Carrot Halwa

Recipe Ingredients:

55 gm butter/ghee

25 gm flaked almonds

25 gm cashew nuts

25 gm seedless raisins

450 gm grated carrot

600 ml full-fat milk

125 gm sugar

1/2 tbsp freshly grounded cardamom seeds

1/2 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg

50 ml double cream

How to Prepare:

Melt ghee/butter in heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Add almonds and cashew nuts and cook stirring, untill lightly browned. Remove a dessert spoon of nuts and reserve.

Add raisins, grated carrot, milk and sugar to the saucepan, increase the heat to medium and bring the milk to boiling point. Continue to cook over a low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes, untill the milk evaporates completely, stirring frequently, and scraping the sides of the saucepan.

Stir in cardamom powder, nutmeg and cream. Remove from heat and leave to cool slightly. Serve with whipped double cream or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle over the reserved nuts to decorate.

Balti Prawns

Recipe Ingredients:

700 gm prawns

4 tbsp ghee

2 large onions sliced

3 tomatoes sliced

1/2 tbsp kalonji seeds

4 black peppercorns

3 green cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tbsp natural yogurt

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

2 fresh green chillies

2 tbsp lime juice

salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare:

Heat ghee in a large heavy-based frying pan. Add the onions and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or untill golden. Add the tomatoes, kalonji seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, chilli powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste and salt. Cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

Add prawns and cook, stirring constantly, or untill well coated in the spice paste. Stir in the yogurt. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add some water if required.

Stir in the chopped coriander, chillies and lime juice. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with rice/roti.

Bhel Poori

Recipe Ingredients:

For Chat:

300gm new potatoes

200gm chickpeas, soaked and cooked

100 gm sev noodles

55 gm puffed rice

4 tbsp raisins

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

1 tbsp fennel seeds toasted and cooled

pooris crushed

salt

For Chat Masala:

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp black peppercorns

2 dried red chillies

For Serving:

natural yogurt

tamarind chutney

green chutney

How to Prepare:

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil and cook the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, untill tender. Drain and run under cold water to cool, then peel and mash them. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make chat masala, heat a dry fry pan over a high heat. Add the coriander and cumin seeds, peppercorns and dry chillies and stir around untill they give of their aroma. Immediately tip them out of the pan to stop the cooking, watching closely because the cumin seeds burn quickly. Grind the toasted spice mixture in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar.

Use your hand to toss together the potatoes, chickpeas, sev noodles, puffed rice, raisins, coriander, fennel seeds and crushed pooris. Sprinkle with chat masala and toss again.

Divide the mixture in serving plates and drizzle with yogurt, tamarind chutney and green chutney according to taste. Garnish with puffed rice, corn flakes, raisins and sev noodles.

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.