiri chilli pwdr

Pinch hing

½ tsp turmeric

1 heaped tsp of coriander pwdr

¼ tsp dry ginger pwdr or sont

4 medium brinjals/ aubergines

1 medium onion

1 chopped tomato

2 pinches saunf/ fennel pwdr

Salt to taste

Heat mustard oil in a kadai. Add cassia, cumin, green cardamom, Kashmiri red chilli pwdr, pinch hing, turmeric, coriander pwdr, salt, dry ginger pwdr, add water if necessary and cook till oil surfaces.

Then add large chopped onions cook till translucent, then add whole baingans abt 4-5 slits on each bainagn.

Cover and cook for some time. Once baingans have cooked, add chopped tomatoes, sauf powder, a little water at this stage t prevent sticking, cover and cook till tomatoes are cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander and few drops of lime.

Kashmiri Saag made with Palak

Ingredients:

2 & ½ tsps Mustard oil

10 nos whole kashmiri chlli

3 nos brown cardamom

20-25 garlic cloves

1 bunch washed palak no need to chop off the stalks

Salt to taste                                                                

Heat mustard oil in a pressure cooker then add whole kashmiri chlli, brown cardamom, then add 20-25 garlic cloves when garlic turns browns, turn up heat and add washed palak (no chopping needed), a little salt, little water. Give it 1 whistle and then simmer.

Open when pressure is relased from the cooker.

Chettinadu Meen Kolumbu

Ingredients:

Cleaned and cut fish pieces

Oil 

garlic 

tumeric pwdr

red chilli pwdr

green chilli

shallots chopped lenghwise

chopped tomato 100 gms

Juice of tamarind

coconut milk

1tsp mustard 

 

Oil-heat, add mustard after it crackles add lots of garlic, then shallots chopped and green chilli. Fry till tranclucent then add red chilli pwdr and chopped tomato. Then 2 tsp turmeric pwdr, coriander pwdr. Fry till masalas cooked. Then add tamarind juice and  coconut milk. Let it come to a boil then add fish pieces cook abt 10-15 min.