Beetroot Raita

Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup grated beetroot

1/2 cup grated onions

175 gm yogurt

2 tbsp milk

1/4 tbsp salt

How to Prepare:

Put yogurt in a bowl and beat with a fork untill smooth. Add salt, grated beetroot, grated onions, milk and mix well untill well combined. Transfer the raita to a serving dish and serve with spicy rice varieties or biryani.

Dates Milk

Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup dates, quaterd

2 cups soy milk

1 tbsp honey

How to Prepare:

Soak dates in 1 cup of hot soy milk for 2 hours. Add to blender and blend it into a fine paste. Add the remaining milk, honey and blend again untill well combined. Once it done pour in a bowl to cool down in a refrigerator. If required add some cold milk and mix. Pour in a glass and serve chilled.

Cahews, Almonds & Pine Nuts Dessert

Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup cashews

1 cup almonds

1 cup pine nuts

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup ghee

2 cups milk

1 tbsp cardamom powder

How to Prepare:

Soak almonds, cashews and pine nuts separately in large bowls of water for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

Peel the skin of almond. Grind cashews, almonds and pine nuts into a fine paste in a food processor.

Melt ghee in a heavy-based saucepan, preferably non-stick, stir well. Add cashews, almonds and pine nuts paste and mix well. Add sugar and milk, stirring constantly for 10-12 minutes, scraping the base of sauce pan.

Increase the heat untill the mixture thickens. Allow to cool & Transfer the mixture to a dish and allow to refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve chilled.

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

Recipe Ingredients:

1 kg chicken

5 tbsp oil

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup yogurt

1 juice of lime

2 medium onions, diced

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

3 small red/green chillies finely sliced

1 tbsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp chicken masala powder

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp black pepper powder

1/2 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp turmeric

1/2 tbsp cardamom pods

1/2 tbsp cloves

2 cinnamon stick

3 bay leaves

10 curry leaves

4 dry red chillies, broken into two

Salt (According to taste)

How to Prepare:

Heat oil over a medium heat in a heavy-base saucepan, add onions, chillies, dry red chillies, bay leaves, curry leaves, salt and ginger garlic paste. Cook for approx 8-10min or untill the onions are soft.

Add turmeric,ground coriander,cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, paprika and chicken masala powder,red chilli powder and cook for a further 5min.

Add chicken pieces and cover the lid, cook for about 30 minutes. Add coconut milk, yogurt then simmer on a low heat for 25-30min. Finally add lime juice and pepper powder, mix well untill well combined and cook for further 5 minutes, turn off the heat and serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with rice.

Egg Biryani

Recipe Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs

3 cups basmati rice

1 onion, finely sliced

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1 onion, finely sliced

2 cup chopped mint

2 cups chopped coriander

4 green chillies (slit length wise)

4 cardamom pods

4 cloves

1 tbsp cumin seeds

4 cups of water

salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare:

Blend mint and coriander leaves into a fine paste. Strain through a seive into a jug, pressing down on the mint and corriander with the back of a wooden spoon. Discard the contents of the seive and reserve the mint and coriander paste water.

Wash rice in several changes of cold water untill the water runs clear. In a large heavy base vessel add ghee, when hot add onions, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, cumin seeds and cherry tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes now add cardamom pods, washed rice, reserved mint and coriander paste water, mix well and let it cook for a while, now add water and allow to cook untill rice is half done, once when the rice is half done add hard boiled eggs and mix well to combine, allow to cook for 15 minutes or untill done. Serve hot. Mix well before serving.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with raita or vegetable koorma or khatta dal.

Tomato Eggplant Chutney

Recipe Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup chopped eggplant (small cubes)

2 cups chopped tomatoes

2 strands of tamarind

4 green chillies

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 tbsp mustard seeds

1/2 split black gram

2 dry red chillies, broke into two pieces

5 curry leaves

5 tbsp oil

salt (according to taste)

How to prepare:

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan over a medium high heat. Add few cumin seeds and green chillies and cook for 3 minutes. Add chopped eggplant and tomatoes and stir for further 2 minutes. Now add tamarind strands and then stir around. Cover the lid and let it cook untill tomatoes are well cooked and pulpy and the eggplant is half done.

Transfer the contents in the saucepan to blender, add garlic and salt and blend into a slushy paste, transfer the tomato eggplant paste into a bowl. Heat remaining oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat, when hot add mustard seeds followed by adding remaining cumin seeds, split black gram, curry leaves and dry red chillies and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.

Pour the contents of saucepan over tomato eggplant chutney paste scraping off every bit from the saucepan, mix well untill combined.

Serving Suggestions:

It goes well with hot rice and ghee or with dosa.

Golden Dosa

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cup golden gram

1/4 cups rice

1 inch ginger

4 green chillies

1 tbsp cumin seeds

salt (according to taste)

5-6 tbsp oil

How to Prepare:

Soak golden gram, rice, ginger and chillies in enough water overnight or for at least 4-6 hours. Drain the water and keep the drained water aside, grind the soaked golden gram into silky smooth batter add the drained water that had kept aside, as needed to the batter or till soft and fluffy. Add salt and cumin seeds, mix well untill well combined.

Preheat a heavy-base cast-iron griddle (tawa) or a large heavy-base frying pan over a medium-high heat, add 1/2 tbsp oil.Spread oil all over the pan. Pour 2 or 3 ladelful of dosa batter on the griddle and spread it all over the pan, cook for 2-3 minutes. Using a thin spatula, turn over and cook for 30 seconds.Remove from the pan and keep hot by covering in a piece of foil lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining dosa batter.

Place 1 or 2 dosa on serving plate and serve with chutney.

Pea nut Sundal

Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup pea nuts, soaked and cooked

2 tbsp oil

5 curry leaves

1/2 tbsp mustard seeds

1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 tbsp split black gram

1/2 tbsp split golden gram

1/2 tbsp split bengal gram

1/2 tbsp red chilli powder

2 dry red chillies, broken into two

salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare:

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, when hot add cumin seeds and mustard seeds followed by adding curry leaves, dry red chilli, split black gram, split bengal gram and split golden gram, cook untill bengal gram turns golden in colour. Finally add pea nuts, mix well untill combined, cook for about 5 minutes and remove from heat. Serve hot.

Moong dal Rasam

Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup moong dal

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

4 green chillies finely chopped

1 tbsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

10 curry leaves

2 dry red chillies, broken into two

4 tbsp oil

salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare:

Wash dal untill water runs clear and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Pressure cook moong dal, 3/4 of the chopped onions (reserve the remaining chopped onions) turmeric and green chillies with 2 cups of water and cook for 40 minutes or untill 3 whistles. Mash moong dal into smooth paste with the laddel

In a large saucepan add 2 cups of water bring it boil and add cooked moong dal and allow to boil, reduce the heat to low for 15 minutes. Now add salt and let it for another 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat, when hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. As as the mustard seeds pop add dry red chillies, reserved chopped onions, chopped garlic and curry leaves. Let the seasonings sizzle untill dry red chillies have lightly darken in colour.

Pour the contents of seasoning over the moong dal rasam, scraping off every bit from the saucepan. Turn off the heat and keep the saucepan covered untill you are ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Beetroot & Chickpea

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups beetroot

1 cup chickpea, soaked and cooked

1 tbsp red chilli powder

10 curry leaves

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp mustard seeds

4 tbsp oil

salt (according to taste)

How to prepare:

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over a medium low heat, when hot add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves, once mustard seeds start spluttering add chopped beetroot and salt, stir well, close the lid and allow the beetroot to sweat. Once when the beetroot is almost cooked add cooked chickpea and mix well. Add red chilli powder, stir well untill well combined, cook for another 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with rice or chapati.

Almond Prawns

Recipe Ingredients:

500 gm raw prawns

1 cup ground almonds

5 tbsp oil

1 medium onions,diced

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

5 small green chillies finely sliced

2 tbsp red chilli powder

1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp turmeric

250 ml water

salt (according to taste)

almond flakes (for garnish)

How to Prepare:

Heat oil over a medium heat then add onions,chillies and ginger garlic paste. Cook for approx 8-10min or untill the onions are soft.

Add turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, cumin seeds and cook for a further 5min.

Add prawns and then simmer on a low heat for 25-30min.Add 250ml water and ground almonds. Cook untill 85% of water is absorbed by the prawns.

Garnish with almond flakes. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with rice .

Ridge Gourd & Scrambled Egg

Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup chopped ridge gourd

3 eggs

1 onion, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1/4 tbsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp garam masala powder

4 tbsp oil

salt (according to taste)

How to prepare:

Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and saute till light brown in colour. Now add the chillies, salt and turmeric powder and fry for 2 - 3 minutes. Add chopped ridge gourd and cook for 15-20 minutes or untill ridge gourd is well cooked.

Now add eggs, do not stir immediately, let the eggs settle for few minutes. Now stir the eggs so that eggs will mix with the onion mixture. Once done add red chilli power and garam masala powder, mix well. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with rice or chapati.

Baby Potato, Fenugreek leaves & Corn

Recipe Ingredients:

12 baby potatoes

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup fenugreek leaves

1/2 cup corn kernels

4 dry red chillies, broken into two

1 tbsp cumin seeds

4 tbsp oil

salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare:

Cook potatoes in their skins in a heavy vessel of boiling water for 20 minutes, or untill tender. Drain, then soak in cold water for 30 minutes, peel the skin, then halve or quarter according to their size.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and broken dry red chillies, when the cumin seeds crackle  add chopped onions and and cook, stirring, for 10-12 minutes or untill browned. Add fenugreek leaves and mix well, add salt cover the lid and allow to sweat, once done add potatoes and cook for a while, then corn kernels and mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes, mix well. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with hot rice.