HOTCHULHA

Ingredients:

• Focaccia/Chibata Bread – Store bought – 2 Pieces
• Baked Chicken slices – 4
• Swiss Cheese – 2 thin slices
• Green Olives – 2
• Store bought Italian Pesto – 1 Tablespoons
• Basil leaves – 4
• Pickled Jalapenos – 2 Pieces
• Olive Oil
• Provolone Cheese – 2 Pieces(optional)

* Coarsely grind the olives and Jalapenos and keep it aside.

Method:

1. Preheat the Panini maker for 325 degrees.
2. Spread the pesto on two inner sides of the bread pieces. Put  Jalapenos mixture and one pieces on cheese and brush with live oil on outer sides of the bread.
3. Put the basil leaves and Baked Chicken Slices and close it like a sandwich.
4. Fallow the same with 2nd set of bread pieces.
5. Brush the Olive oil outer sides of bread.
6. Bake this in Panini Maker for 12 to 15 Minutes.

Tip: Serve this with hot chips . Also you can serve this alone.

Ingredients:

• Urad Dal – 1 Cup
• Sona Masoori Rice – 1/4 Cup
• Salt – to Taste
• Oil – As required

Method:

1. Soak Rice and Urad Dal for 1 Hour and grind it.
2. Add salt and mix it well.
3. Take a Skillet and put 1 Teaspoon of Oil and put the battered Flour as thick pancakes and put some more oil around the Pan Cakes.
4. Put the lid on and cook till it looks golden brown and flip it to the other side.
5. Let it cook for few more minutes until it looks brown. Remember, when you flip it, do not put the lid on to cook it.

Tips: Serve it with some hot chutney. Coconut chutney is a good combination.

Tags: coconut chutney, Mash, roti

Ingredients:

• Raw coconut pieces – 1/2 Cup
• Dry red chilies – 7
• Zeera – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Tamarind – 2 inch Piece.
• Salt to taste.
• Oil as needed.
• Shallot – 1 Small

Method:

1. Take a small pan and put 1 teaspoon of oil and Put Zeera, Red Chilies and coconut pieces and fry till the coconut looks little brown.
2. Let it completely cool off and put this in mixer along with salt and tamarind and grind it coarsely.
3. Now add Shallot pieces and grind it once again.

Tip: You can serve this with Rice, Mash Ki Roti, Idly, Dosa, Vada etc.

Ingredients:

• Sour Curd – 1 Cup
• Shallot – 1 – Cut into tiny pieces
• Green Chilly – 1 –  Cut into tiny pieces.
• Curry Leaves – 1/2 Stem
• Tadka Seeds – 1/2 Teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder – 2 pinches
• Red Chili Powder – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Clove Powder – 1 pinch
• Salt to Taste
• Oil – 1 Teaspoon
• Cilantro – 1 stem – Cut into small pieces.

Method:

1. Take a pan and put oil and get it to heat.
2. Put Tadka Seeds, Curry Leaves, Onion, Green Chilies and Saute them for 2 minutes.
3. Now put the Salt, Red chili powder, turmeric, clove powder and take the pan off from the heat and let it cool.
4. Now put the fried stuff in Curd and mix it well and garnish it with Cilantro.

Tags: dahi, sour curd

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast – 1
• Carrot – 1 big – Cut into big Chunks
• Potato – 1 big – Cut into big Chunks
• Baby Tomatoes – 10
• Home Made Veggie Stock – 3/4 Cup
• Italian Seasoning – 1/2 Teaspoon
• Salt & Pepper – to taste
• Olive Oil – As required
• Store brought Bread – 2 Pieces

Method:

1. Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pat the chicken breast with Paper towel and rub the seasoning liberally along with salt & Pepper and keep it aside.
3. Take a heavy bottom pan and put 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil and put the chicken breast and leave it for 3 minutes.
4. Now turn the chicken breast and put it on other side till it looks brown and add baby tomatoes and keep this aside.
5. Take a oven proof pan and put the vegetables, salt and pepper, Veggie Stock, Tomatoes and on top of that put the seared Chicken piece. Cover it with Foil
6. Put a couple of tiny holes on foil, so that the steam can escape.
7. Bake it for 35 minutes.
8. Serve it hot with Store brought Bread.

Ingredients:

• Karela – 1 Medium
• Rice Flour – 1/2 Cup
• Besan Flour – 1/2 Cup
• Peanuts – 1/4 Cup
• Green Chillies – 2 Cut into small Pieces
• Curry Leaves – 1 stem
• Ginger-garlic Paste – 1/2 Teaspoon
• Clove Powder – 1 Pinch
• Red Chilly Powder 0 1/4 Teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry.

Method:

1. Cut the Karela into thin slices and put 1/4 teaspoon of salt, mix it and keep it aside. After 30 minutes squeeze all the water from the Karela and mix it with all other ingredients except Oil.
2. Take a heavy bottom pan and put the oil and bring it to heat.
3. Put the mix in pakodi shapes and deep fry them and put that on paper towels so that it can absorb the excess oil.

Tip:It goes well with rice along with rasam and sambar.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast – 1
• Salt & Pepper – as needed
• Paprika – 1/4 teaspoon
• Poultry Seasoning – 1/4 Teaspoon.
• Olive Oil

Method:

1. Pat dry the chicken breast and put all the spices, olive oil and rub salt & pepper and keep this in fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake the marinated chicken in oven for 35 minutes and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into small pieces or Slices.

When I was a kid, my elder brother was serving in Indian Air Force.

He used to come home once a year. While going back, my mom used to make this Chandal Halwa as a care pack.

In those days, it used to stay fresh for 2 weeks as long as you don’t use a wet spoon. 

Ingredients:

• Chanadal – 1 Cup
• Gud (Jaggery) – 2 Cups
• Elachi – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Poppy Seeds – 1 Tablespoon
• Dry Coconut – 1/4 Cup – Shredded
• Cashews – 1/4 Cup
• Raisins – 1/4 Cup
• Ghee – 4 Tablespoon
• Cinnamon stick – 1 inch
• Cloves – 2

Method:

1. Put Chanadal in pressure cooker and put 2 cups of water and cook it for 5 whistles.
2. Once the pressure is off, drain any water left from the cooked chana and mash it with spatula and put this pot on stove again and add the gud and let it melt and cook this till everything comes together and keep it aside.
3. Take a small pan and dry roast the poppy seeds, coconut individually. Add Ghee, put cinnamon Stick, clove, cashew, raisins and fry them and put all this in the Chanadal mix.
4. Finally add Elachi powder and mix it well.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Palak  (Spinach) – 2 Cups – Shredded
• Raw Moong Dal – 1/4 Cup
• Green Chilies – 4
• Zeera – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Salt – to taste
• Tadka Seeds – 1 Teaspoon
• Turmeric – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Oil – as required
• Amchur Powder – 1/4 Teaspoon

Method:

1. Grind Raw Moong, Green chilies and Zeera coarsely and keep them aside.
2. Take a pan and put 1 tablespoon of oil and once oil is hot, put the tadka seeds and then put the palak leaves, salt and turmeric powder.
3. Put the lid on and cook it on low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Take the lid off and put 3 tablespoons of oil and then put the moong dal mix and stir it well, so that the moong dall will get coated with palak with out forming any lumps. Now put the Amchur powder and adjust the salt.
5. Saute this for another 5-7 minutes till the fry looks dry.

Add oil as required.

It goes well with roties and Rice.

Ingredients:

• Mutton – bone/boneless  – 2 lbs
• One Big onion – cut thin
• Green Chillies – 8-10
• Cinnamon, Cloves & Cardamom – 4 each
• Tomatoes – 2 big
• Mint – one bunch
• Coriander leaves – 1/2 Bunch
• Lemon Juice – 2Table  Spoons
• Curd – 1/2 Cup
• Ginger Garlic paste – 5 Table Spoons
• Red Chillies powder – 3 Tea Spoons
• Clove Powder – 1/4 Tea Spoon
• Cinnamon Powder – 1/4 Tea Spoon
• Cashew nuts – 12
• Salt to taste
• Oil to Fry
• Basmati Rice – 4 Cups

 Method: 

1. Clean the Mutton and keep it aside.
2. In a pan put the oil and then put the Cinnamon, Cloves ,Cardamom, Cashew nuts and Fry them
3. Then put the Onion & Green Chillies in it Fry it for some time & then put the ginger garlic Paste then fry.
4. After that put mint, coriander leaves and fry them
5. Put red chillies powder, salt and then put the Mutton pieces and fry it well then add curd and lemon juice
6. Put some water and cook it very well
7. Cook the rice outside in cooker – half cooked and mix the rice with Mutton gravy and let it simmer for some time
8. Put the food color here & there in rice. 

Tips: If you are cooking in oven after cooking the curry put the raw rice and water and cover it and keep that in the oven. Pre-heat the oven for 500 degrees. Cook for 25-30 minutes.