Rogan Josh

  Ingredients
  250 gms mutton from leg
  1 onion sliced fine
  1 onion ground to paste
  1/2 cup sour yoghurt
  whole garam masala (3 cloves 1/2 t sp chilli powder
  3 cardmoms, 1" cinamon,1 bay leaf)
  1 1/2 t sps ginger garlic paste
  2 tomatoes chopped
  salt to taste
  1/2 t sp tandoori garam masala
  1/2 t spcumin powder
  1/2 cup coriander leaves


  Method

• Soak mutton in yoghurt for 1/2 an hour.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add whole garam masalas and sliced onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add onion ,ginger garlic paste cumin powder and chilli powder, fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes and coriander leaves and stir fry till tomatoes are tender
• Now add mutton pieces and stir fry for 10 minutes.
• Add t1 1/2 cups of hot water and pressure cook for 5-7 minutes.
• Check if the mutton is tender, and let it cook without the lid till its well coated with the masalas.
• Serve sprinkled with coriander leaves and garam masala,

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Chana Dal Ki Kichdi (Split Gram with rice)

 
 Ingredients

  1 cup Basmati rice or any other good quality rice washed and soaked for 20-30 minutes
  1/2 cup chana dal (split gram) soaked for atleast 1 hour
  1 small onion sliced fine (optional)
  1 1/2 piece ginger cut into fine julliens
  1 t sp cumin seeds
  1/2 t sp red chilli powder or chilli flakes
  salt to taste
  1 1/2 tb sps oil
  2 1/2 cups of water


  Method

• Heat oil in a sauce pan,add cumin seeds,add onions as soon as the cumin splutters and fry till golden brown.
• Drain and add the dal (gram), ginger julliens, salt and chilli flakes/powder, mix well with the onions
• Add 1/4 cup water, cover with a lid , lower heat and let the dal cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining water,let it come to a boil on high flame.Now add the rice and cover with a lid when boiling.
• Lower heat and cook till the water has dried up and the rice is tender, about 8 minutes.
• Serve with cucumber and onion raita, papad, chutney and pickle.

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Note: This is a complete meal providing protien and carbs.

Bagare Baigun (aubergine)

  Ingredients
  200 gms baby aubergines washed and slit lengthwise or 200gms of round aubergine cut into medium size pieces.
  2 tb sps finely chopped onions
  1t sp finely chopped ginger
  2t sps finely chopped garlic
  1 chopped tomato or 1 tb sp tomato puree
  1 1/2 panch puran (mix mustard seeds, saumph/ fennel, methi seeds/ fenugreek seeds, jeera/ cumin, kalonji/ onion seeds in equal quantities)
  1/2 t sp haldi/ turmeric
  2 tsps dhania/ coriander powder
  chilli powder to taste
  a good pinch of asafoetida
  salt to taste
  3 t sps tamrind paste/ 1 heaped t sp of amchur/ mango powder
  2 tb sps cooking oil
  coriander, ginger julliens, green chillies for garnishing

       Method

• Heat oil in a kadai or frypan. 
• Add panch puran and when it begins to splutter add asaphoetida.
• Add chopped onions and fry till golden brown but still soft.
• Add ginger and garlic and fry well.
• Add dry masalas and cook till the raw smell goes.
• Now add the baigun, mix well with the masala, add salt and cover with a tight fitting lid, lower heat.
• Let it cook in its own steam for 5 minutes turning once or twice.Sprinkle little water if dry.
• Take off the cover and add tomato or tomato puree and mix well. Cook till tomatoes are soft and blended with the masala.
• Test if the baigun is cooked , if not cover for a few more minutes.
• Add the tamrind paste/ amchur, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
• Serve in a flat dish garnished with chopped coriander, ginger julliens and slit green chillies.
• Goes well with rotis, puris or rice and daal.

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Tangri kebab (tandoori drumsticks)

  Ingredients
 
  1kg chicken drumsticks
  1/2 tsp salt
  1 tsp red chilli powder
  11/2 t sp jeera powder
  1 tb sp ginger garlic paste
  1 t sp tandoori garam masala ( 1'' piece cinamon, 3 green cardamoms, 5 cloves, 1black cardamom,5        peppercorns ground together)
  1 t sp lemon juice
  1/2 cup sour curd (yoghurt)
  3 tb sps oil
  a pinch of tandoori colour (optional)

•        Method
• Wash the drumsticks and wipe dry with a kithen towel.
• Make small slits on both sides.
• Rub lemon juice and all the dry masalas on the chicken and keep aside for 1/2 an hour.
• Whip the curd ,add 3 tb sps oil, tandoori colour and marinate the chicken in it for at least 4-5 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 250 deg.C
• Put the chicken in an oven proof  tray or dish and cook for 15 minutes,
• Pull out the tray and turn the chicken pieces and cook for 7-10 minutes or till done.
• Excess marInade if any can be dried under a hot grill.
• Sprinkle chat masala and serve with onion rings and lemon wedges.

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Nutty Beans

  Ingredients

  200gms round green beans cut into 1/2" bits
  1 tb sp finely chopped onions
  1 t sp finely chopped ginger and garlic
  1 tb sp tomato puree
  3/4 t sp whole cumin seeds
  1 heaped tsp coriander powder
  1/2 t sp haldi/ turmeric powder
  salt and chilli powder to taste
  1 tb sp roasted pine nuts
  1 1/2 tb sps cooking oil

 Method

• Heat oil in a kadai or frypan till just beginning to smoke.
• Lower heat and add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Quickly add chopped onions and fry till soft.
• Add ginger garlic and fry for three minutes.
• Add haldi, coriander powder and chilli powder and fry for two minutes without letting the masala burn.
• Add tomato puree and cook for 3 minutes till all the ingredients are well blended.
• Add the beans, stir well till all are coated with the masala.
• Sprinkle a tb sp of water, cover and let it cook  in its own steam till the beans are tender but still crunchy.
• Take off the lid, add fresh coriander and toss well.
• Sprinkle the roasted pine nuts, toss and cook for a minute so that the flavour of the nuts blends with the beans.
• Enjoy with hot rotis,dinner rolls or rice and dal.

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 Note: This is a dish that I've tasted in a restaurant in Bangalore and tried to recreate following my taste buds. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  
  

Adraki Gobi Aloo /Cauliflower and potatoes with ginger

  

    Ingredients

  6 cauliflower florets
  2 medium size potatoes
  1 1/2" piece of ginger cut into julliens
  1/2 t sp haldi(turmeric) powder
  salt to taste
  chilli powder to taste
  coriander / cilantro for garnish
  2 tb sps cooking oil

   Method

• Wash and cut the cauliflower florets into four.
• Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into wedged and then cut into halves.
• Heat oil in a kadai or fry pan.
• Add cauliflower, potatoes and mix well with the oil.
• Lower heat, add haldi, chilli powder and salt and mix it well till evenly coated.
• Add ginger julliens, stir and cover with a tight fitting lid to cook in its own steam. Keep the flame low.
• Remove the lid and stir gently from time to time making sure that any drops of water on the lid fall back into the pan.If it looks dry, sprinkle a few drops of water and cover and cook till tender but not disintegrating.
• Remove the lid and let it fry gently till no water is left and the oil begins to separate.
• It should be quite soft but not mushy when done.
• Transfer to a flat dish and garnish with coriander leaves and ginger julliens.
• Enjoy with hot roties or rice and dal.

Bhindi Do Pyaza (okra with onions)

Ingredients

200 gms small tender bhindi (okra)
1 medium sized onion sliced thick
1 medium sized tomato sliced
1/2 t sp dhania( coriander) powder
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric) powder
chilli powder to taste
salt to taste
1/2 cup oil for frying



      Method

• wash, drain and dry the bhindi.
• trim both the ends and give a small slit length wise.
• heat oil in a frypan and fry bhindi in two batches till golden brown.Drain out the excess oil on a kitchen towel.
• remove excess oil from the fry pan to be used later, leaving 11/2 tb sps in the frypan.
• add sliced onions and fry till just turning golden.
• Add sliced tomatos and fry for 3 minutes.
• add dhania, haldi,and chilli powder and fry till the raw smell goes.
• add the fried bhindi and mix well without breaking it.
• add salt and mix it gently and cover with a loose lid for 2 minutes.
• take the lid off and fry for another 3 minutes turning the bhindi gently.
• transfer the bhindi to a dish and garnish it with ginger julliens.
• serve with hot rotis or rice and dal.

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