Ven pongal

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1 cup
Split moong dal - ½ cup
Ghee (clarified butter) or butter - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Peppercorns - 1 tsp
Fresh ginger - 1 tbsp (chopped)
Cashewnuts - 10 to 15
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Water - 5-6 cups (you may replace ½ of it with milk)
Salt as per taste

Mehtod
Fry the cashew nuts in ghee for golden colour.
Wash and rinse the rice and dal then cook along with salt for 5 to 6 whistles. If you use a small cooker then milk will boil over, so use a big one. Or do it in the pan so you can stir well.
After they are done, take a small pan and fry the mustard seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, asafoetida, ginger and curry leaves in the ghee.
Pour this and the cashews into the cooked rice and mix well. Serve hot with sambar.

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.

Beans stir fry

Beans - 1 lb

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Channa dal - 1 tbsp
Split moong dal - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 Medium
Chillies - 4 to 5
Curry leaves - 6
Curry powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - pinch
Salt to taste
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp(optional)
Oil for frying

Method:
Chop the beans into small pieces and boil with some salt, till half-cooked.
Remove and filter the excess water.
In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, when it crackles add cumin seeds and dals. After its changes color add onion, chillies and curry leaves.
Saute till translucent then add beans. Fry it for another few minutes.
Now add powder ingredients and saute until oil separates. Adjust the salt.
Keep stirring, sprinkle coconut before you turn off the stove.
Remove and serve with hot rice.

Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients

(3 to 4 Serving)

1/4 cup butter
2 tps garlic finally chopped
1 cups cream
1 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

A pinch of nutmeg(optional)
Salt and pepper to taste


Method

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic fry for a min then add cream simmer for 5 min. Then add remaining ingredients, stirring occasionally.Remove from the stove when sauce in right consistency (not more then 5 min). If you feel sauce is too thick, add some milk.
Finally mix with hot pasta (any), and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.

Poori and Panner butter masala

Poori

Ingredients
Atta - 2 cups
Warm Water - 1 cup
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Oil for deep frying

Method

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add water and make a stiff dough without any cracks. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes(optional) Making a stiff dough would result in puffy pooris.Divide the dough into round balls of equal size. Roll each ball into a thin round using a rolling pin. Sprinkle a little wheat flour for dusting if you feel the dough is sticking on to the surface.
Heat the oil (piping hot) drop a poori gently, press with a slotted spoon which would allow the poori to puff up like a balloon. Flip the poori on the other side and fry for a few seconds.

Serve hot with any curry, we usual prefer potato one, this time I try it with panner curry. 

Paneer butter masala

Ingredients:
250 gms paneer
3 medium sized onions
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
Whole garam masala (cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, cloves)
2 tsps red chilli powder
4 ripe tomatoes
3-5 tbsps cashewnut
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
3 tbsps butter
Small amount of cream
Coriander leaves for garnish

Method
Heat the pan pour some oil, add the onion fry for few minutes then add tomatoes fry for about 5 minutes (do not fully cook). Before you turn off the stove add cashew nuts. Once it cools grind them into smooth paste. 

Aside from this, peel the skin of some tomatoes and grind to smooth paste. 

Heat a tbsp of ghee and fry the paneer cubes to golden brown, keep aside. In a pan/kadhai heat 3 tbps of butter on medium low flame. Add whole garam masala one by one, then add ginger-garlic paste fry for few minutes then add the tomoto paste, increase the flame to medium and fry it till oil leaks separate from the tomatoes, stirring frequently. Cover with lid. Add chilli, turmeric, and coriander powder, and salt to taste. Pour some water combine well.

After few minutes add kasoori methi and garam masala powder. Simmer the flame and let it cook till the gravy has a thick consistency. Add fried paneer, mix gently. Finally add cream two minutes before turning off the flame.

Let it sit for at least 10 minutes and garnish with freshly chopped coriander before serving.

Serve hot with rotis, paranthas or naan.