Spices and Recipes

Ingredients:

• Eggplant - Small size - 10 (Preferred round shaped)
• Onions - 1 cut into big pieces
• Sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
• Ground nuts - 1/2 cup
• Cashew nuts - 5
• Musturd seeds - 1 tsp
• Green chillies - 6
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Cinnamon stick - 1 inch size
• Cloves - 6
• Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp
• Tamarind - lemon size soaked in a half glass of water
• Ginger garlic paste - 3 tsp
• Salt - 2 tsp
• Cilantro - to garnish

Preparation:

1. Wash the eggplants thoroughly with hot water and wipe them dry with clean cloth or paper towel.
2. Take 1 tbsp oil in a kadai (wok) and fry cashew nuts, cinnamon, cloves, ground nuts, sesame seeds until they change their color. Transfer these into mixie jar and keep aside.
3. Take 1 tbsp oil and fry onions and chillies till transparent. Add this mixture to the mixie jar.
4. Add to the above made mixture chilli powder, salt, ginger garlic paste and grind this to a thick paste.
5. Take a small kitchen knife, make plus shaped slit on eggplants. Take care not to cut until the end.

Method:

1. Stuff the eggplants with the paste.
2. Take a pressure cooker, heat oil, add musturd seeds and the left mixture to this hot oil and fry for a while.
3. Add little water to this mixture and let it it boil for a while.
4. Add the stuffed eggplants to this mixture.
5. Add tamarind water, close the lid and cook till 1 whistle sound.
6. Open the cooker upon cooling. Transfer into a serving bowl.

You can reheat in the cooker without closing the lid by stirring lightly (you do not want the mixture come out of the eggplants) for a minute.

Garnish with Cilantro. Serve hot.

Ingredients:

• 250 gms Paneer
• 1 cup Chickpea Flour (Besan)
• 2 tsp Oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• 1-2 Chopped Green Chillies (Jalapeno)
• 1/2 cup Water

Method:

1. Mix first set of ingredients well.
2. Beat in a blender for 4-5 minutes to incorporate air (this will make the batter fluffier).
3. Let batter rest 1/2 hour in a warm place
4. Cut the paneer into thick cubes.
5. Sprinkle little salt, chili powder on the cubes
6. Deep fry in oil that is heated to 375°.
7. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
8. Serve the paneer pakora with coriander or mint chutney

Ingredients:

• 350 gms Paneer
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Corn Flour
• 1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 2 cups Coarsely Chopped Onions
• 2 tbsp Sliced Green Chillies
• 1 tbsp Soya Sauce
• 2 tbsp Vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Ajinomoto
• Oil for frying
• Little Water

Method:

1. Cut the paner into cubes.
2. Mix together the cottage cheese, 1 tsp salt, egg, corn flour, garlic, ginger and water to just coat the paneer pieces with the mixture.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the paneer pieces caoted with mixture till golden in color.
4. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wok and stir fry the onions in it over high heat for half a minute.
5. Add the green chillies, salt, soya sauce, vinegar, ajinomoto and the fried paneer cubes.
6. Mix well, and garnish the chilli paneer with finely cut spring onions and coriander.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups - poha
• 1 - onion, chopped
• 3 - green chillies chopped
• 1 stalk - curry leaves
• 2 tsp - turmeric powder
• 3 to 4 pinches - citric acid
• 2 tsp - sugar
• 1 tsp - each cumin & mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp - oil
• salt as per taste

Method:

1. Sieve poha, wipe over a moistened cloth, keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add seeds, allow to splutter.
3. Add onions, curry leaves, chillies.
4. Stirfry till onions are light pink.
5. Add all other ingredients, allow to cool.
6. Mix into wipe poha, mix gently with hands.
7. Store in airtight container or ziplock bags.

To Cook:

1. Sprinkle 1 cup water all over poha, after transferring to a cooking pan.
2. Toss after 5 minutes, to loosen, sprinkle more water if required.
3. Loosen again, heat in a warmed skillet, warming as much as required.
4. Serve hot with coffee or as is.

Ingredients:

• 150 gms - mushroom
• 1 cup - green peas
• 1 - onion, grinded
• small quantity - ginger, grinded
• 1 florlet - garlic grinded
• 2 - green chillies, chopped fine
• 1 cup - tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp - cumin seeds
• 1 tsp - coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp - tumeric powder
• 1/2 tsp - red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp - garam masala
• chopped coriender leaves
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut the mushroom into same shape and size.
2. Add peas and salt in pressure cooker and take only 1 whistle.
3. Grind onion, garlic ginger and green chillies in mixy.
4. Heat oil in heavy pan and add cumin seeds, tumeric powder and coriander powder. Stir it .
5. Now add onion,ginger,garlic paste into oil and stir until oil separates.
6. Add tomato paste in it and stir it.
7. Add salt, chilli powder in it and stir until oil separates.
8. Add small quantity of half&half milk.
9. Add half cooked green peas and chopped mushroom in it.
10. Cover it and cook it on low-med flame.
11. Turn off the gas and add garam masala .
12. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves before serving.