Recipe of Orange and Basil Sorbet

Ingredients:

6 oranges (4 juiced and 2 zested)

250 g caster sugar

Basil a large bunch

Method:

Gently heal the sugar with 250 ml water until dissolved, then simmer for two minutes. Tear the basil leaves, add the syrup and infuse until cool. Strain, mix with the orange juice and zest, then churn in an ice-cream maker until frozen, or freeze in a container, stirring once or twice. 

Recipe of Ginger and Sugarcane Sorbet

Ingredients:

400 ml sugarcane juice

40 ml ginger juice or 100 ml ginger ale

40 ml lemon juice

A pinch of black salt

10 g cayenne pepper

1 tbsp honey

4 groundnut chikki pieces

For the garnish:

100 g sugar

100 g sesame (til)

Method:

Whisk in the sugarcane juice, ginger juice or ginger ale, lemon juice, black salt and cayenne pepper. Transfer the mixture to an ice-cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. (If you do not have an ice-cream machine, freeze the mixture in a bowl, remove from freezer and mix till it is frothy and the ice is mixed well with the juice). Drizzle a little honey on the serving plate. Place a chikki at the centre and a tbsp. of the sorbet on top. Use a thinly sliced sugarcane stem for decoration. Garnish with berries. For garnish, caramelize 100 g sugar and add 100 g til. Pour the liquid on a flat plate and allow it to cool. Break into pieces ad us on top of the sorbet.

Garnishing Ideas: Bright-colored candies or berries are perfect to garnish this dish. Another idea is to boil some blueberry crush into a thick concentrate. Add pepper powder (a pinch for each glass) and use it to make designs on the plate. Or dip chopped pineapple pieces in sugar syrup and freeze.   

Recipe of Biryani (South Indian Style)

Ingredients:

500 g stewing lamb, cut into bite size chunks

2 tsp adrak lahsun paste

2.5 cm cinnamon stick

2 cloves

4 green cardamoms, seeds only

½ - 1 tsp medium hot chili powder

1 tbsp yoghurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

6 tbsp groundnut oil

½ tsp salt

1 medium Spanish onion, finely sliced

200 g white basmati rice

4 tbsp full-fat or semi skimmed milk

A few saffron strands

15 g butter or ghee

Method:

Mix the lamb with adrak lahsun paste, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, chili, yoghurt, lemon juice, 1 tbsp oil and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a small frying pan and fry onions for 5 minutes. Set aside. Rinse rice thoroughly in cold running water and place in a pan with 400 ml boiling water. Cover and boil for 8 minutes or until the rice is half cooked. Gently warm the milk and soak saffron stands for few minutes.

Preheat oven to 180 degree centigrade. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry the marinated meat for 15 minutes until well browned. Stir in the fried onion. Grease the base of a large heavy based casserole with butter or ghee. Add the meat mixture followed by the parboiled rice. Pack the rice firmly into the casserole. Pour saffron laced milk over the rice. Cover tightly and bake for 45- 50 minutes. Serve hot with raita and chutni. 

Recipe of Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

Hot Milk – 2 cups

Sugar – 1 cup

Plain milk chocolate – 100 grams

Chilled cream – 1 cup

Gelatin – 1 tbsp

Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp

Water at room temperature 1/2 cup

Grated chocolate for garnish

Method:

Pour milk, half the amount of sugar and chocolate into a small pan, which will fit into a bigger one. Pour water into the bigger pan. Put the larger pan on the stove and the smaller one into this. Heat mixture over lower heat, stirring all the time, till the sugar and chocolate have melted. (This process is called double boiling).

Soak gelatin in ½ cup of water. Add the soaked gelatin to the gelatin mixture when it is still warm and continue stirring till it reaches a coating consistency.

Remove from heat, mix in the vanilla and pour into serving bowls. Leave it to cool.

Beat the cream and the remaining sugar till it holds shape. When the chocolate mixture is set, cover with a thick layer of cream (pipe it out so it looks pretty).

Garnish with grated chocolate, chill and serve. 

Recipe of Aviyal

Ingredients:

500 g mixed vegetables (courgettes, green bananas, sprouts cut into 1 inch pieces, peeled potatoes cut into ½ inch cubes, sliced carrots and aubergines and trimmed green beans)

Pinch of turmeric

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

4 green finger chilies, chopped

125 g grated fresh coconut

1 medium Spanish onion, chopped

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp natural unsweetened yoghurt

½ tsp tamarind concentrate

8-10 curry leaves

Method:

Place all the vegetables in a heavy bottom pan, add 255 ml of boiling water and turmeric and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, grind cumin, green chilies, 100 g coconut, onion and salt together in a pestle and mortar or blender with about 6 tbsp of cold water to make a coarse paste. Add the paste and yoghurt to the cooked vegetables and stir. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the tamarind and simmer for 4 minutes more. Garnish with the curry leaves and remaining coconut. Serve hot with parottas. 

Recipe of Onion and Tomato Relish with fruits

Ingredients:

1 hot green chili halved lengthwise and deseeded

100 ml fresh lime juice
250 ml water
2 ripe papayas
1 large melon

For Tomato & Onion Salad

Ingredients:
2 blanched, sliced tomatoes
1 onion, Blanched and cut into rings
2 tbsp olive/ salad oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp mustard paste
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Combine the chili, lemon juice, sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring it to boil, cool and strain. Skin, deseed and cut papaya and melon into cubes. Combine the fruit with cooled syrup, season and chill. Arrange the blanched onions and tomatoes on a plate. Whisk all the dressing ingredients, season and spoon over the salad, Chill. Serve the papaya and melon salad with the onion and tomato as side dish.

Recipe of Spring Salad

Ingredients:

2 red capsicum

2 yellow capsicum

1 zucchini

10-12 basil leaves

100 gm rocket leaves

½ iceberg lettuce

1 small bunch of parsley

10 pitted green olives

10 pitted black olives

For the dressing:

4-5 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

3-4 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp garlic sauce

Sea-salt to taste

Method:

Cut the capsicums lengthwise, deseed and cut into cubes. Keep them aside in a salad bowl. Cut the zucchini into round chunks, then cut the chunks into half and cut lengthwise into thin slices. Add to capsicum. Add the rocket leaves, basil leaves and parsley. Then roughly tear the iceberg lettuce and add to capsicum. Chop the olives into small pieces and add to salad. Whisk all the ingredients together. In the end add sea-salt and toss the salad. 

Recipe of Porcini Risotto

Ingredients:

100 g dried procini mushrooms

4 cups of rice

2 cubes of procini stock

4-5 tbsp olive oil

1 ½ liters of water

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried parsley

2 cups white wine (optional)

Sea-salt to taste (optional)

Method:

Soak the porcini mushrooms in ½ liter of warm water just two hours before cooking. Once the mushrooms soften, drain them but also reserve the water. Add one more liter of water to this porcini water and let it boil. Add the cubes of porcini in the stock and let it simmer on low heat. Heat four tbsp. of oil in a non-stick pan. Reduce the flame and add rice to it and stir.  Then add dried oregano and parsley and continue to stir. Pour in white wine and mix well. Now add one or two ladles of the stock to the rice so that the grains get soaked in it. Stir vigorously to allow the rice to release its starch. Keep adding some stock to prevent the grains from drying out. The rice grains will begin to swell up as they release their starch. When the rice looks almost done, taste a couple of grains. They should be al dente, with a bit of bite in the center. Now switch off the fire. In another pan, heat one tbsp. of olive oil and quickly sauté the rehydrated porcini mushrooms. Add some sea-salt if needed, as the mushrooms already have salt. Mix the mushrooms into the risotto. Serve hot. 

Recipe of Amritsari Macchi

Ingredients:

50 g chickpeas or besan flour, sifted

1 tbsp malt vinegar

1 ½ tsp hot chili powder

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp peeled and finely grated root ginger

½ tsp ajowan seeds

1 tsp garam masala

½ tso ground black pepper

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

400 g boneless and skinless cod or sole fillets, in bite size chunks

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

In a bowl, mix the flour, vinegar, chili powder, garlic, ginger, ajowain, garam masala, black pepper and salt with about 3 tbsp cold water to make a thick smooth batter. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the fish, then place the fish pieces in the batter and mix carefully, ensuring that the fish doesn’t break up. Cover and leave to marinate for about 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a fryer or wok to 180 degree C. To check that the oil is at the right temperature, carefully add a small droplet of batter to the oil. If the batter sizzles, the oil the ready. Deep-fry the fish in batches. Cook for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately with a chutney of your choice. 

Recipe of Bombay Curry

Ingredients:

1 lb. cod

2 tablespoon Jeera

18-20 dried Kashmir red chilies

1 full garlic

1 can coconut milk

2-3 green chilies – whole

2 medium sized onion – sliced

½ teaspoon tamarind extract

Method:

Grind jeera, garlic, red chilies – adding water to make it into a paste. Put coconut milk into a pan/ casserole, add paste of curry and cook. Add sliced onion and fresh chilies. Tamarind when it comes to boil and add fish pieces last.

Preferably cook a day before serving. Serve with rice.

Tip: You could use coley instead of cod, it’s cheaper and offers more texture for this kind of curry preparation.
Tamarind extract can be substituted by fresh lemon or lime juice.

Recipe of Theplas (Unleavened fenugreek flatbreads)

Ingredients:

150 g whole wheat flour, plus extra for dusting

¼ tsp turmeric

Pinch of asafetida (optional)

20-30 g fenugreek leaves, finely chopped (or 2 tbsp dried)

½ tsp mild chili powder

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp peeled and finely grated root ginger

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:

Mix together flour, turmeric, asafetida, fenugreek leaves, chili powder, coriander, cumin, ginger and 1 tbsp of oil. Then add approximately 100 ml of tepid water and knead the flour for 5-7 minutes into a soft pliable dough. Leave it covered of 10-15 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 equal sized balls. Cover them with the damp cloth to stop the dough from drying out. Take each ball and with a dusting of flour, roll it out into 12.5 cm dics, about 2 mm inch thick. Heat the griddle. When it is hot, add 1 tsp of oil and place he disc on to the griddle. Cook for about 1 ½ minutes on each side, carefully pressing the disc firmly down so that the thepla is cooked. Cover with foil and place in a warm oven while you cook the remaining discs, adding 1 tsp oil each time. Serve hot with chutney or mixed vegetable curry. 

Recipe of Rasgulla

Ingredients:

½ liter Milk
1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice or 2 tbsp curd

¾ cup water

5 ice cubes

4 cup sugar

A pinch of cardamom powder

3-4 pistachio, finely chopped

Method:

Boil mill and then add lemon juice, let it curdle. Now add ice cubes and let it cool. Now separate curdled milk from water. Wash curdled milk (chena) with cold water once and keep it aside for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes rub it between your palms and then knead it like flour. Make small balls and keep it aside.

Take water in a pan and add sugar, cardamom powder and prepare the sugar syrup. Add the chena balls and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes. Let it cool and garnish with pistachio flakes.

Recipe of Kachumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 peeled diced cucumber

1 peeled diced raw mango

2 diced tomatoes

1 diced onion

2 tbsp chopped coriander

½ tsp roasted cumin powder

Pinch sugar

Pinch chili powder

2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

Combine all the ingredients and serve

Recipe of Dal ka Shorba

Ingredients:

1 Cup Tuar dal
½ cup masoor dal
2 tsp haldi powder
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp asafetida
2 tsp Raee
1 red chili, broken into two pieces
Few curry leaves
½ cup onion, sliced
12 buds of garlic, sliced
2 tbsp Madras curry powder
3 tbsp tamarind paste
4 tbsp green coriander, chopped

Method:

Pressure cook both the pulses till done. Add turmeric and cook again. Keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add Raee and curry leaves. Dissolve asafetida in tbsp water and in pan. Add red chili powder and cook for a while. Add chopped garlic and onion. Cook till golden brown on low flame. Add madras curry powder and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add dal and water as required and cook on low flame for 5 minutes. Add tamarind paste and cook for a while. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot. 

Recipe of Raw Papaya Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups of grated raw papaya

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp fried peanuts

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tbsp chili sauce

2 chopped red chilies

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and served chilled. 

Recipe of Orange and Carrot Muffins

Ingredients:

300 g flour

2 tsp baking powder

100 g caster sugar

½ tsp cinnamon powder

A pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten

2 oranges, juiced and zested

100 g carrots, peeled and grated

75 g butter, melted

Method:

Mix the flour, baking powder, castor sugar and cinnamon powder in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Heat the oven to 190 degree centigrade. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with squares of baking parchment, pushing them down to make little cases. Whisk together egg, oranges, carrots and butter.  Stir this into the flour mix. Do not over mix to ensure they stay a little lumpy. Spoon into the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until risen. 

Recipe of Mangshor Jhol (Meat Curry)

Ingredients:

300 g stewing lamb, cut into 3-4 cm cubes

3 tbsp natural unsweetened yoghurt

2 tbsp mustard oil

1 bay leaf (optional)

1 x 2.5 cm cinnamon stick

2 cloves

2 green cardamom pods, bruised

1 medium Spanish onion, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp peeled and finely grated root ginger

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp hot chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

2 green finger chilies, slit lengthwise

¼ tsp garam masala

Method:

Marinate the meat in the yoghurt for 20 minutes, covered, in the refrigerator. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the onion and garlic. Stir fry over a medium heat for 3 minutes, then add ginger, followed by turmeric, chili powder, cumin and salt. Mix well. Add marinated meat and green chilies. Stir and coo on a low heat for 15 minutes or until the sauce has almost completely reduced. Add 400 ml boiling water, cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Sprinkle over the garam masala. Serve with boiled rice. 

Recipe of Frozen Orange and Mango Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 bananas, peeled cut into chunks and frozen for one hour

4 tsp honey

2 mangoes, peeled, cut into chunks and frozen for one hour

600 ml orange juice, chilled

Method:

Chill glassed in freezer for 30 minutes. Put all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. Divide between four glasses and serve. 

Recipe of Kozhi Chettinad (Chettinad chicken)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

¼ tsp brown mustard seeds

Pinch of asafetida

5-6 curry leaves, roughly chopped

400 g chicken fillets, skinned and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp turmeric

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp hot chili powder

2tbsp coconut cream

Juice of ½ lime

1 tsp peeled and finely grated root ginger

30 g coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a heavy based pan over a medium heat. To check that it has reached the right temperature, sprinkle a few mustard seeds: if they pop, it is hot enough and you can add remainder. Add asafetida and curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds, stirring continuously, until everything is well combined and aromatic. Tip in the chicken cubes and fry for 5 minutes over a medium heat or until golden brown. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

In a bowl, mix 4 tbsp boiling water with coconut and then add to chicken. Stir for a minute, then add lime juice. Mix thoroughly, simmer for 3-4 minutes, and then add ginger and simmer for another minute or until the chicken is cooked. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with boiled rice or paranthas.

Recipe of Pancake

Ingredients:

110 gram / 4 oz plain flour, sifted

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

200ml/ 7fl oz milk mixed with 75 ml/ 3fl oz water

50 g/ 2oz butter

Method:

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing. Now make a well in the center of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs – any sort of whisk or even a fork will do – incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.

Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don’t worry about any lumps as they will disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the center, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of a cream. Now melt the 50 gm of butter in the pan.  Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using the wedge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.

Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you’re using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18 cm/7 in pan. It’s also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it’s tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife – the other side will need a few seconds only – then simply slide it out of the pan onto the plate. Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.

To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon. 

Recipe of Baked Yoghurt with Crunchy Muesli

Ingredients:

200 ml condensed milk

200 ml yoghurt

200 ml sweetened cream, whipped

200 g muesli

100 g assorted dry fruits

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together. Divide equally in moulds or porcelain cups. Steam the cups in steamer (or a steam cooker without the weight, by adding two cups of water), or bake in a double boiler in an oven at 150 degree centigrade for 15 minutes. When done, chill the crunchy muesli at 3 degrees centigrade. Demould and serve chilled in porcelain cups.

Garnishing Ideas: Muesli tastes delicious when served with mulberries, strawberries and gooseberries. Pour honey over the muesli for added taste. Or place a small piece of honeycomb along with muesli.

Recipe of Puttu (Steamed rice cake) and Kadala Curry

Ingredients:

For Puttu:

250 g rice flour

350 g grated coconut

Salt to taste

For Kadala Curry:

120 g kadala (black chickpeas)

2 green chilies

Salt to taste

A little oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp roasted gram

2 red chilies

A small piece of ginger

2 garlic flakes

1 small onion, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1 tsp coriander leaves

50 g grated coconut

For seasoning:

A little oil

2 cloves

5 g cinnamon

½ tsp fennel seeds

½ onion cut into small pieces

2 tsp coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

For the puttu, mix rice flour with about 20 g grated coconut and salt. Add water, a little at a time and mix it into thick batter.

Sprinkle the inside of the puttu maker with grated coconut first, then add a layer of the rice flour batter and then grated coconut again. Steam for 15 minutes, take out and serve hot. Puttu can also be made in an idli maker or a regular steam cooker. Take banana leaf of the size of your palm twist it into a cone shape and hold it in place using a toothpick. Pour the batter into the leaf cone and place it in the steam cooker or idli maker and steam as directed.

For the kadala curry, cook the black chickpeas with two green chilies and salt. Heat a little oil and sauté the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, roasted gram, red chilies, ginger, garlic, onion, tomato, coriander leaves and coconut. Once cool, grind the mixture to a fine paste.

For the seasoning, heat oil in a pan and season with cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds and onion. Sauté till the onions turn brown. Add the ground masala paste and sauté for two minutes. Add the cooked black chickpeas and ½ cup water. Cook for four to five minutes. Add salt to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot on banana leaves.   

Garnishing Ideas: Fry Chopped coriander leaves. Red chillies and a tsp of mustard seeds in a tsp of oil for two minutes. Sprinkle over the idli or puttu. Chopped cashew nuts and julienned carrot also go well with puttu. 

Recipe of Stir Fried Lamb with Mango and Watercress

Ingredients:

For Dressing:

¼ cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp mild chili powder

2 tbsp paprika powder

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

For the Salad:

2 large ripe mangoes

3 cups watercress

1 cup cucumber, julienned

1 red pepper, cut into stripes

4 spring onions, sliced

½ cup coriander leaves, chopped

½ cup mint leaves, chopped

2 tbsp roasted, unsalted groundnuts, coarsely chopped

For the stir-fried lamb:

440 gram lean boneless lamb chunks or shredded

10 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

3 large garlic flakes, minced

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp oil

Method:

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients, except lemon, in a small saucepan. Slowly whisk ¾ cup of water and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Set aside.

For the salad, peel the mangoes, cut in half, remove the pits and cut into ½ inch slices. Place in a large shallow bowl. Add watercress, cucumber, red pepper, spring onions, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Toss gently to mix. Keep aside. Keep serving cups ready.

Diagonally cut lamb chunks into ½ inch thick strips. In large bowl coat the lamb chunks with 3 tbsp of dressing, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and sugar. Heat oil in a wok or non-stick skillet and stir fry lamb chunks till cooked over high heat.

Spoon lamb chunks over the salad. Drizzle remaining dressing and sprinkle with groundnuts. 

Tip: You can also use small prawns instead of lambs.

Recipe of Yellow Chicken Curry with Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

400 ml canned coconut milk

200 ml chicken stock (from a cube is fine)

2 tbsp yellow curry paste

3 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp sugar

750 grams potatoes, quartered and parboiled

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into 1 cm thick pieces

Coconut cream, to serve

A handful of chopped coriander leaves, to serve

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a frying pan, heat oil and fry onions till golden. Put the coconut milk and chicken stock in a large pan and bring to boil. Add curry paste and mix until combined. Tip in the fish sauce and sugar; turn down to simmer. Add potatoes, fried onion and chicken and then cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes and chicken are cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between four bowls, add a little coconut cream and sprinkle coriander leaves to each. Serve with steamed rice.

Tip: It’s best to cook a day in advance so that the aromatics have time to infuse with chicken.