Soya Chunks Pulav

1/4th Kg- Basmati Rice
20-25 Soya Chunks
1 medium sized onion finely sliced
½ cup – Fresh green peas
3/4th Tbsp- Thick curd
½ cup- carrot cut into cubes
One Large tomato chopped finely
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1 ½ tsp- Red chilli powder1/12 tsp- Ginger garlic paste
Oil/Ghee as required
Salt to taste
1 ½ “ cinnamon piece
1 Bay leaf
2 cloves, 2 cardamoms

Method

Wash Basmati rice in luke warm water and for 30 minutes. Boil water and add little salt to it cook the soya chunks on a medium flame for about 10 minutes,put off the flame, rinse the chunks with fresh running water, sqeeze dry and set aside. You can retain the chunk as it is or cut it to two pieces.
Boil 4-5 cups of water and add the soaked rice. Add Salt to taste
1 ½ “ cinnamon piece1 Bay leaf 2 cloves, 2 cardamoms Let it cook till almost done. Strain the water and now add ghee and mint leaves to it. Spread it out on a wide plate.
In a cooker add ghee/oil, add onions, one’s they are slightly fried, add ginger garlic paste, wait till the raw smell goes away. To this add tomatoes, one’s they turn mushy add, red chilli powder, green chilli and turmeric. Add curd, remaining mint leaves and fry for 2 more minutes, when the mixture becomes thick, add 1/4 cup wate, add green peas and carrots and cook it in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Add the soya chunks to the mixture and stir, let it cook for about two minutes
Now take a wide vessel, drizzle ghee/oil Add the cooked rice and mix evenly. Now cover with a lid, place something heavy on it and let it cook on a low flame for 5 -8 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Dum Aloo

INGREDIENTS
½ kg potatoes or 20 baby potatoes
4 cups of water to boil the potatoes
¼ tsp salt

For the gravy
3 tsp kashmiri red chili powder and 2tbsp water
½ tbsp ginger powder
1 tbsp saunf powder
1 tsp shah jeera
Garam Masala (grind 3 cloves, 1 Black cardamoms, 3-4 cloves, 5 black pepper)
½ cup of full fat curd, whisked till smooth
Water as required
5tbsp mustard oil for frying potatoes
salt as required

METHOD:
Wash the potatoes. Add water in a pan and add the potatoes, boil them on a medium flame
Till the potatoes are half cooked. (I pressure cooked them for two whistles), drain the water and peel the potatoes when cool. Now with a fork or a tooth pick poke holes in the potatoes all over, half them or keep them whole if they are small. Whisk the fresh full fat curd or yogurt till smooth and keep it aside, and in a small bowl add the kashmiri red chili powder and water, mix and stir well till you get a smooth paste. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add the parboiled peeled potatoes and fry them on a low flame, turn them over when they turn golden, remove and place them on a tissue paper. In the same pan remove the extra oil let 2 tbsp oil remain. Add asafoetida, stir well, add the red chilli and water solution, then add the beaten curd. Make sure that you stir or whisk continuously while adding the curd, to ensure that the curd does not split. Add water and continue to stir. Mix well. Now add the saunf powder. Add the ground garam masala, ginger powder and season with salt. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for about 10 minutes on a low flame. Dum Aloo most often comes with thick gravy, but you can increase the water depending on the consistency that you want. Your dum aloo is ready. Have it with roti/Naan or rice

Yakhni Lauki/ Bottle gourd with Yougurt based gravy

Ingredients
1 Bottle gourd /Lauki/Doodhi
1 small onion
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
2-3 Cardamom pods
½ tsp caraway seeds/ Shahjeera
2-3 cloves
1/2tsp Dry ginger powder
1 teaspoon Fennel/ Saunf Powder
1/4th TSp coriander powder
½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
Pinch of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)
150gms Curd (Yougurt)
Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the bottlegourd into small cubes, now in a pan add 1tbsp of oil and heat, add pieces of bottle gourd and fry them till they turn tender and brown, now remove and set them on a kitchen tissue. In the same pan add little oil/Ghee and add cloves, cinnamon stick, caraway seeds and saute until nice aroma comes out of it. Add finely sliced onions and fry till they turn translucent. Now add , coriander powder, red chilli powder and turmeric. Add water and bring it to a boil, add pieces of bottle gourd, dry ginger powder, fennel powder, hing and mix well. Add whisked yougurt and add it to the bottle gourd and combine them well. Cook it on medium flame and cook till you get the desired consistency. Add salt as required and simmer for a while. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Goes well with rice and roti

Tip : In case the curry turns very sour, add little cream or a pinch of sugar.

Mirchi Ka Saalan

Ingredients:

6 Green chilli (Big and large)
Deseed the chillies and keep aside
1/2 tbsp Red chilli powder
1/2 Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste
1/2 cup Tamarind Juice
Few curry leaves
Finely chopped coriander leaves
2Tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Masala for grinding

2 Onions (finely chopped)
2 Tsp Sesame seeds)
2 tbsp Poppy seeds 
2 tsp Peanuts
2 tsp cup Coconut powder
1 tbsp Cumin seeds 
1 tbsp Mustard seeds 
2 Dried red chilli 

Method

Add sesame seeds, groundnut, coconut powder, cumin seeds, mustard see and dry roast for a while , the grind them to a fine paste. Now fry the chillies in oil till they turn white and then keep aside. In the same oil add cumin and mustard seeds, one’s it crackles add red chillies, followed by curry leaves and then ginger garlic paste. After the raw smell of the ginger garlic paste is gone, add the ground paste followed by chilli, turmeric powder. Mix well, the add tamarind paste and let it cook till the oil is separated from the mixture. You can add little water. Add the fried chillies, coriander leaves and cover. Let it cook for about 10 minutes on medium flame. Make sure it does not burn. Now you’ll find thick gravy.
Your Mirchi ka Salan is ready.

Pepper Mutton

 Ingredients
1/2 kg Mutton
3 medium sized Onions
1 big finely chopped tomatoes
1tsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp pepper powder
Salt as per taste
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves finely chopped

For dry roast
Poppy seeds 1 tsp
Pepper corn 4 -5
Coriander seeds 1 tsp
Cumin 1 tsp
Cloves 3

METHOD :
Wash the mutton properly. Add 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and salt to the mutton and pressure cook it for 5 whistles. Drain the water and keep aside. Dry roast and grind all the spices listed under dry roast. Heat Oil add curry leaves and onions. Fry onions till they turn golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste fry till the raw smell is gone add tomatoes and mutton and cook on high flame till the tomatoes turn soft. Add the ground masala for few minutes then add the water kept aside. Bring it to a boil. . Cook till the gravy thickens and oil surfaces. Add the pepper powder. Give it a good stir. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Mutton Curry

INGREDIENTS
Mutton – 1 kg
Onion - 4 finely chopped
Tomato - 2 nos finely chopped
Ginger Garlic paste 2 tsp
Green chillies 5-6 ( Add more if your taste buds agree )
Turmericpowder- ½ tsp
Chilly powder- 3 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Curd – about 2 cups
Cinnamon 2” stick, cloves 6-8
Green cardamoms – 5 – 6 
Bay leaf – 2
(Khuskhus) - 2 tbsp (soak in warm water for 10 mins)
Coconut powder- 2-Tbsp
Saffron(soaked in 2 tbsp of warm milk) / Edible color- few strands
Salt - As required
Oil – 1cup
Coriander leaves for garnishing

METHOD: 
Wash and clean Clean mutton well.Drain the water completely. Marinate it with curd, red chilly powder, coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste and green chilies for about an hour or two. Now grind poppy seeds and coconut to a fine paste. Keep it aside.
Heat Oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add the whole spices, bay leaf and fry for a while., then add onions and fry till they turn translucent. Now add tomatoes and fry till they are soft. At this point add the marinaded mutton and mix well. Cover and cook on high heat for about 4-5 minutes, then cover it with a lid and let it cook on medium flame. Keep stirring occasionally. (You can prepare it in a cooker also)
Now add the poppy seeds-coconut paste and salt as required and mix properly. Add 2 cups of water, cover and cook till the mutton is tender and the consistency of gravy is your choice. Add garam masala and chopped coriander leaves. Just before you switch off the stove, add the saffron solution or color.
Can be an accompaniment to Rotis or plain rice

Mutton Biryani

Ingredients
Mutton 1 and a half kg
Basmati rice 1 kg
3 large onions finely sliced
Oil 2 cups
For Marinade
Yoghurt 2 cups
4 tbsp ground papaya paste to tenderise the meat
Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
1 tbsp chilly powder
1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp garam masala 1 pinch saffron strand
3-5 slit greenx chillies
3-4 tbsp lime juice
Coriander and mint leaves finely chopped
Salt as per taste

Method
Add the ingredients listed under marinade to the mutton and keep in in the fridge overnight or at least for 3 - 4 hours. Wash rice and soak it for 1/2 hour. Heat Oil and fry onions till golden brown. Keep it aside for garnishing. In a large vessel pour water add cloves cardamoms caraway seeds and salt. Bring it to a boil and now add the drained rice.cook till it's half done. Drain the rice and keep aside.
In a large vessel add the oil used for frying onions . Add the marinaded mutton now spread the half cooked rice on it. Spread the fried onions coriander and mint leaves. Cover the vessel and seal it with wheat dough. Place something heavy on the lid to ensure no steam escapes. Place the vessel on a tawa and let it cook on a low flame. After one and a half hour switch off the flame. Let the weight remain on the lid for half an hour. Your mutton biryani is ready. It can be accompanied by dahi chutney or Mirchi ka saalan

Crab Curry

1 kg Crabs clent
4. Onions medium sized- chopped finely
2 big ripe tomatoes- chopped finely
3-4 green chillies
Ginger, garlic & green chili paste – 1tbsp
1 tsp garam masala
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder ¼ cup
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coconut Milk- ½ tbsp

Method: In big container heat oil, fry onions till golden brown, after that add the ginger garlic chili paste & cook until raw flavor is gone. Now add turmeric, red chili, coriander powder & cook it by adding little water to the mixture. Make sure you don’t burn them. After the spices are cooked, add tomatoes (or tomato puree) and sauté for a while. Add garam masala. Add a cup of water and cook for about 10-15 minutes with a lid on. Now add the clean crabs, cover it with lid & cook it for 10 minutes. Now add the coconut mixture and cook for 5 minutes. This curry needs more chilly and salt. Cook it till you get your desired consistency. Garnish with coriander. It’s ready to eat.

Takka Tana Kasai/Lemon Grass concoction

INGREDIENTS
8-10 Lemon grass stalks (I have one growing in my yard)
1 tsp Black peppercorns
½ tsp Coriander seeds
Sunthi (Dry Ginger) 1” Alternatively you can use fresh ginger also (Prefer Sunthi)
1 tbsp Mishri ( Khadi Sakhar)sugar candy
Pich of turmeric powder
1 Litre Water

Method:
In a mortar crush peppercorns and, coriander. Heat water add the crushed spices and the remaining ingredients and lemon grass stalks (tie it) bring to boil, then simmer and boil for further 10 minutes. Strain the mixture.
Note: Shelf Life: One Day. Do not refrigerate.
Milk or Honey can be added if kids are being served.

Chicken Pickle

INGREDIENTS

Chicken: 1kg Boneless
Salt: 100 grams
Red Chilly Powder: 100 grams
Turmeric Powder: 2 tsp
Coriander Seeds: 100 grams
Poppy Seeds: 50 grams
Cashew: 50 grams
Ginger : 50 grams
Garlic : 50 grams
Small Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seed : 1/2 tsp
Cloves : 15
Cinnamon : 2 cm
Cardamom : 8-10
Lemon: 6 big
Oil: 1/2 kg

METHOD:
Cook the clean chicken pieces by adding 1tsp powder and ½ tsp salt. Let the water from chicken evaporate. Don’t add extra water.
Fry cashew on high flame for a minute. Ensure not to burn them. Set it aside. Now fry poppy seeds for a minute on high flame and set it aside. Now fry fenugreek and mustard seeds separately for a minute and set it aside. Fry cardamom, cloves and cinnamon on high flame and set aside. Fry the coriander seeds and set aside. Let all the items cool.
Now grind the fenugreek and coriander powder, then cashew and poppy seeds, then grind mustard and fenugreek seeds. All these should be ground finely. Same way grind the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom . Extract juice from 5 limes and keep aside.
Now grind ginger and garlic to a smooth fine paste

Now heat 1/4th Kg oil in a pan, add the boneless chicken to it. One’s they reach golden color, put them in a big bowl. In the same oil fry the ginger garlic paste for a minute on high flame, then switch off the flame and let the mixture remain in the pan.
Add chilli powder, salt, and all the powdered ingredients to the chicken. Now add ginger garlic paste with the oil, the add lime juice. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Now add the remaining 1/4th oil and one’s cool add it to the chicken mixture. Store it in an air tight container and refrigerate it for longer life.

Carrot Coriander Soup

Chop carrot and coriander finely. Boil them in 1glass of water. Let it come to half the water. Heat oil in a pan, add onion ones translucent add it to the carrot coriander mixture. Add salt and pepper and serve. In case of chicken pox or acidity avoid oil and onion frying.

Sweet Lassi

Sweet Lassi with a twist 😊 Blend yogurt and sugar in the blender, now it gets frothy . Grind kaju, badam , pista , add it along with cardamom powder and a scoop of ice cream of your choice to the yogurt mixture. (I used strawberry)Add crushed ice. I served it in a clay glass garnished with few dry fruits. You can add a bit of rooh Afza also 

Masala Crabs

Clean and cut the 750 gms crabs. Add 1/4th tbsp cumin powder, 1 tbsp anise powder, 1 tbsp pepper powder, 2tbsp coriander powder, 2 tbsp chilli powder, 1/4tsp turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and salt to taste. Mix it in the cleant crab and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan add 2 big chopped onions and fry till they turn translucent, add 2 vertically cut green chillies,now add 1/4th tsp ginger garlic paste, fry till the raw smell goes away. Add 2 big chopped tomatoes, cook till they turn mushy, add little chilli powder and salt, mix, now add the crab mixture, mix well. After about 5 minutes add about ½ glass of water and 1/4th cup of coconut milk. Cover with a lid. Mix well. One’s you get the desired consistency switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander.
For the extra spice

I used Kashmiri teekha laal mirchi powder.

Mutton Pickle

Mutton Pickle Recipe 1

Clean 1kg boneless mutton and cut into small bite sized pieces. Heat 250gms oil half of the oil in a pan and fry the mutton pieces till crisp and set aside. Now add another 250gms oil to a large vessel .Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, 1/2tsp mustard seeds,1/2tsp fenugreek seeds,1/2 tsp kalonji/ Onion seeds , about 5dried red chillies, ½ cup curry leaves and 2tbsp ginger-garlic paste. Fry them on low flame, immediately add Within few seconds add 3tbsp cumin and 3tbsp mustard seed powder,2tbsp dhania powder ( Optional) and 1tbsp tamarind extract or lime juice. Add 5tbsp red chilli powder, 1/2tbsp turmeric powder, Salt 1tsp, 1 cup vinegar and mix well. Cook till the oil surfaces. Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool. Transfer into a jar and refrigerate.

Mutton pickle recipe 2

 Roast 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, ½tsp fenugreek seeds, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 1/4th tsp kalaunji. Grind them into a fine powder and set aside. Wash and clean ½ kg boneless mutton properly and cut them to bite size pieces. Add juice of 2 limes , mix well and refrigerate for about 2 hours.After refrigeration, let it come to room temperature. Now add these mutton pieces into a pan. Add 1tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder and 1tsp salt. Mix well and close the lid. There is no need to add water, as the mutton would release water. Cook on low flame for about ½ an hour or till the mutton gets tender. Now cook on high flame till the the water gets dried up completely. Heat about 250gms of cooking oil to a pan. Add 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp fenugreek seeds and 5 whole dry red chillies. One’s t they turn brown, add 10-12 garlic cloves diced, handful of washed and dried curry leaves.  Add cooked mutton pieces and fry for about 4-5 minutes. Switch off the flame; now add 3 tsp salt, ground spice powder (coriander, mustard, fenugreek, cumin, kalaunji) Add 1 tsp garam masala powder and about 50 gms red chilli powder. Mix well. Allow it to cool, and then add juice of about 3 limes.