Chilli gobi / cauliflower

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, foliate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density but cleaning the Cauliflower is very much important as it may be exposed to high level of insecticides during cultivation.


Chop the cauliflower and clean it in boiling water. Drain water and now it can be used for cooking.

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower - 1/2 kg
2. Garlic - 10 cloves
3. Ginger - 1/2 table spoon
4. Red Chilli - 5
5. Cornflour - 1 table spoon (for crispness)
6. Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Grind the garlic, ginger and chilli to a fine paste
• Mix cornflour, salt, cauliflower and finely grinded paste
• Now marinate the cauliflower for about one hour
• Deep fry the cauliflower.
• Serve it with lemon and Onion.

Indian Recipes - Good Vegetarian books

Chilli chicken

Chilli chicken is generally served as starter in India, recipe is very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken-1/2 kg - Clean the chicken and make deep cuts (small pieces are preferable)
   
2. Garlic-10 cloves
3. Ginger-1/2 table spoon
4. Red Chilli-5
5. Cornflour-1 table spoon (for crispness)
6. Salt to taste
   

Preparation:

• Grind the garlic, ginger and chilli into fine paste
• Now mix cornflour, salt, chicken and finely grinded paste
• Marinate the chicken for about 2 to 3 hours minimum
• Now deep fry the chicken
• Serve it with lemon and Onion. 
• Starter is ready to serve
  

Kesari

Kesari is a famous South Indian desert. It can be very easily prepared at home in a very short time.

Ingredients:

1. Rava (soogi) -1 1/2 cups
2. Sugar - 2 cups
3. Ghee - 4 table spoons
4. Rose essence
5. Red orange kesari color powder (This can be got it from the grocessary stores. Not mandatory as this adds only color)
6. Cashew nuts
7. Dried Grapes
   

Preparation:

• Add two spoons of ghee in a frying pan
• Add rava to the ghee and fry till it becomes golden brown in color (This prevents the lump formation during kesari preparation)
• Now take the rava and keep it aside
• Again add two spoons of ghee in the frying pan
• When it has become hot, then pour 4 cups of water to the frying pan and a little kesari powder for the color.
• When the water starts to boil, low the flame and then start adding rava by stirring it simultaneously
• Keep stirring it till the rava has boiled and it has thickened
• Now add sugar to it and stir it simultaneously to avoid the formation of lumps and keep the flame low. 
• Now rava will loosened/soften a little
• Now add very little rose essence to add flavor.
• Fry the Cashewnuts and Dried grapes in the ghee till it has become golden brown in color
• Now add the cashew nuts, dried grapes and a little ghee to the kesari and mix it in a low flame.
• Now move the kesari to a ghee spreaded plate.
• Shape and make small pieces while hot (when it returns to normal temperature it cannot be shaped or made into pieces) 
• Now kesari is ready to serve...
  

Chicken Curry

This is my first chicken dish that I prepared after I moved from my home, earlier when I used to see my mum preparing non-vegetarian dishes I had a wrong perception that cooking non-vegetarian food is a long process and hard to prepare. But now I feel its easy not so long process by experience you can make better dishes tastier than the restaurants around.

This is spicy chicken gravy, it can serve 3 to 4 people. It goes well with white rice and chapati. Time required for preparation is approximately 1 1/2 hours.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1/2 kg
2. Coconut - 1/2 (grind and take milk from it)
3. Pepper - 1 table spoon
4. Dried Red chilli - 5
5. Cinnamon - 1 small piece
6. Cloves - 2
7. Poppy seed - 1 table spoon
8. Big onion - 3 (Chopped)
9. Coriander powder - 3 table spoon
10. Garlic - 6 pieces
11. Ginger - 1/2 tea spoon
12. Oil-6 table spoon
13. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
    
14. Salt to taste

• Tip: Soak the cinnamon, cloves, poppy seed and chilli in the water for easy grinding.
  

Preparation:

• Keep a pan in the stove and pour two table spoon of oil
• Fry the onion till its golden brown in color and add three spoon of coriander powder to it and sauté (fry) for two minutes
• Now grind the fried onion, coriander powder, pepper, chilli, cinnamon, cloves, poppy seed, garlic and ginger to a fine paste.
• Keep a pan (kadai) in the stove and pour 5 table spoon of oil it to the pan.
• Now add the finely grinded paste in to the oil and sauté it for 5 minutes
• Add cleaned chicken to the paste and add the coconut milk to it.
• Put the turmeric powder and salt according to your taste
• Pour 2 cups of water to it and cook the chicken in a low flame till the gravy thickens
• Now add the chopped coriander leaves to it and serve

Few good Indian Recipe books...

Onion Chutney

Chutney is a term for a class of spicy preparations used as an accompaniment for a main dish (like dosa, idly, chapatti etc...). Chutneys usually contain an idiosyncratic but complementary spice and vegetable mix.

Ingredients:

1. Big Onion - 4 (Chopped)
   
2. Coriander Powder - 1 table spoon
3. Red Chilli - 3
4. Tamarind - equal to a size of one lemon
   
5. Curry leaf
6. Oil - 3 table spoon
7. Mustard Seed-1/4 tea spoon
8. Salt to taste
   

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in frying pan and add chopped onion to it and sauté (fry) till it becomes golden brown.
2. Add coriander powder to it and saute it for 2 minutes
3. Add red chilli to it and sauté till it becomes dark red and big in size.
   
4. Once the fried items returns to the room temperature add tamarind, curry leaf, salt and grind it to a paste without adding water.
   
5. Heat oil and fry the mustard seed till it splutters out and add it to the chutney.
6. Chutney is now ready to serve.