SWEET TOMATO CHUTNEY

Ingredients:
4 medium sized tomatoes
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 cup dried dates / raisin / cranberry
1tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water (if needed)
1 tbsp oil

Preparation:

• Cut the tomatoes into 1 inch cubes.
• Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and let the seeds pop.
• Add turmeric powder to it.
• Now add in the tomatoes.
• Add salt and sugar and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
• Now add the dried fruit (whichever you are using.
• Cook the tomatoes on medium-low flame for another 10 minutes till the tomatoes become tender.
• Add a little water if needed.
• Serve it warm.

TAMARIND RICE (PULIHARA)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup peanuts
11/2 tsp urad dal
1 1/2 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch asafedita (hing)
2-3 sliced green chilies
1 tsp sliced ginger
7-8 curry leaves
2 tsp red chili flakes
3 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup rice, freshly cooked
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a frying pan fry the peanuts till they are brown. Keep them aside.
• Now in the remaining oil, add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds and asafedita. Fry them till they are light golden brown and the mustard seeds have popped.
• Add the sliced green chilies, sliced ginger and curry leaves and fry them for a minute.
• Now add the red chili flakes and the peanuts and mix well.
• Add the tamarind paste, turmeric powder, salt and little water and cook the mixture for about 2-3 minutes.
• Mix in the freshly cooked rice. 
• Serve hot

Tips:

For people who like it a little sweet can add 1 tsp of jaggery to the tamarind paste while cooking.

CHILLI CHICKEN

Ingredients:
1/2 lb boneless chicken(cut in 1" cubes)
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 egg
2 1/2tbsp corn flour
5-6 green chilies, finely chopped
2 green onion tops, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
a pinch of ajinomoto (optional)
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
2 cups chicken broth/water
oil to fry

Preparation:

• Take 1 1/2 tbsp soya sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp corn flour, egg, salt in a bowl and marinate the chicken pieces in the mixture for about 15 minutes.
• Heal oil and deep fry the chicken pieces till golden brown.
• In a separate wok/kadai, heat 1 tbsp of oil add garlic paste and green chilies and saute` for a few seconds.
• Add 2 cups of chicken broth or water and bring it to boil. Add sugar, pepper powder, salt, ajinomoto and remaining soya sauce.
• Add the fried chicken pieces to it and cook for a dew minutes.
•  Dissolve the remain corn flour in 1/2 cup water and it to the curry stirring to avoid lumps. This makes the gravy thick. Cook. for 2-3 minutes
• Serve chili chicken garnished with green onion tops.

Tips:

You can add 1 inch cut cubes of onion and green peppers to it when the mixture of garlic paste and green chili is frying (before adding chicken broth/water).

BAKED RED POTATOES

Ingredients:
4 large unpeeled red potatoes
1tbsp butter; melted
3 cloves minced garlic
1 stem green onion finely cut
1/4 tbsp black pepper
3/4 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried onion
3/4 tbsp salt
shredded cheese to garnish

Preparation:

• In a bowl mix garlic, green onions, black pepper, oregano, dried onion and salt.
• Cut the potatoes into wedges (about 1 inch thick).
• Mix the potato in the bowl and toss.
• Preheat the oven to around 425F
• Coat a baking pan with melted butter and add the mixture to it. Sprinkle the cheese on top of it
• Bake the potatoes till golden brown (around 1/2 hour). Halfway through the baking, stir the potatoes.

VEGETABLE CUTLET

This recipe has been handed down from my mother. One bite of it takes me back to my childhood.

Ingredients:

2 potatoes boiled
1/2 carrot grated
1/4 beet root grated
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp chaat masala
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
oil for frying
3-4 tbsp corn flour
1/4 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs

Preparation:

• Boil the potatoes and mash them.
• Add salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, chaat masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and mix them well.
• Now add the grated carrot and beet root and mix them with the mashed potato.
• Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add the mashed mixture to it and fry it for about 5-6 minutes.
• When the mixture cools down, take handful of the mixture and make oval patties out of it.
• In a flat bottomed bowl mix corn flour and milk In another plate take the bread crumbs.
• Now dip the patty in the corn flour-milk mixture and then roll it in the bread crumbs. To make a crispier cutlet dip it again in the corn flour-milk mix and roll it again in the bread crumbs.
• Heat oil in frying pan. Shallow fry the cutlets.
• Serve them hot with onion rings, cucumber slices and ketchup. 

DAL MAKHANI

Ingredients:
2 cups whole urad dal
1 large onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
3-4 green chillies chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp ginger grated
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric power
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 cup stirred fresh cream (malai)
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp butter
Fresh coriander for garnish
salt to taste

Preparation:

• Soak the dal overnight in water. 
• In a pressure cooker add the soaked dal, water, chopped onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chillies, coriander, cumin, red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt.
• Pressure cook them in high flame for about 5 minutes and then in low flame for around 20 minutes.
• After opening the cooker, keep cooking the dal in low flame.
• Add the cream and yogurt and continue stirring every few minutes to avoid it being stuck in the bottom.
• Keep mashing them as you stir so that the dal becomes half whole half mashed and it gets a medium thick consistency.
• Keep cooking for about 35-40 minutes. Add the butter just 2 minutes before taking it down.
• Garnish it with coriander and butter
• Serve with rice, roti, parothas or naan.

Tips:

You can add 1/2 cup of Kidney beans (rajma) along with the urad dal.

CRISPY GREEN BEAN FRIES

Ingredients:

1 egg beaten
1 cup milk
4 cups chicken broth / water
6-8 ounces green beans cut to about 2 inches
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
oil for frying

Preparation:

• Bring the chicken broth/water to boil. Add the beans and bring to boil for about 15 minutes.
• Now plunge the beans in ice cold water to prevent them from getting soft.
• In a bowl beat the egg with milk. In another bowl mix the bread crumbs with salt, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. And take all-purpose flour in another bowl.
• Remove the beans from the cold water and coat them in flour. Shake off the excess flour and dip them in egg-milk mixture and then coat them in the breadcrumb mixture.
• Heat oil in a fryer and fry the beans for about 1 minute or till they are golden brown.
• Drain them on a rack or paper towel.
• Serve hot as appetizer with dips like blue-cheese or ranch or wasabi-cucumber ranch.