Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar turns a medium golden brown color, about 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully and slowly add the cream and vanilla, using a long-handled wooden spoon to stir. Simmer until the caramel dissolves and blends into the cream, about 2 minutes. The sauce will be smooth slightly thickened. Serve warm or cool.
Add a little more cream before serving if it's too thick.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup water
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup red currant jelly
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preparation:

In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to medium low and add the currant jelly. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add blueberries and bring to a boil once again. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Makes about 2 cups of blueberry sauce.

Serve over pancakes or waffles, or as a sauce for ice cream, bread pudding, plain custard, cheesecake, pound cake, or dessert crepes. Just a few ideas!

Apple Brandy Dessert Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
dash salt
3 tablespoons apple brandy or Apple Schnapps
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 6 minutes longer. Watch to make sure it doesn't boil over. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Serve warm with bread pudding.
Makes about 1 cup.

Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients:

Cauliflower 1 Small One
Onion 1
Tomato 1 Large
Ginger 1 inch Piece
Green Chiles 1 – 2
Cumin Powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder 1/2 tsp
Red Chile Powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Cilantro few Sprigs
Oil 1 tsp

Method of preparation:

Remove stems, wash and slice the green chiles.
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Wash and finely chop the tomato.
Peel and grind the ginger into smooth paste.
Break cauliflower into small florets and wash them under running water.
Wash and separate the cilantro leaves from its stems.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, onion and fry till it softens.
Add ginger paste and cauliflower.
Cook for few seconds, then add chopped tomato and cook till tomato is mushy.
Add cumin powder, coriander powder, red chile powder and salt.
Fry for a minute, add half a cup and cook covered until cauliflower is soft but not mushy.

Ridge Gourd with Mustard Seeds

Ingredients:

Ridge Gourd 1 (app. 12 inch long)
Onion 1 Small
Tomato 1
Green Chiles 1 – 2
Cumin Seeds 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds 1/4 tsp
Garlic 2 Cloves
Salt to taste


Urad Dal 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds 1/4 tsp
Broken Red Chiles 3
Curry Leaves 6
Oil 1 tbsp

Method of preparation:

Chop off the thick skin, wash, remove ends and chop ridge gourd into small chunks (around 2 Cups).
Remove stems, wash and slice the green chillies.
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Wash and chop the tomato.
Peel and roughly chop the garlic cloves
Grind cumin seeds, mustard seeds and garlic into smooth paste adding little water.

Heat oil in a wok, add all talimpu ingredients in order.
When mustard seeds start spluttering, add green chiles and onion.
When onion turns translucent, add ridge gourd, tomato, ground masala paste and salt.
Cook covered on medium flame till ridge gourd pieces are soft.
Uncover and stir fry for a minute or two if the curry is too watery.
Serve ridge gourd with mustard seeds over plain steamed rice.

Butter Chicken Gravy

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces - 1 kg
Butter - 50 gms
Medium sized onions chopped - 2
Curd (or) Yogurt - 1/4 cup
Almonds - 10
Red Chili powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 3 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
Bay leaf - 1/2 (crushed)
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 2''
Cardamom - 2
Ginger-garlic paste
Tomatoes - 4
Salt to taste
Oil
Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
Chopped Coriander leaves

Method:

Clean the chicken pieces and keep it aside.
Soak the almonds in 2 tsp hot milk for 15 - 20 mins.
Powder Cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf.
Now grind soaked almonds, yogurt, powdered cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf, Ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes and salt to a fine paste.
Take this paste in a bowl and add red chili powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, turmeric powder and Garam Masala powder. Combine well.
Put the chicken pieces in the bowl and mix well. Marinate it for 1/2 hr.
Now heat butter and oil in a vessel add the chopped onions and fry until it turns golden brown.
Add the marinated chicken and fry for about 10 mins.
Add the fresh cream and 1/2 cup water, mix well and allow it to cook for another 10 - 15 mins until the gravy is thick.
Once the butter is separated, remove the gravy from the heat.
Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.
Hot Butter Chicken Gravy is ready to serve.

Dum Aloo (Fried Potatoes in Curry Sauce)

Ingredients

1 lb bite size baby potatoes (aloo)
½ to 1 teaspoon turmeric powder (for sprinkling before frying)

1 cup onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon garlic paste
½ tablespoon ginger paste
½ cup tomatoes (chopped)
½-1 teaspoon dried red chili powder (depending on strength and taste)
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
oil for cooking and deep frying
Salt to taste

Optional

1 teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon methi
1/4 cup cream
2 tablespoon cashewnut paste

Preparation

Peel and prick potatoes with a fork. Sprinkle with turmeric.
Deep fry in oil over medium heat until potatoes are golden brown in color. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and cook until light brown.
Add ginger paste and garlic paste. Cook few more seconds.
Add all spce and tomatoes. Cook for few more minutes.
Add cream and ½ cup of water (if needed). Simmer the sauce
Add fried potatoes and simmer few more minutes.

Kootu Curry

Ingredients:

Yam: Any kind, preferably elephant yam cut in sugar cube size : 0.25 kg
Coconut: (unsweetened) ground to a paste : 5 tea spoonsful
Ginger: ground to a paste : 1 tea spoonful
Green chilli: 3 or 4
Turmeric: 2 or 3 pinches
Curry leaves: a few
Coconut oil: 1 tea spoon
Salt: To taste.

Method

Put the yam pieces, turmeric and green chilli in 3 mugs of water and leave it to boil on high fire for around 15-20 minutes.
Now, put in the coconut and garlic paste and salt. Mix well and reduce the fire. Leave for 10 minutes.
Mash up a couple of yam pieces with a spoon to make the gravy denser.
On another pan, heat one teaspoonful of oil and make the curry leaves splutter in it. Transfer this to the main dish. It is ready.

Aviyal

Ingredients:

1 raw banana, peeled and diced
1/2 cup yam peeled and diced
1 brinjal diced
6" piece snake gourd peeled and diced
2 drumsticks peeled and cut in 3" pieces
1 cucumber diced
5-6 string beans, strung and chopped to 1" pieces
1 large onion peeled and diced
1 cup coconut ground to a paste.
2 stalks curry leaves
5 green chillies slit lengthwise
2 tbsp. tamarind pulp or paste as per taste
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
3/4 tsp. red chilli powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp. oil

Method
Pour 1 cup water in large deep vessel.
Put to boil, add chilli and turmeric powders.
Add yam, banana, drumsticks, snakegourd, stringbeans.
cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add cucumber, brinjal, onion, cook till tender but not mushy.
Add slit chillies, coconut paste, and simmer for 2 minutes.
Just before taking off fire, add oil and curry leaves.
Serve hot with appams, parottas, rice or even bread!

Spaghetti In Tomato-Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:


3 cups boiled spagetti
2 tbsps olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1″ cinnamom stick
6-7 garlic flakes, crushed
4-5 large tomatoes, blanched, skinned and pureed smooth
2-3 tbsps hung curd/yogurt
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley or coriander
1 tsp mixed dried herbs or oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon pwd (optional)
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper as per taste
parsley/coriander for garnish
1 tbsp grated cheese for garnish

1 Cook spagetti in salted rapidly boiling water until al dente, drain and keep aside.
2 Heat olive oil in a vessel, add the bay leaf, cinnamom stick, onions and crushed garlic and saute till transparent. Add tomato puree, chopped parsley, oregano, cinnamom pwd and salt.
3 Cook for 6-8 mts, stirring once in a while. Turn off heat, remove three fourth of the cooked tomato sauce from the pan and keep aside. Once cool add the smoothly beaten hung curd/yogurt and combine.
4 In the same pan, (which has approx 6-7 tbsps of prepared tomato sauce) add a tbsp of olive oil and toss the spaghetti in the tomato sauce for 2-3 minutes stirring well to coat the spaghetti with the sauce. Adjust salt, season with freshly ground pepper and sprinkle some grated cheese. Turn off heat.
5 Remove the spaghetti onto a serving dish and spoon the prepared herbed tomato sauce along the edges of the dish. Garnish with fresh parsley and grated cheese.

Curried Potatoes In Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes (boiled and slightly mash with hand roughly to form small chunks)
1 large onion chopped finely
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1" ginger finely minced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillis
10-12 curry leaves
2 green chilli slit length wise
1 tsp red chilli pwd (adjust according to your choice)
1 tbsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
salt to taste
3 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp oil
chopped coriander leaves for garnish
1 tsp jaggery or sugar (optional)

Heat oil in a cooking vessel and add the mustard seeds and let them pop.Now add the red chillis and curry leaves and stir fry for a few seconds till the flavors are released in the oil.Now add onions,ginger and garlic and saute till the onions turn light brown.Add the green chillis and all the pwds.Combine.
Add the tomatoes and stir fry till the oil seperates and it gets mushy.
Add the potatoes and combine and keep covered with a lid on low heat for 3-4 minutes.
Remove lid and cook further for another 3-4 mts stirring once in a while.
Add salt and enough water to cover the potatoes.
Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat till you get the desired curry consistency.Finally add the jaggery/sugar and combine.Turn off heat.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rotis/chapatis/steamed white ric

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 egg, beaten
salt & pepper
1/2c bread crumbs
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1/4 c mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 can beef broth
3 tbsp flour

Directions

Mix ground meat with egg, worchestershire sauce, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.
Shape into oval patties and refrigerate.
Saute sliced onions and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter. Transfer to plate.
Brown patties in same pan, adding 1 tablespoon butter and oil until crisp.
Transfer to plate and add beef broth to pan drippings.
Mix flour and water to a paste consistency.
Add to broth and bring to a boil to thicken.
Add mushrooms and steak. Cook to preferred doneness.

Vegan Gravy

Ingredients

2 c chicken-flavoured vegetable broth (Such as: Imagine Foods), boiling
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 cup diced fresh mushrooms
onion salt to taste
Unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions

In large saucepan, simmer all ingredients except flour for approx 5 minutes.
Slowly add flour (tbsp by tbsp), whisking after each addition, until desired thickness is reached.

Gingersnap Gravy

Ingredients

4 lb. chuck roast, rump roast or shoulder roast
2 sliced onions
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
12 peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt
1 pint of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup of water
2 teaspoons of sugar
10 crumbled gingersnaps
1 dill pickle minced very fine
slurry - made with two tablespoons of flour in one cup of liquid

Directions

THREE DAYS BEFORE YOU PLAN TO SERVE THIS DINNER
place roast in an earthenware bowl (no metal) with the onions and the seasonings.
Combine vinegar and water.
Heat to boiling and pour over meat.
Marinate 3 days in the refrigerator.
Turn meat twice a day with two wooden spoons.
NEVER PIERCE THE MEAT WITH A FORK.
To cook: Drain meat, pat dry.
Brown thoroughly on all sides in hot fat in a skillet.
Add the marinade, cover and simmer for 3 to four hours until tender.
Serve with gingersnap gravy, new potatoes and carrots.
Gravy: When meat is done, remove to platter.
Pour off any excess fat, skim surface.
Add sugar, gingersnaps and pickle, bring up to brisk simmer.
Thicken with a slurry (flour/water) or buerre manie (butter/flour).
Bring to boil to cook out the raw flour taste and thicken the sauce, pour over sliced roast, surround with steamed new potatoes dressed with butter and parsley. Great family style meal.

Sorakaya Payasam - Doodhi Kheer

Sorakaya Payasam Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups low fat milk
1 cup grated bottle gourd/sorakaya/dhoodi, squeeze out water
4 tbsps sugar (adjust)
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
pinch of saffron, mix with 1 tsp milk
5-6 cashew nuts/almonds, toasted
1/2 tbsp ghee

1 Heat a vessel, add ghee and toast the cashew nuts and almonds till golden brown. Remove from vessel, keep aside.
2 In the same vessel, add the grated bottle gourd and saute for 5-6 mts. Add the boiled milk and simmer for 15-16 mts, stirring once in a while. Add sugar and simmer for another 10-12 mts, stirring once in a while.
3 Add the cardamom pwd, saffron and toasted cashews and almonds. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled. It tastes good both warm and chilled.