is grated and mixed with the creamy cashew mixture along with scallions. Serve cashew cucumber dip with spiced tortilla chips or use as a spread on toast etc.

. Makes: around 1 Cup of Cashew Dip Ingredients: 1 (7 inch) Raw Cashews 1 Cup Lemon Juice 1 Tbsp Salt to Taste Scallions / Spring Onions 1 – 2 Method of preparation: Peel, wash and remove ends of the cucumber.

Chop half the cucumber into pieces and grate the other half. Squeeze the grated cucumber to remove any excess moisture.

Soak cashews in water for atleast 4 – 6 hours. Drain the cashews and grind them into smooth paste along with chopped cucumber, salt.

Remove the cashew paste onto a mixing bowl. In the mixing bowl, add chopped scallions, grated cucumber, lemon juice and salt.

Adjust any seasonings if required and refrigerate. Garnish with scallions and serve cashew cucumber dip with spiced tortilla chips or sliced veggies or use as a spread on toast etc.

. Notes: Make sure to grind the cashews well.

Suggestions: Adjust the creaminess with cashews. Add more cucumber pieces for less creamy dip.

Variations: You can add any sort of chopped nuts to the dip. Other Names: Cashew Dip (less)

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry sesame seeds.

Add the onions. When it changes colour, add coconut and fry again.

Blend with the powdered spices, jaggery, groundnut powder, tamarind pulp and salt to a fine paste, adding water. Stuff each brinjal with 1 tbsp.

of this mixture, setting aside the rest for later use. Temper the mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder in the remaining oil.

Add the stuffed brinjals. Cook for 5 mins.

Add remaining masala paste and water, and cook until gravy thickens. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.

RELATED RECIPES Bharleli Bhendi Bharleli Bhendi Bharleli Bhendi (Stuffed Lady's Finger) Bharleli Mirchi (Capsicums Stuffed with Spiced Besan) Ingredients: 400 gms small brinjals 4 tbsp oil 1 tsp sesame seeds 100 gms onions, chopped 100 gms grated coconut 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp kala goda masala (readily available) 20 gms jaggery, grated 1 tbsp groundnut powder 20 ml tamarind pulp Salt to taste 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 6 curry leaves 1/2 tsp asafoetida 1 cup water 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (less)

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan and fry sesame seeds.

Add the onions. When it changes colour, add coconut and fry again.

Blend with the powdered spices, jaggery, groundnut powder, tamarind pulp and salt to a fine paste, adding water. Stuff each brinjal with 1 tbsp.

of this mixture, setting aside the rest for later use. Temper the mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder in the remaining oil.

Add the stuffed brinjals. Cook for 5 mins.

Add remaining masala paste and water, and cook until gravy thickens. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.

RELATED RECIPES Bharleli Bhendi Bharleli Bhendi Bharleli Bhendi (Stuffed Lady's Finger) Bharleli Mirchi (Capsicums Stuffed with Spiced Besan) Ingredients: 400 gms small brinjals 4 tbsp oil 1 tsp sesame seeds 100 gms onions, chopped 100 gms grated coconut 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp kala goda masala (readily available) 20 gms jaggery, grated 1 tbsp groundnut powder 20 ml tamarind pulp Salt to taste 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 6 curry leaves 1/2 tsp asafoetida 1 cup water 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (less)

Cabbage is shredded and cooked in spiced oil along with spinach leaves. Serve cabbage with spinach leaves over plain steamed rice and dollop of ghee or with roti or chapati.

Makes: around 3 Servings of Cabbage with . Ingredients: Cabbage 1/2 of Small Head Leaves 2 Cups Packed Whole Red Chiles 3 – 4 1 Tbsp Salt to taste Method of preparation: Remove outer leaves, wash and shred the cabbage.

Discard the hard part in the middle of the cabbage while shredding. Break dried red chiles into pieces.

Wash and roughly chop the spinach leaves. Heat oil in a pan, add panch phoran.

When mustard seeds start spluttering, add broken red chillies. Fry briefly, stir in shredded cabbage.

Fry for couple of minutes or medium high flame till cabbage softens are start to brown around the edges. Make sure to stir the cabbage continuously to avoid burning.

When cabbage is soft while holding a very light crunch, stir in chopped spinach. Fry for another minute or two and remove from heat.

Season with salt and serve cabbage with spinach leaves over plain steamed rice and dollop of ghee or with roti or chapati. Notes: Make sure cabbage is cooked right.

Suggestions: Adjust the dried red chillies according to taste. Variations: You can also add other vegetables like green beans, potato, fresh peas etc.

. Other Names: Cabbage with , Cabbage Palakura (less)

Cut brinjal into similar pieces. Heat oil in a thick deep pan.

Add aniseed, mustard, cumin and fenugreek. When they splutter, add chili and bay leaf.

Add the vegetables and rest of the ingredients. Add about half a cup of water.

Mix well. Cook on a slow flame till vegetables are done and the liquid is absorbed.

Serve hot with luchis (pooris). Serves: 4 Note: If the liquid evaporates before the vegetables are cooked, sprinkle some more water.

If there is liquid left in the pan when vegetables are soft, cook stirring on high flame till liquid is evaporated. The amount of water needed may vary according to the tenderness and quality of the vegetables.

As in Eastern and other North Eastern Indian states, many vegetable dishes are seasoned with a mix of five spices though the spice combinations and their ratio may vary from state to state. RELATED RECIPES Hyderabadi biryani Cluster beans moong dal curry Mixed vegetable pulao Veg thenga paal kuzhambu Mixed dal sweet sundal Ingredients: mixed vegetables - 500 gm (brinjal, potato, yellow pumpkin) mustard oil - 2 tbsp anniseed (saunf) - 1/2 tsp mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp red chili - 1, broken into pieces bay leaves - 2 green chilies - 2, chopped turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp sugar - 1/2 tsp milk - 1 tbsp Salt to taste (less)

Raw peanuts are coated with freshly prepared batter. They are then deep fried in hot oil till peanuts turn golden brown in color.

Serve spiced peanuts as a tea time snack. Makes: 1 Cup of Spiced .

Ingredients: Raw 2 Cups 2 Tbsps 1 Tbsp Red Chili Powder 1/2 – 1 tsp a Pinch Garam Masala a Pinch Powder a Pinch Soda bi Carb a Small Pinch Salt to taste Oil for Deep Frying Method of preparation: In a mixing bowl, whisk together besan, rice flour, red chile powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, soda bi carb and salt into thick batter with little water. Pour the whisked besan batter on to the peanuts and mix well to coat the peanuts with the batter.

Heat oil in a deep pan on medium heat. When oil gets hot, slowly drop the peanuts into oil.

Deep fry the peanuts till they turn golden brown in color on all sides. Remove the peanuts onto absorbent paper.

Once peanuts cool down, store them in a tight jar and they stay good for couple of weeks. Serve spiced peanuts as a snack.

Notes: Make sure to roast the peanuts well. Suggestions: If peanuts still feel soft after frying, put them back into hot oil again and deep fry till crisp.

Variations: You can also add your choice of spices to the batter if you wish. Other Names: Spiced (less)

Once the cashews are removed onto a bowl, they are seasoned with red chili powder and freshly ground black pepper powder. Store spiced cashews in a tight jar and serve as a snack.

Makes: around 2 Cups of Spiced Cashews. Ingredients: Cashews 2 Cups Red Chili Powder 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder 1/8 tsp Salt to Taste Oil for Deep Frying Method of preparation: Heat oil in a deep pan on medium heat.

Once oil is medium hot, fry the curry leaves, remove from pan and keep aside. Then add the cashews and fry on low flame for around 2 – 3 minutes or until cashews are dark golden brown in color.

Divide the cashews into batches if the deep frying pan is small and can’t fit all the cashews at once. Remove the deep fried cashews onto absorbent paper.

Sprinkle red chili powder, black pepper powder, curry leaves and salt. Store spiced cashews in a tight jar and serve as a snack.

Notes: Make sure oil is at right temperature. Suggestions: If oil gets too hot, lower the flame and let the oil come to couple of degrees before adding cashews, else cashews burn as soon as they hit the oil.

Variations: Check other Other Names: Spiced Cashews, Karam Jeedipappu (less)

is paired with onion in multiple ways. Here, onion is slightly warmed and ground into coarse paste along with roasted red chillies.

This is added as a spicing to the fried tindora. Serve this quick tindora curry especially with roti or chapati.

Makes: 3 Servings Ingredients: 20 – 25 Onion 1 Whole Red Chiles 3 – 4 Salt to taste Talimpu: 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 6 Oil 2 tsps Method of preparation: Wash, remove ends and chop ivy gourd into thin circles. Wash, peel and finely chop onion.

Remove stems, and break red chiles. Heat half a tsp of oil in a pan, add red chillies, roast them for few seconds and remove from heat.

Then add chopped onion to the same pan and remove from heat. Cool and grind red chiles finely and onion coarsely.

Heat oil in a pan, add all talimpu ingredients in order. When urad dal changes color, add chopped tindora and salt.

Sprinkle a few tbsps of water and cook covered till tindora turns little soft. Uncover, fry on medium flame till tindora starts to turn light brown around the edges.

Then add ground onion and red chile paste. Stir fry for a minute or two until any rawness left on onion is gone and remove from heat.

Serve tindora with spiced onion over plain steamed rice or with roti. Notes: Make sure not to grind onion into a paste and make sure onion is cooked well before removing from heat.

Suggestions: If tindora feels raw, add few tbsps of water and cook covered till done. Variations: Other tindora include , etc? Other Names: Tendli Fry, Kovakkai Fry (less)

It can be very refreshing drink if made the way you like. India is famous for its food but hardly many people know that it has array of that are both unique and refreshing (less)