Parshe Maacher Jhal

Ingredients–

• 100 gm brinjal
• 15 gm tomato
• 5 green chillies
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 20 gm black and yellow mustard seeds, soaked for 2 hours
• 10 pieces boris (lentil dumplings)
• 4 tbsp mustard oil
• 1/4 tsp nigella seeds
• 2 tbsp beaten yogurt
• 400 gm parshe maach

Method –

1. Coat the fish with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 3/4 tsp salt
2. Set aside for 15 minutes
3. Grind the soaked mustard seeds, 2 green chillies and 80 ml water into a very fine paste
4. Cut the brinjal into 5cm long pieces
5. Roughly chop the tomato
6. Heat 35 gm mustard oil till the colour changes to pale yellow
7. Fry the boris till brown in colour and set aside
8. Fry the brinjal till golden and set aside
9. Fry the fish lightly and set aside
10. If the same oil is not too burnt, add nigella seeds (otherwise, use fresh oil)
11. Add the chopped tomatoes
12. Add 3 green chillies, sauté for 2 minutes
13. Now, add the mustard paste
14. Sauté for 4 minutes on medium heat
15. Add turmeric powder and salt
16. Add a splash of water and continue frying
17. Fry for about 6 minutes
18. Add the beaten yogurt and cook on low flame till oil separates
19. Add 300 ml hot water
20. Allow it to come to a boil
21. Add the boris and fried brinjal
22. Simmer on medium heat for 2 minutes
23. Add the fried fish and make sure the fish is submerged
24. Simmer on low flame for 5 minutes
25. Switch off the heat
26. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and drizzle 1 tsp raw mustard oil

Prawn Biryani

Ingredients–

• 300 gm basmati rice
• 3/4 packed cup chopped mint leaves
• 3/4 packed cup chopped coriander leaves
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 4” piece cinnamon, broken
• 2 bay leaves
• 75 gm onion, finely chopped
• 3 green chillies
• 1.5 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 2.5 tsp + 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 tbsp red chilli powder
• 1 heaped tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup fresh tomato purée
• 100 gm tomatoes, chopped
• 450 gm medium prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1.5 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• 3 tbsp thick coconut milk
• Salt to taste

Method –

1. Wash, rinse the rice 2-3 times and let it soak in water for 1 hour
2. Drain the rice after 1 hour and set aside
3. Place a saucepan over medium heat, add rice and 6 cups of water
4. Let water come to a boil, after 5-6 minutes of cooking, add 2 tsp salt and cook for another 5 minutes. Rice should be soft but not overcooked. Drain and set aside
5. Soak mint and coriander leaves in water
6. Pour oil and 2.5 tsp into a large wok over medium heat
7. When hot, add cardamoms and cinnamon
8. Add bay leaves and stir
9. Add onions and sauté till translucent, about 1 minute
10. Add green chillies, garlic, ginger
11. Add chilli powder and turmeric powder
12. Add the tomato purée, diced tomatoes and salt to taste
13. Continue to cook till the tomatoes are soft
14. Squeeze out the water from the mint and coriander leaves
15. Add the leaves to the masala
16. Once the oil separates, add prawns and coat with the masala
17. Add 1.5 cups of water, mix well, reduce the heat and cook, covered
18. Remove from heat after about 10 minutes
19. Combine the lime juice, sugar, yogurt and coconut milk and stir into the prawn mixture
20. Divide the drained rice and prawn curry into 3 parts
21. Layer 1 part of the curry mixture into a pan, spreading it across the bottom of the pan. Then layer 1 part of rice on top of the curry. Repeat this 2 more times, to build 3 layers of each
22. Spoon 1 tbsp ghee into the Biryani.
23. Cover the pot tightly, return to very low heat for 5 minutes.
24. Serve hot with a raita.

Alu Raita (Potato Yogurt Relish)

Ingredients–

• 2 cups boiled potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups yogurt
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
• 2 tsp roasted cumin seeds, powdered
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• A few mint leaves to garnish

Method –

1. Beat the yogurt till smooth
2. Add salt and black pepper powder
3. Add cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander leaves, potatoes and mix well
4. Garnish by sprinkling red chilli powder, cumin powder and mint leaves

Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients–

• 250 gm cooked chicken
• 10 slices white/brown bread
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 1 finely chopped green capsicum
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or more if required

Method –

1. Add 2 tsp olive oil in a pan
2. Add garlic, onions and capsicum
3. Add the shredded chicken
4. Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
5. Mix well
6. Let the mixture cool
7. Add mayonnaise and chopped coriander leaves and mix well
8. Place spoonful of this mixture between 2 slices of bread
9. Do it for the remaining slices
10. Cut the sandwich diagonally and grill it if you want

Light Mutton Curry

Ingredients–

• 750 gm mutton
• 2 medium potatoes, cut in half
• 2 medium onions
• 15 garlic cloves
• 1” piece of ginger
• 2-3 green chillies
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 slit green chillies
• Salt to taste

Method –

1. Grind the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies with 2 tbsp water to a smooth paste.
2. Smear the potatoes with a bit of salt and turmeric powder
3. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker
4. Fry the potatoes till golden brown and set aside
5. In the same oil, add bay leaves, sugar and cumin seeds
6. Add the ground paste
7. Sauté till light brown in colour and oil separates
8. Add the mutton pieces
9. Mix well and cook for about 4-5 minutes on high flame
10. Add turmeric, red chilli powder and salt
11. Mix well
12. Add 1/2 cup water to the blender jar and pour the water on the curry
13. Keep the flame on high
14. Cook till the oil separates
15. Add 2 cups hot water and mix well
16. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and give 2 whistles on high heat
17. Put the flame on low and let it cook for 10 minutes
18. Once the pressure releases, add the potatoes, adjust salt if necessary, garam masala and slit green chillies and mix well
19. Close the cooker, give 1 more whistle and switch off the flame.

Chettinad Chicken Pepper Masala

Ingredients–

For the Masala Powder –

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 3 tbsp peppercorns
• 2 dry red chillies

Ingredients–

• 1 kg chicken
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp mixed whole spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom)
• 4 onions, chopped
• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 500 ml water
• 5 tsp Chettinad masala powder
• Curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method –

1. Dry roast all the ingredients for masala powder. Cool and grind to a fine powder. Set aside
2. In a pan, heat oil
3. Add whole spices and onions
4. Sauté till the onions turn brown
5. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 minutes
6. Add the tomatoes and sauté .
7. Once the tomatoes are soft, add turmeric powder and salt
8. Add the chicken pieces and cook till brown and the water has evaporated
9. Add warm water and let it boil
10. Cover and cook for 15 minutes
11. Add the ground masala
12. Cook until the moisture evaporates
13. Add curry leaves and mix
14. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes
15. Check for seasoning and turn off the heat

Cranberry Cake

Ingredients –

• 150 gm all purpose flour
• 120 gm castor sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 60 gm unsalted butter
• 70 ml milk
• 2 large eggs
• 60 gm dried cranberries

Method –

1. In a bowl, stir and combine all purpose flour, sugar, salt and baking powder
2. In another bowl, whisk milk, butter, vanilla essence and cranberries.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well
4. Grease and line a pan
5. Pour the mixture into the pan
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35 minutes

Seyal Maani (Sindhi Style Rotis in Green Masala)

Ingredients–

• 1 big bunch coriander leaves
• 7-8 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 green chilli
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 medium boiled potatoes
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp oil
• 10 leftover chapatis

Method –

1. In a grinder, add coriander leaves, garlic, chilli, tomato, masala powders , salt and a little water and blend to a fine paste
2. Crumble the boiled potato into the paste and set aside
3. Take a chapati, put about 2-3 tbsp of the paste, fold it in half and again fold to a triangle and set aside
4. Prepare all the chapatis this way
5. Heat a wide pan
6. Add the oil
7. Once the oil is hot, place all the prepared chapatis in the pan
8. Pour the left over paste over the chapatis and add 1 cup of water
9. Adjust seasoning
10. Put the pan on a tawa, cover with a lid and cook on low heat for about 3-4 minutes
11. The chapatis will soak the water
12. Serve hot

Burger Buns

Ingredients–

• 3/4 to 1 cup (170 to 227 ml) lukewarm water
• 2 tbsp (28 gm) butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 3.5 cups (418 gm) all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (50 gm) sugar
• 1.25 tsp (8 gm) salt
• 1 tbsp instant yeast

For Topping –

• 3 tbsp (43 gm) butter, melted
• 1 large egg white, whisked with 2 tbsp cold water (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Method –

1. Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients to make a soft smooth dough
2. Cover the dough and let it rise, until it has nearly doubled for 1 to 2 hours
3. Gently deflate the dough and divide into 8 pieces or it can be made slightly smaller too
4. Shape each piece into a ball
5. Flatten each dough ball until it is 3” across
6. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Cover and let rise until noticeably puffy, about an hour.
8. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 180°C
9. Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter
10. Bake the buns for 15-18 minutes, until golden or for smaller buns, bake for 12-15 minutes
11. Remove from oven and brush with remaining melted butter

Note – For seeded buns, brush with the optional egg white and cold water mixture, instead of the melted butter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake. Brush the buns with melted butter after baking.

Vegetable Quesadillas

Ingredients–

For the Tortillas–

• 3/4 heaped cup, all purpose flour
• 1/4 heaped cup, whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• Salt as required
• Warm water as required

For the filling –

• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup green capsicum, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1 cup tomato, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• Mozzarella cheese
• Sliced cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Mixed herbs and chilli flakes

Method –

1. Mix the flours, baking powder and salt in a bowl
2. Add olive oil and rub well
3. Gradually add warm water and knead to a smooth dough
4. Rest the dough for 15 minutes
5. Divide into 5-6 equal sized balls
6. Roll into thin discs, dusting with flour if necessary
7. Heat a pan and roast the tortillas on both sides in medium heat till half cooked
8. Remove from heat and keep covered with a kitchen towel
9. In the meantime, heat oil in a pan
10. Add minced garlic
11. Sauté for 10-15 seconds and add sliced onion
12. Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes
13. Add capsicum and corn
14. Sauté on high flame for about 2-3 minutes
15. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper
16. Cook on high flame for about 2 minutes and turn off the heat
17. Let the mixture cool down
18. Take a tortilla, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on one half
19. Top with vegetable mixture on top of the cheese
20. Sprinkle chilli flakes and mixed herbs
21. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the vegetables and top it with sliced cheese
22. Fold the tortilla carefully.
23. Heat a pan
24. Place the folded tortilla on the hot pan and press gently
25. Spoon a little oil from the sides and cook till a little crisp
26. Turn over and cook the other side
27. Transfer to a plate and cut into triangles.