Spicy Gobhi Masala

This is a simple and spicy cauliflower curry. You can have it as side for chapati or even rice.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower - 1 head
• Onion - 1 large
• Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup 
• Ginger- Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2  tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Cilantro - for garnish

Directions: 

• Cut the cauliflower into florets. Boil water in a pot and drop these florets into the water. Let them cook for just 3 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wide pan and splutter cumin seeds.
• Add sliced or chopped onions and saute till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for another minute.
• Add tomato puree and mix well.
• Now add all the dry powders, like turmeric, coriander powder, chili powder, salt and garam masala.. Cook till the oil separates.
• Add cauliflower florets and mix gently so that the florets are well coated with the masala.
• Cook till cauliflower is tender, yet not mushy.  
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Anaar and Boondi Raita

This beautiful colored sweet and  hot raita is so delicious that some times I just eat it like a dessert.
Of course it goes well with parathas and chapatis.

Ingredients:

• Yogurt - 2 cups
• Pomegranate Seeds ( anar ) - 1/2 cup
• Black Salt - to taste
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Boondi - for garnishing

Directions: 

• Beat the curd in a bowl. 
• Blend the pomegranate seeds with just 1/4 cup of water and extract the juice. Save 2 tbsp of anaar seeds for garnishing.
• Add this pomegranate juice to the beaten curds. 
• Add salt, chili powder, roasted cumin powder and mix well.
• Garnish with anaar seeds and boondi.  Serve chilled.

Variation:

• Add  whole pomegranate seeds to the raita instead of the juice. Add all the ingredients to the beaten curds, mix well and refrigerate for  half an hour before serving.
• You can also garnish with chopped cilantro.
• You can replace boondi with sev. That tastes equally good.

Enjoy !!

Onion Chutney ( Ulli Pachadi )

Serve this wonderful onion chutney with idli or dosa. 

Ingredients: 

• Onion – 1 Large
• Oil – 1 tbsp ( for saute )
• Oil - 1 tsp ( for tempering )
• Whole Red Chillies – 3-4
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Tamarind Pulp - 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves – 1 spring
• Hing - a pinch
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp ( optional )
• Salt – to taste

Directions:  

• Heat oil in a pan, sizzle cumin seeds, then add red chillies and fry for half a minute, and saute chopped onions till translucent. Let it cool.
• In a grinder, take onions, tamarind pulp, red chillies , salt and grind to a paste.
• Take it out in a bowl.
• For tempering , heat 1 tsp of oil, splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal and fry till reddish. ( Urad dal is optional, you can omit it) Add hing and curry leaves.
• Pout this tempering over the onion chutney. Mix well and serve with idli or dosa.

Variation:  You can add just 1 tsp of grated jaggery while grinding for a touch of sweetness.

Smelly Cabbage

An unpleasant odor fills up the entire home while cooking cabbage. Not only while cooking but even hours after cooking.

A couple of tips that help reduce the odor:

• Try to add one bay leaf while cooking the cabbage .
• Or, add 1 tbsp of lemon juice in the cabbage.
• The best option is to keep your windows open and the exhaust on.

If you know of any other tip, please mention in the comment section.

Pomegranate Juice

Very easy, quick and a healthy drink.

Ingredients:

• Pomegranate - 1
• Sugar - to taste
• Water - 1 cup

Directions: 

• Cut and peel the Pomegranate. Collect all the red bulbs or seeds. Discard the peel and the thin white membrane.
• Take all the seed into a blender and blend them into a puree.
• Strain the  pomegranate puree . Press the puree on the strainer with the back of the spoon  so that you can extract all the juice out of it.
• Add water. Add sugar to taste. Mix well and serve chilled.

Tip: You can add 1 tsp of lemon juice into the pomegranate juice for a different flavor. 

Baby Corn Curry

Baby corn cooked in a rich, thick and creamy gravy is absolutely delectable and goes extremely well with chapati or naan or even any rice item.

 I have used canned baby corns, you can use fresh  ones if you find them.


Ingredients:

• Baby Corn - 1 small can 
• Onion - 1 small
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Ginger - Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Coriander-Cumin Powder -1 tsp
• Amchoor - 1/2 tsp
• Curds- 1 cup
• Heavy Cream - 1 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnish
• Oil / Butter - 2 tbsp

Directions: 

• Heat oil or butter in a pan and shallow fry the baby corns till they slightly change color to golden. Frying just for a minute or  two would be sufficient.
• Remove the corns and keep aside.
• In the same pan and the left over butter, splutter cumin seeds.
• Add very finely chopped onions and saute till translucent. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for another minute or two.
• Add  coriander-cumin powder and amchoor with just a tbsp of water. Just so that the dry powders do not burn.
• Add the shallow fried baby corns and mix well.
• Beat the curds well and pour it in the pan very slowly on a low flame so that the curds do not separate.
• Add salt and let it cook covered for 5 minutes.
• Add the heavy cream and let it cook for another 2-4 minutes on medium heat. 
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with either chapati or naan or jeera rice .

Rajma Masala

Rajma or kidney beans is a very popular dish in North India. It goes excellently well with roti, naan , jeera rice or even plain white steamed rice.
You can either soak rajma overnight to make it the next day or if you are in a hurry , you can even use canned kidney beans which do not require soaking.
Rajma cooked with onion tomato gravy and several other spices will absolutely delight you.


Ingredients:

• Rajma  (kidney beans)   - 1 cup                                           
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1 or 2
• Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Onion - 1 large
• Ginger garlic paste  - 1 tbsp
• Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup
• Red chili Powder - to taste
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp
• Garam masala or Rajma Masala Powder - 1tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Cilantro leaves - for garnishing
• Butter - 2 tbsp

Directions:

• Wash and soak Rajma overnight.
• Pressure cook it until it is done. Try to press a bean between your finger and thumb, you should be able to squeeze it easily. Keep aside.
• Heat butter in a pan or pot and add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon stick,asafoetida and let the cumin seeds crackle.
• Add chopped onion and saute till they turn translucent.
• Now add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw flavour goes away.
• Add tomato puree and cook till then cook till the butter separates. 
• Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala ( or rajma masala ) and salt.
• Add a cup of water and cook for about 3-5 minutes.
• Now add the cooked rajma along with the water left inside the cooker. 
• Cook covered for about 5-8 minutes or till the gravy thickens.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.
• Serve with roti, naan or jeera rice or even plain steamed rice.

Tip: You can sprinkle a tbsp of kasoori methi over the curry for a slightly different flavour. Try it :)

Vegetable Pulao

Vegetable pulao is my favorite any given day. The flavors, the colors, the goodness of vegetables and the ease of making it, are the reasons for me to make this dish quite regularly. Also you do not really need to make any curry when you make pulao, it is best eaten with raita.
Pulao is made in various ways in different households. Few ingredients can differ here and there, however the basic remains the same.
Here's the recipe I follow.


Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Water - 4 cups
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds - 3/4 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1 or 2
• Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
• Cloves - 2-3
• Black Cardamom - 1
• Star Anise - 1
• Black Peppercorns - 3-5
• Onion - 1 medium
• Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup or adjust to preferance
• Ginger - Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Pulao Masala - 1 tsp (optional )
• Salt -to taste

Mixed Vegetables ( my choice )- green beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet corn. You can add paneer cubes also.

However, the above mentioned list is just my choice, there are other vegetables you can add if you like too like bell pepper, mushrooms etc. 

Directions: 

• Soak basmati rice for half an hour , drain and keep aside.
• In a big heavy bottomed pot, heat oil. 
• Add bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, peppercorns and cumin seeds.
• Add sliced onions and saute till translucent.
• Add ginger garlic paste and cook for a minute.
• Add all the powders like cumin , coriander, pulao masala. You can add a pinch of turmeric powder if you like it to be yellow in color.
• Add all the vegetables ( sliced or cubed ) and fry them for about 3-4 minutes.
• Add rice which has been soaked and drained. Fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add hot water , salt and cook it covered, stirring a couple of times in between. Don't stir too many times.
• Turn off the flame when the rice is almost cooked. Keep is covered, it will get cooked completely by the steam.
• Mix it very gently making sure not to break the rice grains.
• Serve with any raita of your choice.

If you are making in the rice cooker, soak the rice in the cooker bowl. Do the points 2 to 7 and add that vegetable and spice mix to the rice in cooker pot , add salt  and mix. Cover the cooker and turn it on.

I do not add chillies to the pulao to avoid confusing chillies for green beans. Instead, I make my raita spicy and add chillies to it.

You can add saffron mix or artificial food color to add some more color to the pulao. Food Color is totally optional , please avoid if you do not like anything artificial :) 

Mediterranean Veggie Wrap

 A variety of vegetables wrapped inside a middle eastern multigrain flat bread with hummus spread.
You can use any vegetable of your choice to stuff it in.


Ingredients:

• Middle Eastern Multigrain Flat Bread - 1
• Hummus Spread - 2 tbsp or to taste
• Lemon Juice - a few drops ( optional )
• Salad Dressing - of your choice ( I used Ranch )
• Chili Flakes - to taste ( optional )
• Vegetables - for stuffing 

My choice of veggies : 

• Lettuce , Cucumber, Onion Slices, Cherry Tomatoes, Banana Pepper, Bell Peppers, Olives.

Directions: 

• I like to slightly warm the bread in microwave, say just for 10 seconds.
• Spread generous amount of hummus.
• Place the sliced veggies on the bread in the center, and sprinkle few drops of lemon juice over the veggies.
• Sprinkle some salad dressing and some chili flakes.
• Wrap it up. 
• If you use the large sized bread then cut the wrap into 2 or 3 pieces.
• Enjoy with chips and a drink of your choice :)

Ginger Garlic Chili Paste

Ginger-Garlic-Chili Paste is one of the most important ingredients in Indian cooking.
Majority of the recipes require this paste.
It is handy to make this paste in bulk and save it for a longer time.
It can be stored in fridge for a week.
So, keep the amount of this paste which you would require for a week in fridge and freeze the remaining.


Ingredients:

• Ginger
• Garlic
• Green Chillies
• Salt

Directions: 

• Take ginger, garlic and green chillies in equal proportion. Wash them clean.
• Grind in the food processor to a coarse or fine paste.
• Add a generous amount of salt and freeze it.
• Use as and when required.

Onion Magic !!!

Drinking onion juice or eating raw onion every day helps:

• Lower blood cholesterol levels, 
• Cleanses the blood, 
• Improves digestions, 
• Relieves insomnia,
• Prevents Cancer,
• Lowers Blood Pressure,
• Fights Hypertension,
• Prevents Tooth Decay,
• Cures Cardiovascular Diseases,
• Relieves Stomach Ache, 

etc, etc , etc................ and many more benefits.

So, try to include onions in your daily diet. 

Stay Healthy..... Stay Happy !!!  :))

Masala Dosa

Masala dosa is made by stuffing or wraping the dosa with the potato-onion filling. 

To make the batter of the dosa please click on the following link.

Dosa Batter Recipe

Here is the recipe of the potato-onion filling.

Ingredients for the filling: 

• Potatoes - 3 large
• Sliced Onion - 1 large
• Green Chillies - 3 or to taste
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Chana Dal - 2 tsp
• Urad Dal - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Ginger - 1 tsp grated or paste
• Chopped Cilantro - 2-3 springs
• Hing - a pinch
• Ghee or Oil - 2 tbsp

Directions: 

For making the filling: 

• Pressure cook the potatoes till tender. After cooling, peel them off and mash them coarsely with a potato masher. Keep aside
• Heat ghee or oil in a pan, and splutter mustard seeds, then add urad dal and chana dal. Fry till they slightly change the color.
• Add hing, onions, curry leaves, ginger, turmeric powder and green chillies. Saute till onions turn translucent. 
• Add the mashed potato and salt , mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes till all the ingredients combine.
• Add finely chopped cilantro in the end.
• The potato filling is done.

Now lets look at the method to assemble the dosa and the filling.

Dosa: 

• Heat the tawa or skillet on med-high heat.
• Sprinkle few drops of oil and take an onion cut into half and with the help of the surface of the cut onion, spread the oil drop all over the tawa.
• Now sprinkle a few drops of water on the tawa and the water droplets should sizzle and evaporate right away. You can repeat this step before making each dosa.
• Now pour a ladle of batter ( 1/4 cup ) on the hot tawa and gently spread it into a circle. ( spread it by the back of the ladle, moving into circular motion )
• When it is spread, spray or drizzle a few drops of cooking oil or ghee all over the dosa.
• Cook on medium till the bottom part of the dosa turns brownish. The sides of the dosa come off the tawa. 
• Take 2-4 tbsp of the potato filling and put it in the center of the dosa. 
• There are two ways you can flip the dosa. one, just fold the dosa into half ( like in pic ) or second, flip both the sides of the dosa one over the other so the the filling is totally covered.
• Serve immediately with sambar and chutney of your choice.

Sweet Pongal ( Chekkara Pongali )

Sweet Pongal is a popular dish made on the festival of Pongal or Makar Sankranti. Sweet pongal when served on a banana leaf is just heavenly. Hmmm.... Nevertheless, it tastes equally good otherwise.

It is easy to make with not too many ingredients. Here's the recipe :


Ingredients:

• Sona Masuri rice - 1 cup
• Moong Dal ( pesara pappu ) - 1/2 cup
• Jaggery - 1 cup ( adjust to taste )
• Ghee ( clarified butter ) - 1/4 cup
• Cashew Nuts - 4-5
• Raisins - 1 tbsp
• Cardamom Powder - 2 pinches
• Milk - 2 cups ( for cooking rice )
• Water - 2 cups ( for cooking rice )
• Evaporated Milk - 1 small can ( 12 fl oz )
• Water - 1 cup ( for melting jaggery )

Directions: 

• Roast moong dal in very little ghee, say just a teaspoonful ghee, on medium heat. Keep stirring continuously till they just start to slightly change color. ( you can even dry roast it ) Do not brown them. Remove and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add one more tsp of ghee and roast cashew nuts and raisins till cashews turn slightly golden and raisins puff up .
• In a pressure cooker or electric rice cooker, cook rice in milk and water. The cooked  rice should be soft and mushy.
• Grate or powder the jaggery.
• In a separate pot, melt jaggery in a cup of water on a medium heat. Let this syrup cool. Strain this syrup to remove dirt particles ( if any ). Transfer it back to the same pot.
• Add cooked rice and dal to the jaggery syrup and cook on low- medium heat.
• Add the  evaporated milk , remaining ghee, roasted cashew nuts and raisins and also cardamom powder. Give it a good mix.
• Simmer and cook it covered for around 10-15 minutes . Pongal thickens a lot on cooling , so you can turn off the heat when it still is in pouring consitency.
• Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving this heavenly sweet dish. 

Tip:  Jaggery can be replaced with white or brown sugar.
(If you use the dark jaggery, the color of pongal is darker and that is how I like it. I used the light colored jaggery , hence the color is lighter in the picture. )

Happy Sankranti to all the readers !!

Wishing you all a very Happy Sankranti , Happy Pongal, Happy Lohri, Happy Magh Bihu, Happy Maghi, Happy Uttarayan to all the readers ... Have a festive day !!!!

Italian Spicy Bean and Vegetable Soup

Italian Spicy Bean and Vegetable Soup , as the name says is made of mixed beans and mixed vegetables. Hence, it is very nutritious and is good to taste. This soup is a perfect combination with garlic bread sticks.



Ingredients:

• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
• Onion - 1 small
• Garlic Cloves - 2-3
• Chopped Celery Stalks - 1-2
• Carrot , peeled and chopped - 1
• Bell Pepper, chopped - 1
• Chili Powder - to taste
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Dried Oregano - 1 tbsp
• Chili Flakes - to taste
• Diced Tomatoes - 1/2 cup
• Tomato Puree - 1 cup
• Salt -to taste
• Vegetable Broth - 8-9 cups 
• Garbanzo Beans - 1 small can
• Cannellini Beans or Kidney Beans - 1 small can
• Broccoli Florets - 1-2 cups
• Zucchini - 1
• Shredded Parmesan - for garnishing

Directions: 

• In a soup pot, heat oil. Add chopped onions and crushed garlic. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
• Add chopped bell pepper, celery and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes .
• Add the chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chili flakes and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook for a couple more minutes.
• Add the vegetable broth or stock.
• Add both the beans, broccoli, zucchini and some salt.
• Simmer and cook uncovered for about half an hour till the beans are tender and the soup thickens slightly.
• Adjust salt if needed.
• Serve it in a bowl , sprinkle some shredded parmesan .

Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is an important ingredient for making soups or sauces or fried rice,etc . It makes the dish more flavorful.


Ingredients:

• Garlic Cloves – 6- 8 crushed
• Ginger - 1 inch crushed
• Bay Leaf – 2
• Black Peppercorn – 8-10
• Onions – 2 large
• Carrots – 2 large.
• Cauliflower - 7-8 florets
• Bell Pepper - 1
• Shredded Cabbage - 1 cup 
• Celery – 2
• Spring Onions – 4 stalks
• Cilantro - 2-3 springs
• Leeks – 1 spring
• Parsley – 5-7springs
• Water – 1 pot ful or say, 15 cups

Note: Several other vegetables like tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, peas, corns, thyme etc can also be added.

Directions: 

• Wash and Chop all the vegetables into large rough pieces. No need to peel onions or carrots. 
• Heat water in a heavy bottom pot. Add all the ingredients into the water.
• Bring it to a boil and then allow it to simmer for atleast 1 hour.
• Allow it to cool and then strain the stock.
• Discard the vegetables, since there is nothing left in them to reuse. All the qualities and flavors of those vegetables have been extracted by the water.
• Use it in soups or any other preparation.
• Store it in fridge . 

Tip:  I usually store half the stock in the fridge which i can finish using in a week and freeze the remaining half in the ice cube tray for the later use.

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

In Thai restaurants, this dish is typically served in hollowed pineapple halfs. It makes a great presentation.
Here is the vegan version of the pineapple fried rice by just avoiding chicken or shrimp or prawn.
I have used egg, however, if you do not eat egg, you can avoid it too. It won't affect the taste of the fried rice.




Ingredients:

• Cooked Rice - 3-4 cups
• Pineapple Chunks- 1 cup (fresh or canned )
• shallots, finely chopped - 2 ( or a small onion )
• Garlic, finely chopped-  3 cloves 
• Green Chillies -2 ( or chili flakes)
• Egg - 1 (optional)
• Frozen Peas - 1/2 cup
• Grated Carrot -  1/4 cup
• Raisins - 3 tbsp
• Roasted Cashew Nuts - 1/4 cup
• Spring onions - 2 springs
• Cilantro - for garnish
• Soy Sauce - 2-3 tbsp
• Curry Powder - 2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt -to taste

Directions: 

• Cook rice and keep aside. Make sure each grain is separate and there are no chunks.
• Heat oil in a wok, and saute shallots, garlic and chillies.
• Beat the egg in a bowl. Add it to the wok and stir like making scrambled eggs.
• Add carrots and peas and cook for a couple of minutes. you can drizzle few drops of water or vegetable stock if the wok is too dry.
• Add cooked rice, pineapple chunks, raisins and cashews. Mix well.
• Add soy sauce, salt and curry powder and combine. Cook for about 5 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped spring onions and cilantro.

Methi Matar Malai

The fenugreek and peas curry made in the gravy of rich cream tastes absolutely wonderful with chapati or jeera rice.

Ingredients:

• Fenugreek Leaves ( Methi ) - 2 cups
• Peas ( Matar ) - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 small
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Curd - 3/4 cup
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Amchoor Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 2 pinches
• Cream - 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Directions: 

• Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Add finely chopped onions and saute till translucent.
• Add ginger garlic paste and saute for another minute.
• In a small bowl, beat the curd and add  coriander powder, cumin powder, amchoor, turmeric, red chili powder and mix well.
• Add this curd and masala paste to the pan along with salt.
• Add chopped methi leaves and peas.
• Cook covered on medium heat till methi and peas are done. I use frozen peas so it cooks faster.
• Add cream and cook for another couple of minutes. Adjust salt and turn off the heat.
• Serve with chapati or jeera rice.

Garden Salad

Ingredients:

• Lettuce ( Iceberg and Romaine ) 
• Shredded Carrots
• Shredded Red Cabbage
• Sliced Red Raddish
• Sliced Cucumber
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Black Olives
• Croutons
• Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salad Dressing ( any brand )

Note : I have not mentioned the quantity of each ingredient, because it is totally up to you decide which one you would like more and which one would you like to omit. Like I have omitted olives.

Directions : 

• Take all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. All the vegetables should be straight out of the fridge. Cold salad tastes better.
• Sprinkle cheese on top.
• Add any salad dressing of your choice and give it a toss.
• Enjoy the chilled crispy salad with a tangy dressing.

I usually use the store bought salad dressing, however, if you like home made dressing, here is the recipe for the same:

Ingredients: 

• Mayonnaise - 1/2 cup
• White Vinegar - 1/4 cup
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Parmesan Cheese - 2 tbsp
• Romano Cheese - 2 tbsp
• Minced Garlic - 2 cloves
• Dried Parsley - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp

Directions: 

• Blend all the ingredients in a blender till smooth.
• Adjust taste accordingly and refrigerate.

Cranberry Pulihora / Rice

I had never heard of cranberry Pulihora until one of my friends introduced it to me just a few months ago.
I tried it and loved it.  It is just made like our good old tamarind rice, replacing tamarind with cranberries.

So here's the recipe for the same:




Ingredients :

• Rice - 2 cups ( I prefer Sona Masoori )
• Cranberries- 1 cup
• Red Whole Chillies - 2
• Green Chillies 2-3
• Coconut powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder-  1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds -1 tsp
• Urad Dal -1 tsp
• Chana Dal -1 tsp
• Cashew Nuts - 7-8
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Asafoetida -2 pinches
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnish

Directions: 

• Cook the rice and keep aside.
• In a pan, heat oil, and splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal, chana dal and as they start to change the color, add cashew nuts.( You can replace cashew nuts with peanuts as well )
• Add torn red chillies, slit green chillies, asafoetida , turmeric powder, curry leaves.
• Add washed cranberies and some salt. Cook till all the cranberries and mushy  and are reduced to paste. You can alternatively grind the cranberries and add  that paste.
• Add coconut powder to it and mix well.
• Now add this cranberry mixture to the cooked rice and give it a good mix , gently, without breaking the rice grains.
• Adjust salt and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Aloo Matar

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 2 medium 
• Frozen Green Peas - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 medium 
• Tomato - 1 
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic - 2 cloves 
• Ginger - 1 inch piece 
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Water - 1 cup
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Fresh Cilantro - 3-4 springs
• Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste

Directions: 

• Heat oil in a pan and sizzle cumin seeds.
• Add ginger, garlic and saute for a few seconds.
• Add finely chopped onions and saute till onions turn translucent.
• Add finely chopped tomatoes , turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chili powder. Add salt and give it a good mix.
• Cook till tomatoes are totally cooked.
• Peel the potatoes and dice them. Add these diced potatoes and frozen peas along with a cup of water.
• Cook covered on medium heat till potatoes are tender and cooked. Keep stirring in between. This would usually take 30-35 min.
• Add garam masala and kasuri methi, adjust salt. Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped cilantro.
• Serve with chapati or jeera rice.