Palak Puri

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped spinach

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

3 green chilies (finely chopped)

1 cup wheat flour

Salt

Water to make dough

Oil for deep frying

Instructions:

1. In a bowl add flour, onions , spinach , green chillis , salt Mix everything then sprinkle with water and make a stiff dough ( like regular puri dough) don’t let the dough sit more than 5 min ,it will become watery

2. Make balls with dough and roll to create circle shapes.

3. Heat oil and deep fry puries in a medium heat until golden brown. Serve hot with any kind curry

Paneer Biryani

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice

500 grams of Paneer (cottage cheese), cut into 1 inch cubes and fried till lightly brown on all sides.

2 cups finely chopped onions

2 cups diced ripe tomatoes

1 tsp chopped green chilies

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

A pinch of saffron, mixed in 2 tbsp warm water

8 black peppercorns

8 cloves

3 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp cumin seeds

Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Sliced hard boiled eggs for garnish

Instructions:

1. Par-boil rice and set aside. (You can use about 2-3 cups of water to cook 2 cups of rice. Just make sure the rice is not fully cooked through, or else the Biryani will turn out mushy.)

2. Heat oil and add cumin seeds. Add onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies, and fry on medium-low heat till they start to brown a bit. Add cinnamon, bay leaves, pepper corns and cloves, and cook for about 2 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, salt, chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and cumin powder. Continue to cook on medium heat till it begins to dry up and starts to give out oil. Add paneer pieces and cook for 5-6 minutes till it forms a thick, rich and dry gravy base.

4. In a non-stick deep pan, put a layer of the paneer gravy, without the paneer. Now add a layer of rice, topped with a layer of paneer. Alternate layers of gravy, rice and paneer till everything is used up. Make sure that the top most layers are rice.

5. Crush a pinch of saffron into 2 tablespoons of water and mix with your finger till the water catches color. Pour the saffron water over the top layer of rice.

6. Cover cook for 15 minutes on a low flame, without stirring. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and hard-boiled eggs (optional).

Boneless Chicken Fried

Ingredients:

250gms Boneless chicken
10g Ginger and garlic paste
1 Egg
25g Cornflour
25g flour
50g Curd
1 ½ tbsp Red chili powder
3 drops Red color
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Bay leaves
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
7 Green chillies (split)

Instructions:

1. Cut chicken into small pieces. Marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste, egg, cornflour, flour and a few drops of color.

2. Fry chicken in hot oil and keep aside.

3. Mix curd, red chili powder, salt and red color.

4. Put little oil in pan and Sauté split green chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and bay leaves.

5. Add curd mixture and continue cooking for two minutes.

6. Add fried chicken and toss till dry.

7. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves and lemon.

Fried Meat Balls

Ingredients:

½ kg mince meat
1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup fried chickpeas
2 bunches coriander leaves
¼ coconut
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Grind the red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander leaves, coriander powder, garam masala, coconut and the fried chickpeas in a mixer to make a fine paste.
2. Add the meat to this mixture and mix it well.
3. On medium heat, add the meatballs in a non stick pan with some water.
Cook till all the water dries up.
4. Fry the meat balls in oil on medium heat till it turns golden brown.
5. Ready to serve hot.

Lemon/Lime Pickle

Ingredients:

6 lemon or lime
½ cup red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp methi seeds
¼ tsp mustard
¼ tsp dried resin (Hing)
¼ cup salt
¼ cup cooking oil

Instructions:

1. Slice lemon into pieces, put salt, turmeric powder, and keep it aside for 4 to 5 days.
2. Put red chili powder to this lemon and stir properly.
3. Roast methi seeds and dry grind it and keep it aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan, and put mustard, and dried resin and allow it to cool.
5. When the above oil becomes room temperature, mix it with the lemon, and put the roasted methi powder.

Mango Pickle

Ingredients:

1 large mango
½ cup red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp methi seeds
¼ tsp mustard
¼ tsp dried resin
¼ cup salt
¼ cup cooking oil

Instructions:

1. Slice mango into pieces, removing the pit, put salt and turmeric.
Keep it aside for 4 to 5 days.

2. Put red chili powder to this mango and mix it properly.
3. Roast methi seeds and dry grind it and keep it aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan, and put mustard, and dried resin and let it cool.
5. When the above oil becomes room temperature, mix it with the mango, and put the roasted methi powder.

Gooseberry Pickle

Ingredients:

15 clean, fresh looking, blemish free Gooseberry
½ cup peanut oil
¼ cup of salt and red chili powder
¼ cup of mustard seeds - roasted & finely powdered
½ tsp of asafoetida

Instructions:

1. First wash the gooseberries and dry them using clean cloth, without any sign of moisture.

2. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add the gooseberries and sauté them till they turn light brown. Remove and let them cool down to room temperature.

3. Heat the remaining oil in another pan to a smoking point. Remove it from heat; let it cool down to room temperature.

4. Add salt, red chili powder, mustard powder and asafoetida to the roasted gooseberries.

5. Mix them all with a clean, dry spoon. Pour and stir in the heated (now at room temperature) oil.

6. Mix them all together, again with a clean dry spoon.

7. Cover tightly and let it stew at least for two weeks.

8. The more you wait, the tasty the pickle becomes and the normal waiting period is one month.

Note: Just before serving heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan, fry red chilies, and cumin and mustard seeds until they splutter, then add garlic flakes and remove from the heat. Add it to the pickle, mix thoroughly and serve with rice and dal (lentil)

Fish Curry

Ingredients:

4 pieces of fresh (Salmon, catfish or silverfish)
2 tbsp mustard seeds
½ tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric
4 tbsp oil
1 Onion
Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Apply salt and ¼ tsp of the turmeric to the fish.
2. Now heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the fish till it turns golden brown on both sides. 3. Remove the fish and keep aside.
4. In a blender, make a paste of the mustard seeds and ½ cup water.
5. In the remaining oil add the mustard paste, chili powder, turmeric powder, Coriander powder, salt, and onion.
6. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes and then add the fish.
7. Cook for 10 minutes till it is cooked.
8. Garnish with cilantro. (Optional)

Fried Shrimps

Ingredients:

¼ kg shrimps
¼ tsp chili paste
1 tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp pepper powder
1 ½ tbsp chopped celery
1 ½ tbsp chopped parsley
½ tsp turmeric powder
vegetable oil as needed
Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients and the shrimps in a small dish.
2. Pure the vegetable oil as need on a frying pan and let it become hot.
3. Put the shrimps in to the frying pan and fry till the shrimps become crispy and golden brown.
4. Ready to serve hot with rice.

Hilsa Rice Kichuri

Ingredients:

Hilsa Fish 500 gms

Basmati rice 2 cups

Water 6 cups

1.5 Tsp Turmeric powder

1.5 Tsp Cumin powder

Coriander seeds, powdered 1 tbsp.

Garam masala powder 1 tbsp.

1-3 Table spoon Red Chili Powder or paprika powder

250 gm onions

Fresh Coriander

400 gm Oninons

Bay leaf 1 no.

Fresg ginger - 50 gm -crush

Garam masala powder 1 tbsp.

Green Chilies

Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut the hilsa fish into half inch thick steaks (10-12 pieces).

2. Wash and semi dry the basmati rice. Grind to a paste the ginger, onions and garlic.

3. Mix the onion-ginger-garlic paste and a little salt and marinate the fish for 1 hour.

4. Heat the oil in a pan until very hot, fry chopped onions.

5. Reduce heat and fry the green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves till they are fragrant.

6. Add the fish and marinade and fry for another 3 minutes.

7. Lower heat, add half a cup of hot water and cook for another few minutes on moderately high heat.

8. The water should have evaporated and the fish cooked. Remove the fish and set aside.

9. Leave the gravy in the pan.

10. Add rice to the pan and cook on high heat until it changes color.

11. Add 3 cups of hot water , salt and stir well. Let it come to the boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes.

12. Add green chilies, if you want hot.

13. The rice should be almost done but still moist. remove the rice and butter the pan well.

14. Layer it with rice and fish alternately beginning and ending with rice.

15. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Bake the pulao in a preheated oven (300 F, 150 C) oven for 15 minutes .

16. Serve hot with salad with tomato, onion, green chilies and fresh coriander and mix with mustard oil.