Crystal's list

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together.
3. Add the wet ingredients and stir until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into a greased baking dish.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ingredients

For Idli:

• 2 cups idli rice
• 1 cup urad dal
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional)
• Salt (to taste)
• Oil (for greasing)

For Sambar:

• 1/2 cup toor dal (pigeon peas)
• 1 onion (sliced)
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• 1 carrot, 1 potato (diced)
• 5-6 drumstick pieces (optional)
• 2 tbsp sambar powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Tamarind (small lemon-sized ball, soaked
)
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• Curry leaves
• 2 dried red chilies
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt (to taste)
• Fresh coriander (for garnish)

Steps

For Idli:

1. Soak rice and urad dal separately for 6-8 hours. Grind them into a batter, mix, and let ferment for 8-12 hours.
2. Steam the fermented batter in greased idli molds for 10-15 minutes.

For Sambar:

3. Cook Dal: Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric until soft, then mash.
4. Cook Vegetables: Cook veggies with sambar powder in water until soft.
5. Combine: Add mashed dal and tamarind water to the veggies. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Tempering: Heat oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and red chilies. Pour over sambar.
Garnish with coriander.

Serve hot idlis with sambar!

Ingredients

For Litti:

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sattu (roasted gram flour)
• 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• 1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
• 1 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt, to taste
• Water (as needed)
• Ghee (for serving)

For Chokha:

• 2 medium-sized brinjals (eggplant)
• 3 medium-sized tomatoes
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 2 green chilies (chopped)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp mustard oil
• Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
• Salt, to taste

Steps

For Litti:

1. Dough Preparation: Mix wheat flour, ajwain, and salt. Add water gradually and knead into a soft dough. Set aside.
2. Filling: In a bowl, mix sattu, mustard oil, lemon juice, nigella seeds, green chilies, salt, and water to form a crumbly filling.
3. Shaping: Make small dough balls, flatten them, and stuff with the sattu mixture. Seal well and shape into balls.
4. Cooking: Roast the littis on a charcoal grill or bake in an oven at 180°C until golden. Alternatively, cook on a tawa (griddle) and finish in a tandoor.
Serve: Drizzle ghee on hot littis before serving.

For Chokha:

5. Roast brinjals, tomatoes, and garlic on an open flame or in an oven. Peel off the skin.
6. Mash the roasted veggies together. Add chopped onion, green chilies, mustard oil, coriander leaves, and salt. Mix well.

Serve hot litti with chokha and a side of ghee!

Ingredients

• 1 kg mutton
• 4 onions (sliced)
• 1 cup yogurt
• 4-5 tbsp mustard oil
• 2-3 bay leaves, 3-4 green cardamoms, 1-2 black cardamoms, 3-4 cloves, 1-inch cinnamon
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp regular chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp fennel powder, 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt (to taste), coriander leaves for garnish

Steps

1. Brown onions in hot mustard oil with whole spices.
2. Add mutton, fry until browned.
3. Add spices and cook for 5-6 mins.
4. Add yogurt, cook until oil separates.
5. Add water, simmer for 1.5-2 hours.
6. Add fennel, garam masala, simmer for 5 mins.

Ingredients

Sarson Ka Saag:

• 1 kg mustard leaves (sarson)
• 250 g spinachM(palak)
• 250 g bathua Mgoosefoot, optional)
• 2 onions (Mhopped)
• 4-5 garlicMcloves (chopped)
• 2-inch ginger (Mhopped)
• 2-3 green chiliMs (chopped)
• 3-4 tbsp maize flouM (makki ka atta)
• 4 tbsp ghee oM butter
• Salt (tM taste)
• 1 tsp rMd chili powder
• 1 tsp garaM masala

Makki Ki Roti:

• 4 cups maize flourmakki ka atta
• Water (to knead)
• Salt (to taste)
• Ghee or butter (for serving)

Steps

Sarson Ka Saag:

1. Boil the Greens: Wash and chop mustard leaves, spinach, and bathua. Boil them in a pressure cooker with a little water for 8-10 minutes. Cool and blend to a coarse puree.
2. Sauté Aromatics: Heat ghee in a pan, add chopped garlic, ginger, onions, and green chilies. Sauté until golden.
3. Cook the Saag: Add the pureed greens, maize flour (to thicken), salt, red chili powder, and garam masala. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Finish with Ghee: Add a final touch of ghee for rich flavor.

Makki Ki Roti:

5. Knead Dough: Mix maize flour, salt, and water to form a dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
6. Shape Rotis: Take small dough balls, flatten them using hands (wet hands to avoid sticking), and roll into thick rotis.
7. Cook Rotis: Cook on a hot tawa (griddle) until golden spots appear on both sides. Smear with ghee or butter.

Serve Sarson Ka Saag with hot Makki Ki Roti topped with butter!

Ingredients

• 3 cups gram flour (besan)
• 3 tbsp semolina (rava/sooji)
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tbsp ginger-green chili paste
• 2 tsp Eno fruit salt or baking soda
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• Salt (to taste)
• Water (as needed)

For Tempering:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 green chilies (slit)
• Curry leaves
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Garnish:

• Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
• Grated coconut (optional)

Steps

1. Make Batter: Mix besan, semolina, yogurt, spices, lemon juice, sugar, and water. Add Eno just before steaming.
2. Steam: Pour batter into a greased dish and steam for 15-20 minutes.
3. Tempering: Heat oil, add mustard, sesame, chilies, curry leaves. Add sugar and water. Pour over dhokla.
4. Garnish: Top with coriander and grated coconut.

Serve with chutney!

Ingredients

For Puttu:

• 2 cups rice flour (puttu flour)
• Water (as needed)
• Salt (to taste)
• Grated coconut (for layering)

For Kadala Curry:

• 2 cups black chickpeas (kadala), soaked overnight
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• Curry leaves
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• Salt (to taste)
• Fresh coriander leaves (for garnish)

Steps

For Puttu:

1. Prepare Puttu Flour: Mix rice flour with a little water and salt. The texture should be crumbly, like wet sand.
2. Layering: In a puttu maker, layer the flour and grated coconut alternately.
3. Steam: Steam the puttu for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.

For Kadala Curry:

4. Cook Chickpeas: Pressure cook the soaked black chickpeas with salt until soft (about 15-20 minutes).
5. Sauté Masala: Heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, onions, and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté until golden.
6. Add Spices: Add tomatoes, turmeric, coriander powder, red chili powder, and garam masala. Cook until tomatoes are soft.
7. Combine: Add cooked chickpeas to the masala. Simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Garnish: Garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve Puttu with hot Kadala Curry!

Ingredients

• 500 g lotus stem (nadru), peeled and sliced
• 2 cups yogurt (whisked)
• 2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
• 1 tsp fennel powder
• 1 tsp dry ginger powder (sonth)
• 2-3 green cardamoms
• 1-2 cloves
• 1-inch cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp ghee (or oil)
• Salt (to taste)

Steps

1. Prepare the Lotus Stem:
   Wash and peel the lotus stem. Slice them into medium-thick pieces and boil them in salted water until tender.Drain and set aside.
2. Temper the Spices:
   In a pan, heat ghee. Add cumin seeds, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Fry until aromatic.
3. Yogurt Sauce:
   In a bowl, mix whisked yogurt with gram flour (to avoid curdling). Add this mixture to the pan, stirring continuously on low heat to prevent splitting.
4. Add Spices:
   Add fennel powder, dry ginger powder, and salt. Stir well and let it simmer for a few minutes.
5. Combine Lotus Stem:
   Add the boiled lotus stem to the simmering yogurt sauce. Cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the flavors blend well and the sauce thickens slightly.
6. Finish:
   Adjust salt and serve hot. Serve Nadru Yakhni with steamed rice or naan!

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1/4 cup split yellow moong dal (pulses)
• 4 cups water (for cooking)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp black pepper (crushed)
• 2-3 green chilies (slit)
• 1-inch ginger (grated)
• 2-3 tbsp ghee (or oil)
• Salt (to taste)
• Fresh coriander leaves (for garnish)
• Cashews (optional, for tempering)
• Curry leaves (optional)

Steps

1. Roast Moong Dal: Dry roast 1/4 cup moong dal until golden.
2. Cook Rice and Dal: Pressure cook 1 cup rice and roasted dal with 4 cups water and salt for 3-4 whistles.
3. Tempering: Heat 2-3 tbsp ghee, add cumin seeds, black pepper, green chilies, ginger, and cashews (optional). Sauté until fragrant.
4. Combine: Mix the cooked rice-dal with the tempering. Adjust consistency if needed.
5. Garnish: Top with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chutney or sambar!

Ingredients

• 9 cups water
• 2-3 tbsp green tea leaves (or Kashmiri kahwa leaves)
• 10-12 green cardamoms (crushed)
• 2-inch cinnamon stick
• 10-12 strands saffron
• 2-3 tbsp sugar or honey (adjust to taste)
• 10-12 almonds (sliced)
• 1 tsp crushed ginger (optional)

Steps

1. Boil Water:
   In a large pot, bring 9 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add Spices:
   Add crushed cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, and crushed ginger (if using). Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes for the flavors to infuse.
3. Add Tea Leaves:
   Add green tea leaves to the boiling water and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Strain:
   Strain the kahwa into cups.
5. Garnish:
   Add sliced almonds and sweeten with sugar or honey to taste.

Serve hot and enjoy the aromatic Kahwa!