Aloo Masala

Ingredients:
1. Potatoes - 3 (medium-sized, parboiled)
2. Mansoor dal - 1 cup
3. Oil or ghee - 2 tbsp
4. Onion - 1 (chopped)
5. Tomato - 1
6. Garlic cloves - 4 to 5
7. Ginger and garlic paste - 1tbsp
8. Green Chillies - 4 to 5
9. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Kokum - 2 tbsp
11. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

12. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
13. Curry leaves - few
14. Water - 2.5 cups
15. Salt to taste

Method:
Place a cooker on medium flame. Pour oil. When oil gets hot, add mustard seeds. When it stops splutting, add cumin seeds. Add chopped onions, fry till it turns light golden. Add ginger, garlic paste, saute for a minute. Add chopped garlic, curry leaves, and saute for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes, fry the mix till it leaves oil. Add turmeric powder and slit green chillies, fry for 10 to 15 seconds. Increase the flame, add water and bring it to a boil. Add dal and add salt to taste. Now, add kokum.
Close the lid, lower the flame to medium setting. Cook till three pressures and then add in the potatoes. Mix well and check for seasoning. Simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes and remove from gas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fried onions and malai and serve hot.

Cashewnut Cake

Ingredients:
1. Cashewnut - 200 g
2. Sugar - 200 g
3. Ghee - 150 g
4. Water - Half a cup





Preparation:
->Take a non-stick tava and pour half a cup of water, add 200 g of sugar and mix it well.
->Wait till sugar gets dissolved in water and add cashew nuts in it, then mix it well.
->After getting cooked, add it with ghee and shake the well.
->Then put this mixture in a plate applied with ghee and serve it.

Mushroom Omlette

Mushroom Omlette
Ingredients :
1. Eggs-4 nos
2. Small onion-10 nos
3. Button mushroom-4 tablespoons (chopped).
4. Mustard powder-1 pinch.
5. White pepper powder- ½ teaspoon.
6. Butter-2 tablespoons.
7. Salt to taste.

Preparation:
Take a bowl and add four eggs, finely chopped onions, mustard powder, pepper powder and salt then beat it well. Take a frying pan, bring it to heat and add one tsp of butter. Then add finely chopped mushroom and saute on high flame after 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from flame and mix this fried mushroom and onion mixture together. Take a tava and heat half a tsp of butter and pour this egg and mushroom mixture, spread it when it is cooked flip the egg on other side wait till it get cooked (2 to 3 minutes). Do the same with the remaining mixture. Mushroom Omlette is ready serve it hot.

Christmas Cake

Ingredients:
1. Maida flour - 2 cups
2. Melted butter - 1 cup
3. Sugar - 1.25 cups
4. Baking powder - 1.25 cups
5. Sodium bi-carbonate - 1/4 tsp
6. Walnuts - 2 cups (chopped)
7. Semisweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips mixed together - 1.5 cups


Preparation:
Grease and flour an oven-proof round cake tin. Sift together the flour, baking poder, soda and set aside. Grind the sugar in a food processor and then add the sour cream and beat well. Mix in the butter and blend the mixture well so that it is mooth. The texture of your cake will depend a lot on how well you can blend this mixture. Remove this to a large mixing bowl. Add the flour mixture a little at a time into this mixture, stir constantly so that no lumps form. Blend the flour well into the sour cream and sugar mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips and the walnuts and blend well. Pour into a prepared baking tin and bake in a per-heated oven at 180 degree for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to around 140 degree and until a skewer when inserted in the centre comes out clean. You can serve this cake without any decoration. Allow the cake to cool, cut into slices and serve. Or spread some ready-made strawberry icing or any icing of your choice and decorate with fresh fruits or chocolate chips.

Tomato Uttapam

Ingredients:
1. Maida - 1 cup
2. Semolina - 1/2 cup
3. Sour Curd - 1 cup
4. Chillies - 5 or 6 (chopped)
5. Coriander leaves - 4 tbsp (chopped)
6. Onions - 1 cup (chopped)
7. Tomatoes - 2 (sliced)
8. Oil for fry
9. Salt to taste

Preparation:
Mix the maida, semolina and salt together. Make a smooth batter using the curd and some water if required. Mix in the green chillies, coriander and onions. Heat a non stick tawa and spread a portion of bater on it, like a pan cake, fry on both sides using oil. Finely press a few tomato slices into one side and serve hot with coconut chutney.

Spicy Paranthas

Ingredients:
1. Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Ghee - 1 tbsp
3. Salt - 1/2 tsp

For Stuffing:
1. Green Peas - 1.5 cups
2. Green chillies - 3 in nos
3. Ginger - 1 piece
4. Asafoetida - a pinch of hing
5. Ghee - for frying paranthas
6. Salt to taste


Method:
For making stuffing:
Make a paste of the peas, green chillies and ginger. Heat the oil in a pan and add the hing. Fry the peas paste and mix in the salt.

For making dough:
Mix the salt and ghee with the wheat flour. Add water and knead into a soft dough. Take a small portion of the dough, flattern a little and put a little peas mixture in the centre. Draw the edges over the centre, press on a board and roll out into a round. Put the parantha on a hot tawa, cook for a minute and fry on both sides using ghee. Repeat with the rest of the dough and serve hot.

Tasty Pea Curry

Ingredients:
1. Green Peas - 100 gm
2. Ghee - 1 tbsp
3. Onion - 1 (well chopped)
4. Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tbsp
5. Tomatoes - 2 in nos
6. Cream - 1/4 cup
7. Phool makhana - 5 to 10 in nos
8. Paneer - 1/4 cup (cubes)
9. Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
10. Raisins - 1 tbsp
11. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Garam masala - 1 tsp
13. Salt for taste

For Garnishing: Coriander leaves.
Method:
Boil the peas and chop the tomatoes. Heat the ghee in a pan and brown the chopped onions. Add chopped tomatoes, ginger, garlic paste, red chilli and garam masala. Cook till dry. Add 1/2 cup of water and bring it to a semi-dry consistency. Then add the peas, paneer, salt the dry fruits and a little water. Cook for a few minutes. Mix in the cream and serve hot. Garnish with green coriander leaves.

Tomato Pizza

Ingredients:
1. Pizza bases - 2 in nos
2. Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup
3. Tomato Sauce - 1/2 cup
4. Tomatoes - 2 large
5. Jalapenoes - 10
6. Cheese - 1/2 cup (grated)
7. Pepper to taste
8. Salt to taste


Method:
Peel the tomatoes and cut into pieces. Mix the tomatoes puree and tomato sauce. Spread the tomato pieces on the top. Sprinkle the salt and pepper. Arrange the jalapenoes. Top with the grated cheese. Bake in a hot oven till the cheese melts. Serve hot.

Pea Pakodas

Ingredients:
1. Soacked moong dal - 1/2 cup
2. Peas - 1/2 cup
3. Ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Urad dal - 1 tbsp (soaked)
5. Curd - 400 gm
6. Red chilli powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp
7. Cumin seed powder - 1 tsp (roasted)
8. Sweet chutney
9. Oil for frying
10. Salt to taste



Method:
Pass the curds through a sieve and mix in the salt and red chilli and cumin seed powders. Keep aside. Grind the peas and dals into a fine paste and mix in the ginger powder. Fry spoonfuls in oil till the pakoras are crisp and golden. Remove and soak in water containing salt. Press out the excess water after 3-4 hours and place in the curd. Serve it with sweet chutney.

Chinese Chopsuey

Ingredients

1. French beans - 1 cup (cut into long pieces)
2. Carrot - 1 cup (cut into long pieces)
3. Lotus stem - 1/2 cup (cut into diagonal pieces)
4. Zucchini - 1 (cut into thin circles)
5. Vegetable stock - 300 ml
6. Chilli sauce - 1 tsp
7. Agino mato - 1/2 tsp
8. Noodles - 2 cups (deep fried and crispy)

Method

Par cook the vegetables in salted water till just tender but not over cooked. You could boil the lotus stem separately so that all the dirt can be removed. Place all the par boiled vegetables in a large sized pan. Add the vegetables stock and one cup of water and bring the soup to boil. Mix in the chillies sauce and the agino mato and allow the soup to simmer with the vegetables for two minutes. Remove and place in a deep serving dish. Top with the fried noodles and serve at once. You could place the prepared soup in individual bowls and top with crispy fried noodles over each portion.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
1. Pumpkin Pulp-2 cups
2. Flour-2.5 cups
3. Baking Powder-1 tsp
4. Baking Soda-0.5 tsp
5. Cinnamon powder-1 tsp
6. Sugar-1cup
7. Butter-3/4 cup
8. Sour curd-1.5 cups (thick)
9. Lukewarm water-3 to 4 tsp
10. Cashewnuts-3 to 4 tbsp (broken)
11. Orange rid-1 tsp (fine pieces)

Method:
To obtain the pumpkin pulp:
Peel, deseed and cut the pumpkin into one inch pieces. Place these on an oven-proof tray and bake in a oven at 180 degree for 20 to 25 minutes. Scrape out and mash the flesh. Combine together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Cream the sugar, butter and the curd to blend well. Use a food processor for this. The batter should be smooth and fluffy. Remove to a mixing bowl and add the pumpkin pulp and the water. Slowly mix in the flour mixture, stirring all the time so that no lumps form. Add the nuts and the orange rind. Grease a loaf pan. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake in an oven for about 45-50 minutes at 180 degree or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool on before removing from the oven. Cut into slices and serve with a cup of hot tea.

Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:
1. Besan - 1 cup
2. Milk - 1 cup
3. Grated coconut - 1 cup
4. Sugar - 2.5 cups
5. Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
6. Ghee - 1 cup
7. Strawberry crush - 2 tbsp
8. Strawberries chopped - 1/4 cup
9. Mixed dry fruits - 2 tbsp (chopped)


Method:
Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry besan till it turns lightly golden in color. Add the remaining ingredients except the cardamom powder. Keep stirring it till it leaves the sides of the pan (approximately 15 minutes). Add the cardomom powder and remove it from the stove, add in the strawberry crush and half the fresh strawberries, mix well. Spread on a greased plate and cut into pieces. Garnish with nuts and serve it warm.