Mint Chutney

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Mint (pudina) leaves
1 small bunch Coriander (Cilantro) leaves
2 tbsp Yogurt
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chilies
1 inch ginger
Juice of half lemon
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the cilantro and mint leaves. Drain well.
Blend everything together to a smooth paste in a food processor or a grinder.
Adjust the salt and lemon juice. Serve with tandoori chicken or chicken tikka.

Tandoori Chicken Tikka

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
8-10 bamboo skewers
Oil for basting

Marinade:

1 cup Plain yogurt
1 tbsp Tandoori Paste ( I used Pathak’s or you may also use Tandoori masala powder)
1/2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 lemon Juice
2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi (optional)
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

Method:

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for about an hour.
Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients listed under “Marinade”
Marinate the chicken cubes in the marinade and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Thread the chicken cubes onto the skewers.
Place the skewers on a baking sheet, baste with oil and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
Turn the skewers, baste with some leftover marinade and bake for another 8 minutes.
Broil the chicken skewers on high for another 2-3 minutes till the chicken chars a little on the edges. Baste with oil, if needed.
Serve the chicken tikka as is on the skewers or remove from the skewers. Serve with onion rings, lemon wedges and mint chutney.

Spaghetti with Pesto Sauce

Ingredients :

1 pound spaghetti
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
2-3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Method :

Toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium heat, stir frequently until golden.
Boil some water, add salt and cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.
Grind pine nuts, cheese, garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp salt in a food processor or blender.
Add basil leaves to processor. While processor is running, pour olive oil into mixture in a thin stream. The pesto is ready.
Place a pan on medium heat, add drained spaghetti and pesto sauce. Add some of the pasta cooking water, if needed.
Stir the pesto into the pasta and mix thoroughly. Spaghetti with Pesto is ready to serve.

White Peas Subzi

Ingredients:

2 cups dried white peas
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 bay leaf
a small piece of cinnamon
1 tbsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste
Finely chopped cilantro(coriander) leaves
Oil as required

Method:

Soak the peas in water overnight or in hot water for 5-6 hours. Remove and pressure cook with a cup water for one whistle and turn off the heat.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, chopped onions and saute till the onions are transparent.
Add ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, and saute till the raw smell disappears.
Add chopped tomato, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and mix and saute till the tomato is soft.
Add the cooked peas, salt and some water used to boil peas, depending on how thick or watery you want the subzi to be.
Let it simmer on medium heat for 15-20minutes. Add tamarind paste, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with chapatis or parathas.

Mushroom Pepper Fry

Ingredients:

1 lb.(500 gms) button mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Onion, finely chopped
10-15 Curry leaves
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
4-5 green chilies, finely chopped
10-14 black pepper corns ( adjust as per your spice level)
Salt to taste
Oil as required

Method:

Dry roast the black pepper corns and grind coarsely.
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and saute until it turns transparent.
Add ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, curry leaves and mix well.
Add coriander powder, red chili powder, pepper powder and cook for a minute.
Add sliced mushrooms, salt and cook covered on a medium flame for around 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, uncover and cook on a high flame with constant stirring, till all the water has evaporated.
Sprinkle garam masala and mix well.
Mushroom pepper fry is ready. Serve hot with chapatis, naan or parathas.

Cauliflower (Gobi) Paratha

Ingredients:

For dough

3 cups Wheat flour
3 tsp oil
2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
Salt as needed
Warm water as needed

For stuffing:

3 cups grated cauliflower (gobi)
1 tsp ginger paste
3-4 green chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp dry mango(amchoor) powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Finely chopped cilantro(coriander) leaves
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil

Method:

For Dough:

In a mixing bowl or a big plate, add wheat flour, salt, carom seeds and oil. Mix until oil is well incorporated into the dry flour.
Add a little warm water at a time to knead flour into a smooth dough. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.

For Stuffing:

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, ginger paste, chopped green chilies and fry for about 10 seconds.
Add grated cauliflower and mix. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, amchoor powder,garam masala powder, salt and mix well.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes on a low flame. Uncover and cook on a high flame with constant stirring, till all the moisture has evaporated and the mixture becomes dry.
Add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

Making Parathas:

Divide dough into equal size balls (approximately 9). Divide filling into equal portions (approximately 9).
Roll out one dough ball into a 3-4 ” circle. Use dry wheat flour for dusting.
Place one portion of filling on the center of the dough disk and pull the edges of the dough around the filling, completely sealing it.
Flatten the stuffed ball and dip it in the dry wheat flour on both sides.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the stuffed ball into a tortilla shaped disk. The paratha should not be too thin. Use wheat flour for dusting, whenever needed.
Place the rolled paratha on the heated skillet ( tawa) and cook until bubbles start to appear or color changes.
Once bubbles appear, flip the paratha over and lightly smear with oil.
Allow underside to cook for approx 1 minute and flip it over once more. Again, lightly smear with oil.
Keep flipping and cooking the paratha until the look of raw dough is gone and it looks completely cooked. It should have light golden/brown spots.
Keep the paratha in a covered or insulated container and repeat process for remaining parathas.
Serve hot with pickle or yogurt.

Mushroom Pulao

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati Rice
1/2 lb.(250 gms) button mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
Small piece of ginger
3-4 green chilies
2 pieces of cinnamon
1/2  tsp cumin seeds
1/2  tsp fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
5 pepper corns
1 masala elaichi (black cardamom)
4 cloves
4 green cardamoms
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp garam masala/ biryani masala powder
1 tbsp yogurt (curd)
Finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
Oil as required
Salt to taste
4 cups hot water

Method :

Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 1/2 an hour. Drain and keep aside.
Grind garlic, ginger and green chilies to a fine paste. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds ,cinnamon pieces, black cardamom, cloves, green cardamom, bay leaves and pepper corns. Saute for a minute.
Add chopped onion and fry till the onion turns soft. Add ginger garlic green chili paste and saute till the raw smell disappears.
Add chopped tomato, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and mix well.
Saute till the tomato is soft. If adding other vegetables, add them now and cook with very little water, till they are half done.
Add sliced mushrooms and mix thoroughly. Saute for about 2 minutes.
Add drained rice, yogurt, chopped cilantro, salt and mix well. Fry for about 2 -3 minutes. Add the hot water and incorporate everything slowly so that the rice does not break.
Cover and cook on medium flame, for 8-10 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed.(Add more water if needed).
Remove from the heat and let the pulao rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve hot with cucumber raita.

* You can add other vegetables like green peas, french beans, eggplant, potatoes etc.
* To add more flavor, add 2 tsp ghee to the rice when its half done and mix well.

Bhindi Fry

Ingredients:

1/2 lb.(250 grams) okra (bhindi)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp dry mango powder (amchoor)
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
a pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)
3-4 green chilies, chopped
Oil as required
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash okra in water and pat it dry with a kitchen towel / cloth.
Make sure to completely dry the okra as wet okra will be sticky while cutting.
Cut off the both ends of the okra, and cut into  thin slices (like discs)
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add cumin seeds, garlic, onions and saute till onion becomes transperant.
Add hing, turmeric powder, green chilies, red chili powder, amchoor, coriander powder and mix well.
Add okra, salt and mix well, cover and cook on a low flame for 5-10 minutes. Keep stirring in between, so that the okra doesn’t burn.
When the okra is cooked ,sprinkle garam masala and mix gently, Bhindi fry is ready to serve !!!

Tip: Garnish the bhindi with freshly scraped coconut.

Lauki (Bottle Gourd) Kofta Curry

Ingredients:

For Koftas:

1 medium Bottlegourd (lauki/doodhi)
1 small onion
3-4 green chilies, finely chopped
3 tbsp chickpea flour (besan/gram flour))
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander(cilantro) leaves
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

For Gravy:

1 big onion, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 medium sized tomatoes, blanched and pureed
1-2 green chilies, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Finely chopped coriander(cilantro) leaves
Oil as required
Salt to taste

Method:

For Koftas:

Dry roast the chick pea flour in pan. Keep aside.
Peel and grate lauki(bottle gourd). Grate the onion in the same mixture.
Squeeze out water completely from the grated lauki and onion by pressing between the palms.
Keep the water aside, to be used as stock later.
Add all the other ingredients and roasted chick pea flour to the grated lauki,except oil and mix nicely.
If the mixture looks too runny, add a little more chickpea flour.
Shape the lauki (bottle gourd) mix into round balls (koftas).
Deep-fry the koftas to golden brown over medium flame.

For Gravy:

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf and saute for 10 seconds.
Add chopped onion, green chilies and saute till the onions turn transparent.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell disappears.
Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder,tomato puree and salt.
Fry, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, or till the oil begins to separate from the masala.
Add the lauki stock and 2 cups of water to the masala and let the gravy boil for 5-10 minutes.
Lower the heat and add the koftas. Simmer the gravy uncovered for about 2-3 minutes.
Turn off the flame and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Koftas absorb the gravy and swell.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with chapatis, rotis or Naan.

Curd Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked (steamed) white rice
2 cups plain yogurt (Curd)
2-3 green chilies, slit lenghtwise
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
7-8 curry leaves
2 tbsp Oil
Finely chopped coriander(cilantro) leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

Add yogurt, salt and coriander leaves to the cooked rice and mix. Add little water, if the mixture is too thick.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, when they start crackling, add curry leaves, green chilies, hing and stir for 10 seconds.
Pour this mixture over the rice and mix well.
Curd rice is ready. Serve with pickle and papad.