Dum Aloo

Ingredients:
10 small potatoes
3 medium sized onions
2-3 tbsp shredded coconut
A small piece of ginger
4-5 green chilles
2-3 cardammom pods
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2 1/2 tsp dhania(coriander) powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying the potatoes
2 tbsp cooking oil/ghee(clarified butter)
Method:
Boil the potatoes. Peel them and prick the potatoes with a fork. Fry the potatoes in hot oil till they turn slightly brown. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a shallow pan and fry the onions to light brown. Grind the coconut, poppy seeds, cardamon, ginger and green chillies to a paste. Add the paste to the onions. Fry till the oil seperates. Add chilli powder,cumin powder and dhania powder and stir for 5 mins. Add the yoghurt , salt and the fried potatoes. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and simmer till the gravy is thick for about 10 minutes. Now add the garam masala powder and mix well. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.
Eat with chapathi/nan.

Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients:
3 cups of rice, boiled
A bunch of coriander leaves.
3-4 green chillies.
2 tsp of coconut, shredded
3 medium onions,sliced fine.
1/2 an onion, chopped.
A few sticks of cinammon,

A few cardommom seeds,

a few cloves.
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder.
salt to taste.
2 flakes garlic.
1 inch piece ginger.
Ghee or melted butter for frying.
1 cup of cauliflower flowerets.
Some mixed frozen vegetables like beans,carrots and green peas.
3 tsbp ghee(clarified butter)
Method:
Grind together the 1/2 onion, coconut, garlic, ginger and coriander in the blender, to make a smooth paste.
Keep aside.
Fry the onions in a the ghee or melted butter.Also add the cloves, cinnamon and cardommom.
When onions are browned properly, add the red chilli powder and fry for 30-45 seconds. Now add all the vegetables,including the cauliflower and sprinkle some water on it. Keep covered and cook on a low flame till the vegetables are cooked. This might take approximately 15-20 minutes.
Keep sprinkling water periodically to speeden up the process, but do not add excess water as it will ruin the pulao. When the vegetables are done, transfer the vegeables to a big mixing dish, add all the boiled rice, salt to taste and the blended masala. Mix thoroughly and then heat it either in a microwave or on low heat on the cooking range.It is heated again to let the salt spread across the dish.
Serve with Raita.

Navratan Kurma

Ingredients:
2 cups peas boiled
1 large carrot chopped and boiled
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup curd
1/4 cup malai (cream)
3 tbsp. butter
1 small sweet lime
1 small apple
1 banana
2 slices pineapple
10-15 cashew nuts
20 raisins
2 cherries for decoration
1 tbsp. coriander chopped
1 tbsp. ghee
salt to taste

Dry Masala:
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. khuskhus (poppy seeds)
1 tsp. cardamoms
 

Wet Masala:
1 large onion
1/4 cup coconut shredded
3 green chillies

Method:
Grind the dry and wet masalas separately. Chop all the fruit fine. Heat ghee and fry cashews, drain and keep aside. Add butter to ghee and heat, add the wet masala and fry for 2 minutes. Add the dry masala and salt and fry 2 more minutes.
Add the carrots and peas, mix together curd and cream and add to gravy.
Allow to thicken a bit, add fruit, cashews and raisins and boil till the gravy is thick and the fat separates. Garnish with grated cheese ,coriander and chopped cherries.
Serve hot with naan, roti or paratha.
Making time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6

Dahi Vada (Perugu vada)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Urad dal

1/2 cup Moong dal

1 cup Yogurt

Spice to taste (cumin and paprika)

Oil for frying

1/4 cup Milk

Method:

Clean dal, wash and soak in water for 4 hours. Blend in blender at medium speed using the minimum amount of water required to keep paste moving freely. Add salt and start heating oil. Drop spoonfuls of batter in the hot oil using a large tablespoon. Fry until golden brown. Drop in water. Let it soak till ready to serve. Beat yogurt with milk. Add spice  ccording to taste. Squeeze out water from the vada and add yogurt.

Sambar powder

Whole red peppers - 1/4 kg

Coriander seeds - 1/4 kg

Toor Dal - 200 g

Gram dal - 200 g

Whole black peppers - 25 g

Asafoetida(Inguva) - a pinch
Dry the above ingredients and grind into a nice powder.

Rasam Powder

Whole black peppers - 1

Toor Dal - 1/2

Cumin seeds - 1/2

Coriander seeds - 1/2

Slightly heat without adding oil in a fry pan and grind the above ingredients into a nice powder.

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients:
1 medium. cauliflower clean and broken into big florets.
1 small bunch spring onion finely chopped
2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup plain flour
3 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
2 red chillies, dry
3 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. milk
Method:
Boil the florets for 3-4 minutes in plenty of water, to which a tbsp. of milk has been added. Drain and pat dry on a clean cloth. Make thin batter out of flour and 2 tbsp.cornflour, adding 1/4 tsp. each of ginger and garlic and red chilli powder and salt
to taste. Dip the florettes in the batter one by one and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside.
In the remaining oil, add remaining ginger, garlic and crushed red chilli and fry for a minute. Add the salt and spring onions. Stir fry for a minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp. cornflour to 1/4 cup water and dissolve well. Gradually add to the gravy and stir continuously till it resumes boiling. Boil till the gravy becomes  ransparent. Add florettes and soya sauce. Boil for two more minutes and remove.
Serve hot with noodles or rice.
Variations:
Dry manchurian can be made by omitting the gravy.
Make florettes as above and instead of adding water as above, add fried florettes, spring onions and soya ce at this stage. Sprinkle 1 tsp. cornflour on the florettes and stirfry for 2 minutes. Serve piping hot with toothpicks or miniforks and chilligarlic sauce or tomato sauce.
Same procedure for veg. manchurian (with gravy or dry), but instead of using only cauliflower, use finely chopped minced vegetables and bind with some cornflour or bread crumbs and make small lumps the size of a pingpong ball.
Fry as above and proceed as above.
Making time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6

Aloo Palak

Ingredients
3 cups chopped spinach
2 large onoins chopped fine
2 large potatoes boiled and peeled
1 tomato grated
2 green chillies
1" piece ginger
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. wheat or other flour
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. cinnamon-clove powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 pinches asafoetida
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. ghee
salt to taste
Method:
Put the washed spinach in a pan, add very little water (just a sprinkle) and a pinch of salt.
Cover and boil over a high flame for 2 minutes. Cool quickly, or hold under running water in a colander. Put in a mixie, add green chilli and run for a minute. Keep slightly coarse, do not make very smooth. Keep aside.
Cut the potatoes into big pieces. Heat ghee and fry potatoes till light brown. Drain the potatoes, keep aside.
In the same hot ghee add the cumin seeds. Add the ginger, onions and fry till very tender.
Add the tomato and further fry for two minutes. Add all the dry masalas and fry till ghee separates. Add spinach and potatoes. When it resumes a boil sprinkle the flour and stir well. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice Just before s erving heat butter in a tiny saucepan and add the asafoetida. Pour over the vegetable and mix gently.
Serve hot with naan or parathas or even rice.

Making time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6

Potato Podimas

Ingredients: Potatoes 1 pound

Turmeric 1/4 t.spoon

Hing a small pinch

Green Chillies 6

Ginger a small piece

minced/grattedUrad dhall 1/2 t.spoon

Channa dhall 1 t.spoon

Mustard 1/4 t.spoon

Curry leaves Cilantro a small bunch washed and finely chopped

Lemon 1

Cooking Oil 2 t.spoon

Salt 1 t.spoon (or to taste)

Method: Boil potatoes with turmeric and salt.Peel skin and mash them and keep it aside.Fry mustard, urad dhall, channa dhall, hing, turmeric, curry leaves, red chillies, finely chopped ginger, lemon juice andsalt in 2 t.spoons of oil and then add the mashed potatoes. Letthis cook for a few minutes and then garnish with cilantro.

Venn Pongal

Ingredients: Rice 2 cups

Moong dhall 1/2 cup

Hing a small pinch

Curry leaves

CashewsPepper 1/2 t.spoon

Cumin seeds 1/2t.spoon

Ginger a small piece finely chopped

Ghee 1/2 t.spoon

Salt 1 t.spoon

Method: Cook rice, moong dhall and turmeric powder with extra water andkeep it aside.Fry pepper, cumin seeds, hing,curry leaves, and ginger in 2 t.spoons ghee, and add this to the above pongal.Fry cashews in 1 t.spoon ghee and add to the above.Add salt and remaining ghee and mix everything well.

Badam Kheer

Ingredients: Almonds (Badam) 1 cup

Milk 4-6 cups

Sugar same amount as almond paste (about 1 cup)

Saffron 1/2t.spoon

Kesari powder (color) a small pinch (optional)

Method: Soak saffron in little cold milk, and keep it aside. Soak almonds in hot water for 1 hour. Peel skin and grind the almond into a fine paste with 1 cup of milk instead of water. Measure the amount of almond paste, and keep the same amount of sugar aside. Cook the almond paste for 5-10 while stirring it constantly, till the flavour comes out. Now add sugar and keep stirring. Add the remaining milk, and boil for 10-15 minutes. Add the soaked saffron and serve it cold.

Sweet Poori

Ingredients: Almonds 1/4 cup

Sweetened condensed milk 1 can

Evaporated milk 1 can

Cream of wheat (Rava) 2 t.spoons

All purpose flour (Maida) 2 cups

Sugar 4 t.spoons

Saffron 1/4 t.spoon

Edible camphor (Pacha kalpooram) optional

Kesar color a small pinch

Cooking oil for frying

Method: Soak saffron in little cold milk, and keep it aside. Soak rava in little water for 10 minutes. Soak almonds in hot water for 1 hour. Peel skin and grind the almond into a fine paste with 1 cup of milk instead of water. Boil evaporated milk, condensed milk, and almond paste for 10-15 minutes. Add saffron, and kesar color to above and let it cool.Knead maida, soaked rava, and sugar into a nice dough, using somecold after. Make small puris (roll small balls and flatten them with a rolling pin and deep fry in oil) and soak the puries in the boiled milk mixture. Serve it cold/hot.