LENTIL SOUP

50 gms lentils
olive oil
15 gms onions chopped
20 gms carrots chopped
5 gms garlic
5 gms coriander powder
5 gms cumin powder
5 gms turmeric powder
5 gms coriander leaves
salt, pepper to taste


Method
Wash, soak the dal boil well till cooked. Allow it to cool. Take a pan, heat olive oil and saute the onion, garlic, carrot, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder.Add this tempering to the boiled lentil, along with the stock. Cook for 15 mins and then finely puree in the blender and strain. Season and serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

SWEET PONGAL

Ingredients
2 cups rice
1 cup moongdal(green gram dal)
2 cup jaggery
1 tsp cardomom powder
1 small cup of dry fruits(dry grapes,cashew nut,almonds)
1/2 cup fresh coconut


Method:
Heat cooker. fry moongdal till good aroma starts to come. Then take off moongdal from cooker.Heat 3tbsp ghee and fry dry fruits. Remove from heat,add 5 cups of water.Bring it to boil.
When boiling, add rice and dal. pressure cook for 2 vessils. add jaggery to 1/2 cup of water,when it melts add this,dry fruits and grated coconut,cardomom powder to the cooled cooker.Keep the cooker on a low flame for 5 mins.Garnish with Pista. Serve hot.

PONGAL

Ingredients:

Rice-2 cups
Moong dal-1 cup
cumin seeds-2 tbsp
pepper-1tbsp
garlic-1 big
ginger-1/4 inch
curry leaves
coriander leaves
1/2 cup fresh coconut
2 onion
5 green chillies

Method
Bring water to boil in a utensil, add moongdal. When dal is half cooked, Add rice, 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tbsp pepper, 4 to 5 garlic flakes, 5 to 6 curry leaves and allow it cook. Heat oil or 3 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add remaining cumin seeds,curry leaves. when it starts spluttering add g chillies,grated ginger and smashed garlic. fry in oil for 2 min. add sliced onion.add salt. add this to rice. powder coriander leaves and coconut without adding water. Add this mixture to rice.
serve pongal with chutney or raitha.

 

TANDOORI CHICKEN

Ingredients: Oven Temp; 450 F- 220 C

1 kg chicken-broiler
2 tsp each garlic and ginger paste
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp red pepper-powdered
1 tsp black-pepper-powdered
1 tbsp salt or to taste
3 tbsp vinegar OR 1 cup (200 g) yogurt
lemon quarters and onion rings for garnish

Method: Prick the chicken with a fork, and mix in the rest of the ingredients, except the lemon and the onions, and leave for 4-6 hours, turning a few times.

About 20-25 minutes. Before serving, place the chicken in a drip pan, and place it into the preheated oven.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve garnished with lemon and onion rings.

PANEER TIKKA

Ingredients: 1/2 kg paneer cubes, about 3 cm/1 1/2" each
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp chaat masala
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp powdered black pepper
1 tbsp salt
A few drops of red colour
3 tbsp vinegar OR 1 cup (200 g) yogurt
Oil for brushing
1 lemon quartered
1 onion sliced into rings for garnish





Method: Mix all the ingredients, except the garnishes, and leave for 20-30 minutes.

About 20 minutes before serving, place the paneer on a drip pan and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, brush with oil and bake again for 10 minutes.
Alternatively, you can grill on a griller or a barbecue pit. (The drippings should definitely have a means of escape, or else the paneer will get soggy.)

Serve hot, garnished with lemon and onion rings.

NARGISI KOFTAS

Ingredients: Mix together
2 cups minced meat
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
salt to taste
1/4 tsp powdered black pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala
5-6 hard boiled eggs, cooled and shelled
a little flour to roll the eggs in


Gravy
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1.5 cups roughly chopped onions-boiled in very little water
1 cup oil
2 bay leaves
2 tsp black cumin seeds
6-7 green cardamoms-lightly roasted and powdered
6-7 cloves-lightly roasted and powdered
1 tsp broken cinnamon-lightly roasted and powdered
1 blade mace-lightly roasted and powdered
salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 cup chopped tomatoes
a large pinch of kesar
1/2 tsp kewra
2 tbsp warm milk
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp cream

Method: Dissolve the kesar and kewra in milk.

For the koftas, divide the meat mixture into 5 or 6 portions, and shape each into a round pattie. Roll the eggs in the flour, dust off the excess flour, and place in the centre of each pattie. Bring the meat up around the egg, to form an even coating around it. Smooth the surface so that no creases remain. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

In a kadahi, heat some of the oil listed with the ingredients for the gravy. Fry the koftas in it, first over high heat; then lower the heat, so that they are cooked through. When they are evenly brown, remove from oil and set aside. Fry as many koftas as fit comfortably in the kadahi. Be careful not to break them.

For the gravy, grind the ginger, garlic and boiled onions to a fine paste and set aside.

Heat the rest of the oil in a saucepan and add the bay leaves and powdered spices. When the spices darken a little, add the onion mixture. Stir-fry brown and fat separates. Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, coriander powder and chilli powder, and stir-fry again till the fat separates.

Add about 2 cups water. Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, add half the chopped coriander leaves and the milk into which saffron etc. have been mixed.

To serve, cut the koftas lengthwise. Arrange on a serving dish and pour the hot gravy over them. Serve garnished with the cream and the rest of the chopped coriander leaves.

GAJAR METHI

Ingredients: 1/2 kg carrots
250 gm fenugreek leaves
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
3-4 whole red chillies
1/2 cup mustard oil


Method: Peel and dice the carrots into 1 cm cubes. Clean the fenugreek leaves, wash well, changing the water a few times. Chop fine, discarding the tough stalks.

Heat the oil in a kadahi. Add fenugreek seeds and whole red chillies. Stir-fry and add the carrots and fenugreek leaves.

Stir-fry till leaves look slightly glossy, and then add salt, chilli powder and coriander powder. Cook uncovered till the leaves are done and the carrots are soft. Serve hot.