Aaloo Ki Tikki

Pan fried small potato cakes (tikki), served with chutney or pickle. Preparation Time : 20 minutes Cooking Time : 15 minutes Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS Potatoes 3-4 large Green chillies, chopped 3 Fresh coriander leaves, chopped a few sprigs Rock salt (sendha namak) to taste Asafoetida a pinch Red chilli powder 1/2 tablespoon Ghee to fry

METHOD Wash, boil potatoes, peel and mash while still warm. Add green chillies, coriander leaves, rock salt, asafoetida and red chilli powder to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Divide into ten to twelve portions. Shape them into round tikkis. Heat a tawa and shallow fry the tikkis on both sides with ghee till golden. Drain onto an absorbent paper. Serve with green chutney or lemon pickle.

Paneer Tikkas

Spicy and delicious paneer tikkas Preparation Time : 20-30 minutes Cooking Time : 10-15 minutes Servings : 5

INGREDIENTS Cottage cheese (paneer) 450 grams Green chutney 4 tablespoons Khoya/mawa 2 1/2 tablespoons Saffron (kesar) 5-6 strands Salt to taste Red chilli powder 1/2 tablespoon Hung yogurt 1 cup Ginger-garlic paste 1 tablespoon Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 4 tablespoons Green chillies, chopped 3-4 White pepper powder 1 tablespoon Lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoon Butter, melted for basting

METHOD Grate one hundred grams of cottage cheese and cut the remaining into one and a half inch cubes. Slice each cottage cheese cube into three layers without cutting through.In a bowl mix khoya, saffron and salt. In another bowl mix grated cottage cheese, red chilli powder and salt. Take a cottage cheese cube, spread green chutney over the first layer, khoya mixture in the second layer and cottage cheese mixture in the third layer. Similarly treat the remaining cottage cheese cubes. Mix together hung yogurt, gram flour, ginger-garlic paste, coriander leaves, green chillies, white pepper powder and lemon juice in a deep bowl. Add the stuffed cottage cheese cubes and mix gently so that all the cubes are evenly covered with the marinade. Set aside for about an hour. Thread the cottage cheese cubes onto skewers keeping sufficient distance between each and roast in a tandoor or over a charcoal grill at moderate temperature for five to six minutes. You can also cook them on a hot tawa. Baste them with melted butter once in between. Serve hot with onion rings and lemon wedges.

Choc Chip Bread Pudding

Traditional bread pudding with exciting chocolate chips! Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS Chocolate chips 1 cup Bread 2 slices Sponge cake 1 small Eggs 5 Sugar 1 cup Vanilla essence 1 tablespoon Milk 3 3/4 cups Bananas, thickly sliced 1 medium Raisins 1/4 cup Pistachios, blanched and sliced 2 tablespoons Brown sugar 1/2 cup

METHOD Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut bread slices in eight small triangles. Cut cake into small pieces. In a bowl break eggs, add sugar and whisk well. Add vanilla essence and lukewarm milk and mix well. In a baking dish add the pieces of bread and cake. Add sliced bananas, raisins and half of the sliced pistachios. Pour egg-milk mixture over the bread and cake pieces. Sprinkle choco chips over the cake pieces. Sprinkle remaining sliced pistachios and spread the brown sugar all over. Bake in the preheated oven for fifty minutes at 180°C. Serve warm.

Special Shaami Kabab

Spicy shaami kabab made with kala chana and chana dal mixed with spices Preparation Time : 8-10 hours Cooking Time : 15-20 minutes Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS Black Bengal gram (kala chana) 1/2 cup Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 1 tablespoon Onion , roughly chopped 1 medium Coriander powder 1 teaspoon Green chillies, chopped 2 Chaat masala 1/2 teaspoon Salt to taste Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon Fresh bread crumbs 1/2 cup Oil 1 teaspoon + to shallow fry Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 inch pieces 8 Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon Fried papads, crushed as required

METHOD Soak kala chana with chana dal overnight or for six to eight hours in three cups of water. Drain and place them in a pressure cooker with two cups of water and cook under pressure for four to five whistles. Drain the extra cooking liquour and set aside.Add onion, coriander powder, green chillies, chaat masala, salt and garam masala powder. Mix and grind till smooth. Transfer the mixture into a bowl. Moisten the fresh bread crumbs and add to the dal mixture. Mix well. Heat sufficient oil in a pan. Divide the dal mixture into eight equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball, make a dent in the middle and place a mozzarella cube and a few chopped coriander leaves in it. Close in the edges and shape into a kabab. Place the kababs in the hot oil and cook on medium heat, flipping them just once, till they are evenly cooked and lightly browned all around. Serve hot with crushed fried papads.

Butter Chicken

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is an Indian dish from the Punjab region popular in countries all over the world that have a tradition of Indian restaurants. Preparation Time : 4 hours Cooking Time : 30-40 minutes Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS Chicken 800 grams Lemon juice 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 teaspoon Salt to taste Butter 2 tablespoons For marinade Yogurt 1 cup Salt to taste Garlic paste 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 teaspoon Ginger paste 2 tablespoons Lemon juice 2 tablespoons Mustard oil 2 tablespoons FOR MAKHNI GRAVY Butter 50 grams Ginger paste 1 tablespoon Green chillies, chopped 4-5 Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon Salt to taste Dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) 1/2 teaspoon Whole garam masala 1 tablespoon Garlic paste 1 tablespoon Tomato puree 400 grams Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon Honey 2 tablespoons Cream 1 cup

METHOD Make incisions with a sharp knife on breast and leg pieces of the chicken. Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and set aside for half an hour. Hang yogurt in a muslin cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes to remove extra water. Add red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala powder and mustard oil. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and refrigerate for three to four hours. Put the chicken onto a skewer and cook in a moderately hot tandoor or a preheated oven (200°C) for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done. Baste it with butter and cook for another two minutes. Remove and set aside. Heat butter in a pan. Add green cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon. Sauté for two minutes, add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chillies. Cook for two minutes. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and one cup of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes. Add sugar or honey and powdered kasoori methi. Add cooked tandoori chicken pieces. Simmer for five minutes and then add fresh cream. Serve hot with naan or parantha.  Recipe Tip : : Heat kasoori methi in the oven for sometime or broil kasoori methi on a tawa/griddle plate to make it crisp. It can easily be crushed to a powder with your hand.