Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingrediants

200 gms of button mushrooms

5-6 garlic pods

1 small onion- chopped

2 cups of milk

1/2 cup of water

1 tsp butter

2 cubes of processed cheese

Salt as per taste

Fresh pepper powder as per required

Mixed italian herbs

Method

1.Wash the mushrooms under running water. Remove all the dirt and pat dry.

2.Cut the mushrooms in pieces. Keep aside

3. Heat 1 tsp butter. Add fresh crushed garlic and onions. Saute for few minutes.

4. Add the mushrooms and saute till the mushrooms leaves water. Allow to cool.

5. Grind this mixture to make a paste.

6. Heat a non stick pot and add milk to this pan. Add this paste to the milk. Add salt, pepper & mixed herbs as required.

8. Grate 2 cheese cubes in the pot. The cheese will start melting in the soup as it starts boiling.

9. Serve hot.

Dahi Palak/Spinach in Yogurt

Ingrediants

2 cups of palak puree

6-8 fresh garlic crushed

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp methi seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida/ hing powder

5-6 red chillies (de seed if you dont want the spiciness)

2 tsp oil for making tadka

2 cups of fresh dahi/ yogurt

little besan to mix in curd/ yogurt

Salt as per taste

1/2 tsp Sugar

Method

1. Heat oil in a kadai and add freshly crushed garlic, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida/ hing powder, red chillies. Fry till it leaves aroma
2.  Add palak/Spinach puree in the oil
3.  Mix curd and besan.Mix well. Do not keep any lumps in it.
4.  Add the curd and besan mixture to the palak/ spinach in kadai.
5.  Bring it to a boil.
6. Serve with steamed rice or rotis

Magic Garam Masala

Ingredients

Jeera (Cumin Seeds) 100 grams

Dhania Dana (Coriander Seeds) 35 Grams

Kali Mirch ( Black Pepper) 65 Grams

Badi Ilaychi Cardamom Seeds 75 Grams

Magic Garam Masala

Choti Ilaychi Green Cardamom ( seeds from 10 Cardamoms)

Saunf ( Fennel) 35 grams

Cloves 20 grams

Cinnamon 15 grams

Black Cumin Seeds 20 grams

Bay Leaves 15 grams

Ginger Powder 15 grams

Jaiphal ( Nutmeg) 3

Method

1. Roast each of the above till they turn aromatic.
2.  Grind all the ingredients to a fine powder.
3.  Powder to a fine powder using a coffee grinder or a mixer
4.  You can make a larger quantity of this by using the above ingredients in the same ratio
5. Store in an air tight container.

Magic Garam masala is a key ingrediant, which I will be using in most of my recipes.

Chicken Gravy/Curry

Ingrediants

1 kg boneless chicken

5 medium size oinions

4 tomatoes

3 tbsp ginger garlic paste

whole garam masala- 5-6 peppercorns, 5-6 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 star anise, 2 sticks of cinammon (1 inch each)

Oil for frying the masala for chicken gravy

salt as per taste

For marination

2 cups of dahi(curd)

1 tbsp turmeric for marination

2 tbsp red chilly powder

salt as per taste

Method

1.  Wash the chicken pieces properly under tap water
2.  Marinate with salt, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, curds. Keep it for marination for 3-4 hours. The longer you keep the better marination.
3.  Make onion paste in a mixer. Keep aside
4. Boil the tomatoes, remove the skin and make tomato puree. Keep aside.
5. Heat oil in a kadai and add all the whole garam masala and fry for 2 minutes, add onion paste and fry till onion starts leaving oil from side.
6. Add tomato puree and fry for another 5 minutes
7. Add the Magic garam masala. Refer to recipe Magic garam masala in the blog.
8. Add marinated chicken to this and add water as required.

Beetroot cutlets

Ingredients

2 cup boiled and grated beetroot

1 cup grated paneer

1 cup boiled and grated potato

1 cup boiled and mashed green peas

ginger garlic paste 2 tsb

garam masala 1 tsb

red chilli powder as per requirement

chat masala as per requirement

salt to taste

bread crums/ or take fresh bread and dip it in water. drain out water and add as a binding agent

Method

- mix all the above ingredients.

- Add salt, red chilli powder as required

- Take the cutlets mould and make cutlets

- shallow fry till light brown

- Garnish with chopped onions and coriander leaves. Ketchup is also good.

**You can substitute beetroot with spinach also

Aloo Matar Samosa

Ingrediants

3-4 Potatoes (boiled, peeled & mashed)

1 cup Green Peas (boiled)

1-2 Green Chilies (finely chopped)

1/2tsp Ginger,garlic paste

1tbsp coriander finely chopped

1/2 tsp ajwain

1/2tsp Garam masala

Salt to taste

Red chili powder to taste

1/2 tsp. Dry Mango powder( Amchur) (optional) or you can use 1/2 juice of lemon

Method

1. In a bowl add mashed potatoes and all dry masalas (salt, chili powder, mango powder, garam masala,ajwain) and green chilles, ginger garlic paste.
2. Add green peas and mix well
3.  Add coriander and keep aside.
4.  I used readymade samosa patti (easily available is super markets)
5.  Make samosas as per instructions on the patti packet
6.  Serve hot with tomato ketchup or tamarind sauce