Anya, my daughter loves chicken which is not very spicy. Had some chicken breasts in the refrigerator and decided to cook this not too spicy dish for her.

Very simple recipe and difficult to get this wrong.

Method

1. Clean and wash 250 gms of chicken breasts. Cut them into small 1 inch slices, season with salt and pepper and keep aside.
2. As the chicken is marinating, chop 2 small carrots into longish slices. Cut 2 onions into 4 pieces and separate the florets. You can also dice some spring onions. Cut 1 green capsicum into small cubes.
3. Take 1 tsp soya sauce, 1 tsp green chilli sauce, 1 tsp finely chopped ginger and garlic, 1 tbsp white flour(maida), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 egg white and water (as needed) to prepare a fine batter.
4. Add the chicken to this batter, coat it well and deep fry in a oil. As the chicken starts getting golden brown and cooked, strain and keep aside. 
5. Prepare a mixture of 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp tomato ketchup, 2 tsp soya sauce, 1 tsp red chilli sauce and 1 tbsp corn starch, mix well and keep aside.
6. Now for the sauce, take a wok and add 1 tbsp oil to it.  Add 1 tsp each of finely chopped ginger, garlic and chilli. (You can add more of this according to taste)
7. Add the cut vegetables and saute this well for 5 mins. Add the sauce, mix well and bring to a good boil. Check if the vegetables are cooked till they are nice and crunch. When almost done add the chicken and cook till all the chicken and vegetables are well coated with the sauce. 
8. Garnish with spring onions greens and serve.

Note: The original recipe contains pineapple chunks added along with vegetables, but I did not use it.

Anything tastes good with a generous helping of grated coconut :)
Here is one really good side dish with authentic Konkani flavors - one of my favorites.

Method

1. Place 500 gms of cleaned prawns  in a bowl, add salt, pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and mix well. Let them marinate for 1 hour if possible.
2. Take a dry pan and heat it. When the pan is hot, add 2tsp coriander seeds, a pinch of fenugreek seeds and 4 to 5 dry red chillies and dry roast it till fragrant. Let it cool and then blend it in the mixer with 1 marble sized piece of tamarind and 2-3 tsp of grated coconut and some water to a coarse paste. Keep aside
3. In another non stick pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil (coconut oil will give it additional flavor). Add 1 tsp of mustard seeds and when they splutter add a handful of curry leaves. 
4. Add 2 finely chopped onions to the pan and saute them till translucent. 
5. Add 1tsp each of finely chopped ginger and garlic and saute it well.
6. Add the masala paste and saute well. Add the prawns and coat it well in the masala. Add some water if needed and Let it cook for 10-15 mins or till cooked.
7. Adjust the salt. 
8. Garnish with 2 tbsp grated coconut (the more the better ;)) and lots of finely chopped coriander leaves.

White or cream based gravies are not my forte and hence I generally avoid cooking them. However we happened to taste this dish at a restaurant and instantly liked it. Decided to muster up some courage and try this dish. While trying to find the recipe, came across this recipe from Tarla Dalal, so tried making 2 variations of the same base curry with Methi Malai Mutter and Methi Malai Chicken and both turned out awesome.
Here is how I made it

Method

1. Clean and marinate 500 gms of boneless chicken with salt and keep aside for an hour.
2. Make a paste of 1 small onion, 4 green chillies , 1 inch piece of ginger, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp cashewnuts, 2 tsp poppy seeds (khus-khus) in a grinder. User water to get a fine paste. Keep aside.
3. Blanch 2 medium tomatoes, peel out the skin and grind it to a puree and keep aside.
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4. Take a pan and add 1 tbsp ghee and saute the chicken till it is almost cooked on a medium flame. Cook till almost 80% done and keep aside to rest.
5. Wash about a cup of methi (fenugreek leaves). Squeeze out the water and chop them finely and sprinkle some salt and keep aside.
6. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in another pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp shahi jeera seeds.
7. When the seeds crackle, add the methi (squeeze out any excess water) and sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the fenugreek leaves and keep aside.
8. Add 1 tbsp butter in the same kadhai, add 2 grated small onions and saute till translucent.
9. Add the cashew nut paste and saute for 2 mins. Add the tomato puree and saute for 2 mins.
10. At this point check the consistency of the gravy. You can cool the gravy and blend it in a mixer if you want a finer gravy.
11. Add 2 tsp of garam masala powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes.
12. Add the fenugreek, cooked chicken or 1 cup of green peas, 1/2 cup milk, a pinch of sugar and salt.
13. Add 2 tbsp of fresh cream and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
14. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.

I have always liked Goan flavours. The spices used are unique with coriander being the main spice which differentiates the dish from other cuisines. Came across this recipe on this blog and decided to try it. I have made my own variations to the dish and it was yummy. 
A very good side dish for lunch/dinner.

Here is my take on this Goan dish

Method

1. Make a marinade of 1 small onion, 2 inch ginger, 4-5 garlic pods, 3 green chillies, juice of 1 lemon and salt. 
2. Marinate 500 gms of chicken(I used chicken with bone) in this marinade for atleast 1 hour.
3. Make a spice powder by dry roasting 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 inch cinnamon, 3-4 cardamoms, 4 cloves, 4 dry red chillies on a hot tawa till they leave out an aroma. Cool the spices and then pound them or grind them to a fine powder. Keep aside
4. Take a non stick pan and add 2 tbsp ghee. Fry the marinated chicken till golden brown and almost 80% cooked. See to it that the heat if maintained at all times and all the chicken pieces are fried well.
5. Cut 2 onions into cubes and separate the florets and add to the chicken
6. Add the spice powder to the chicken. Add 1 tbsp of tomato puree and mix well. Add ghee if needed.
7. Add 1 tsp of sugar and adjust the salt. Add 1 tsp of vinegar to add some acidity to the dish.
8. Mix well, garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot. This goes well with chapatis as well as a side dish.

Vahrehvah.com is one of my favorite recipe sites. The videos are pretty good and every dish I have cooked from this site has turned out to be good.
Today I was in a mood to cook Mutton in a different way and went to the site. Came across this recipe and decided to make it. The output was a really spicy gravy which we all licked off from our plates.

Method

1. Wash and drain 500 gms of mutton (I used boneless but you can use mutton with bone)
2. Take 3 tsp ghee/oil  in a pressure cooker and fry the mutton in it for 5- 10 mins till it is turns brown in color.
3. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric and mix well. Add salt to taste
4. Add 3 medium sized onions diced and mix well. Add 3 medium tomatoes chopped finely and mix well.
5. Pressure cook the mutton for 3-4 whistles. 
6. In the meantime prepare the kadai masala. For this take 3-4 red chillies, 1 tsp pepper corns, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds in a pan and dry roast it till a sweet smell emanates from this. Add a 1 tsp of kasoori methi and dry roast for a minute and let the mixture cool in the pan. 
7. Grind the masala with a mortar and pestle to a coarse paste.
8. When the pressure is off open the pressure cooker and add 2 tbsp dahi and 2 tsp of kadai masala. You can add more masala if you want the gravy to be spicy
9. Add 2 slit green chillies or 1 tsp red chilli powder (of course according to your taste)
10. Adjust the salt and cook till the gravy starts to boil
11. Garnish with ginger juliennes and finely chopped coriander and mint leaves
12. Serve hot with rotis.

I am fortunate to stay next to a hotel management institute (NITHM Hyderabad). They have recently started cooking classes on Saturdays and I got to attend the basics of Italian cooking class. The classes were well conducted and I got some good recipes to try. Made this soup on a windy evening and it was the perfect comfort food one could have asked for.





Method

1. For this recipe all the veggies need to be cut with the Brunoise cut. Cut 1 cup of cabbage, 1/2  red capsicum and 1/2 yellow capsicum, 10 beans and 1 small carrot into cuboid pieces.
2. In a deep bottomed vessel, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. When hot, add 4-5 cloves of finely chopped garlic and saute. 
3. When the garlic is sauteed add 1 medium sized finely chopped onion and saute till the onion is pink and translucent.
4. Now add cabbage, beans and carrot and capsicum and saute for 5 mins till they are all well coated with oil.
5. Add 2 finely chopped tomatoes (deseed and then cut into cubes) and saute well till the tomatoes are soft. Add 1 tbsp of tomato paste.
6. Add 2 fistfuls of macaroni pasta and 2-3 cups of water to cover all the vegetables and the pasta.
7. Add pepper, salt according to taste and a pinch of sugar.
8. Mix well and let it cook till the pasta is cooked. Adjust water and spices according to the consistency you want.
9. Make cheese pesto balls with grated parmesan cheese and finely chopped basil. Add this to the soup just before serving.

Grate some parmesan cheese over the hot soup bowl before serving

Ambe Hummane(also called Ambe Upkari) has been a regular affair in the summers for ages. It is a typical Konkani dish and I wonder if mango is cooked this way in any other cuisine.This dish is made from the smaller mangoes which can only be eaten by sucking out the flesh(called ghonto in Konkani).

This summer I stored some of these mangoes after deskinning them in the freezer. They were perfect even after 4 months and tasted just like fresh mangoes.


While trying to write this blog entry, I tried to think of how can I name this Konkani dish in English and I think the English name I came up with just doesnt give the essence of this dish..anyone has a better suggestion??please leave a comment

Method
1. Remove the skins of around 8 mangoes and squeeze out any pulp from the skins.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. When hot add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add 1 tsp urad dal. Add 1 green chilli, 2-3 red chillies slit in half, 10-15 curry leaves and saute till the urad dal is slightly reddish in color. 
2. Now add the mangoes and 1 cup water. Add 1 tsp jaggery (you can add more if your mangoes are not sweet), 1/2 tsp salt.
3.  Close the lid and cook for a good 10 mins on low flame.



4. You can garnish with some grated coconut and serve this as a side dish.

We have a lot of Tulu friends and this is one dish I love in their cuisine. Very elaborate dish but is so good that I dont mind spending the extra time in kitchen to cook it.
Cooked it recently for one special set of friends who love Mangalorean cuisine. 




Method

1. Clean and cut 1 kg chicken pieces into cube sized pieces along with the bone and keep aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, take 2 tbsp oil and heat. When hot, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp jeera seeds and when they splutter add 5/6 sprigs of curry leaves. The curry leaves give a distinct flavor to this dish and hence feel free to go heavy on them
3. Now after sauteeing it for 2-3 mins, add 1 finely chopped onion and some salt. Saute the onion till it is pinkish in color.
4. Now add the chicken and saute it well. 
5. As the chicken is cooking, dry roast 1 tsp coriander seeds, 7-8 dried red chillies, 10 pepper corns, 5-6 garlic pods, 1 inch dalchini, 1/2 tsp jeera, 4-5 cloves, 1/2 tsp khus khus(poppy seeds) with 2 tsp of onion and 2 tsp of grated coconut till the aroma of the spices fills up your kitchen. Let this cook for some time and then grind it to a coarse paste in the grinder.
6. Add this to the chicken, mix well  and pressure cook it for 1 whistle. Pressure cooking though not the best way to cook meat, is the easiest and hence I took this option. You can just cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15-20 mins till chicken is cooked. Adjust the water according to the consistency you want. I like it to have some gravy so that it goes well with chapatis.
7. Now again dry roast, 1 cup grated coconut, pinch of haldi and 5-6 pods of garlic and 1/2 tsp jeera till coconut is slightly brown. Grind this to a coarse paste
8. Add it to the chicken when chicken is almost done. Mix well and cook for 3-4 mins with lid on. You can add some more curry leaves for additional flavors.
9. You can serve this with chappatis, hot neer dosas or in this case we made Rice Rotis (Tandlachi Bhakri). Here is the recipe of these awesome Rice Rotis 

Chicken Vindaloo is a Goan dish which proudly sits on the menus of many famous Indian restaurants abroad, next to the Indian Chicken curry. I have been wanting to cook this dish for long. Recently saw this in dish being featured again in one of my favorite shows "Twist of Taste - Coastal curries" by Vikas Khanna and that spurred me to find the best recipe online and cook it.

Just finished cooking this dish and must say its a beautiful dish. The tanginess of the vinegar dominates; followed by the sweetness from the caramalised onions and jaggery and the spiciness of the chillies.

History has it that this is a Portuguese dish which means Wine, Garlic and Pork (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindaloo). The original dish has no "aloo" or potatoes but I found many recipes online with potatoes. Decided to cook mine without potatoes or tomatoes. So this recipe has just the goodness of chicken with onions, vinegar and spices.

Here is my version of Chicken Vindaloo.

Method

1. Dry roast 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds,1/2 tsp fenugreed seeds,  7-8 dried red chillies (I used Byadgi chillies), 1 tsp pepper seeds, 1 bay leaf, 2 inch cinnamon, 2 cardamoms, 4-5 garlic pods, 1/2 inch of ginger for 2 mins on a low flame ensuring you dont char out the spices. Cool these spices and then grind them to a fine powder in the mixie.
   
2. Marinate 750 gms of chicken with the spice mixture, salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 4 tbsp white vinegar. Add 1 tsp of grated jaggery and mix well. Let it rest on the kitchen counter for 3-4 hours. You can also leave the marinade overnight.
3. Now take a pan and add 2 tbsp ghee to it. Once the ghee is hot, add 1 tsp of mustard seeds. 
4. When the seeds start spluttering, add 3-4 cloves. Now add 3 finely chopped medium sized onions. Add some salt and start sweating the onion till it is brown. finely grate 3-4 garlic pods and another 1/2 inch ginger into the pan and saute for another minute
5. Now add the marinated chicken and saute it for 7-8 mins.
6. Add 2 cups of water and let it cook with lid on for 30 mins on a low flame. Keep stirring occasionally. When the chicken is cooked, open the lid and cook for another 10 mins for the water to evaporate
7. You will be left with a fine thick gravy. Garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with rotis or rice.

"Singapore Chilli crabs" was the best dish I tasted in Singapore. It is called the unofficial national dish of Singapore. Recently had a craving for this dish and I went looking for crab here in Hyderabad. We dont get the kind of meaty crabs here but then had to make do with what we get here.
Looked online for Singapore Chilli crab recipes and came up with this one which is a mish mash of the different elements from recipes found online

Here is how the original dish looked

and this is how my dish looked

Method

1. Clean and scrub 3 crabs and crack the legs and claws with a spoon so that the masala can seep in. Keep aside
2. Clean and remove the skin of 2 onions and pulse it with 5-6 red chillies to a coarse paste
3. Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Fry the onion chilli paste till the raw smell of the onions goes off. I grated in 1 inch of ginger and 5-6 garlic pods too into this onion paste and fried it well till cooked.
4. Add paste of 2 tomatoes along with 1 tbsp tomato  puree or ketchup and saute in the onion mixture. Bring it to a boil.
5. Add 1 tsp white vinegar, 2 tsp light soya sauce, salt to taste, pinch of sugar. I also added 2 sticks of lemon grass for additional flavors. You can add some red chilli sauce too in case you prefer it hot.
6. When the paste is well cooked, add  the crabs and mix well. Add a cup of water to cover the crabs and cover and cook for 15 mins on medium flame. 
7. Beat an egg in a bowl. Now remove the lid of the crab gravy and add the egg with one hand stirring the gravy with the other. Cook for another 5 mins so that the extra water evaporate
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve

Here is video of one of the recipes I followed

http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/singapore-chilli-crab

I had never tried a microwave cake before. Recently  my dear friend Deepali Paul's son Ishaan Paul gave me this recipe. Tried it and is such an easy recipe that have already made it 3 times in the last 3 months. Its an extremely gooey cake (almost a brownie) and tastes really good with vanilla icecream.



Method

1. Microwave 120 gms of butter and 100 gms of dark chocolate for 1 min in a bowl and let it cool.
2. Stir in 250 gm powdered sugar in the bowl and mix well
3. Add 2 eggs one by one beating it all the time with a spoon. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla essence
4. Stir in 80 gms of maida (flour) . Add 1/4 tsp baking soda and fold them both in the chocolate mixture.
5. Stir in 50 gms of chopped walnuts. Leave some for garnishing on top.
6. Line a baking glass tray with butter and spread the mixture. Garnish with walnuts
7. Microwave for 4 mins and 30 secs. Take the cake out and let it stand for 2 mins before you cut it into pieces

Wanted to cook a good vegetarian side dish for a party the other day. Wanted to try out some recipe with bell peppers and hence decided to cook this one. The spice mix in the recipe gives it a unique rustic taste. 

Method

1. Heat a pan. Dry roast 9- 10 pepper corns, 5-6 dried red chillies, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds  till the kitchen is full of the aroma from the spice mix. Add a pinch of  fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) and saute for a few secs and then let the spice mix cool down. Grind it to a coarse powder. Keep 2 tsp aside for garnishing.
2. Heat 2 tsp of butter in a pan. When the butter melts, add half of the above powder mix and fry well.
3. Add 1 onion cut into cubes into the pan. Fry it for some time and add 1/2 a red bell pepper and 1/2 yellow pepper. Fry well. 
4. Blanch 2 tomatoes and then puree them and add it to the pan and cook till the raw smell of tomatoes goes off.
5. Then add 1 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, salt to taste, pinch of sugar, and mix well.
6. Add 250 gms of paneer cubes and mix well. Sprinkle 2 tsp kadai masala and add pinch of crushed kasuri methi and mix well.
7. You can add cream and coriander leaves too but I skipped it.
8.  Serve with roti

Felt like cooking a simple lunch today. Did not want to spend too much time in the kitchen and yet wanted to eat something tasty. 
Here is my quick and easy recipe which doesnt take more than 15 mins of cooking time.



Method

1. Clean and pat dry 2 chicken breasts. Cut them into 2 layers horizontally if too thick
2. Take 1 tbsp of olive oil, add some pepper powder and 1 tsp lemon juice. Adjust the salt and marinate the chicken for 30 mins.
3. Take a pan and add 2 tbsp of butter into it. When the butter starts frothing, add 2 pods of crushed garlic. Add the chicken breasts to the hot pan and let it cook on each side for 2 mins on a medium flame. 
4. Add some water (you can add chicken stock for added taste) to the pan to get a good buttery sauce.
5. Add freshly chopped basil to the pan and cook the chicken for another 2 mins each side.
6. Serve chicken with the sauce poured over the top.

A simple baked starter for parties. Easy to cook and full of flavor.



Method
1. Clean and par boil baby potatoes in salty water till they are about 50% cooked. Remember to take care that the potato skin should not shrivel. Strain the potatoes and keep aside to cool
2. Make a mixture of 2 tbsp olive oil with 5-6 pods of crushed garlic, rosemary, pepper, sea salt and chilli flakes.
3. Preheat an oven for 15 mins at 160 degress Celsius. 
4. Add the potatoes to a baking dish. Add the marinade on top and then bake it in the oven for around 30 mins. Midway through stir/rotate the potatoes so that they are evenly cooked. Check with a fork at the around 20 mins and adjust the timings of the oven accordingly.
5. Remove the potatoes from the oven when golden in colour and tender


A very good step by step approach is given here 

Wanted to try out different fruit cake recipes and decided to try this orange and chocolate cake recipe that I saw on Nigella's website. I have modified it heavily though the inspiration is from this page.

Here is my recipe with liberal chocolate gratings which is not part of the original recipe. The moistness in this cake makes it yumm!

Method

1. Preheat the over at 160 degrees Celsius for 20 mins.
2. In the meantime, add  250 gms flour, 200 gms powdered sugar,  100 gms butter, 2 eggs,  and 50 gms of Hung curd and mix well. 
3. Add around 2 tsp of powdered orange rind, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ,100 ml orange juice (I used canned juice but fresh orange juice will taste better), 1 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda into the mixture  bowl and mix well.
4. Mix till you get a a smooth, thick batter. In case the batter is very thick you can add some milk to get it to the right consistency.
5. Prepare a baking tin with butter and sprinkle flour on it.
6. Add the cake mixture in one thin 1 cm layer in the baking tin. Grate some chocolate on the batter and then spread the next layer of orange batter.Grate some more chocolate on the cake and put it into the oven.
7. Bake it in the oven for 40 mins, but start checking at 30 mins.You can check the centre of the cake with a tester. The cake is ready when the tester comes out clean.
8. Remove the cake to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the tin
9. As the cake is baking, boil 100 ml of orange juice with 2 tsps sugar till the juice thickens. Keeps aside to cool. 
10. When the cake is out, prick it with a toothpick in multiple places and then pour the orange juice. The juice will soak up immediately to give you the moist orange cake.The orange juice mixture gives the cake a good glazing.

Your delicious orange cake is ready to be devoured!

Have always been a fan of the Maharashtrian misal. Today we tried cooking the matki misal. The sweet and sour taste of this dish is balanced well by the chilli to give a healthy lentil soup. Ideal for breakfast or evening snacks. This can also be eaten with a pav to make it more filling.




Method
1. For matki sprouts,  Soak 100 gms of matki(moth beans) in water overnight. Drain the water the next morning and tie this in a fine muslin cloth so that it starts sprouting,
2. Soak some 2 small marble sized  tamarind in water and then squeeze it well to make 2 tbsp of tamarind water and keep aside
3. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil . When hot, add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add handful of curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. To this add 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and a pinch of haldi and saute for a few minutes on a low flame.
4.  Add the matki sprouts and water to get a gravy with very thin consistency, Add 1 small marble sized ball of jaggery (or according to taste) and the tamarind water. Add salt according to taste. Bring it to a good boil and then turn of the flame.
5. Serve with farsan and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Tried this awesome Chicken with dried red chillies in Singapore and decided to recreate it.This is my own version which is a mish mash of a few recipes I found online.



Method

1. Marinate 500 gms of chicken with bones with 2 tsp soya sauce, 3 garlic cloves peeled and grated, 1 tsp red chilli sauce, 1 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp pepper powder 1 tsp honey and salt and keep aside for an hour.
2. Take 2 tsbp olive oil in a pan and heat it. When hot, deep fry 10 dried red chillies and keep aside. In the same oil deep fry 1 inch ginger which is cut into long thin slices and keep aside. Fry handful of peanuts and keep aside
3. In the same oil, sear the chicken in batches along with the marinade till they are almost cooked. 
4. Make a mixture of 1 tsp soya sauce, 1/2 tsp red chilli sauce, pepper, 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp vinegar or according to your taste, add 1 tsp of cornflour and keep it aside. 
5. Add back the chillies, ginger and peanuts and the above marinade. Mix well and stir fry for 5 more minutes. Garnish with spring onions cut into long thin slices.

Never get tired of paneer dishes. Was looking for something new to cook today when I came across this dish on VahreVah.com...Simple to cook and goes well with rotis.

Method

1. Take 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. When hot, add 2 finely chopped onions and saute it till light pink. To this add 2 finely chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder. Mix it well put the lid on and let it cook for 15 mins in a slow flame (2-3 whistles) till cooked well. This paste can be used as a base for your gravies. You can store this in the fridge for future use.
2.  Heat 2 tsp butter in a pan. When hot, add 1 tsp of nicely crushed kasoori methi. Saute it for a minute. Add 1 cup bell peppers (red , yellow) and 1/4 kg paneer cut into cubes.
3. Add onion florets to this mixture and saute well in the butter till the capsicum is cooked. 
4. Now add 2 tbsp of the above onion gravy and saute well. Add some water and put the lid on and cook till the gravy reaches a boil.
5. Add 1 tbsp cream to the gravy and mix well.Cook for a few mins and then turn off the flame.
6. Garnish with coriander and Serve with hot rotis.

Though Yash and me are both GSBs, I am amazed at how recipes and the food we eat differ so significantly even though the distance between our hometowns must be less than 200 kms. 
Puli Koddel is one such dish which we had never cooked at our home but is a delicacy for Yash's family. So I decided to learn this one and cooked it the other day. Turned out pretty much like it is cooked at Yash's home in Dakshin Kanara.

Method

1. Roast 3 tsp coriander seeds, 3 tsp till seeds,  2 tsps black gram dal, 2 tsps bengal gram dal, pinch of turmeric, pinch of asafoetida (hing), 1 tsp raw rice, 3 tbsp grated cocounut, 8 dried  red chillies with a little oil till brown.
2. Grind all ingredients with 1 marble sized tamarind to a coarse paste
3. In a vessel, boil deskinned ash gourd(I used about 1/4 of an ash gourd)  cut into 1 inch pieces with sufficient water. Add 1 lime sized jaggery while boiling.
4. Now when the ash gourd is sufficiently soft, add the ground masala. Adjust the salt and bring it to boil.
5. Remove from flame.
6. In a small pan, give tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add it to the koddel and cover for the flavors to assimilate in the curry.
7. Eat with hot rice.

Just realised how life becomes easy thanks to technology...earlier I used to click photos with my camera and then download them, enhance them on my laptop and then write posts. the whole process was such a time taker that posting  became a cumbersome affair. Now with my new Nexus 5, I can click pics, enhance them and then blog from the comfort of my phone or also laptop...much easier..
Yes the quality of the pics may go down a bit but then it you need to give some to get some...





Method

1. Take 3 cups of maida and 1 tbsp of rawa. To this add 2 tbsp grated coconut, salt, 2 very finely chopped green chillies and mix 2 cups of water.
2. Take a tempering pan, add coconut oil and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 1 sprig of curry leaves. Add this to the maida batter.
3. Adjust the water to get a watery consistency
4. Place tawa on flame. Smear with oil and spread the batter thinly  when the pan is hot. Once a side looks cooked (you can figure this out when the edges turn brownish), flip the dosa and cook the other side.
The rawa gives an added crispiness to this dosa. The seasoning is so good that you dont need chutney with this dosa.