Indian Tea / Chai

Tea kick start early morning and evening time just right way. The exotic taste of Tea not limited to it's benefits and variety of taste available in market ranging from Herbal to country specific style. Tea has a lot of health benefits and contain very less caffeine compare to other beverages. Tea have antioxidant nutrients which help in cure of cardiovascular ,cancer, liver diseases and many more.

The below is very simple recipe of Tea where in Winter you can add ginger to keep immune system stronger and its heat for body. While cooling purpose one can just add cardamom and neglect ginger for instance.

Yield : 4 Serving

Ingredients:

     

  Water                   1 Cup
  Tea                       2 Teaspoon
  Sugar                    4 Teaspoon (Adjust to your taste)Preferred: SweetnLow Brand
  Milk                      3 Cup
  Cardamom            1 Whole (Powdered with its cover for taste)

  Ginger                  a inch piece ( mess in mortar pestle)   OPTIONAL

Direction:

  Heat water in the thick quart Saucepan until it comes for first boil. Add tea, Sugar and Cardamom powdered and after a minute add milk. Boil all ingredients together then add ginger. Boil for another minute or so until you can find sweet cardamom,ginger aroma with red color.

Strain it with strainer in each serving cup. Serve Hot with Biscuit, Rusk, Toast.



NOTE:

• Always add ginger in the last as it may spoil with uncooked milk .Adding ginger with uncooked milk spoil the Tea by separate whey and water. 
• You can also add Tulsi /Basil leaves instead of ginger and cardamom.
• You add Carom seeds with combination of ginger and cardamom to make a Masala Tea.
• Don't boil Tea more than twice as it may introduce more gasteric in body.

Sepen Sauce

Sepen Sauce also named as Tibetan hot sauce.

Yield : 4 Serving

Ingredients:

     

      Onion                            1 Small (cut in big cubes)

      Ginger Garlic Paste       1 1/2 Teaspoon

      Tomato                          1 big (cut in big cubes )

      Cilantro                        1 big bunch ( washed and finely chopped)
      Spring onion                2-3 twig  (finely chopped)

      Cumin Powder            1 Teaspoon
      Red chili                     1/4 Cup
      Oil                               2 Tablespoon

      Salt                               as per taste

Direction:

  Heat oil in the non stick pan. Once oil start smoke add red chili and sauté .Now add onion and ginger-garlic paste stir until onion turn golden in color. Add tomato,spring onion and cilantro. Cook for another minutes or two. Add salt and cumin powder.

Let it cool and grind it into thick paste. Ready to serve Sepen Sauce with Momo's.

Vegetable Momos

Yield : 2 Serving

Ingredients:

   
 Dough Ingredients:

   
     All purpose Flour   1 Cup
     Baking powder       1/8 teaspoon
     Salt                          as per taste
     Water                      As needed

Masala Stuffing Ingredients:

      Onion                            1-2 Small (thin sliced and chopped)

      Ginger Garlic Paste       1 Teaspoon

      Carrot                            1 big (finely chop or grate )

      Green Chili                   1 small (finely chop or grate)
      Cabbage                       1 Cup ( finely chop or grate)
      Capsicum                     1/8  Cup (grate)
      Black Pepper Powder  1/4 teaspoon

      Cumin Powder            1 Teaspoon
      Soya sauce                  1/2  Teaspoon
      Oil                               2 Tablespoon

      Salt                               as per taste

Direction:

 In a nonstick pan add oil, heat on high flame. Once oil starts smoke add green chili, ginger-garlic paste and onion. Stir fry until onion turns light golden but don't let masala burn.

Now add veggies carrot, cabbage and capsicum. Add cumin powder,black pepper powder, salt and soya sauce. Cook until it turns soft and water evaporates.

Remove it from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

Dough Preparation:  Add all purpose flour,baking powder and salt. Mix all ingredients while adding water slowly to make soft dough and cover it with damp cloth. Don't let the dough dry in air.

Momo's Preparation:

Now divide dough into 10 equal portion and make smooth balls, cover under the damp cloth. Roll over each ball to make 4 inch diameter of circular shape. Add the masala stuff in the center and water the circle outer side ,cover by folding each side like drape fold.

Make all balls which can accommodate in your steamer and don't let them dry our in air so cover them under the damp cloth.

Heat steamer on medium flame. Place all the momo's in the steamer and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.

Serve steamed momos with Sepen Sauce.

Bharwa Baingan /Stuffed Eggplant /Stuffed Brinjal

Brinjal / Baingan / Eggplant are soft and easy to cook. Here is the recipe with stuffed veggies and complimentary spices mix that enhance the flavor of the dish.

Yield: 4 Serving

Ingredients:

       Brinjal/Eggplant            4 medium size
       Green Chili                   1-2 (Finely chopped)
       Onion                            1 Medium ( Finely chopped)
       Tomato                         2 Medium (Finely chopped)
       Ginger garlic paste       1 Teaspoon
       Cumin Seeds                1/4 Teaspoon
       Fennel seeds                1/4 Teaspoon (powdered or crushed)
       Coriander Powder       1/4 Teaspoon
       Turmeric Powder        1/2 Teaspoon
       Dry Mango Powder    1/2 Teaspoon
       Garam Masala             1/2 Teaspoon (OPTIONAL)
       Oil                               2 Teaspoon + 3 Cup(For deep frying)
       Cilantro                       a bunch (washed and finely chopped)
       Salt                              As per taste
 

Direction:

Wash Brinjal/Eggplant with stems and pat them dry. Keep the stem so that it's easy to turn them over while cooking and stems will not let them divide into pieces.

Stuffing Preparation:

Heat oil in the wok. Once oil starts smoke add cumin seeds, green chili. Add onion and continue stir until turns golden in color. Now add ginger garlic paste and sauté. Add tomato and stir until mixture leaves oil separate. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder ,fennel seeds, dry mango powder. Mix the ingredients properly so that masala cook well. Now sprinkle garam masala and garnish cilantro.

Let the masala cool so that you can fill it with your hands. Make a single slit in the eggplant and make space inside eggplant with the knife. Fill the masala in the eggplant and keep aside.


You can now either cook over the burner or bake it in the oven.

1. Cook over Burner/Stove : Grease your nonstick pan or wok with oil and keep on low-medium flame. Place stuffed eggplants and cover the lid. Check in short interval and turn over eggplants so that eggplants get cook all over the sides.

2. Bake in Oven/ Broil : Broil is fastest way to cook whereas bake option is slow. I prefered bake option in this recipe. Grease you palm with oil and roll over the eggplant in your hand so skin of eggplant coat with the oil. In the foil place your stuffed eggplant and keep on 350 F for approximate 45 minutes. Check in 25 minutes and turn over if require.

Serve hot stuffed eggplants with Chapati.

Tomato Chunety (Nandini Style)

This recipe is exactly the same you taste in Nandini Restaurant in Bangalore,India. It goes well with Papad, Idili ,Dosa.

Yield : 4 Serving

Ingredients:

     

      Tomato                4 Big (cut in big cubes)
      Onion                  1-2 Small (cut in big cubes)

      Garlic Clove        3-4 (cut in big cubes)

      Ginger                 2 inch piece (cut in big cubes)

      Green Chili         3 (cut in big cubes)
      Chickpea seed     1 Teaspoon
      Cashew               6-8 Whole
      Tamarind            1 inch full size

      Mustard seed       1 Teaspoon

      Cumin Powder    1 Teaspoon
      Coconut               1/4 Cup (Freshly grated)
      Oil                       2 Tablespoon

      Salt                     as per taste

Direction:

 In a nonstick pan add oil, heat on medium flame. Once oil starts smoke add mustard seeds and cumin seed. As seeds start splutter add chickpea seeds, garlic and ginger then green chili until sauté. Add tamarind, cashew and stir for a minute. Now add onion and cook for another 5 minutes then add tomato and let it cook until tomato soften.

Cool the mixture and grind mixture with freshly grated coconut.

Serve at room temperature with idili or dosa.

You can store this in refrigerator for a week maximum.

Shahi Gatte ki Sabji

Shahi gatte are famous recipe from Rajasthan. Its sour in taste and delicious with masala chickpea round dumpling with curd gravy.

Yield:  4 Serving

Ingredients:

       Whole Curd/Yogurt/Dahi                       2 Cup
       Chickpea flour(Besan)                            1 Cup
       Tomato                                                    2 Medium (Finely chopped)
       Ginger-Garlic Paste                               2 Teaspoon
       Onion                                                    3 Medium (Finely chopped)
       Green Chili                                            1-2 (Finely chopped)
       Cumin seeds                                           1/4 Teaspoon
       Mustard seeds                                         1/4 Teaspoon
       Coriander Powder                                  1/2 Teaspoon
       Turmeric Powder                                   1/4 Teaspoon
       Fenugreek seed                                       1/4 Teaspoon  OPTIONAL
       Oil                                                          2 Tablespoon + 2 Teaspoon
       Kasturi Methi                                        1/2 Teaspoon
       Asafetida                                               2 pinch OR 1/8 Teaspoon
       Salt                                                        As per taste
       Cilantro                                                 a bunch (Washed and chopped finely)


Direction:

In a bowl mix chickpea flour, turmeric powder, kasturi methi, asafetida, salt ,oil 2-1 teaspoon and make hard but smooth dough. Now didvide the dough into 4 balls and roll them into thin long 3 inch height. Boil water in container with cover lid. Once water comes to boil add the rolled gate into water and boil until it start floating in the water. Once gatte cooked well ,chop them into thin single slice like small circular shape.

 Heat oil on medium-high heat until smoke. Add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds sauté for a minute. Add ginger-garlic paste, green chili, onion and keep on stirring. Once onion turn golden brown in color sauté for a minute.Add the tomato and cook until masala separates oil. Add curd and keep on stirring until you see first boil. Continue stir unit it goes with 3 boil and add salt. Now add gatte and boil for 2 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped Cilantro.

Serve hot with Phulka.

Andhra Chili Chicken

Yield:  4 Serving

Ingredients:

       Chicken Boneles                                    500 gram
       Ginger-Garlic Paste                                2 Teaspoon
       Coriander Powder                                  1 Tablespoon
       Onion                                                     3 Medium (thin sliced)
       Red Chili Powder                                   2 Teaspoon
       Black pepper                                          1/4 Teaspoon (coarse grind)
       Turmeric Powder                                    1/2 Teaspoon
       Oil                                                           5 Tablespoon + 3 teaspoon
       Chicken Masala                                      1/2 Teaspoon
       Salt                                                         As per taste
       Lemon Juice                                           2 Table spoon (OPTIONAL)
       Curry Leaves                                          2 bunch
       Cilantro                                                  a bunch (Washed and chopped finely)


Direction:

Wash raw chicken fillet 3 times with cold water as to remove blood stains and if it's refrigerated chicken then wash only after it is at room temperature.

 In a bowl add chicken fillet topped red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, black pepper, ginger-galric paste, salt, lemon juice and oil for 3 teaspoon. Mix well all ingredients and marinate for at least 2 hours or refrigerate for 12 hours.

In non-stick pan add 5 tablespoon and heat on medium heat. Once oil heated add curry leaves then onion and fry until turn golden in color. Add marinated chicken fillet ,chicken masala and cover the lid. Cook until all the chicken water evaporate, this would take approximate 15-20 minutes.Check occasionally and stir softly so it will cook all sides.

Serve hot with Cilantro garnish as side dish. Enjoy the recipe with green chutney.