Soya Chunks Curry

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• 250 grams of Soya Chunks (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes)
• 1 Finely chopped onion
• Tomato puree of about two medium sized tomatoes
• Cashew paste of about 10-15 cashews soaked in water for an hour
• Cilantro / coriander
• Two finely chopped chillies
• 3-4 table spoons of oil
• 1 tea spoon Ginger garlic paste
• 1 tea spoon Mustard seeds
• 1 tea spoon Cumin seeds
• 1 tea spoon Coriander powder
• 1 tea spoon Cumin powder
• 1 tea spoon Garam Masala
• Salt

Preparation Steps:

• Squeeze the water out of the soya chunks and keep them aside
• Heat oil in a vessel
• Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and allow them to crackle
• Add finely chopped green chillies and onions and saute them
• Add the ginger garlic paste and fry well
• Add the tomato puree and cook until oil separates out of the gravy
• Add the cumin and coriander powder and stir well
• Add the soya chunks and cook them in the gravy for a while
• Add the cashew paste and salt according to the taste
• Allow the contents of the vessel to cook well
• Before you take the vessel off the flame, add the garam masala 
• Pour the contents in a serving bowl and garnish it with finely chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve this dish hot with rice or roti.

Dill Paratha

Ingredients: (makes 4-5 medium sized parathas)

• dill leaves (around one cup)
• 150-200 grams of wheat flour 
• water to knead the dough 
• finely chopped green chillies
• finely chopped garlic (2-3 bulbs)
• one tea spoon of ghee( clarified butter)
• one tea spoon of carom seeds
• salt to taste
• one tea spoon of turmeric powder

Preparation Steps:

• mix all the ingredients mentioned above and make a soft dough
• divide the dough into 4 to 5 small medium sized balls
• flatten these balls and roast them well on a pan. Roast either sides well on medium high flame.
• serve them hot topped with butter and some pickle

Gulbarga eespecial

Ingredients: ( Serves 2 )

• 100 gram green peas(dried)
• one finely chopped onions
• finely chopped cilantro(coriander)
• two medium sized boiled potatoes
• tamarind date chutney
• one table spoon tamarind paste
• two table spoon coriander mint chutney
• one tea spoon chat masala
• one tea spoon garam masala
• one tea spoon coriander powder
• one tea spoon cumin seeds powder
• salt to taste
• 3-4 cups of water for pani
• fresh puri 

Preparation steps:

Pani:

1. take tamarind paste in a bowl
2. add a pinch of chat masala
3. add two table spoons of corainder and mint chutney
4. add water to the contents in the bowl and mix well
5. now add salt according to the taste.

Peas Masala:

1. take the dried peas (soaked in water for minimum of 7-8 hours) in a pressure cooker
2. add salt according to the taste
3. pressure cook the contents for minimum of five whistles

Ragada:

1. mash the potatoes coarsely.
2. add salt according to the taste.
3. add coriander powder, cumin seed powder and garam masala to it and mix well.
4. add some finely chopped onions to it.
5. spread this mixture into a medium sized pan as shown in the picture.
6. allow this mixture to cook on medium low flame and keep adding water in the center as and when u feel the mixture is sticking to the base of the pan.
7. this may or may not require adding of additional salt as we add water to cook it( this step is optional and completely depends on your taste).

The final step is the assembly. If its regular pani puri that interests you then just the peas masala and some finely chopped onions and cilantro goes into puri which then takes a dive into the pani and then the moment it enters your mouth is what I call magical. If its ragada eespecial then you replace the peas masala with ragada. And if its sweet pani puri one can add tamarind date chutney instead of the masalas and dip it in pani.

Do try and you are free to make your own assembly depending on your taste.

Mangalore Buns

Ingredients: ( serves 4 to 5)

• all purpose flour/ maida
• 1 overripe banana
• 2 table spoon curds
• 2 table spoon sugar
• 2 table spoon butter
• a pinch of salt
• vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation steps:

• Mash the banana into a paste.
• add curds, sugar, butter and salt and mix well.
• add all purpose flour/ maida to make it into a soft dough.
• roll them round into required size. ( similar to puris)
• deep fry them in oil and serve them hot for breakfast with spicy coconut chutney.

Sesame Groundnut Ladoo

Ingredients: ( 4 small ladoos)

• 400 grams roasted peanuts
• 50 grams lightly roasted sesame seeds
• 50-100 grams sugar
• small chunk of Jaggery, soaked and melted in hot water
• Ghee/ clarified butter

Preparation steps:

• Grind the roasted peanuts, sugar and sesame seeds into coarse powder
• Add the molten jaggery into the powder and mix well.
• apply ghee on your palms and prepare ladoos as per required size.
• Coat the surface with sesame seeds for decoration.

Sev Batata Puri

Ingredients:

• Puri
• onion, finely chopped
• tomato, finely chopped
• potato, boiled and mashed
• coriander/ cilantro, finely chopped
• tamarind date chutney
• coriander mind chutney( green chutney)
• sev ( crunchy noodles made of chickpea flour)
• chaat masala
• salt to taste

Preparation steps:

• Place the puri on the plate.
• Add salt and chaat masala as per taste to mashed potato and mix well.
• Fill the puri half way with above mixture.
• Add chopped onions, tomatoes and coriander over the puri
• Add the green chutney over the top.
• Add tamarind date chutney. 
• Garnish this assembly with sev and gulp.

Upma Pesarattu

Ingredients for Upma: 

• 150 grams of semolina / sooji / bombay rava- 1 small cup
• 2 table spoons of vegetable oil
• 1 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1 tea spoon cumin seeds
• 1 tea spoon urad dal
• 1/2 medium sized onions, chopped
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 4-5 curry leaves
• finely chopped cilantro/ coriander
• 1 tea spoon lime juice
• 4 cups of water
• salt to taste

Preparation steps ( Upma):

• Slightly roast the semolina and keep aside.
• Add oil in the cooking vessel.
• Add moong dal and roast them until they are golden in color.
• Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and allow them to crackle.
• Add chopped onions, curry leaves and green chillies and saute.
• Add water and allow it to boil.
• Add salt as per your taste.
• Slowly add in the roasted semolina and mix it well.
• Cover up the vessel with a lid and let it be for 5 minutes.
• Add lime juice on top and garnish it with chopped cilantro.

Ingredients for Pesarattu : ( Serves 2)

• 250 grams of moong dal/ green gram, soaked for minimum of 8 hours
• vegetable oil for roasting pesarattu
• 3 green chillies
• small cube of ginger
• salt to taste

Preparation steps ( Pesarattu) :

• Drain the excess water from the soaked moong dal.
• Grind the moong dal along with the green chillies and ginger into a smooth paste.
• Heat the pan, pour in the batter required for one pesarattu and spread it. 
• Add oil and roast it well on both sides. 
• Put in some upma in the middle, roll it over and you are all set to savor the tasty Upma pesarattu.

Potato Fry

 Ingredients: ( serves 2)

• 2 medium sized potatoes, diced
• 1 table spoon vegetable oil
• 1 tea spoon cumin seeds
• pinch of red chili powder
• salt to taste

Preparation steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a pan.
• Add cumin seeds and fry.
• Add diced potatoes and fry them by turning them upside down occasionally.
• Use a tooth pick to check if they are soft enough and cooked right
• Add chili powder and salt and toss them.
• You can have it as a snack or with rice and rasam as a side dish.