Bendi fry or Okra fry

To serve 4 people:

Ingredients:
• 750gms okras chopped
• 7 tbps of oil
• 10 cashew nuts chopped
• 1 tbp urad dal
• ½ tbp of cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 4 garlic pods chopped
• 2 dry red chillies
• 2 big onions finely chopped
• 5-6 curry leaves
• ½ tbp of red chilli pwd
• ½ tbp of turmeric pwd
• Salt to taste

Method:
• Heat oil in a nonstick pan. Add cashew nuts, urad dal and once they start to turn brown add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, once they start to pop up little add garlic fry for about 2 mins. Add curry leaves and dry red chillies.
• Now add onions and fry for about 2mins. Add chopped okras and keep frying it now and then.
• Once they are cooked add salt, turmeric pwd and chilli pwd and fry for about 2mins.
• Serve hot with rice.

Tip:
• After washing okras dry properly so that when you chop them they will not be sticky.
• Don’t fry them continuously. Fry them once in a while. This prevents sticking.

Channa Palak curry

To serve 4 people:

Ingredients:
• 200gms of channa(chickpeas) soaked over night
• 250gms of Palak (I used frozen spinach)
• 2 big onions finely chopped
• 3 tbps of tomato puree(optional)
• 3-4 tbps of oil
• ½ tbp of cumin seeds
• 1 tbp of ginger and garlic paste
• ½ tbp of chilli pwd
• 1 tbp of kitchen king masala
• ½ tbp of garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
• In a pressure cooker heat oil and add cumin seeds. Once they start to pop up add onions and fry till they are cooked.
• Add ginger and garlic paste and fry for about a minute. Add tomato puree and mix well.
• Add spinach and fry for about 3 mins.
• Add chilli pwd, kitchen king masala, garam masala and salt.
• Now add soaked channa and mix it well. Add 1 ½ cups of water.
• Cook for 3 whistles and put it aside.
• After removing the pressure cook for about 5mins in high flame.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roti.

Tip:
• If you are using fresh spinach then chop finely 3-4 bunches.
• Don’t use tomato puree more than 3 tbps because tomato and spinach combination is not good for health.

Cauliflower and kidney beans curry

To serve 4-6 people:

Ingredients:
• 25-30 cauliflower florets
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 200ml of tomato puree
• 1 tbp of ginger and garlic paste
• 1 cup of kidney beans (I used tined once)
• 1 tbp of garam masala
• 1 ½ tbps of kitchen king masala
• ½ teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 tbp of chilli pwd
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
• Heat oil in a nonstick pan. Add cumin, mustard seeds and fry for about half a minute. Add onions, ginger and garlic paste and fry till they are cooked.
• Now add tomato puree and cook until oil starts separating.
• Add salt, turmeric, garam masala, kitchen king masala and chilli pwd.
• Add cauliflower florets, kidney beans and fry for about a minute. Now add 2 cups of water.
• Close the lid and then cook for about 20mins.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roti.

Tip:
• Better to cook in a pan than in a pressure cooker.
• If you are using fresh tomatoes add 3 medium size tomatoes finely chopped.
• If you are using socked kidney beans you have to pressure cook it for 2 whistles.

Spinach dal (Palakura pappu)

To serve 4 people:

Ingredients:
• 140gms of toor dal (kandi pappu)
• 200gms of spinach (I used the frozen once)
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 5 green chillies
• ½ teaspoon of turmeric
• 4 cups of water (double of dal in 1:2 ratio)
• 4 tbps of tamarind juice
• ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 tbp of ghee
• 2 red dry chillies
• Asafoetida a pinch
• 5 curry leaves
• Salt to taste


Method:
• In a pressure cooker add dal, spinach, turmeric, green chillies and water.
• Cook for 3 whistles and put it aside.
• In a small pan add ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, red dry chillies and curry leaves.
• After it starts to pop up add onions and fry till they are cooked. Add this to the dal.
• Now add tamarind juice and salt.
• Add ½ cup of water and cook for about 5mins.
• Serve hot with rice or roti.

Tip:
• If you are using fresh spinach add 3-4 bunches of finely chopped once.

Menthi majiga (Yoghurt rasam)

To serve 4-6 people:

Ingredients:
• 400gms of yoghurt
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 tbps of oil
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 1 tbp of ajwine (vamu)
• 7-8 methi seeds
• 2 dry red chillies
• Asafoetida a pinch
• Pinch of turmeric
• Salt to taste
• Coriander to garnish

Method:
• Mix yoghurt in 500ml of water, add salt and turmeric powder.
• Heat oil in a pan add methi seeds and fry for about a minute. Now add cumin, mustard, ajwine, asafoetida and dry red chillies. Fry till they start to pop up.
• Add chopped onions and fry till they are cooked. Add this to the yoghurt mixture once it cools down.
• Garnish with coriander and serve it with rice.

Egg atchulu (egg prints)

To serve 2 people:

Ingredients:
• 4 eggs
• 3-4 very big onions finely chopped
• ½ tbp of mustard seeds
• ½ tbp of cumin seeds
• 1 tbp of red chilli pwd
• ½ tbp of turmeric
• 3 tbps of oil
• Salt to taste

Method:
• In nonstick pan heat oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After they start to pop up add onions.
• When onions are half cooked add salt, turmeric and red chilli pwd.
• Spread onions around the pan like a bed and now break the eggs one by one placing adjacent to each other.
• Close the lid and cook till the egg is cooked properly in a very low flame.
• Serve hot with rice.

Tip:
• Make sure that the onions are half cooked.
• Low flame is very important else the onions will start to burn.

Strawberry milkshake

To serve 2 people:

Ingredients:
• 200 grams of fresh strawberry’s
• 500ml cold milk
• 3-4 tbps of sugar
• 1 scoop of vanilla ice-cream(optional)


Method:
• Cut strawberries into small pieces.
• In a blender add strawberries, sugar, vanilla ice-cream and 50ml of milk.
• After the strawberries become a paste now add the remaining milk and grind it.

Tip:
• Add 3-4 ice cubes while grinding.