Masoori Dal With Eggs

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Masoori dal (red lentils)
1 green chili, slit and deseeded
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp. pureed garlic
1/2 tsp. pureed ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp. mustard oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Put lentils, chili, tomato, 1/2 chopped onion, turmeric, garlic, ginger and water in a pot.

2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.

3. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the remaining chopped onions and cumin, stir and fry until golden brown. Add the eggs and stir fry until the eggs are cooked.
4. Add the lentil mixture, mix well, and cook for a few minutes.
5. Serve.

Aloo Bhaja

Ingredients:

4 potatoes
1 tsp. ground turmeric
salt to taste
mustard oil
salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel and cut potatoes into thin sticks.
2. Coat with turmeric and salt.
3. Heat enough mustard oil to cover potatoes in a deep frying pan, add potatoes and fry until crispy.
4. Remove and serve.

Bhaji

Ingredients:

Potato - 500 gms

Tomato - 150 gms

Green Peas - 60 gms

Cabbage - 100 gms

Green Chilli - 6 nos

Ginger Garlic Paste - 25 gms

Salt - to taste

Oil - 70 gms

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Pao Bhaji Masala - 2 tsp

Fresh Coriander - 20 gms

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Onion Sliced - 60 gms

Instructions:

1. Boil the potatoes, peas and cabbage.

2. Take oil in a flat pan and add chopped ginger, green chillies and tomatoes. Stir for 3 minutes.

3. Add potatoes, peas and cabbage and toss. Add red chili powder and pao bhaji masala. Toss well.

4. Take a potato masher and mash the vegetables. Add some water and salt. Cook for 2 minutes, add garam masala, lemon juice and fresh coriander leaves.

5. Serve hot with sliced onions and buttered pao buns.

King Prawn Biryani

Ingredients:

600 g / 1lb 5 oz basmati rice + 3 tsp salt
30 ml / 2tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp cumin seeds, 3 cardamoms pods
4 bay leaves, few cloves, 2 sticks cinnamon
1 small finely chopped onion
2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
10 ml / 2 tsp red chili powder
4 green chillies-slit
½ tsp turmeric
10 ml / 1 tsp salt or to taste
450 g / 1 lb king prawns-deveined and washed
10 ml / 2 tbsp lemon juice
55 g / 2 oz green peas
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp freshly chopped green coriander

Instructions:

1. Wash and soak rice in hot water. Heat oil in a medium sized, heavy pan.
2. Add cumin seeds, cardammon pods, bay leaves, few cloves, sticks cinnamon, and small finely chopped onion then let onions sizzle for a while. When golden add
3. Ginger/garlic, red/green chillie, turmeric and salt. Stir for a few minutes then add prawns, and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat.
4. Boil some water, then add rice, peas and salt. Boil till just slightly undercooked.
5. Wash and refresh rice under cold water.
6. Make layers with rice, prawns, chopped onions and coriander.
7. Finish with layer of white rice.
8. Sprinkle few spoons of hot water and cover and put on stove on lowest setting until steam escapes and rice is thoroughly cooked.
9. Garnish with more chopped greens before serving.

Cauliflower And Potato Curry

Ingredients:

Vegetables
1 fresh small sized cauliflower, trimmed and florets cut/separated
1 potato and one carrot - cut into bite sized cubes
1 onion - finely chopped lengthwise
6 ripe, juicy tomatoes - chopped
2 fistfuls of soaked red beans
(Peas, chickpeas or other types of beans also work)
For Masala:
4 tablespoons of coconut powder (dry or fresh)
1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
Small pieces of cinnamon and two cloves
Few sprigs of cilantro, small piece of ginger and two garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of red chili powder
½ teaspoon of salt and turmeric
Take all the above in a blender, add half cup of water and puree them into smooth paste.

Instructions:

1. Heat one tablespoon of peanut oil in a large, pot over medium heat.
2. Put the (toasted mustard seeds, cumin and minced garlic). Add the onion, fry it till golden. Add the cut tomatoes, increase the heat, cover and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes soften when pressed with the back of a spoon.Because cauliflower can cook easily and when overcooked gives out unpleasant sulfur smell , first add the cut potatoes, carrots and red beans to the tomato gravy.
3. Cook them until they are almost tender fork, and then add the cauliflower florets to this mix. Add the masala paste and half cup of water.
4. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Finally stir in the finely chopped cilantro and serve, either warm or at room temperature.

Chickpeas Curry And Ruti

Ingredients:
1 cup black chickpeas overnight soaked in water
Sauce:
½ cup coconut milk (homemade watery kind)
4 medium sized ripe tomatoes,
1 medium sized red onion or 4 to 6 shallots
Seasoning:
1 tsp of g-g-c paste (Ginger-Garlic-Cilantro)
1 tsp of c-c-c-c powder(Cumin-Coriander seed-Cloves-Cinnamon)
½ tsp of red chili powder and turmeric
Salt to taste
1 tsp of each, mustard seeds, cumin, minced garlic and curry leaves

Instructions:

1. Take black chickpeas in a pressure cooker, add ¼ tsp of salt and 2 cups of water. Pressure-cook them till they are just tender. (Take caution not overcook them.) Drain and keep aside.
2. Meanwhile - roast tomatoes and onions in half teaspoon of oil. When they are little bit cool, grind them to smooth paste. Also prepare coconut milk and g-g-g paste and c-c-c-c powder.
3. Cook 1 and 2 together. In a big sauce pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil, toast 1 tsp of each, mustard seeds, cumin, minced garlic and curry leaves, add the sauce and seasonings and half cup of water. Cover and cook them for about 10 minutes. Stir in black chickpeas and coconut milk and simmer them, stirring in between until the curry reaches the thickness you desire or for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat.
Serve hot with ruti or with rice.

Basmati Pulao With Raita

Ingredients:

Tomatoes and Veggies:
15 to 20 cherry tomatoes or 1 pound ripe tomatoes of any variety - chopped
1 onion and 6 green chillies - finely chopped lengthwise
½ cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup of frozen fresh chickpeas

Basmati Rice:
1 cup of basmati rice and 2½ cups of water

For Masala:
2 each - cardamom pods and cloves
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon of black peppercorn
Coarsely grind these together.
Salt, bay leaf and ghee or oil to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat ghee/oil. Add and sauté the onions until soft and red.

2. Add the green chillies, masala powder, bay leaf and chickpeas, sauté for few minutes.

3. Stir in the cut tomatoes, juice, seeds everything. Increase the heat to high, cook them covered until the tomatoes when pressed with a spatula turn to soft, concentrated mush.

4. Stir in the basmati rice and salt. Add water and mix. On high heat, bring the water to boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Mix only once and resist the temptation to stir frequently (frequent stirring breaks the rice and makes a soggy mess.) Turn off the heat and leave it to rest for about 5 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle fresh cilantro, gently mix taking care not to brake the basmati rice.

Serve with kurma and/or raita (yogurt is mixed with salt, finely chopped onions, green chillies and grated carrot, cucumber).