Rasamalai

Ingredients:
15oz-skim milk ricotta cheese.
1/2cups-sugar

Ingredients for the Syrup:
4cups-milk ( I used 2% milk)
½cup-half and half(you dont have to use this if you are using whole milk)
½tsp-cardamom powder
3/4cup-sugar
1tsp-Rose water.
2-3strands-saffron (optional)
Almonds/pistachio (chopped into small pieces for garnishing)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.
1.Open the lid of the ricotta cheese. Then fold a couple of paper towels.Then flip the container of ricotta onto this, so that all the extra water drains out. Leave the ricotta like this for thirty minutes.

2.In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese and sugar well.
3.Take a cupcake baking pan (you don't have to only use the cupcake kind; you can use whatever shape you'd like) grease it and then spread the ricotta-sugar mixture onto it so that it is about ½ inch thick.

4.Bake it for 40- 45 minutes until it turns pale brown on the top. You can also stick a knife in the middle to see if its cooked; if it comes out clean, it's ready.

5.Keep a close watch while baking and make sure it does not brown. If it does, the ricotta part will not taste good.

To make the Syrup:

1.Boil the milk and add the sugar, saffron, half and half, and cardomom powder. keep the flame low, stirring so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

2.Let the milk thicken a bit.

3.Once it has cooled down, add the pieces of baked ricotta, rose water, and almond pieces to the prepared milk

4.Keep it in the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving. Serve chilled!

Note: If you really want that rich taste with yeallow color i would recommend to use whole milk and whole ricotta cheese.

Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients
4- chicken quarters
1- tsp both- fresh ginger and garlic paste
1- lime (juice and zest)
½ - cup plain yogurt
2- tsp hot chili powder or to taste
1- tsp-coriander powder
1- tsp- black pepper powder
1- tsp ground cumin
1- tsp- garam masala
½ -tsp salt
½- tsp ghee/oil or butter

Method:
1•Make shallow diagonal slashes in the chicken pieces and keep aside.
2•Mix the all the ingredients with yoghurt and make a smooth paste.
3•Smear this paste all over the chicken pieces, making sure that it is rubbed well into the slashes and that the pieces are well coated.
cover and Refrigerate for 12-18 hours.
4•Preheat your grill on medium. Put the chicken on it and quickly sear (sealing in juices) on both sides. Now allow it to turn brown on both sides, brushing cooking oil on as necessary. Once browned, reduce heat and cover the grill. Cook till the chicken is tender. Do not overcook or the chicken will dry out.
5•If you don't have a grill you can also broil the chicken. Preheat your oven. While it is heating, line a baking tray with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray or smear it with cooking oil. Lay the pieces on the foil and drizzle lightly with cooking oil.
6•Broil for approximately 30 minutes, then turn pieces over and bake for another 10 minutes. Test chicken to see if cooked.
7•serve with lime and chat masala if you would like.

Oats Chappathi/ Indian Bread

Ingredients:
11/2 cup- Quaker oats
11/2 cup- Wheat flour
2tsp -olive oil
salt to taste
Hot Water to knead with

Method:
1.Mix wheat flour, oats, salt, and oil. Add water slowly in small amounts and knead it into a soft dough. If you have a food processor you can add everything together to make the dough.
2.Allow the dough to stand covered for at least 20 minutes.
3.When you are ready to make chapathi, divide the dough into lemon-sized balls. Dip the round balls into flour and roll the balls into circles with a rolling pin.
4.In a pan, cook the chapathi on both sides by adding a very few drops of oil.

If you want to make square shaped parotha-chapathi:
1.Divide the dough into balls that are a bit bigger than the ones you would use to make the round chapathis.
2.Dip the round balls into flour and roll them out into 6” circular discs.
3.Brush the chapathi facing you lightly with oil.
4.Now we need to fold the chapathi.
Follow the picture.


1.Fold one side of the disc towards the centre.
2. Fold the other side over the folded side.
3. Bring the right side towards the centre.
4.Fold the left side over the right side to form a square.
5.Roll on all four sides, keeping the square shape.

Variations:
You can also add methi leaves, cumin, minced onion, green chillies, curry leaves, or red chilly powder to this while you make the dough.

Apple Pickle

Ingredients:
1 lb green apples with skin, thinly chopped (clean and wipe dry before you chop up the apples)

For dry masala
1/2 tsp-cumin
1/2 tsp- mustard
1/2 tsp- Fenugreek seeds

For wet masala
1/2 tsp- mustard seeds
1/2 tsp- cumin
1/2 tsp- fenugreek seeds
1 tsp - thinly sliced ginger
5,6 nos- minced green chillies
2 tbsp or to taste- Red chilly powder
1 tsp- Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp-Hing or asafetida powder
1 cup -vinegar
1/2 cup- sesame oil
A couple of curry leaves
1/2 tsp-sugar
Salt to taste

First step
Heat the pan on a medium heat. Add the first three ingredients, the cumin, mustard, and fenugreek seeds, and roast until they splutter. Let it cool for a couple of minutes. Grind them into a coarse form and keep it aside.

Second step
Heat a pan on a medium flame and add sesame oil. splutter the mustard,cumin, and fenugreek seeds.
Add the curry leaves, ginger and green chillies. Keep it on a very low flame.
Then slowly add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder, and asafetida powder. Stir well.
Then add the apples, salt, sugar, vinegar, and the dry masala that we already made. Saute very well and make sure the apple pieces are well coated with masala. Keep stirring for a couple of minutes on a low flame until the apple softens.


Step-3
Store in an airtight jar. Mix the pickle every other day. The pickle will be ready to eat within a week’s time.

Sardine Mappas

Ingredients:
Sardines -1lb
Sesame seeds-1/2 tsp
Pearl onion(small chopped) - ½ cup
Tomato(medium sliced) - 1 cup
Ginger (small chopped) - 1/2 tsp
Garlic(small chopped) - 1/2 tsp
Green chilly-5 or to taste
Red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
vinegar- 1tsp (optiona)
Pepper powder - 1 tsp or to taste
Fenugreek powder(optional) - 1/4tsp
Thin coconut milk - 1 ½ cup
Thick coconut milk - ½ cup
Curry leaves - 1 spring
coconut oil - 2 tabs
Salt - to taste

For garnishing-
Thinly sliced pearl onions-2tsp
Curry leaves-
Oil -1tsp

Method
1.Clean fish and marinate with a little of turmeric,black pepper and salt, and keep it aside

2.In a hot pan, pour coconut oil and splutter the mustard. Then add the minced ginger, garlic, and curry leaves and saute for a minute.

3.Add shallots and fry till they become golden brown

4.Add coriander powder,pepper,red chilly powder,fenugreek powder and turmeric. Saute until the oil separates, and then add tomatoes. Let the tomatoes get completely cooked.
5.Pour in the thin coconut milk and allow it to boil for 10 minutes on a low flame.

6.Then add the sardines. cover and cook on medium heat.When the fish is almost cooked, add vinegar.
7.Finally, add the thick coconut milk and take it off the heat after a minute, just before it starts to boil.

For garnishing:-
Fry minced onion and curry leaves until they turn brown and sprinkle this on top of the mappas. Sardine Mappas is now ready to serve!!

Kalakki Chuttappam

Ingredients:
3cups-rice flour
1tsp-minced ginger
1medium -minced onion
2,3-minced green chillies
1cup-fresh shreaded coconut
1-egg
a couple of curry leaves
salt to taste

Method:
1.Mix together the rice flour, chopped onions, minced chillies, minced ginger,coconut, curry leaves and salt.

2.Stir well to form a thick batter. The consistency should be similar to idali batter

3.pray a wok with nonstick oil.(I would recommend cast iron or indolium wok)

4.keep the flame very low.

5.add 1/2 tsp oil to the wok

6.pour one full ladle batter and spread slightly with the back of the ladle from the center to the sides of the pan. it should be thick about 2-3 cms and circular shape.


7. When the base is golden brown,turn the side and Pour 1/2 teaspoon of oil around the edges. cook until they get brown spots.

8. serve with coconut chammandi or pickle

Soya Chunk Curry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_8UiSXaXpM


Ingredients

1 pkt-soya chunks,or veggie nuggets
1 large- onion thinly sliced
1 tsp- garlic crushed
1 tsp -ginger crushed
1 large- tomato diced
1 small- capsicum diced
1 cup- potato diced
To taste- red chilly powder
1/2 tsp-turmeric powder
1/2 tsp -Cumin-
1 tsp-coriander powder
1 tsp -garam masala
1 tsp- lime juice
2 tbsp-oil
1 cup -cilantro chopped
salt to taste


Method
Cook the veggie nuggets according to the package directions.

Heat some oil in a vessel, when hot, add garam masala, red chilly powder ,turmeric,salt and the soya chunks. Keep the flame low.
saute for 6 minutes or until the soya chunks become light brown.
Then add the capsicum. Saute until the capsicum become soft. Keep this soya chunk aside.

For making gravy.
Pour some oil into a heated pan and splutter the cumin seeds.
Then add the onion,ginger and garlic. Mix well until the onion turns light brown.
Add the red chilly powder,turmeric and the coriander powder. Mix well.
Add the tomato. Mix well .
Add salt, garam masala and salt. Saute well
Add soya chunks into this gravy.
Pour some water and the lime juice according to your consistency.
Cover with a lid and cook another 20 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot!