Sweet Potato Halva

Serving size: 3
Ingredients:

• Sweet Potato - 3
• Sago - 1/2 cups
• Brown Sugar - 5 tbsp
• Cardamon - 5
• Cashew nuts - 10
• Ghee - 3 tbsp
• Water

Procedure:

1. Cook sweet potato until tender. Save the excess water for later use.
2. In a pan, add sago and 1/2 cup of water and cook until its well cooked.
3. Let the sweet potato and sago cool down.
4. Grind sweet potato and sago in mixy to make a very silky smooth paste. Add little water(remaining water from the cooked potatoes) if it is too dry.
5. In a pan, add 2 tbsp of ghee. Saute cashews. Once it becomes light brown, take it from the pan and keep it aside.
6. In the same pan with remaining ghee, add coarsely powdered cardamon and add the sweet potato & sago paste
7. Add sugar and keep mixing it. Taste for sweetness. Add more sugar at any time, according to your taste.
8. Keep mixing, until the mix gets thicken. if it sticks to the pan, add more ghee to it.
9. Finally, add cashews. Pour it into the serving bowl and let it cool. 
10. Keep it in refrigerator for 1 hour, once it cool down. 

NOTE: Milk can also be added in the process. It make the halva more rich.

Roomali Roti

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Maida flour
• 1 cup wheat flour
• Rice flour - in small quantity
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Warm water 
• Salt

Procedure:

1. Mix maida and wheat flour together. Add salt
2. Add warm water and knead a soft dough.
3. Keep it aside for 30 mins.
4. Take rice flour and spread it in a place.
5. Make small balls from the dough.
6. Take 2 small balls of dough, press it with fingers and make it flat
7. Apply ghee to 1 side of each hand pressed dough.
8. Place the dough on rice flour, so that rice flour sticks to the ghee coated side.
9. Place one dough on top of the other dough (ghee & rice flour coated side facing each other) 
10. Roll it together very thin. (as thin as possible). use maida flour to avoid dough sticking to the roller.
11. Heat dosa pan. make sure its really hot and place the rolled dough over it. Turn sides after few seconds.
12. The roti puff up and will be able to separate the 2 layers.

Hot & Sour Soup (Veg & Chicken)

Ingredients:

• Stock (Vegetable or Chicken Stock) - 4 cups
• Soy sauce - less than 1/4 cups
• Rice Vinegar - 2 tbsp
• Chilli sauce - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Vegetables
• Mushroom - 2 big sized (chopped)
• Green onions(Spring onions) - 3 stems (chopped)
• Onions - 1/2 thin sliced
• Shredded carrots - 1/2 carrot
• Egg whites (from 1 egg)
• Corn flour - 2 tbsp (dissolved in little water)
• Chicken pieces - few (for chicken soup)

Procedure:

1. In a pan, add stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar
2. Add all chopped vegetables and chicken pieces. DO NOT add egg whites and green onions now.
3. Add chilli sauce and bring it to boil.
4. Check taste. Add little salt if the stock doesn't have salt in it. 
5. If you want it more spicy, add pepper powder.
6. When the mushrooms and chicken are well cooked, add egg whites to a strainer and drop it little by little.
7. Add corn flour (dissolved in water) liquid. This is to give some thickness to the soup.
8. Finally add chopped green onions and let it cook for 3 mins.
9. Enjoy the soup.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour - 4 cups
• Eggs - 7
• Vegetable oil - 2 cups
• Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
• Cocoa powder - 3 tsp (heap)
• Dates - 15 (chopped)
• Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts,...) - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp (heap)
• Sugar - 2 cups

Procedure:

1. Mix oil and sugar well
2. Beat eggs well separately, add vanilla essence and mix with oil and sugar.
3. Add baking powder, cocoa powder, nuts and dates to the flour and mix well.
4. Mix the flour mixture with egg+sugar_oil mix and stir all the above in same direction.
5.  Keep it for an hour
6. Bake in 250 degrees for 30 mins.
7. To make sure it is well bakes, insert a toothpick at the center part of the cake.
8. If the cake mix doesnt stick to the toothpick, it is well cooked.
9. Let the cake cool for 15 mins. 

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
• Eggs - 3
• Dates - 15 (cut into pieces)
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Carrot - 1 cup (shredded)
• Coconut - 1 cup (shredded)
• Vegetable oil - 1 cup
• Vanilla essence - few drops
• Baking powder - 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. Beat the eggs nicely for 5 mins in maximum speed
2. Add few drops of vanilla essence
3. Add Sugar and oil and again beat well for 3 mins
4. Mix grated coconut, shredded carrots and chopped dates with a spoon in same direction until it is well mixed.
5. Keep it aside for 30 mins
6. Apply butter to the cake mould
7. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees
8. Pour cake mix into the mould and bake it for 30 mins
9. To make sure it is well baked, insert a toothpick at the center part of the cake.
10. If the cake mix doesn't stick to the tooth pick, then it is well cooked.
11. Let the cake cool for 15 mins.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

• Chicken pieces
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Ginger - small piece
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Cinnamon
• Cloves - 3
• Cardamom - 1
• Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
• Shredded Coconut - 3 tbsp
• Cashew nuts - 10
• Coriander powder -  1 tbsp
• Garam masala 1 tsp
• Salt as needed
• Chilli powder

Procedure:

1. In a pan, saute shredded coconut until brown and keep aside
2. In the same pan, add some oil/ghee and saute cashew nuts until golden brown and keep aside
3. Grind cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, garlic into a paste
4. Grind onions into paste. Similarly, make paste out of tomato.
5. Grind the cashews and coconut and make smooth paste. Add very little water if needed, to make a smooth paste.
6. In a pan, add oil
7. When the oil is hot, add mustard seed, curry leaves, add all the pastes 1 by 1, in the order in which they were ground.
8. Saute well after adding each paste.
9. Add salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and mix well for 5 mins. 
10. Add Chicken pieces and add water, as needed. Let the it cook, till chicken pieces are fully cooked.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients:

• Rice - 2 cups
• Water - 4 cups
• Onion - 1/2 thin sliced
• Cinnamon
• Cloves - 3
• Cardamom - 1
• Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
• ginger - small piece
• garlic - 6 cloves
• Mint leaves
• Coriander leaves
• Vegetables ( Carrot - 1, Beans - 15, green peas 1 cup is what I used)
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Garam masala - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Grind Cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, cardamom, ginger and garlic and make a paste.
2. In Pressure cooker, add oil/ghee
3. saute thin sliced onions, add the paste and mix till the rawness of onion goes off.
4. Chop mint and coriander leaves and add it.
5. Add the vegetables. Add salt, chilli powder
6. Add Coriander powder, garam masala and mix well for 5 mins
7. Add rice and water. Mix well once and put the lid of cooker, without weight.
8. Once steady steam appears, put weight on and reduce heat to minimum.
9. Let it cook for 20 mins.
10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Egg Dosa

Ingredients:

• Dosa batter
• Egg - 1 (for 2 dosa)
• pepper powder
• Onion - few chopped pieces
• salt
• coriander leaves -  chopped

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, beat the egg
2. Add salt, chopped onions, pepper powder, chopped coriander leaves
3. Make dosa and spread the mixed egg along with the content over the dosa batter using a spoon. Add more pepper powder, if you want it spicy.
4. Once it is cooked, turn side.

Lime Rasam

Ingredients:

• Lime - 1
• Black Pepper  - 2 tbsp
• Cumin - 2 tbsp
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Coriander leaves
• Onion - 1/2 chopped
• Tomato - 1 small sized
• Turmeric powder - pinch
• Perungaya powder

Procedure:

1. Grind garlic, pepper, cumin in mixy
2. In a bowl, take juice from the lime, add the ground mix
3. Add enough water, as needed
4. Add salt, turmeric powder, perungaya powder, chopped coriander leaves and mix well and keep this rasam water aside.
5. In a pan, add oil. when oil is hot, add mustard seed, curry leaves, chopped onions
6. Saute well, then add chopped tomatos
7. Add the earlier prepared rasam water.
8. Once it starts to boil, pour it back to a bowl.

Paruppu vadai

Ingredients:

• Channa dhal - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 3
• Salt to taste
• Onion - 1/2 (chopped)
• Curry leaves - few (chopped)
• Ginger - 1/2 1 inch piece

Procedure:

1. Soak Channa dhal in water for 1 hour
2. Drain soaked channa dhal and grind it in mixy coarsly
3. In a bowl, add the ground channa dhal
4. add chopped green chillies, salt, chopped onions, chopped curry leaves and chopped ginger and mix well together.
5. Take small portions of the mixture and make it flat
6. In a pan, add oil and fry till it turns golden. Don't add too much oil. Shallow fry is good too..

Pole

Ingredients:

• Rice Flour - 2 cups (1 cup rice flour & 1 cup wheat flour can also be used)
• Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
• grated coconut - 2 tbsp
• water - 1 cup
• salt as needed
• oil

Procedure:

1. Make a very soft dough with all the ingredients. Use oil to avoid dough sticking to hands. Taste the dough for sweetness and salt.
2. divide the dough into 2 balls
3. In dosa pan, spray little oil and place 1 ball of dough and press it gently with hand. use oil to hands, if it is sticky.
4. Let it cook in medium heat. Once its cooked, turn side.
5. It takes a while to cook, because of its thickness. cook in medium heat.
6. Cut into pieces and enjoy.

Chicken Manchurian

Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken
• egg -1
• corn flour
• All purpose flour
• Soy sauce
• Chilli sauce
• Spring onions
• Bell pepper
• Ginger garlic paste
• Pepper powder
• Chopped ginger and garlic
• chicken stock - 1 cup

Procedure:

1. Marinate Chicken with salt, ginger garlic paste, beaten egg, 2 tbsp All purpose flour, pepper powder, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp chilli sauce
2. Deep fry the marinated chicken and keep it aside
3. In a pan, add oil and saute chopped ginger, garlic, spring onions(75% of them), bell peppers
4. add chilli sauce - 1 tbsp
5. add chicken stock
6. add fried chicken pieces
7. mix corn flour in water in a separate bowl and add it.
8. Garnish with the remaining spring onions

Caramel Custard

Ingredients:

• Milk - 2 cups
• Eggs - 3
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

• Beat eggs, add milk, sugar and essence, mix well and keep it aside.

Caramel Prep:

1. In a pan, add equal amount of sugar and water (this depends on the amount of caramel needed and the size of the bowl in which the caramel will be poured into) approx. 5 tbsp of sugar and water
2. mix it continuously for a while till it becomes thick and dark brown color
3. Immediately pour it in the bowl in which the custard will be prepared. 
4. Spread it, so that the caramel is present all over the bottom area of the pan.

• Once the caramel is poured into the bowl, pour the custard mix, prepared earlier into the same bown
• Steam cook in pressure cooker, without weight for 10 mins. Let it sit for few mins
• Keep a plate on top of the bowl, which has custard 
• Turn the whole thing upside down, so that the plate is now at the bottom, with custard on top of it. The caramel is now the top part of custard
• Keep it in refrigerator and let it cool.

Diamond cut

Ingredients:

• Egg - 1
• All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1/3 cups
• Baking powder - pinch

Procedure

1. Beat Egg
2. Add sugar to the egg
3. Add All purpose flour and mix it together
4. Add little water, if required and make a dough, just like chappathi dough
5. keep it aside for sometime
6. Roll the dough, as thin as possible and cut it into small pieces, in any shape
7. Fry it in oil

Paniyaram

Ingredients:

• All Purpose (Maida) Flour - 1 1/2 cups (Wheat flour can also be used. The Paniyaram in the picture is made of Wheat flour)
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Banana - 1 (1/2 big sized banana)
• salt - pinch
• Egg - 1 (Optional)
• Baking powder - pinch

Procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients and keep it for 30 mins
2. Fry in oil

BAKED:

• I tried to bake Paniyaram mix, made of All purpose Flour with egg.. 
• Pour the mix in cupcake mould
• Bake it at 225 degree for 20 mins.

Baked Paniyaram

Chicken Kootu

Ingredients:

• Boneless Chicken 
• Ginger
• Garlic - 5 cloves
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cardamon
• Pepper powder
• 1 tbsp Coriander powder
• 1 tbsp Garam masala powder
• Onion (thin sliced) - 1/2

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in pan. Add cumin seeds, curry leaves
2. Saute sliced onions, ginger garlic paste
3. Add chicken pieces
4. Add Pepper powder, Coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, salt
5. Add little water and cook chicken without lid for the pan, until water evaporates and chicken is well cooked.
6. Add chopped coriander leaves.

Navrathna Kurma

Ingredients:

• Potato - 2
• Carrot - 2
• Cauliflower
• Beans
• Green Peas
• Cashew nuts
• Raisins
• Almonds
• Few pineapple pieces
• Paneer

Procedure:

1. Boil Vegetables and cook at different consistency. Add Salt
2. In a pan, add water and cook cashew nuts and onions till cashews are tender. Then make it a paste and keep aside.
3. Fry Paneer in oil and keep aside.
4. In another pan, add oil, bay leaves, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste.
5. Add cashew, onion paste, green chillies. 
6. Add 1 tbsp Cumin and 1 tbsp Coriander powders.
7. Add boiled vegetables, fried paneer, almonds.
8. Add raisins, pineapple, little cream
9. Cook in slow flame for few mins and garnish with coriander leaves.

Vegetable Kuruma

Ingredients:

• Potato-1
• Carrot-2      
• Beans-some
• Green peas
• Onion Big Size-1
• Tomato-1
• Shredded Coconut - 1 cup

Procedure:

Masala

• Grind Coconut, turmeric powder, Green Chillis and garam masala in small quantity
• Ginger garlic paste

Method

1. Ina a pan, add oil, saute Cumin seeds, Ginger garlic paste, Onions
2. Add vegetables, water, salt and boil vegetables
3. Once it is cooked, add all the above ground pastes and let it boil for sometime till vegetables are fully cooked. 
4. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Cutlet

Ingredients:

• Potato - 3
• Green Peas - 3/4 cup
• Carrot - 2
• Corriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Garam masala - 1 tbsp
• Chopped Onion - 1/2
• Chicken or any meat can be used as well.

Procedure:

1. Add Salt to vegetable and cook until its cooked 75%
2. Drain water from the cooked veg and smash the vegetables.. dont smash too much. keep the drained water for later use
3. In a pan, add oil, chopped onions and saute.
4. Add smashed veg, salt(as required), Chilli powder, Turmeric powder, Corriander powder, Garam masala. Add the water from the drained veg, if needed. Make sure the mixture is dry.
5. cook for 3 mins and keep it aside for sometime till its dry. 
6. In a bowl, add 3 tbsp of All Purpose Flour (Maida) and add little water to dilute it. This can be replaced with beaten egg.
7. In a plate, spread some bread crumbs
8. Once the cutlet mixture is dry, make balls out of it and make it flat. Dip or coat it with flour and water mix and roll it in the bread crumbs plate, so that the bread crumbs stick to it.
9. In a pan, add oil and fry the cutlet

Stuffed Poori

Ingredients:

• Potato -2
• Cauliflower - 10 florets
• Carrot - 2
• Corriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Garam masala - 1 tbsp
• Onion - 1/2 (chopped)
• Any vegetable(Green peas, beans,... ) or even chicken can be added. 

Method:

1. Add Salt to vegetable and cook until its cooked 75%
2. Drain water from the cooked veg and smash the vegetables.. dont smash too much. keep the drained water for later use
3. In a pan, add oil, curry leaves, chopped onions and saute.
4. Add smashed veg, salt(as required), Chilli powder, Turmeric powder, Corriander powder, Garam masala. Add the water from the drained veg, if needed. Make sure the mixture is dry.
5. cook for 3 mins and keep it aside. This will be used as stuffing.
6. Roll the poori flour. keep the stuffing at the center and fold it. Press the edges, so that the stuffing don't come out.
7. In a pan, add oil and fry the stuffed poori.

NOTE: Stuffed Poori can also be baked, instead of deep fry. Pre-heat oven to 250 degree and cook until the poori is cooked. it becomes fluffy and soft.. little dry though.

Chicken Briyani

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 2.5 pounds (1 Kg)
2. Mint leaves - 5 stems
3. Coriander leaves - 5 stems
4. Onion - 1
5. Tomato - 1
6. Basmati Rice - 3 Cups
7. Ginger 
8. Garlic - 6 cloves
9. Cinnamon
10. Cloves
11. Bay Leaves
12. Green Chillies - 3
13. Poppy Seeds
14. Water - 4 1/2 cups 

Procedure:

Marination:

Marinate Chicken with little Salt, little ginger garlic paste, Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, 1 tbsp Coriander powder, 1 tbsp garam masala, juice from half lemon. Let it marinate for 30 mins.

Grind:

1. Grind Ginger, Garlic, Cinamon, Cloves, Poppy seeds, 1 tsp Fennel seeds
2. Grind Chopped onions, chillis
3. Tomatos
4. Mint & Coriander leaves

Process:

1. In Pressure Cooker, add Ghee/Oil
2. Saute Cashews and keep it aside
3. Add ground mixtures one by one in the order in which you grind it. Saute for 5 mins until the rawness goes off..
4. Add marinated Chicken pieces, mix and let it cook for 5 mins.
5. Add Rice and water
6. Add salt
7. Close the lid of Pressure cooker (without weight) and wait until steady steam comes out.
8. Once steady steam comes, put the weight on and reduce the flame to minimum.
9. Let it cook for 20 mins.
10. Garnish with Cashews, Coriander leaves.