Mint and Peanut Raita

Serves - 1
Portion Size - 1 bowl

• Mint leaves with stems - 20 gms 
• ( or leaves ) - 10 gms
• Roasted Peanuts -  10 gms 
• Green Chilli - 1/2 optional 
• Curd - 100 gms 
• Salt  - 1/6 tsp
• Pepper - a pinch
• Cumin seeds, roasted and ground - 1/3 tsp

Wash and grind the mint leaves to a fine paste.

Pound the roasted peanuts, chop the chilli. Beat the curd. Add little water if thick .

Mix the mint, peanuts and chillies to beaten curd.

Season with the salt, pepper and roasted cumin seeds.

Serve Cold.

Vangi Bhat 

Serves - 1
Portion Size - 1 full Plate

• Rice - 80 gms
• Tamarind - 20 gms
• Water - 50ml

For Masala

• Bengal Gram - 10 gms/ 1 Tbsp
• Black Gram - 10 gms/ 1 Tbsp
• Coriander Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Pepper Carns - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/6 tsp
• Chilli pd. - 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves, chopped - 1 spring
• Brinjal - 100 gms
• Oil - 1 tsp 
• Salt - 1/6 tsp
• For garnish peanuts/ cashewnuts - 10 gms

Boil the rice . Soak tamarind in water for 1/2 hour and take out the extract .

Roast the masala ingredients and pound coarsely.

Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida, chilli powder, curry leaves.

Dice the brinjal into small pieces.

Heat the oil , fry the brinjal and powdered spices till brown .

Add the tamarind extract and salt and simmer till thick. turn off gas .

Add the rice to the thick paste immediately and mix well.

Serve hot , garnished with fried peanuts/ cashewnuts. 

Indian Masala Mixes

Garam Masala (100gm)

• Coriander Seeds - 40 gms
• Cinnamon - 2 Sticks
• Black Cardamom - 20gms
• Cloves - 10 gms
• Black Pepper - 20 gms
• Cumin Seeds - 20 gms

For variety Bay Leaf , Mace, Nutmeg and Kasuri Methi ( dreid Fenugreek Leaves) may be added.

Pick, dry and finely grind all the ingredients and keep tightly bottled.

Chaat Masala (100 gms)

• Cumin Seeds - 40 gms
• Coriander Seeds - 10gms 
• Garam Masala pd. - 10gms
• Mango pd. - 10 gms
• Black Salt pd. - 25 gms
• Salt - 5 gms

Roast the cumin seeds on a tawa/ griddle or in a karahi/ wok to a golden brown color.

Roast the coriander seeds lighty.

Powder roasted cumin and coriander finely and mix with the other masalas.

Kashmiri Masala (1 kg)

• Asafoetida 30gms
• Black Gram split, powdered - 75gms
• Coriander pd. - 75gms
• Turmeric - 75gms
• Ginger, dry pd. - 75 gms
• Fennel pd. -  75 gms
• Garam Masala - 75 gms
• Red Chillies - 75 gms
• Salt - 75 gms
• Blach Cumin Seeds pd. - 15 gms
• White Cumin Seeds pd. - 30 gms
• Cloves pd. - 25 gms
• Water - 20 ml
• Mustard Oil - 240ml/ 1 C

Soak Asafoetida.

Mix all dry ingredients and mix with the asafoetida water and oil to make dough.

Make small circcular flat tikkis/ discs. Dry in Sun, and store.

Break a small piece and use as powder in green vegetables.

Rasam Powder (100 gms)

• Coriander Seeds- 50gms
• Red Gram Dal - 10 gms
• Pepper Corns - 20 gms
• Whole red chilli - 5 gms
• Asafoetida - 2 gms
• Cumin Seeds - 10 gms

Grind all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

Sambar Powder (100 gms)

• Fenugreek Seeds - 5 gms
• Coriander Seeds - 50 gms
• Bengal Gram Dal - 15 gms
• Pepper Corns - 15 gms
• Whole Red Chilli - 10 gms
• Asafoetida - 2 gms
• Fat - 5 gms

Fry or roast the fenugreek seeds to a dark brown color.

Fry all the other ingredients and dry or wet grind as desired.

25 gms grated fresh coconut can also be fried and ground with the masala if desired .

Commom Indian Names

Food Stuff	Hindi Names
CEREALS
Rice Flakes	Chewra
Rice , Puffed	Murmura
Semolina	Suji
Vermicelli	Sewian
Whole wheat flour	Atta
Refined Flour	Maida
Gram Flour	Besan
PULSES
Bengal Gram	Chana
Black Gram	Urad
Cow Pea	Lobia
Green Gram	Moong
Lentil	Masoor
Red Gram	Arhar
VEGETABLES
Amaranth	Chaulai
Ash Gourd	Petha
Beet Root	Chukandar
Bottle Gourd	Lauki
Cluster Beans	Guar-ki-phalli
Colocasia	Arbi
Drumstick	Saijan-ki-phalli
Fenugreek Leaves	Methi sag
Ghosala	Ghia Tori
Jackfruit, tender	Kathal
Lotus Stem	Kanmal Kakri
Mustard Leaves	Sarson-ka-sag
Pumpkin	Kadu
Ridge Gourd	Torai
Snake Gourd	Chachanda
Yam	Zimikand
FRUITS
Apricot	Khubani
Melon (musk)	Kharbooza
Plantain Green	Kela
Raisin	Kishmish
Sapota	Chiku
SPICES/HERBS
Asafoetida	Hing
Bayleaves	Tejpata
Black cumin	Kala Jeera
Black onion seeds	Kalonji
Black pepper	Kali Mirch
Black Salt	Kala Namak
Cardamom	Elaichi
Carom Seeds	Ajwain
Cinnamon	Dalchini
Cloves	Long
Coriander	Dhania
Cumin Seeds	Jeera
Fennel	Saunf
Fenugreek Seeds	Methi
Garlic	Lehson
Ginger	Adrak
Gingelly Seeds	Til
Mace	Javithri
Mango Powder	Amchur
Mustard Seeds	Rai/Sarson
Nutmeg	Jaiphal
Pomegranate Seeds	Anardana
Poppy Seeds	Khus Khus
Red Chilli	Lal Mirch
Saffron	Kesar
Tamarind	Imli
Turmeric	Haldi

Hyderbadi Mutton Biryani

Total Time: 1 hours
Preparation Time: 30 minutes (excludes marination time)
Baking Time: 30 minutesServes: 4-5

Marinade

• 2 lbs Goat meat cut into pieces
• ¾ – 1 cup yogurt
• 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2 tsp Chili Powder
• 14 small Chilies split into two (adjust to your taste)
• 1 cup chopped Mint Leaves
• 1 cup chopped Cilantro
• Salt to Taste (sufficient for the meat)
• Garam Masala Powder
• 10 Pepper Corns
• 10 Coves
• ½ tsp Cardamom Seeds
• ½ tsp Sahajeera or Black Cumin
• 1” Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Large Onion sliced
• 1 Lime
• 1 cup Oil (can use half oil and half ghee)
• ½ tsp of saffron strands
• ½ cup milk
• 4 cups Basmati Rice soaked for 30 minutes (rice cooker measuring cup)
• Spices for boiling rice
• 6 Cardamoms
• 3 Cloves
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Bay Flower or Biryani Flower
• 1 tsp Sahajeera
• ½ tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 tbsp of Oil
• First Full of Salt

Method:

1. Clean and cut the goat meat.
2. Grind all the ingredients listed under garam masala to a fine powder.
3. Mix all the ingredients of the marinade and marinate for at least 2 hour , preferably overnight in the fridge.
4. Cook the meat with ½ the oil in a pressure cooker. Don’t add any water when cooking. In my cooker it takes 6-7 whistles and 5 minutes on low flame to cook. Once the pressure in the cooker goes away, open it and cook it until all the water evaporates. OR
5. Can cook the meat on the stove top until tender. This will take about an hour. I prefer the pressure cooker to avoid all the cooking odor when cooking on stove top.
6. Squeeze the lime juice on the meat and mix well.
7. In a pan, heat oil and fry the onions until light golden brown.
8. Soak saffron in hot milk.
9. In a big pot bring water to a boil, add all the spices required for boiling rice and mix well.
10. Add rice and continue to cook until the rice is almost done. It takes about 7-8 minutes on my stove. Drain the rice and keep aside.
11. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
12. Now its time to arrange rice and meat in layers. Grease large baking tray with oil, layer half the rice at the bottom. Sprinkle some oil, fried onions and ½ the saffron milk. Layer the rice with meat followed by a layer of remaining rice. We should have 2 layers of rice and one layer of meat. Top it off the remaining oil, fried onions and saffron milk. Cover the tray with aluminum foil.
13. Bake the biryani for 10 minutes on 400 degrees F and 20 minutes on 350 degrees F.
14. Mix the rice. 

Serve it hot with raita. 

Dal Tadka

• Moong Dal or Masoor Dal - 1.5 cups
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Green chillies - 3 or 4
• 1/2 tspn Garlic paste
• 1 tsp Ginger Paste
• Coriander chopped
• Salt - to taste
• Lime juice - 1 - 2 tsps
• Water 2 glasses
• Garam Masala 1 tablespoon
• 2 diced tomatoes
• 1 medium sized onion finely diced
• For Tadka
• Jeera seeds (Cumin seeds) - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Ghee - 2 tsps
• Hing - a pinch

Instructions:

Tadka is a generic term which refers to adding the spices to the hot oil or Ghee and then adding this tadka into your dish.
1. Add the Dal with 2 Glasses of water and add the turmeric in it and then cook it in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes or so ( excessive cooking will make the dash like a paste)If you do not have a pressure cooker then just take a sauce pan and cover it while cooking for 10 minutes on medium heat ( until the dal is cooked)
2. Take a non stick pan add add the Ghee.
3. Add the Cumin seeds and the mustard seeds.
4. Once they start crackling add the Ginger and Garlic paste and fry.
5. Add the onion and fry unti it become brown.Add the green chillies.
6. Add the Garam Masala and cook for a minute.
7. Add the diced tomatoes and let them cook untli the oil seperates.
8. Add the cooked dal and add salt to taste.
9. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes on slow heat.Take a small fry pan add 2 tablespoons of Ghee and add some red chilli powder and fry for a minute.Pour this on top of the Dal .
Garnish with chopped coriander.

Serve it with Naan, Rice or Roti

Methi Malai Paneer

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 25 minutes
Category: Main dishes

• 200 gms paneer cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup shelled peas boiled
• 1/2 stick dalchini ( cinnamon)
• 2 pieces moti ilaichi (cardamom)
• 3-4 pieces laung (cloves)
• 1 tbsp cashewnuts
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion grated
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 cup / 75 gms malai (cream)
• 4 tbsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek)
• salt to taste
• a pinch of sugar
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Crush together dalchini, laung and seeds of moti ilaichi on a chakla - belan. Keep the masala aside
2. Grind cashewnuts separately on the chakla - belan.
3. Heat oil. Add grated onion and cook on low heat till oil separates and the onions turn transparent.
4. Add the crushed masala and pepper powder. Cook for a few seconds.
5. Add kasoori methi and malai, cook on low heat for 2 - 3 minutes till malai dries up.
6. Add boiled peas and paneer.
7. Add cashewnuts and cook for a few seconds.
8. Add enough milk to get a thick gravy.
9. Add salt and sugar to taste.