Thai Prawn Curry

Serves 2-4

• 150 g French beans
• 125 g prawns
• 6 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red pepper, cut into slivers
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 200 ml chicken stock or 200 ml vegetable stock
• 200 ml coconut milk
• dried basil, coriander
• 1 lime, juiced
• olive oil (for cooking)
• basmati rice, cooked

1. Boil water in a saucepan and cook enough rice for 2 people.
2. Heat some oil in a frying pan and throw in the beans, cooking for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the peppers and mushrooms, fry for another minute and then add the prawn, chicken stock, fish sauce, curry paste and herbs.
4. Cook until the beans are tender.
5. Add the coconut milk and lime juice, cooking for a further 2 minutes over a medium heat and taking care not to scald the coconut milk.
6. Serve over basmati rice, preferrably in a shallow bowl

Murg Kali Mirch

Serves 4

• 1 kg chicken
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 25 - 30 peppercorns
• 3/4 cup tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 cup onions sliced
• 1 tblsp coriander powder
• 6 - 8 cloves
• 8 - 10 curry leaves
• 2 tsp garlic chopped
• 3 tblsp oil
• salt to taste

1. Clean, wash and skin the chicken.Cut it into twelve pieces.
2. Pound peppercorns to a coarse powder.
3. Mix salt, crushed peppercorns and turmeric powder with the chicken pieces.
4. Keep aside for half an hour.
5. Heat up oil in a kadhai.
6. Mix in cut onions and cloves.
7. Stir fry on medium heat up till onions are light brown.
8. Mix in cut garlic and stir fry for a minute.
9. Mix in coriander powder and cut tomatoes.
10. Stir fry till oil leaves the sides.
11. Mix in marinated chicken, curry leaves and half cup water.
12. Stir fry covered, stirring occasionally, till chicken is cooked.
13. Correct flavor and serve hot.

Salad Nicoise

Serves 4

• 1/2 pound new potatoes, quartered
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup pitted nicoise olives
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 (6 ounce) can tuna
• 1/3 pound fresh green beans - rinsed, trimmed and blanched
• 1/2 pound mixed salad greens
• 1 cup lemon vinaigrette
• 3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
• 3 roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 4 anchovy filets

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, parsley, olives, onion, tuna and green beans. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
3. In large bowl, toss greens with vinaigrette and top with chilled potato mixture. Garnish with eggs, tomatoes, capers and anchovies.

Bhuna Gosht

Serves 4

• Lean Goat pieces with bone (Preferably from the Leg): 500gms
• Garam Masala: 3 Tbs
• Red Chilli Powder: 1 Tbs
• Salt: To Taste
• Brown Onion: 4 Medium (Finely Chopped)
• Tomatoes: 300gms (Finely Chopped)
• Water: 250mls
• Ginger & Garlic Paste: 3Tbs
• Vegetable Oil: 50mls
• Fresh Corriander (Finely Chopped): 30-50gms

1. Heat vegetable oil in a Kadhai add the onions, garlic & ginger saute for 10 mins until caramelized  Add tomatoes, garam masala, red chilli powder & salt.
2. Add a little water and allow to simmer until the sauce is soft and cooked.
3. Add the pieces of goat to the sauce and cover the kadhai for 1hour on low flame. After one hour check the goat if its tender.
4. Once tender serve on a bowl garnish with fresh coriander, Best to be consumed with fresh Rumali Roti or basmati rice.

Crispy Vegetables

Serves 4

• Babycorns,cut into thick strips 10
• Green capsicum,cut into thick strips 1 large
• Cauliflower 5-6 florets
• Cabbage,cut into thick strips 1/4 small
• Mushrooms 2-3
• Aubergine  1 small sliced
• Carrot, cut into thick strips 1 large
• Oil 2 tablespoons + to deep fry

FOR BATTER 

• Cornflour/ corn starch 5 tablespoons
• Refined flour (maida) 5 tablespoons
• Ginger-garlic paste 1/2 teaspoon
• Lemon juice 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper powder to taste

FOR SAUCE

• Garlic,chopped 4-5 cloves
• Ginger,chopped 1 inch piece
• Celery,chopped 2-3 inch stalk (optional)
• Spring onions,chopped 2
• Green chillies,chopped 2
• Soy sauce 1 tablespoon
• Red chilli sauce 1 tablespoon
• Tomato ketchup 2 teaspoons
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper powder to taste

1. Mix cornflour, refined flour, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, salt and black pepper powder in a bowl with enough water to make a thick batter. 
2. Add the vegetables and mix so that all the vegetables are well coated. 
3. Heat enough oil in a wok and deep fry the vegetables. 
4. Drain on absorbent paper and set aside. 
5. For the sauce heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan. 
6. Add garlic, ginger, celery, spring onions and green chillies and sauté for a minute. 
7. Add soy sauce, red chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, salt and black pepper powder and sauté for half a minute. Add all the fried vegetables and mix well 
8. Serve hot. 

Pinni Laddu

• 250 gms. Atta (Wholemeal wheat) 
• 250 gms Desi Ghee ( Pure Ghee) 
• 1/2 tsp. choti Elayichi Powder (cardamom powder) 
• 3 tbsp. milk 
• 250 gms. Powdered sugar 
• 4 tablespoons almonds, pistachios cut into small pieces 
• Cashew nuts whole 20

1. Take a thick bottomed pan and heat all the ghee in it.
2. Add flour, and keep on stirring continuosly. Keep the heat on low.
3. When flour is evenly browned and aromatic, add the sugar and stir for a minute.
4. Remove the pan from the heat.
5. Add the almonds, cardamom powder and pistachios.
6. Spread contents of pan into plate, allow to cool.
7. Shape into equal pingpong ball sized balls and take one cashew and stick it on one side..
8. Let the pinnis cool down completely before storing in airtight boxes.

Motichoor Laddoo

Serves 4

• Gram flour (besan) 2 1/2 cups
• Sugar 1 1/3 cups
• Milk 1/4 cup
• Orange colour as required
• Ghee to deep fry
• Green cardamom seeds 1 tablespoon
• Almonds,blanched and slivered 10
• Pistachios,blanched and slivered 10

1. Cook sugar with three cups of water to make syrup of one thread consistency. 
2. Add milk and when the scum rises to the top, remove it. Add colour as desired and keep the syrup aside. Make a thin batter of besan with three cups of water (pouring consistency). 
3. Add colour as desired. Heat sufficient ghee in a kadai. Hold a perforated spoon over the hot ghee, pour a little batter over it and pass the batter through it fast into the kadai to make boondis. 
4. Fry for about two to three minutes. 
5. Remove the boondis using a slotted spoon, drain thoroughly and put into the syrup. 
6. When the boondis have absorbed all the syrup add cardamom seeds and mix gently. 
7. Divide into twenty-five portions and shape each into a laddoo. 
8. Garnish with slivers of pistachios or almonds. Cool and store. 

These laddoos do not stay for long and therefore should be consumed fast.