1. Combine meat, vinegar, yoghurt, half the ginger and half the garlic.  Mix thoroughly & marinate 4 – 6 hours

2. Preheat pan add ghee.

3. When hot but not smoking, add cardamom, royal cumin & cinnamon sticks.

4. Stir fry 15 seconds, then add marinated meat.

5. Increase heat to high & stir fry 5 minutes or until meat begins to release its juices.  Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer 20-25 minutes or until liquid dries up and fat is visible.

6. Add onion, ground fennel, cumin, chilli powder & remaining ginger & garlic. Reduce the heat to medium and stir fry for 5 minutes or until fat separates from spices

7. Stir in warm water, salt, tomato puree, mix well, then cover pan & reduce heat to low.

8. Simmer 25 – 30 minutes or until meat is tender.

9. Add garam masala, mint & fresh coriander, stir fry 1-2 minutes. Serve at once.

1. To a heated pan, add organic coconut oil. Let it heat and then add the mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves.

2. Cook the onions till they are soft. Add the grated ginger and garlic. Let it caramelize.

3. Add turmeric, pepper, green chillies and the tomato puree. Then slowly keep stirring till the oil comes on to the surface.

4. Add coconut cream and cook till the cream turns to coconut oil.

5. Add vegetable stock and simmer till a slow boil.

6. Add fish and cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.

7. Serve with rice.

1. Heat olive oil in a pan then add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
2. Add chopped onions and saute until soft and lightly browned.
3. Add ginger and garlic paste.
4. Add turmeric and chilli powder, and a bit more oil so that they don’t stick to the pan. Stir until the mixture becomes a paste.
5. Add the chopped tomato and keep stirring until soft. You can add a little water as needed so that the ingredients don’t stick to the pan.
6. Stir in the tamarind pulp then add salt to taste.
7. Add the fish and let it rest on top of the curry.
8. Add the coconut milk, cover the pan and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
9. When you see the fish is almost done, add a little water to thin the curry.
10. Sprinkle chopped coriander and it’s ready to eat!
11. Serve with steamed rice.

1. Boil the potatoes

2. Remove the skin of potatoes and let them make cool.

3. Smash them and make soft and silky with the help of wooden mortar and pestle

4. Prepare small dumplings of potato and cook in simple onion, garlic, tomato soup.

5. After a few minutes, it will be ready to serve: the food of Himalayan people.

Cut the red chillies and soak them in water for about two hours. Cut up into small pieces and soak in the vinegar for one to two hours. Put all the ingredients in a mixie and grind to a smooth paste.

1. In a bowl mix all the ingredients of the chicken or vegetable filling, according to your choice. Keep aside.
2. Knead the refined flour, baking powder and salt together into firm dough. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the dough into very thin 4-5 inch rounds.
4. Take each round piece and place some filling in the centre.
5. Bring the edges together and twist to seal it.
6. Steam in a steamer for about 10 minutes and serve hot with chilli sauce.

1. Soak 18 to 20 cashews in ⅓ cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. When the cashews are soaking, you can prep the other ingredients like chopping tomatoes, chopping and preparing the ginger-garlic paste, slicing paneer etc.
3. Crush 1-inch ginger + 3 to 4 medium-sized garlic to a paste in a mortar pestle to a semi-fine or fine paste. Keep aside. Don’t add any water while crushing ginger & garlic.
4. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain the water and add the soaked cashews in a blender or grinder. Also, add 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh water or as required.
5. Grind to a smooth paste without any tiny bits or pieces of cashews. Remove the cashew paste in a bowl and keep aside.
6. In the same blender add 2 cups of diced or roughly chopped tomatoes. No need to blanch the tomatoes before blending.
7. Blend to a smooth tomato puree. Keep aside. Don’t add any water while blending the tomatoes.

Making Makhani Gravy

1. Heat a thick bottomed pan or a heavy pan. Keep the flame to a low or medium-low. Add 2 tablespoons butter OR 1 tablespoon oil + 1 or 2 tbsp butter in a pan. Adding oil prevents the butter from browning too quickly.
2. If using only butter, then keep the pan on a low flame so that the butter does not melt. You can even add 3 to 4 tablespoons butter for a rich buttery version. Both salted or unsalted butter can be added.
3. Keep the flame to a low. Add 1 medium-sized tej patta (Indian bay leaf). Fry for 2 to 3 seconds or till the oil becomes fragrant from the aroma of the tej patta.
4. Add the prepared crushed ginger-garlic or 1 teaspoon ready ginger-garlic paste. Fry for some seconds till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic disappears.
5. Pour the prepared tomato puree. Be careful while adding the puree as it may splutter.
6. Mix it very well with the butter.
7. Begin to cook the tomato puree on a low to medium-low flame. Stir at intervals. The tomato puree mixture will start simmering.
8. In case the tomato puree splutters too much while cooking then cover the pan partly with a lid or cover fully with a splatter lid (channi lid). the tomato puree might splutter if there is more water content in the tomatoes. Do stir at intervals. Simmer the puree for 5 to 6 minutes.
9. Then add 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch. You can even add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder or ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper or paprika or any other variety of red chilli powder.
10. Mix well and continue to stir and saute the tomato puree.
11. Saute till the butter starts leaving the sides of the pan and the entire tomato puree mixture comes together as a whole. This entire cooking and sauteing of the tomato puree take about 14 to 17 minutes on a low flame to medium-low flame. Time will vary depending on the thickness of the pan, size, the intensity of flame etc.
12. Now add the prepare cashew paste. Mix the cashew paste very well with the cooked tomato puree and continue to stir and saute on a low to medium-low flame. Stir non-stop after adding cashew paste.
13. Saute till the cashew paste is cooked and again the oil will start to leave the sides of the masala. The cashew will begin to cook fast. Approx 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame. So keep on stirring non-stop.
14. Next add 1.5 cups water.

Making Paneer Butter Masala

1. Mix the water very well with the tomato-cashew makhani masala. If there are lumps of the tomato-cashew masala, then break with a spoon. You can even use a wired whisk for mixing.
2. Let the curry simmer and come to a boil. Stir occasionally.
3. After 2 to 3 mins, add ginger julienne (about 1-inch ginger – cut in julienne (thin matchstick-like strips). Reserve a few for garnishing. The curry will also begin to thicken.
4. After 3 to 4 minutes, add 1 or 2 slit green chillies.
5. Also add salt as per taste and ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar (optional). You can add sugar from ¼ tsp to 1 teaspoon or more depending on the sourness of the tomatoes. Sugar is optional and you can skip it too. If you add cream, then you will need to add less sugar.
6. Mix very well and simmer for a minute.
7. After the gravy thickens to your desired consistency, then add the paneer cubes (200 or 250 grams). Keep in mind the consistency you want before you add paneer as you will be cooking the paneer for some seconds. You can also fry the paneer and then add the paneer once the gravy has become creamy. I keep the gravy to a medium consistency gravy.
8. Stir and mix the paneer cubes gently in the paneer makhani gravy.
9. Now add 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi leaves (dry fenugreek leaves) and 1 teaspoon garam masala in the gravy. Addition of crushed kasuri methi gives a restaurant flavor. Kasuri methi is optional and can be skipped.
10. Next add 2 to 3 tablespoons of low-fat cream or 1 to 2 tablespoons of whipping cream. Stir gently but well and switch off the flame.
11. Serve paneer butter masala hot garnished with 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves, the remaining ginger julienne. You can also drizzle some cream or dot with butter while serving. Good combo for this dish is naan or butter naan or tandoori rotis or plain paratha or roomali roti or Kerala Malabar paratha.

1. Make a dough from the flour and water
2. Combine the onions, green chilli, coriander leaves, turmeric and ginger garlic paste
3. Boil and skin the potatoes, then mash
4. Add potatoes and salt to the onion, chilli, coriander, turmeric and ginger paste mixture. Combine well.
5. Roll out the dough and measure out circles slightly bigger than the palm of your hand
6. Form the mashed potato mixture into balls about 4cm diameter
7. With the dough circle in one hand add the mashed potato mixture onto the dough and wrap the dough around the potato ball
8. Then flatten the dough slightly onto your palm so it no longer resembles a ball shape
9. Flour both sides of the flattened dough
10. Use a rolling pin to further flatten the dough so it is about 20cm in diameter
11. Grease a pan with oil on medium high heat
12. Place the paratha on the pan and cook until both sides are golden in colour and cooked through
13. Serve with your favourite curry!

1. In a heated pan, add oil and then the cumin seeds.

2. Add the chopped onion and fry till it turns golden.

3. Add the ginger and garlic and continue stirring being careful that it does not stick to the pan and the raw smell disappears.

4. Add the tomatoes.

5. Cook the mix till it is a homogenous mix and the oil starts to surface.

6. Add the spices and salt for seasoning.

7. Add the washed chickpeas, a bit of water and cover and cook till the peas are softened.

8. Then add a tsp of dried mango powder and the garam masala.

9. Mix well and then to finish, add a dollop of butter and sprinkle fresh coriander leaves.

1. Heat the water in a saucepan.

2. Add masala chai mix to the water and bring to the boil.

3. Add fresh milk to the saucepan and bring back to the boil.

4. You can also add little bit of sugar to sweeten (optional).

5. Simmer to get the flavour from the spices and until the liquid has turned a brown colour.

6. Strain the liquid into a teapot.