Aloo Paratha

Ingredients:
Chapati flour
Salt to taste
Water as needed

For the Stuffing

• 3 large boiled potatoes and mashed

• ½ Onion finely chopped

• 1 Tomato finely chopped

• 1 tsp Ginger and Garlic paste

• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

• ½ tsp Cumin powder

• ½ tsp Coriander powder

• Red chili powder to taste

• Oil

• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Dough
In a large bowl take chapati flour add salt. Now add water little by little and mix to a firm-ish dough, adding more water if necessary.Knead for about 5 minutes, cover and leave to rest for a further 10 minutes.


Stuffing
In a pan heat 1-2 tbs of oil. Add chopped onion and fry until gets translucent (do not need to make the onions brown).Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 -2 minutes then add tomato and saute for again 1-2 minutes.Now add turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt.Fry the mixture until oil starts to come out.Now add mashed potatoes and give a good mix. Remove the potato masala from heat and keep aside.


Making Paratha
Now cut or break the dough into small ball size pieces  Place a ball on a floured surface, press to a disc then roll out to 2-3″ in diameter.Place a ball of the potato masala mixture in the middle of the paratha. Fold up the sides to make a giant ball. Turn the paratha over and gently roll out to about 4-5″ diameter.Heat a flat pan over a medium heat. Put the paratha on the pan and cook for 1 minute. Turn over and cook for about 1 minute on the other side.While the paratha is cooking on the second side brush it lightly with oil or melted butter/ghee. After you flip the paratha brush the other side with oil/ghee/butter.Continue to cook the paratha for a further 2-3 minutes, turning from time to time until the outside is brown and slightly crispy.
Serve hot with raita or pickle.

Dahi Bhindi

Ingredients:
200 gm Okra
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Coriander powder
1 Tsp Cumin powder
1/2 Cup Yogurt
1 Tsp Mustard seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida
8-10 Curry leaves
Handful of chopped Coriander leaves
Red chili powder to taste
2 Whole Red chilies
Salt to taste
Oil

Preparation:
Remove the top and nail portion of okra and cut into 1 inch pieces. Now add cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt to the okra and mix it well.
In a pan heat 1 to 2 Tbs oil, fry the okra until it gets soft and brown.
In a bowl beat yogurt with some water. Do not make the yogurt too thin or not too thick. Keep in mind that after adding the okra the yogurt will get thick. Add some red chili powder and coriander leaves and mix it well.
Now add the fried okra to the yogurt and give a good mix.
In the same pan(which used for frying okra) heat up 1 tbs of oil, add whole red chili and mustard seeds.
After the mustard seeds splutter, add asafoetida then add curry leaves.
Add this tempering to the okra and yogurt mixture.
Serve dahi bhindi with rice or chapati.

Manda Pitha or Modak

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

1 1/2 cup water

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 cup jaggery or to taste

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cardamom powder

Preparation:

For the filling, in a non-stick pan, add grated coconut and jaggery and cook over a slow flame till the jaggery melts, then add cottage cheese or paneer and mix until the mixture comes together. Add the cardamom powder and mix well.

In another non-stick pan boil the water. Add little salt in the boiling water and stir. Reduce the flame, add the rice flour while stirring continuously.

Whisk well so that no lumps remain. Cover with a lid and keep aside for about 5 minutes.Grease your palms with a little oil and knead the dough while it is still warm; if the dough cools it will get lumpy.Make even size small balls of the dough using oil. with the palm make a big hole out of the ball.Or you can roll the ball out to around 3 inch diameter.Add a spoonful of the filling into the dough.Bring all the ends together and press to seal. Prepare a steamer by adding water, a teaspoon of oil and heat it till the water comes to a boil. While the water is simmering, place the pithas on a greased steamer plate and steam for 6 to7 minutes.Once the pithas are cooked they will turn translucent.

Individual Cheese Cake

Ingredients:
Crust:

1 Cup graham wafer crumbs or crushed digestive biscuits (I used sunfest biscuit crumbs)

1 Tbs granulated white sugar

2 Tbs butter melted

Filling:

2 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and place oven rack in the center of the oven.

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. 

For Crust:

In a small bowl combine the crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press a heaping tablespoon of crumbs onto the bottoms of the 12 muffin cups. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For Filling: 

In the bowl of your electric mixer beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy and smooth. 

Add the sugar and beat until combined.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. 

Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and beat until incorporated.

Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and evenly divide the filling among the 12 muffin cups. 

Bake for about 18 - 22 minutes or until firm but the centers of the cheesecakes still wobble a little. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. 
Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose flour

1 cup White sugar

1 cup Brown sugar

1 tsp Baking soda

2 Eggs at room temperature

1 cup Butter at room temperature

2/3 cup Coco powder

1 cup Semi sweet chocolate chip cookie

1/2 cup Walnut chopped (optional)

1 tsp Vanilla essence 

1/4 tsp Salt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375° F 

In a bowl mix all purpose flour, coco powder, baking soda and salt.

In an another bowl cream butter and white sugar with a hand mixer, add brown sugar beat the mixture until gets creamy.

Add vanilla essence and mix again, then add egg one at a time and mix.

Now add the dry ingredients in three parts and mix.

At last add chocolate chips and walnut and mix it properly.Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire 

racks to cool completely. 

Toor Dal With Raw Papaya (Bhanda Harada Dali)

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Toor Dal
1 Tomato cut into cubes
1 Cup Papaya Cubes
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Tsp Panch Phutan
2 Whole Red chilly
1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder
Oil for tempering 
Salt to taste
Water as needed

Preparation:

In a pressure cook add water, dal, papaya, tomato, salt and turmeric, then pressure cook for 3 whistles.

In a pan, heat oil on medium heat.

Once the oil is hot add the Panch phutan and allow them to splutter.Add red chilly and fry for 30 seconds, here you can add onion also and cook till the onions gets translucent. Lower the flame and add cooked dal from the pressure cooker to the pan, add cumin powder. Increase the flame once again and allow the dal to come to a boil.
Serve hot with rice, chapati.

Chandrakanti

Ingredients:
2 Cup Yellow moong daal
1/2 Cup Rice
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
Pinch of Cardamom powder
Oil for fry

Preparation:
Soak moong dal and rice in separate bowl for at least 2 hours.
Make coarse paste of moong dal and rice separately. Do not add too much water. Grind these to thick paste consistency, then mix both and keep it aside.
Boil water in a deep dish equivalent to moong dal and rice paste, with sugar. Add cardamom powder.
Once the water get boiled reduce the heat to medium and slowly add on the moong dal paste.
In this point you have to stir the mixture constantly, until it becomes thick.
One way to check that the paste is done: check it with wet fingers and if it does not stick, then remove it from heat.
Grease a plate with some oil or ghee(Clarified butter) and spread the mix evenly. Let the mixture cool down completely.
Now cut into your desired shape.
Heat oil for frying and fry the cut shapes in a low flame till they are golden brown. 

Pizza Dough( Flour and Whole Wheat)

           

                 Flour Pizza Dough                                          Wheat Pizza Dough

Ingredients: 

For Whole wheat pizza Crust:

1 cups warm water

1 package (2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast

2 cups whole wheat

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

For basic pizza Crust:

1 cups warm water
1 package (2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation:
In a bowl add warm water. Sprinkle on the yeast and let that sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir to dissolve completely if needed at the end of 5 minutes.

In a large bowl mix in the olive oil, flour/ wheat, salt and sugar.  Add water to the flour mix and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If the dough seems a little too wet, sprinkle on a bit more flour.

Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover with damp cloth. Let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you don't have a warm spot in the house you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn off the oven. Let the oven cool till it is just a little warm, and then place the bowl of dough in this warmed oven to rise.

After 1 hour remove the damp cloth from the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a bit. Divide the dough in three parts. Form round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with damp cloth and let sit for another 1 hour (or several hours longer, a longer rise will improve the flavor). 

At this point, if you want to make ahead, you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

For whole wheat pizza crust roll the dough slightly thinner then the flour crust pizza.

Cake Pop

Ingredients:

Vanilla Cake(baked and cooled)

2-3 Tbs Vanilla Butter cream Frosting

Lollipop Sticks (I use the skewers cut into half)

1 Cup of semisweet chocolate chips

Large Block of Styrofoam or Florist Foam (for drying cake pops)

Candy sprinkles

Preparation:

Bake the Vanilla Cake and let it cool completely. Then, in a large bowl,crumble the cake into small crumbs by hand.

Using your hands stir in just enough frosting to hold the mixture together. If you add too much frosting the cake balls will be soggy. Too little frosting and the cake balls will fall apart, especially when dipped. So add the frosting gradually and really work into into the cake crumbs, as the amount you need totally depends on the type and texture of your cake.

Roll the mixture into golf ball sized rounds. Place the cake balls on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. After forming the cake balls, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until they are firm, but not frozen. 

Once the cake balls are cold, it is time to melt the chocolate chips. 

You can do this in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. 

If using the microwave, place the candy melts in a microwaveable bowl and heat on medium for about 1 minute. Stir and continue to heat on medium, at 20 second intervals, until the candy melts evenly. If the melted candy is too thick, gradually stir in about 1/2 - 1 tablespoon flavorless oil. You want it to flow easily from your spoon. (This prevents the candy coating from being too thick, which makes the cake balls hard to dip and may cause cracking.) At this point you may want to transfer the melted candy coating to a small deep bowl so when dipping the cake pops they can be completely submerged.

Remove the cake balls from the refrigerator and one by one, dip the sticks about 1/2 inch into the melted chocolate and then insert about halfway into the cold cake balls (the melted candy acts like a glue). Don't insert the sticks all the way through the cake balls or they will crack.Before you starting dipping the cake balls have a large thick block of Styrofoam (or florist's foam) on hand to stick the cake pops in for drying.

Then, one by one, dip the cake pops straight down into the melted candy coating.Dip, don't roll, the pops completely into the coating. Rolling can cause crumbs to get into the coating. Then lift the cake pops out of the coating and let the excess coating run off, turning the pop so you get an even coating of candy. You can also very very gently tap the stick on the side of the bowl to help with this. At this point you can sprinkle the still wet candy coating with candy sprinkles, sanding or sparkling sugar, edible pearls or glitter, chocolate jimmies, finely chopped nuts, crushed cookies, dried coconut, or even crushed candy. 

The cake pops need to dry upright, so gently insert the end of the stick into the Styrofoam and let dry or refrigerate it to speed up the freezing process. Once dry, the cake pops can be covered and stored, at room temperature or in the refrigerator, for about 3-4 days.

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:

Salt – 1/8th tsp

Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp

Baking Powder – 1 tsp

Unsalted Butter – 4 tbsp, softened

Sugar – 1 cup

Large Eggs – 2

Warm Milk – 1/2 cup

Vanilla Essence – 2 tsp

All purpose Flour- 1.25 cup

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.

Butter the sides and bottom of the baking tray and lightly dust with Flour and remove excess.
Mix and Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream the Butter and Sugar together on low speed with a hand blender.
Once creamed, break in the Eggs into the batter and incorporate well.
Add in the Vanilla Essence and mix.
Add in the sifted dry ingredients and the Milk alternately in the batter.
Beat till it is all done and incorporated well into a smooth batter.
Once done, take out of the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes, loosen the edges and then flip onto a cooling rack.
Serve warm or allow to cool and store for a later time.
In a bowl, sift all the dry ingredients – Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt.
In the loaf pan, pour the batter.
Bake for 40-45 min. Insert a toothpick to make sure it is baked.

Healthy Spinach and Egg Pizzetta

Ingredients:

1 very large handful spinach

1 tablespoon Sour cream
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small handful grated Parmesan
1 large golf-ball-sized piece pizza dough
1 small egg
1 small handful grated Mozzarella 
1-2 Mushroom thinly sliced
1/2 Tomato seeded
Flaky sea salt and black pepper

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to its highest setting (500°F or above). At the same time put a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven to heat up.
Now you need to blanch your spinach. Take a very large handful (spinach reduces in volume dramatically when cooked) and plunge the leaves into boiling salted water for one minute.
Remove the spinach and plunge into ice-cold water. Squeeze dry and finely chop what will now be a smaller handful. 
Add the sour cream, garlic, parmesan, mushroom, a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix together to form a deep-green paste.
Roll the dough out to around 8 inches in diameter. (If using whole wheat dough try to roll it thin)
Evenly spread the spinach mixture over the pizza base making sure it is slightly raised at the edges, creating a tiny wall. Now put the tomato and sprinkle mozzarella cheese. Crack an egg into the center and place on your pizza stone in the oven for 6–8 minutes.
One minute before your pizza is ready, sprinkle over little Parmesan and  black pepper.
Please don’t overcook. It is essential that the egg is runny when served.

Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbs Butter
1 1/2 Tbs All purpose flour
1 Cup Broccoli
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, and mix in the flour. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Mix in the chicken stock and milk, and season with salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 10 minutes.(Simmering is important neither the cheese get curdled.)
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the broccoli in the boiling water, and cook 2 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
Gradually mix the Cheddar cheese into the large pot until melted. Mix in the broccoli. Continue cooking about 5 minutes.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

2 Lb Chicken(Bone/ Boneless)

1 Large onion thinly sliced

1Tsp Cumin seeds

½Tsp Turmeric

1Tsp Chili powder

1Tsp Coriander power

1Tsp Garam Masala

1 ½ Tbs Garlic

½ Tbs Ginger

1 Jalapeni chili

1 ½ Tsp Tomato paste

Salt to taste

Oil

Preparation:
Brown the onions in oil then add 1 cup water and pressure cook for 3 to 4 mins.
Add chicken, add cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, coriander power and garam masala. 
Add freshly crushed garlic, ginger and jalapeno chili crushed. 
Cover and cook till all the water dries up.
Add tomato paste and mix, Then add ¾ to 1 cup water, bring it to boil. 
Add fresh coriander and turn the heat off. 
Serve with steamed rice or chapati or naan.

Recipe courtesy: Bajias Cooking

Baigana Bharta

Ingredient:
1 Large Eggplant

1 Potato boiled

Handful of frozen peas

1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds

1 medium size Onion

1 Tomato 

2-3 Gralic cloves crushed

1 Inch Ginger crushed

1 Tsp Cumin powder

1 Tsp Coriander powder

1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder

Red chili powder to taste

Salt to taste

Mustard oil

Preparation:
Wash, pat dry and prick eggplant. Apply mustard oil over the eggplant.
Roast them over open flame or in a preheated oven of 400 degree until the skin scorches and starts peeling off and eggplants start to shrink.Let them cool. 
Remove skin and mash the pulp completely with the boiled potato. Add salt to taste.
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds. Cook for half a minute and add onions and saute until translucent.
Add ginger and garlic and cook for a minute. Add red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder .
Add tomatoes and cook on medium heat for seven to eight minutes or till oil separates. 
Add mashed eggplant and potato mix then add green peas. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or chapati.