Palak Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1lb chicken
• 1.5 cup palak paste
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chicken masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 lemon
• salt
• 4 tbsp oil

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with yogurt, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chicken masala, turmeric, lemon juice, salt and oil for 30 mins.
   
2. Wash palak, Add palak and water to a blender smooth paste.
   
3. Heat oil in a pot, add onion paste and fry for 3 mins.add ginger garlic paste fry untill raw smell goes off.
   
4. Add marinated chicken and remaning yogurt mix well and cook on medium flame for 10 mins.
   
5. Now add palak paste fry until raw smell goes off.
   
6. Serve with rice, jeera rice and roti.
   

Kadai Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp coriander seeds 
• 3 to 4  dried red chilies 
• 2 to 3 tbsps oil
• 6 cashew nuts 
• 1 cup cubed onions
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes 
• 1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• ½ tsp red chili powder 
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 200 grams mushrooms 
• 1 medium onion cubed large, layers separated
• 1 cup capsicum cubed
• salt as needed

How to make the recipe

1. Make a coarse powder of coriander seeds and red chilies in a blender. Set this aside.
   
2. Add 1 tbsp oil to a pan. Saute ginger garlic for 1 min. Add onions and saute until they turn slightly pink.
   
3. Add tomatoes and salt. Saute until the tomatoes turn completely mushy.Add cashews to the pan. Set this aside to cool.
   
4. When cooled make a smooth paste of the onion tomato mixture in a blender.
   
5. Add a tbsp of oil to the same pan.Rinse the mushrooms well and slice them.When the oil turns hot, add sliced mushrooms and saute for 4 mins.
   
6. Add capsicum and onion cubes and saute all of them together until mushrooms turn slightly golden. Set these aside.
   
7. Add another tbsp of oil to the pan and heat it.Add the coarse powder.Add onion tomato paste to the pan and saute for 3 to 5 mins.
   
8. Pour 1 cup water to the mixture and make a gravy. If needed add more water to bring it to a slightly thin consistency.Add fried mushrooms, capsicum and onions.
   
9. Rest for at least 15 mins before serving.
10. Serve kadai mushroom with plain rice, roti or any breads.
    

Aloo curry

Ingredients:

• 1 cup potatoes cubed
• ¾ cup chopped onions
• 1 medium sized ripe tomato or ½ cup chopped or pureed
• ½ tsp red chili powder (adjust)
• ½ to ¾ tsp coriander powder 
• ½ tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves or dried methi leaves)
• ⅛ tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsps. Oil
• ½ tsp cumin / jeera
• ½ tsp ginger garlic paste 
• salt as needed
• 5 curry leaves
• coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

1. Boil potato first you. Peel & chop to cubes. You can also cook potato directly in the curry.
   
2. Add oil to a pan and heat it. Add cumin and curry leaves.fry until the seeds begin to crackle.Add onions &  Sprinkle salt. Fry until they turn golden. Saute ginger garlic paste for 2 mins.
   
3. Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and adjust salt.Fry until they turn pulpy, soft and mushy.Add red chili powder and coriander powder.. Stir everything well and fry just for a minute or two.
   
4. Add potatoes and saute then for 2 to 3 minutes.Add water just as needed. Cook covered until the potatoes are fully cooked. Stir well. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
   
5. Serve potato curry with rice or roti.
   

Onion pakoda

Ingredients 

• 2 cups thinly sliced onions, layers seperated
• 1 ¼ cup besan 
• salt as needed
• ¼ to ½ tsp. ajwain / vaamu / carom seeds(adjust to suit your taste)
• 2 to 3 green chilies chopped or 1 tbsp. chilli powder (adjust to suit your taste)
• 1 sprig curry leaves chopped
• 8 to 10 mint leaves chopped
• Oil for deep frying

How to make the recipe

1. Slice the onions thinly and separate the layers. Measure 2 cups and add them to a mixing bowl. Chop chilies, curry leaves, mint leaves and ajwani add them to the mixing bowl of onions.
   
2. Sprinkle salt evenly. Nicely squeeze the onions with your palms few times without mushing them up. Leave it aside for 5 minutes. The onions release moisture, sprinkle flour, ajwain and more salt if needed.Mix everything well to coat the onions with the flour.
   
3. Add water 2 tbsps each time and mix the flour to make a moist mass of dough. The dough must be tight and not soggy like batter else they absorb lot of oil while frying.
   
4. Heat oil in a kadai or fry pan for deep frying the pakoda.When the oil is hot enough, take a small amount of dough and make small pakoda and drop them in the oil. Do not add too many pakodas in the pan, they should have some space to move around. While frying stir occasionally for even frying.
   
5. Fry them till golden and transfer them with a ladle to an absorbent tissue placed in a plate.Serve onion pakoda hot with a cup of tea or coffee.
   

Fruit Custard

Ingredients

• 2 cups or ½ litre full cream milk
• 2 tbsp custard powder
• 3 tbsp cold milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder / elachi powder
• fruits:
• 10 or ¼ cup green grapes, chopped
• 1 small sized or ¼ cup banana, 
• ½ medium sized or ¼ cup apple, chopped

Instructions

how to prepare custard milk:

1. firstly, in a thick bottomed pan add milk.stir occasionally and get the milk to boil.
   
2. meanwhile, in a bowl take 2 tbsp of custard powder. i have used mangi flavour custard powder.add 3-4 tbsp of milk and mix well.stir continuously, making sure there are no lumps formed in it.
   
3. once the milk has boiled, turn off the flame and pour the prepared custard mixture into it.
   
4. also add sugar. adjust the amount of sugar if looking for more sweeter fruit custard.
   
5. mix continuously, keeping the flame on low.the milk changes colour to dark yellow.furthermore, it thickens slightly. adjust the consistency by cooking for long time.
   
6. transfer to a small bowl and cool completely.
   

how to prepare fruit custard:

1. once the prepared custard milk has cooled completely, add chopped fruits of your choice.also add cardamom powder and mix gently.
   
2. cover and chill for 2 hours or more.once the custard fruit salad has chilled, it turns more thick and creamy.finally, serve fruit custard chilled.
   

Paya

Ingredients:

• Lamb legs - 8 number.
• Turmeric powder 1 tea spoon.
• Ginger Garlic Paste 1 tablespoon.
• Onions (Chopped) 1 big.
• cardamom 2 number.
• Cinnamon 2 number.
• shah zeera 1 tea spoon
• Cloves 2 number.
• Oil 2 tablespoons.
• Salt to taste.
• Green Chilles 3 big.
• coconut powder freshly made 1 tablespoon
• Coriander powder 1 tablespoon.
• Garam masala powder tea spoon.
• red chill powder 1 tea spoon.
• Corainder leaves 1 bunch.
• water as required

Method:

• Clean Lamb Legs with little turmeric and water and keep it aside.
  
• Take Pressure Cooker add oil to it then add masalas,  onions chopped, mix it little bit then add  ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt as per taste mix these ingredients.
  
• Now add Lamb legs to this mixture, mix well then add coconut powder, Coriander powder, garam masala powder, pepper powder, red chill powder and mix all these ingredients well.mix it well and add water as required and close the pressure cooker with the lid, let it cook for atleast 30 minutes in slow flame.
  
• Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes if you want more soup you can add some more water into it.Granish with corrinader leaves . Serve hot.
  

Chikudukaya curry

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg chikkudukayalu
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 Tomato chopped
• pinch of turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp. dry coconut
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 cup water
• salt
• some coriander leaves for granish

Method:

1. Grind coriander powder,coconut and garlic.
   
2. Heat a pan with oil, add mustard seeds let them splutter, add onion fry onions become transparent.then add ginger garlic paste fry until raw smell goes off.
   
3. Add tomatoes ,salt and turmeric fry till tomatoes turn mushy.
   
4. Now add chikkudukaya pieces, add red chilli powder and coriander mixture.Add water cook until chikkudukaya pieces become soft.
   
5.  Granish with coriander leavesServe hot with white rice or chapati.
   

maharashtrian masala bhaath

Ingredients

• for masala powder:
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin / jeera
• ½ tsp sesame seeds 
• 1 star anise 
• 1  cardamom
• ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves
• 1 tbsp dry coconut 
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• for masala bha
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustarud
• ½ tsp cumin / jeera
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• pinch of hing / asafoetida
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 green chilli, slit
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 15 whole cashew 
• 1 cup mixed vegetables (peas, aloo, carrot)
• ½ tsp turmeric 
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 cup  rice  soaked for 20 minutes
• 2½ cups water, adjust 
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil, add all the ingredients below for masala powder. Cool and grind to smooth paste.
   
2. Heat oil and prepare tempering.Add onion, chilli and ginger-garlic paste. saute well. Add 1 tomato, cashew and mixed vegetables. saute well.
   
3. Now add spice powder.saute the spices on low flame for a minute.
   
4. add rice, water and salt.stir well, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
   
5. Granish with coriander leaves.serve with raita.