Gongura Chutney

Gongura leaves - 1 cup
Green chillies - 15
Red chillies - 5
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

1. First fry the red chillies and fenugreek seeds until red chillies colour deepens.
2. Grind these in the mixer into a dry powder.
3. Fry the green chillies separately on medium flame for 5 min. Add this to the powder and grind again.
4. Now fry the leaves with 2 tbsp oil until the leaves shrink and soften.
5. Add this also the mixture prepared earlier, add salt and grind coarsely; do not add any water
6. In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil and add mustard and wait for them to crackle
7. Once the mustard crackles, add the mixture from the mixer, mix well and remove from heat

serves as chutney and can be preserved for long term use

Knol Khol Curry

Serves : 2

Knol Khol - 2 cups, cut into 1" slices
Coriander - 5-6 strands
Fresh Coconut - 1/2 cup, shredded
Green chillies -2 or as desired
Peppercorns - 5 - 6
Turmeric - pinch
Salt - to taste
Onion - 1 cup, sliced
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

1. Cook the knol khol pieces in water with salt to taste until done.
2. Grind to paste the coconut, green chillies, peppercorns, turmeric, and coriander using a blender or food processor.
3. Then in a skillet, heat oil and add mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle
4. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the onions and fry till they become soft and turn golden brown.
5. Then add the paste from the mixer and heat on medium flame for around 5 min.
6. Then add the cooked knol khol along with the water to the vessel and mix well
7. Add more salt as required and heat until all the contents blend or until the curry reaches desired consistency.

Serve with chappatis or rice.

Bitter Gourd Curry

serves: 4

Bitter Gourd - 2 cups, diced
Jaggery - 1/3 cup
Tamarind - about the size of lemnon
Sambhar Powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - a pinch

1. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the oil and fry the bitter gourd on low heat for about 8-10 min until the bitter gourd shrinks and it browns slightly.
2. In the meanwhile soak the jaggery and tamarind in about 1/2 of cup of hot water so that the jaggery melts and the tamarind softens.
3. Once the Bitter Gourd has browned slightly, add the water in which the jaggery and tamarind is soaked to the pan. Sqeeuze out any water from the tamarind and also add the paste that comes out of the tamarind while squeezing to the pan.
4. Add the sambhar powder, salt, turmeric and mix the contents well. Heat on medium fame until the water reaches a boil while stirring occasionally.
5. Heat until all the contents blend and paste thickens. Add water as required and as you would like the consistency of the curry to be.

Serves as a side dish with chappatis, dosa and also tastes great with rice!!

Herbs Lentil Stew

Serves: 4

Methi leaves - 1 cup
Dill - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 3 cloves
Onion - 1 small
Green chillies - 5
Tomato - 1 medium
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 cups
Salt - to taste

1. Combine the leaves, garlic, onion, green chillies, tomato with the water and cook in a pressur cooker until the dal is copletely cooked.
2. Once it is cooked, drain and save the stock and wait for the cooked dal-leaves to cool
3. Once the leaves are cool enough to handle, puree them in a blender or food processor. If the dal is completely cooked and can be mashed using hand, then puree only the rest of cooked ingredients.
4. In a thick-bottomed pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the cumin seeds and fry until their colour deepens.
5. Then add the pureed contents, dal, salt and the stock. Heat on high flame to bring to boil and then cook on low-medium flame for another 5 minutes.

Lentils and vegetables cooked with rice

Bisibele Bath

Serves: 4

Rice - 1 cup
Toor daal - 1 cup
Beans - 1/2 cup, cut into inch long pieces
Carrot - 1/2 cup, cut into inch long pieces, or as desired
Chayote (Seme badnekai) - 1/4 cup (optional), cut into inch cubes
Bottle gourd - 1/2 cup (optional), cut into inch cubes
Green bell pepper (Capsicum) - 1 small, cut into big pieces
Peas - 1/4 cup
Oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 8-10
Bisibele bath powder - 2 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - a pinch
Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
Hing - a dash
Red chillies - 4-5

1. Cook the vegetables and daal with 10 cups of water in a pressure cooker until done.
2. Wash the rice in several changes of water and cook with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker or rice cooker.
3. Once the daal and veggies are cooked, add tamarind paste, red chilly powder, salt and bisibele bath powder, mix well. Heat on medium flame while stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Boil the mixture for about 5 minutes until the flavours blend and then add the cooked rice.
5. Cover the vessel and cook on low flame for another 5 min
6. Parallely, heat oil for the seasoning and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add asafoetida, curry leaves and red chillies.
7. Once the red chillies colour deepen, add the capsicum and peas and cook until done. Then add the seasoning to the daal+rice mixture and mix well
8. Cover with a lid and let is sit for around 10 min for all the flavours to blend.

Best served with potato chips or khara bhoondi

Stuffed Baby Eggplants

Serves: 4

Baby eggplants - 6 small round
Onion - 1 large, sliced
Peanuts/Groundnuts - 1/4 cup
Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
Rasam powder - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Jaggery - 1 inch cube
Coconut - 1/4 cup freshly grated
Coriander - 4-5 strands
Curry leaves - 10-15
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch

1. Cut the eggplants lengthwise into quarters, from the round end two-thirds of the way down toward the stem, so that they can be stuffed with spices yet still remain whole. Soak the brinjals in salted water
2. Grind to paste peanuts, tamarind, rasam powder, red chilli powder, salt, jaggery, coconut, coriander leaves, 6-8 curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and around 1/4 cup of water in a blender or food processor.
3. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, add mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle
4. Once the mustard crackles, add the cumin seeds, remaining curry leaves and asafoetida.
5. Now add the onions and fry on low flame until the onions turn into a golden brown
6. In the meanwhile stuff the slit eggplants with the paste prepared earlier and place them on the onions.
7. Pour any left over paste into the cooker and add water as consistency is required
8. Pressure cook for one whistle. Let it cool; remove lid and pour into a serving bowl

Variation:
- Cut the eggplants lengthwise and add once the onions and cooked; then add the paste from the blender and pressure cook

Beans Bath

Serves: 2

Rice - 1 cup
Beans - 2 cups, cut into inch long pieces
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Channa daal - 2 tbsp
Urad daal - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Vangibath powder - 2 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

1. Wash, drain and soak the rice in warm water for about 10 minutes
2. Then cook the rice in a pressure cooker or rice cooker.
3. In a medium saucepan, cook the beans with minimum water and salt to taste until done and set aside
4. Heat oil in a pan until hot but not smoking. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter.
5. Once the mustard seeds sputter, add the channa dal and the urad dal and stir fry until the dals turn uniformly brown.
6. Then add the tamarind paste and fry until it dries up a bit and looks greasy. Now add the turmeric, red chilli powder and fry for about a minute.
7. Add the beans along with the water and fry till the dish thickens and very little water is left. Be sure to have less water to start with else the beans may get over-cooked.
8. Now add the vangibath powder and mix well and turn off the heat. The consistency of the dish should be good enough to mix with rice.
10. Now add the pre-cooked rice and salt and mix gently being careful not to break the grains.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot!!

Bhel Puri

Serves: 4

Puffed rice - 4 cups
Potato - 2 cups, boiled, peeled, mashed
Red onion - 1 cup, finely chopped
Ripe tomato - 1 cup, finely chopped
Carrot - 1/2 cup, grated (optional)
Gram flour Sev - 1 cup
Green mango - 2 tbsp, grated
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Tamarind Date chutney - 3 tbsp
Mint Coriander chutney - 3 tbsp
Coarsely crushed papdi – 1 handful (a biscuit like snack made from flour)
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Chaat masala - to taste
Coriander powder - a pinch
Red chilli powder - a pinch
Garam masala - a pinch
Salt - to taste

1. To the boiled and mashed potatoes add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well and set aside
2. Take the puffed rice in a large bowl, and to it add the chutneys, onions, tomatoes, papdi, half of the Sev, lemon juice ad chaat masala. Mix well
3. Divide the bhel puri into 4 equal portions and top them equally with the remaining Sev, raw mango and coriander leaves.

Banana Strawberry Smoothie

Full of enery-giving oats and fruits, this tasty drink makes a brilliant breakfast

Serves: 4

Bananas - 2, quartered
Strawberries - 2 cups
Oatmeal - 2 tablespoons
Plain live yogurt - 2 1/2 cups

Place the bananas, strawberries, oatmeal and yogurt in a food processor or blender
Process for a few minutes until combined and creamy
Pour into tall glasses and serve

Cooks tip:
- Use ripe bananas and add sugar if you like it to be little more sweet than the sweetness the fruits provide
- Prepare fruit drinks just before serving to gain maximum benefit from the nutrients

Beans-Peanut Curry

Serves: 4

Beans - 2 cups, cut int inch long pieces
Peanut - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 4
Garlic - 2 cloves
Rice - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 large, cut lengthwise
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

1. Cook the beans with enough water to immerse the beans and salt to taste and set aside.
2. In a frying pan, fry the peanut and red chillies together. They need to be fried until the peanuts turn golden brown and the colour of the chillies deepen. Just before the peanuts are done, add the rice and fry for 1/2 min
3. Grind the chillies, groundnut, rice and garlic to the blender or food processor.
4. Heat oil in a wok and add mustard seeds. Wait for the mustard seeds to pop and then add the onions and fry till golden brown.
5. Then add the cooked beans with as much water as you would like the consistency. mix well and then add the peanut powder prepared earlier.
6. Add more salt as required and mix. Heat until all the contents blend well with each other. Too much cooking is not required as all the contents are pre-cooked.

Corn-Methi pulao

Serves: 4

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Onion - 1 large, sliced
Methi leaves- 1 cup shredded
Sweet corn - 1/2 cup
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Cloves - 4
Cardamon - 2
Peppercorns - 2-3
Salt - to taste

1. Wash, drain and soak the basmati rice in warm water for about 10 minutes.
1. Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and cardamom. Then add the ginger-parlic paste and stir fry for about a min
2. Add the onions and fry until the onions turn translucent and become soft. Add the methi leaves and corn and mix well. Stir fry until the contents become a little greasy.
3. Drain the rice and mix gently not to break the grains. Add salt to taste, then water and pressure cook for 1 whistle. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then fluff up the rice.

Vegetable Peking Noodles

Serves: 2

Hakka Noodles - 1 packet
Capsicum - 1 sliced
Carrot - 1 cut into inch long pieces
Beans - 8-10, cut into inch long pieces and slit lengthwise
Cabbage - 1/2 cup, sliced
Spring Onion - 1/2 cup, shredded
Garlic - 1 clove, chopped
Red Chillies - 4
Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp
Red Chilli Sauce - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Ground Pepper - to taste

1. Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet
2. Heat oil in a frying pan on high heat and add the garlic, and red chillies
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the beans and little bit of salt and stir fry for about a min
4. Add the carrots and little more salt and stir fry for about 1/2 a min
5. Now add the capsicum and cabbage and mix well
6. Add the soya sauce, red chilli sauce and salt/pepper as required and stir fry until the vegetables are cooked.
7. Now add the noodles and stir fry on high flame. Use chop sticks, if available, to mix the noodles.
8. Garnish with the spring onions and serve hot.