Ingredients –

1. All-purpose flour – 130g
2. Shredded mozzarella – 30g – 40g
3. Cream cheese – 100g
4. Butter – 90g
5. Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
6. Paprika – 1/4 tsp
7. Pepper – 1 tsp
8. Salt – 1/4 tsp

Procedure –

1) In a bowl, cream together Butter, Cream Cheese, Salt together.
2) Add rest of the ingredients and make into a dough.
3) Chill in the fridge for 30-40 minutes till it firms up.
4) Roll into a sheet of 3-4 mm thickness. And cut strips.
5) Twist over a sheet of parchment placed on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes.
6) Let it cool down and it will crisp up.
7) Serve with Soup, Stew, Sauce or just as a snack.

Ingredients –

1. Coconut Oil – 2 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
3. Cloves – 3-4
4. Star Anise – 2
5. Bay Leaf – 1 large or 2 small
6. Cinnamon Stick – 2 broken small sticks
7. Cumin (Jeera) – 1 tsp
8. Fresh Ginger – 2″-3″ piece
9. Chopped Onion – 1.5 cups
10. Green Chili – 2
11. Green Beans – 2/3 cup
12. Green Capsicum – 1/2 cup
13. Potatoes – 4-5 large (about 3 cups)
14. Salt – 2 tsp
15. Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
16. Water – 1 Cup (+ more as reqd. To cook everything)
17. Coconut Milk – 600-800 ml
18. Curry Leaves (Kari Patta) – 15-20 (1 small bunch)
19. Lime – 1/2 (Optional)

Procedure –

1) In a pot over medium heat, melt coconut oil.
2) Add Mustard, Cloves, Bay Leaf, Cinnamon and Cumin. Let it splutter.
3) Grate in fresh Ginger.
4) Add whole green chilli and Onion. Let it fry for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent.
5) Add the Beans, Capsicum, Potato Cubes, Salt, Pepper, Water and Coconut Milk. Let it come to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender.
6) Add curry leaves while the Ishtoo is still hot and add a few drops of lemon (Optional).
7) Serve hot with Dosai

1. Black Rice – 1 cup
2. Water for soaking
3. Ghee – 4 tbsp
4. Candied Orange – 5-6 strands
   Or use Orange Zest of 1 full orange.
5. Orange juice – 2 cups (500 ml)
6. Sugar – 1/3 cup
7. Milk Chocolate – 100g
8. Coconut Milk – 800 ml
9. Cardamom – 2-3 pods
10. Clove – 3-4
11. Almonds – 1/4 Cup + more for garnish
12. Raisins – 2-3 Tbsp + more for garnish
13. Dry Coconut Shavings – 2-3 tbsp + more for garnish
14. Candied Orange Peel for garnish (Optional)

Procedure

1. Soak black Rice overnight or 7-8 hrs
2. Drain the soaking liquid and roast rice in a dry skillet till it’s fragrant.
3. Add ghee and let it roast.
4. Add Coconut Milk and cook for 1-1.5 hours in medium heat stirring it once every 10-15 minutes. Add more hot water to cook if required.
5. At the 1 hour mark, add sugar and cook it till tender.
6. Add freshly squeezed Orange Juice and mix well.
7. Grind together Candied Orange Peel or zest + Cardamom + Clove till a powder. Add it to the pudding.
8. Add Milk Chocolate and mix.
9. Add Coconut Shavings, Toasted Almonds, Raisins to the pudding and mix well.
10. Serve hot or cold with garnish.

Note –
For reheating, add a bit of water to thin everything out.

Ingredients –

Roasted Tomato Puree –

1. Tomatoes – 1 kg
2. Olive Oil -4 tbsp
3. Salt – 1.5 tsp
4. Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp

Soup –

1. Olive oil – 3 tbsp
2. Garlic – 4 cloves
3. Red Long Chilli – 1
4. Dry Rosemary – 1 tsp
5. Dry Chilli Flakes – 1/2 tsp
6. Chopped Onion – 1.5 cups
7. Chopped Carrot – 3/4 cup
8. Chopped Beans – 3/4 cup
9. Broccoli Florets – 3/4 cup
10. Water – 1 cup (+ more if reqd.)
11. Sweet Corn Kernels – 1/2 cup
12. Fresh Oregano – 2 tbsp / Dry Oregano – 1 tsp
13. Fresh Basil – 1 bunch
14. Red Wine – 1 cup (Optional)
15. Salt – 1 tsp or to taste
16. Black Pepper Powder – 1 tsp or to taste
17. Tomato Puree – All
18. Spinach Leaves – 2 cups
19. Black Eyed Peas (Lobia) / Beans of your choice;
    Cooked Beans – 1- 1/4 cup / Dry Beans – 3/4 cup
20. Pasta – 1.5 cups

Procedure –

1. Make cross cuts on clean tomatoes, lay them on a baking tray, rub with olive oil, salt & pepper and bake at 250 °C for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes until it gets roasted, wilted down.
2. Once the tomatoes cool down, puree the whole thing with the juices to a smooth consistency.
3. Sieve it properly to remove all the seeds and skin.
4. In a large pot over medium heat, add oil, chopped garlic, chopped red chilli pepper, dry rosemary, dry chilli flakes and Chopped Onion. Sauté till the onions are translucent.
5. Add Chopped Carrot, Beans & Broccoli Florets with a splash of water. Cook it till it’s a bit tender.
6. Add clean Sweet Corn, Salt, Black Pepper, Fresh Basil, Fresh Oregano (if using dry, add to the oil in the beginning).
7. Add Red Wine (or substitute with water), all of the Tomato Puree that we prepared earlier, a cup or so water, Pasta.
8. After it comes to a boil, simmer and let it boil till the pasta is cooked.
9. Add Spinach, and mix to wilt it down. If the soup becomes thick, add some hot water and let it boil.
10. Add the cooked beans in the end. Mix well and serve hot.

Notes –

1. If using dry beans, soak it in drinking water for 5-6 hours. Then drain the soaking water and add fresh water, a double quantity of beans, 1 tsp of salt and pressure cook it for 4-5 whistles or as long as it takes to cook it through.
2. If you’re freezing the soup, do not add the beans and pasta. Because when you reheat it, it will go mushy.
   So whenever you reheat it, you can add some pasta and beans before serving.

Ingredients –

1. All-Purpose Flour (Maida) – 370g
2. Corn Flour – 1.5 tbsp
3. Milk Powder – 35g
4. Baking Soda – 1 tsp
5. Baking Powder – 1 tsp
6. Unsalted Butter – 220g
7. Brown Sugar – 150g
8. White Sugar – 45g
9. Molasses (Optional) – 1.5 tbsp
10. Cream Cheese – 100g
11. Vanilla Extract – 2 tsp
12. Dark Chocolate – 150g + 50g for top
13. Milk Chocolate – 200g

Procedure –

1. In a bowl, sift together, All Purpose Flour, Corn Flour, Milk Powder, Baking Soda and Baking Powder.
2. In another bowl, cream the butter and Cream Cheese together with a spatula. Then add Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Molasses and bring together into a smooth mixture.
3. Add the flour mixture, Vanilla Extract to this and combine well to form a dough.
4. Add both Milk and Dark Chocolate and mix well.
5. Form into a log and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
6. You can also freeze the dough (up to 3 months) for another day and bake fresh cookies anytime you want.
7. Cut the sausage into 1/2″ thick slices, reshape if needed, add the additional chocolate on top and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20-22 minutes or until it is golden and top.
8. If you want your cookies to be crispy all the way through, then bake it at 170°C for 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1. White sesame seeds – 3 tbsp
2. Uncooked Chickpeas – 1.5 cups OR
   Cooked Chickpeas – 2.5 cups
3. Garlic – 1 clove
4. Juice of lime – 1
5. Black Peppercorns – 6-7
6. Honey – 1.5 tsp (optional)
7. Salt – 1/4 tsp
8. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 1/3 cup
9. Sesame Oil – 3 tbsp
10. Paprika for garnish (optional)

Procedure

1) Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet till they pop
2) If using uncooked chickpeas, soak overnight in drinking water. Drain the soaking liquid. Pressure cook with double the amount of water and 1 tsp salt for 10 – 12 whistles or until it’s soft and tender
3) Combine all ingredients in a mixer and grind till smooth
4) Give it a taste and adjust seasoning according to your liking
5) Garnish with little paprika on top and serve with slices of your favourite veggies, fruit, chips or bread.

Ingredients

1. Popcorn Kernels – about 200g
2. Green/ Granny Smith Apples – 3 Large
3. Salted Butter – 160g
4. Powdered /Caster Sugar – 220g
5. Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
6. Vanilla Extract – 2 tsp
7. Cinnamon Powder – 2 tsp
8. Sugar Cookies – 10-12 (or more)

Procedure

1) Make Popcorn according to the package instructions.
2) Finely chop apples. I used green apples to cut the sweetness of the overall dish. You can use any red apples and reduce sugar to 160g instead of 220g.
3) In a Dry skillet, add apples and heat for 1-2 minutes until it starts to sweat.
4) Add the Salted Butter and let it melt completely.
5) Add sugar little by little until it melts in.
6) Cook while stirring constantly for 10-15 minutes until it is golden brown and caramelized.
7) Add Vanilla, Cinnamon and Baking Soda. Mix well till it bubbles up.
8) Immediately pour it on to the popcorn over a large baking tray, little by little and keep mixing it so every hit of popcorn gets coated in the apple mixture.
9) Crush the biscuits in and toss again.
10) Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes or more. Halfway through, toss it so the popcorn at the bottom comes to the top and gets crunchy as well.
You’re looking for the whole thing to be nice and crunchy but not burnt.
11) Let it cool and bit. Then serve.

Ingredients

1. Urad Dal
   (Split and dehusked black gram lentil) – 1 cup
2. Black Eyed Peas (Lobhia) – 1 cup
3. Idli Rice
   (or any high starch rice like arborio) – 1 cup
4. Red Rice
   (or brown/any other high fibre grain) – 1 cup
5. Quinoa – 1 cup
6. High Fiber Oats
   (like steel cut or Jumbo) – 1 cup
7. Fenugreek Seeds – 1 tbsp
8. Fennel Seeds – 1 tbsp
9. Salt – 1.5 tbsp or to taste
10. Sesame Oil – For making Dosai

Note –
The cup measure used here is 250 ml by volume. This much batter would make about 50 regular Dosai. You can cut down the whole thing proportionately for a lesser portion.

Procedure

1) Soak all ingredients except salt in drinking water for about 5-6 hours.
2) After it is soaked, sieve the soaking water out.
3) Grind it to a smooth paste in a mixi. (Traditionally done in a stone grinder). Add some water to help grind this smooth.
4) Cover the batter, and place it in a warm place. In the summer, you can leave it on your kitchen counter and it will ferment in 4-5 hours. Kele an eye on it. In the winter, place it inside a warm casarole or inside a switched off microwave for 6-7 hours or longer, till it ferments.
5) Add salt to the batter and mix well.
6) Heat a non stick pan to medium high heat and pour a small ladle full of batter. Immediately spread it in a circular motion till it is thin and even throughout. (traditionally cast iron is used, if you have one, and you know how to use it, then go ahead).
7) Drizzle some oil around the edge and let Dosai cook for 1-1.5 minutes on one side till it is golden, then flip over and cook for about 40s on the other side.
8) Serve hot with any chutney, condiments or curries of your choice.

 

Ingredients

1. Jumbo or Quick Oats – 1 Cup
2. Sunflower Seeds – 2 Tbsp
3. Olive Oil – 1/4 Cup + Extra for Greasing
4. Oregano – 1 tsp
5. Pesto – 3 heaped tbsp
6. Salt – 1/2 tsp or to taste
7. Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp or to taste
8. Eggs – 4 OR Cottage Cheese / Firm Tofu – 100g + Water to thin the mixture.

Procedure
1) Combine all ingredients together except eggs or cheese.
2) If making with eggs, add eggs and mix well.
3) If making with Cheese or Tofu, Crumble it in and add a little bit of water to thin the mixture out into a thick spreadable consistency.
4) Then grease the waffle iron according to the instructions of the machine and cook till golden. Serve hot.

Ingredients

1. Garlic – 1 large piece or 2 small pieces
2. Black Peppercorns – 4-5 or adjust to taste
3. Italian Basil – 500g
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 60-80 ml
5. Pine Nuts / Almonds – 60g
6. Parmigiano Reggiano / Peconiro Romano / Parmesan Cheese – 1 cup grated
7. Lime Juice – 1/2 a small lime
8. Salt – 1/4 tsp or to taste
9. Honey / Sugar – 1 tbsp or to taste

Procedure

1. Crush Garlic and Black Peppercorns with a mortar and pestle.
2. Add washed and dried Italian Basil a little at a time and grind. Add a bit of olive oil as you crush.
3. Add nuts and grind. If you want your nuts to be very fine, grind it with the garlic and pepper. If you like it chunky like mine, add it after the basil and olive oil.
4. Add grated cheese (anyone that is given in the list)
5. Add Lemon Juice, Salt and Honey. Mix it in and taste. Make any adjustments according to your liking.
6. Store in an airtight jar inside the fridge for up to a week.

Note – if you want to store this for longer, you have to make sure your basil is absolutely dry before grinding and add 120-150g Olive oil instead of the amount used in this recipe.
Both of this will ensure a longer shelf life.