Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts

1 egg

1 tsp coriander powder

1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paster

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp pepper powder

2 tbsp corn flour

salt as required

bread crumbs as required

oil for frying

Method

1. Wash and cut chicken into desired shapes

2. Marinate chicken with coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste,chili powder,pepper pwd & salt

3. Keep it aside for 1 hour

4. Now beat one egg and mix half of egg mixture to chicken.

5. Mix corn flour + bread crumbs and coat chicken with this mixture. Keep it aside for 10 mins.

6. Now add rest of egg mixture to chicken and coat with bread crumbs.

7. Heat oil in a pan and fry chicken

Baked Chicken

Ingredients

2 lb chicken

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp sambal oelek paste

1 small cup of yoghurt

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper as required

coriander, onion and tomatoes for garnishing

Method

1. Mix all ingredients except the chicken and stir well.

2. Marinate the chicken with the above paste for 2 hours.

3. On the oven choose option "broil" and bake chicken until it is done.

4. Apply melted butter on the chicken to get the crispiness

5. Chop onions and tomatoes. Add little vinegar to enhance the taste.

6. Serve with mint chutney or raitha.

Kothu Paraatta

Ingredients

4 kerala porotta

1 lb cooked chicken breasts

2 big onions, chopped

4 green chilies, finely chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 eggs(optional)

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

1/4 tsp chili powder or paprika

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

salt as required

pepper as required

curry leaves

Method

1. Heat oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds start to splutter, add onion,

chili and curry leaves

2. Once the onion are sauteed, add ginger-garlic paste and let it saute for 2 mins. Add tomato

3. Then add porotta + chicken and fry for 3 mins

4. Now add eggs and mix everything well. Add salt and pepper

5. Finally add powders and roast it well.

6. If you have coriander leaves, can add them as well.

7. Serve with raitha

Aloo Palak

Ingredients
3 cups chopped spinach
2 large onions chopped
2 potatoes boiled and peeled
1 tomato grated
2 green chilies, slit
1" piece ginger
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp flour
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste



Method
1. Put the washed spinach in a pan, add very little water and a pinch of salt
2. Cover and boil for 2 minutes over medium flame. Cool quickly by holding under cold water
3. Blend the spinach along with green chili. Ensure the mixture is slightly coarse
4. Cut potatoes and fry in oil till they turn light brown
5. In a skillet, add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Once they splutter add ginger, garlic, onion and saute
6. Add tomato and saute till tomato turn soft
7. Now add spinach and potato. Cook for 5 minutes
8. When it starts boiling add flour, lemon juice and boil for 2-3 minutes

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients
1 can tomato sauce
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup water
salt to taste
2 tbsp flour


Method
1. In a pan add tomato sauce, all powders and water. Cook for 3 minutes
2. Now add flour and whisk well to avoid forming lumps. Cook for 10 minutes

Cheera / Spinach thoran

Ingredients
1/2 lb red spinach
2 onions, chopped
4 green chili, slit
4-3 garlic pods, minced
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup shredded coconut
1 tbsp roasted gram
curry leaves
salt to taste
oil to saute

Method
1. Heat oil in a skillet. Saute garlic, curry leaves and onion until they brown. Add salt to taste
2. Add spinach and turmeric powder. Cook for few minutes
3. Mix coconut to the spinach and cook well enough
4. Finally roast the dal and add to spinach
5. Serve with rice

Beef Enchilada

Ingredients
2 lb ground beef
4 tbsp flour
2 tbsp chili powder
3 tsp chili seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 large onion chopped
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp lemon-salt powder
10 corn tortillas
1 pkt mozarella cheese
oil as required


Method
1. Heat oil in a skillet. Add ground beef, onion and brown.
2. Add tomato sauce and a cup of water
3. Add all powders and mix well. Cook over medium heat. Add more water if gravy becomes too thick
4. Dip tortillas one at a time in the gravy. Ensure you don't soak too long else it will make tortilla too soft
5. Place cheese and beef in tortilla and roll them around the filling
6. Place in a baking dish in a row
7. Pour the remaining hot chili gravy over the tortilla and sprinke cheese
8. Bake at 350 F until cheese melts

Banana Cake

Ingredients

4 ripe plantain

2 cup all purpose flour / maida

4 tbsp butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of cardamom

nuts & raisins as required

Method

1. Mix all ingredients to make the cake batter.

2. Grease the baking dish with butter and pour the batter.

3. Add nuts & raisins last

4. Preheat the oven to 375 F and bake for 30 mins

Kaaju Burfi

Ingredients
2 cups cashew nuts
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp ghee

Method
1. Soak cashew nuts overnight
2. Blend cashew nuts, sugar and milk until the mixture has a medium consistency
3. Melt ghee in a pan and add the mixture to it
4. Stir until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan
5. Transfer the mixture to a tray and spread it using a spatula
6. Once it cools, refrigerate the burfi

Paal payasam

Ingredients

1 cup rice( usually white rice )
1 litre whole milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
sugar as required
cashews & raisins as required


Method
1. Wash & rinse rice until the water runs clear 2. In a large saucepan, boil milk and add rice to it
3. Lower the heat and keep stirring continuously else the mixture can get scorched
4. Now stir in sugar and cardamom powder
5. Once the rice is cooked, transfer the payasam to a bowl and add cashews + raisins

Banana Halwa

It was one of those days when the smell of over-ripe bananas drove me nuts. That's when i came across the halwa recipe. It reminded me of the halwas my grandma used to prepare during summer hols. So here is the recipe for all those halwa-lovers out there

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
1 cup whole milk
1 cup jaggery or powdered sugar
5 cardamom crushed
1/2 cup ghee or butter
Raisins & nuts as required

Method

1. Peel and mash bananas into small pieces. Remember if you are using plantain, make sure you steam them in a pressure cooker until they are well cooked
2. In a heavy bottom pan, boil milk with sugar until sugar melts completely. Then add bananas and keep stirring. Cook until the milk has been used up.
3. Stir cardamom powder into the above mixture. Add ghee so that the halwa leaves the sides of the pan
4. Keep stirring until the mixture turns little brown
5. Grease a glass plate or bowl with ghee and spread the mixture evenly
6. Decorate the halwa with raisins and cashews

Tuna Casserole

Ingredients
2 cups of macaroni
1 can of vegetable soup ( substitute with mushroom soup )
2 cans of tuna
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp ginger - garlic paste
1/4 cup milk
1 onion chopped
1/4 cup bread crumbs
butter as required

Method
1. Pan fry tuna with little oil
2. Cook macaroni as per the directions on the pack.
3. In a baking dish, mix, soup, tuna, macaroni, cheese, milk, ginger - garlic paste and onion
4. Add butter and bread crumbs over the mixture
5. Bake the dish for 45 minutes (375 F)

Kheema Korma

Ingredient
1 pound ground beef
8 - 10 garlic pods
2 - 3 tsp ginger
2 onions chopped
4 shallots
1 tomato
4 - 5 dried red chili
1 cup shelled peas
1 cinnamon stick
cloves & cardamom as required
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala powder or any meat seasoning
1 tsp sour cream
salt to taste
curry leaves chopped
coriander leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
oil as required


Method
1. In a large skillet, heat oil and add mustard seeds
2. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add dried chili,spices, garlic and ginger. Stir and when you can smell a nice aroma of ginger - garlic, add onions + shallots.
3. Add tomato when the onion turns translucent. Saute for couple of minutes
4. Add the powders and stir til it is roasted
5. Now add the ground beef and add water. Heat til the water has evaporated
6. Add peas and cook covered
7. Stir in cream and cook on low heat for 2 -3 mins
8. Garnish with coriander leaves
9. Serve with rotis

Stir fried almond chicken

Ingredients
1 pound boneless chicken
1 cup sliced almonds
1 capsicum sliced into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
oil as required

Method
1. Skin and cut chicken into thin strips
2. In a large skillet, heat oil and stir fry chicken and almonds for 8 - 10 mins
3. On reduced heat, add capsicum + ginger paste and cook until the chicken is no longer pink
4. In a bowl, combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and corn starch.
5. Add the above mixture to chicken and stir till mixture thickens. Cook well enough

Aloo Mattar

Ingredients

1 potato, cut into small pieces

1 cup peas

3 tomatoes

1 tsp ginger juliennes

2 green chilies, chopped finely

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp coriander powder

pinch of asafoetida

1 tsp chili-garlic paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sour cream

salt to taste

curry leaves

Method

1. Heat oil in pan and add cumin seeds

2. Once the cumin seeds start to splutter, add all the powder and stir for a minute

3. Now add tomatoes and ginger. Cook until the tomatoes turn soft

4. Now add potato and peas. Cook until the potatoes are tender

5. Turn off heat and add sour cream6. Serve with roti

Tomato chutney

Ingredients
2 cups tomatoes, sliced
4 green chilies, slit
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp corn flour
a pinch asafoetida (kayam / hing)
salt as required
curry leaves as required
1 tbsp oil


Method
1. In a pan, heat oil and once the oil is hot, add asafoetida and mustard seeds
2. Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add all powders except corn flour
3. Now add tomatoes and curry leaves. Cook covered for 10 mins
4. Now add cornflour with 2 tsp water and stir well so that no lumps are formed. Cook for 2 mins.
5. Transfer chutney into bowl

Aloo Paratha

Ingredients

Dough:
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup potato, boiled and mashed
4 green chilies, slit
1/2 tsp garam masala powder, roasted
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
salt as required
fistful of coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method
1. Prepare dough using the ingredients mentioned and set aside
2. In a bowl, mix ingredients for filling and knead well
3. Prepare small balls of dough and roll into the size of small thick pooris.
4. Now prepare small balls of filling and place into the rolled out dough.
Cover the filling using the sides of the dough as into a ball
5. Press lightly with palm and roll out into thick paratha
6. Heat a skillet and cook parathas with oil / butter
7. Serve with tomato chutney or curd and pickle

kaalan

Ingredients
2 ripe bananas (substitute with yam)
2 - 3 cups yogurt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3 green chillies

To grind
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/4 tsp cumin seeds

To season
3 dried red chillies
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp oil
curry leaves as required

Method
1. Grind the coconut and cumin seeds with very little water to form a smooth paste
2. In a large saucepan, cook the plantains along with turmeric powder, green chillies, salt & water
3. Add the ground coconut paste to the above mixture and let it cook for 8-10 mins.
4. Reduce the heat and add yogurt. Ensure it is mixed on very low heat else yogurt will curdle
5. In a pan, add oil and heat it.
6. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add dried chillies, fenugreek seeds and red chili powder. Saute it for a while. Pour this over the curd mixture
Serve with rice

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients

1/2 kg Cauliflower
5 - 6 pods of garlic
1/2 inch ginger
2 green chillies slit
1 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp ketchup ( substitute with tomato puree)

Batter

3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 tsp pepper powder
salt as required



Method
1. Wash and cut cauliflower into small pieces.
2. Boil in water until cauliflower is well cooked or tender. Strain and keep aside
3. For the batter, mix the batter ingredients, ginger - garlic paste and cooked cauliflower
4. In a skillet, heat oil and fry the cauliflower batter
5. In a sauce pan, heat oil and saute onion, bell pepper, ginger - garlic paste
6. Now add the sauces and the fried cauliflower. Stir on low heat for 2-3 mins. Serve hot

Kadala maavu appam

Ingredients

1 cup besan flour
1/2 cup wheat flour/atta
1 tbsp rice flour
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of asafoetida
5 green chilies, slit
salt to taste
oil to fry
curry leaves, chopped finely

Method

1. Mix all ingredients except for oil and add enough water to make a thick batter
2. Apply ghee/butter in vessel and pour batter into it
3. Steam for about 40 minutes until the appam is cooked well
4. Cool the appam and then fry it in oil
5. Serve with pickle

Omelette Dosa

Ingredients

2 cups dosa batter
4 eggs
3 green chilies, slit
salt as required
pepper as required
oil as required

Method

1. In a bowl, mix egg, green chili, salt and pepper. Blend well
2. Heat oil in a girdle and once the girdle is hot enough, spread a ladle ful of dosa batter
3. Pour a spoonful of egg batter onto the dosa before it's fully cooked. Spread it on dosa
4. Flip the dosa so it is cooked on both sides
5. Serve with coconut chutney

Banana Pancake

Ingredients

3 eggs( whites separated )
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
1 cup pureed banana
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of cinnamon or cardamom
oil for frying

Method

1. Beat egg whites and refrigerate
2. Prepare batter with flour, milk, pureed banana and egg yolks
3. Add cinnamon and vanilla essence. Mix well
4. Now add 4 tsp of egg white into pancake batter
5. Heat oil in pan and pour the batter
6. Make sure you flip the pancake once and cook well

Rava Uthappam

Ingredients

1 cup rava (semolina)
1 cup curd
1 small onion, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
4 green chilies, finely chopped
chili powder - as required
salt - as requiredc
oriander / curry leaves- as required

Method

1. In a bowl, mix 1 cup of rava, 1/2 cup of curd and water to prepare batter. Set aside for 20min
2. Meanwhile cut the veggies and set aside
3. Now mix the rest of the curd to the batter and stir well to get a smooth consistency.
4. Add the veggies ,powders to the batter and mix well
5. Heat a pan with oil and spread the batter on the pan.
6.Let it cook for sometime and then flip to the other side to cook simultaneously
When both the sides are well cooked serve with coconut chutney

Bread Pakora

Ingredients

5 bread slices
1 cup besan (gram flour)
1 tbsp rice flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida
4 green chilies, slit
1/4 tsp red chili powder
few curry leaves, chopped finely
oil to fry

Method

1. Slice off the bread crusts and cut the bread lengthwise into 2 parts
2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except oil. Add water to form smooth batter
3. Heat oil in a pan, dip the bread slices into the batter and drop into frying pan
4. Flip the bread slices so that both the sides are cooked
5. Serve with tomato sauce

Indian Nachos

Ingredients

1 pkt corn tortilla chips
1 potato, boiled and sliced
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 green chilies, chopped finely
fistful coriander leaves, chopped finely
salt - as required

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Add in the green chilies and saute for a while
2. Now add potato and the powders. Let the potato fry in oil
3. Transfer the potato mix to a bowl and mix in curd
4. Now take the tortilla chip and put a scoop of potato mix onto it.
5. Garnish with red chili powder and coriander leaves

Onion Pakodas

Ingredients

1 onion
1 cup besan ( as required )
2-3 red chilies slit
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp rice powder
1/2 tsp ginger paste
few coriander leaves chopped
salt to taste

Method

1. Cut the onion into long thin strips.
2. Prepare batter with besan, rice powder, red chilies, coriander, ginger paste and salt.
3. Add onions to the batter and mix very little water to get a thick batter Set aside for an hour
4. In a pan, heat oil. Take little batter and drop it in the oil. Make sure both the sides of the
pakodas are fried well.

Banana Fritters / Pazham Pori

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas
3 tbsp sugar
2 cup flour
1/2 cup rice powder
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 egg (optional)
oil to fry

Method

1. Peel and slice bananas into 4 - 6 parts lengthwise
2. Prepare batter with flour, rice powder, sugar, cardamom and beaten egg. Add water and stir 3. until you get a smooth consistency
4. Dip the sliced bananas into batter and deep fry in oil

Cilantro / Hari Chutney

Ingredients

1 bunch of coriander/cilantro leaves
4 green chopped chilies
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 inch ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sugar
salt as required
pinch of asafoetida

Method

1. Blend all ingredients together
2. Serve with kachoris

Tamarind / Sweet chutney

Ingredients

1/2 lb tamarind
2 1/2 cups boiled water
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp red chili powder
salt as required

Method

1. Soak the mashed tamarind in boiled water and leave it for 30 mins
2. Strain the pulp into a bowl
3. Add sugar, jeera, ginger paste, salt and red chili powder.
4. Stir well and serve with pakoras