Tomato-nut pasta

This is an Indian style pasta with a spicy flavor. Even if you don't enjoy the usual kinds of pasta you may still like this one.

Ingredients

Pasta - 2 cups (any type)
Onion - 1 medium
Chillies - 3
Curry leaves - a few
Tomato paste - 3 tbsp (I use the tinned one)
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Clove - 3
Bay leaf - 1, small
Ginger & garlic paste - 2 tsp
Curry powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Cheddar cheese - ¼ cup (optional)
Mixed nuts - 3 tbsp (grind and make a coarse powder)
Oil - for frying

Method

Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the pasta box.
Take a kadai/wok pour some oil then add cinnamon, bay leaf and clove, after it is fried add onion and chillies. After a minute add ginger and garlic paste. Fry it for a few minutes then add tomato paste or puree. Pour some water and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until the raw tomato smell goes, then add cheese and make a sauce.

Now add powder ingredients along with salt, mix well.
Cover it and wait for another 5 minutes then add pasta and mix well. Let it stand for 5 minutes to let pasta absorb the flavour. Sprinkle nut powder and mix before you turn off the stove.
Serve hot. I promise you will like it.

Sesame seeds poha / Ellu aval

Ingredients

Poha - 1 cup
Red chillies - 3
Sesame seeds (till) - 3 to 4 tbps
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Spilt moong dal - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method
Fry sesame seeds and red chillies until the seeds turn reddish-brown. Don't burn it. Ground this to a coarse powder.
Soak the poha in water before starting for not more than 5 minutes.
Heat the oil add mustard seeds. When it pops, add dal. After dal is fried
add onion and curry leaves. Fry until onion turns translucent.
Now filter the poha from the water and mix with onion. After a few minutes add sesame seeds, powder and salt, stir for few minutes.
When poha is hot remove from heat and serve with chutney.

Spinach dal

Ingredients
Spinach - 1 bunch washed and chopped into big pieces
Toor dal - 1 cup
Tomato - 1 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Turmeric - ½ tsp

For seasoning
Oil - 1 tbsp or ghee
Cumin, mustard seeds, channa dal, urad dal - 1 tsp each
Garlic - 3 pods (minced)
Curry leaves - a few
Asafoetida - ¼ tsp
Red chillies - 2

Pressure cook all of the above ingredients, then mash the dal. In a saucepan, add one tsp of oil or ghee and lightly fry the minced garlic, urad dal, channa dal, cumin and mustard seeds, red chilli pieces, asafoetida and curry leaves. Add the spinach-dal to the seasoning bring to boil for another few minutes. Pour some ghee on the top of the dal before serving. Serve with hot rice or roti.