Batata Vada

Ingredients
2 cups boiled , peeled and mashed potatoes 1 tbsp oil 2 tsp ginger-green chilli paste 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) 1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania) 2 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp sugar
salt to taste oil for deep-frying

To Be Mixed Together Into A Thin Batter

1 cup besan (bengal gram flour) 1/4 tsp chilli powder 1 tbsp oil a pinch of asafoetida (hing) a pinch soda bi-carb
salt to taste

Pav Bhaji
Ingredients For the pav
8 ladi pavs 4 tbsp butter 1 tsp pav bhaji masala (optional)

For the bhaji

1 1/2 cups potatoes, boiled and mashed 1 cup cauliflower, finely chopped 1/2 cup green peas 1/2 cup carrots, chopped 1 cup onion, chopped 1/2 cup capsicum, finely chopped 2 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 1/2 tbsp pav bhaji masala

1/2 tsp black salt (sanchal) 4 tbsp butter

To be ground into a chilli-garlic paste

3 to 4 whole dry kashmiri red chillies , soaked in warm water 4 to 6 cloves garlic (lehsun)

For serving
1 large sized onion, chopped 4 lemon wedges 1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)

Method For the bhaji

1. Boil the cauliflower, peas and carrots till they are soft. Drain out the excess water. 2. Heat the butter in a large pan, add the onion and capsicum and saut for 2 minutes. Then, add the prepared chilli-garlic paste and saut till the onion softens. 3. Add the tomatoes and simmer till the oil separates. 4. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, pav bhaji masala, black salt and salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. 5. Add the boiled vegetables and potatoes and mash thoroughly using a potato masher, adding cup of water if required.

For the pav

1. Slice each pav into 2 horizontally. Apply a little butter to each side and sprinkle with a little pav bhaji masala, if desired. 2. Heat a large tava and cook the pav on both sides till the pieces are lightly browned.

How to proceed

1. Serve the hot bhaji on 4 individual plates and top with the onion and coriander. 2. Serve with the hot pav and lemon wedges.

Lamingtons
Ingredients:

2 cups of all-purpose flour 2 tsp of baking powder 1/4 tsp of sea salt

2 large eggs 1/2 cup of room temperature butter 3/4 cup of white sugar 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup of milk 2 cups of icing sugar 1/3 cup of cocoa powder 3 tbs of butter 1/2 cup of milk Whipped cream for serving

Preparation: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Lightly butter an 8 inch square cake tin. Set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, use an electric beater to cream the butter and sugar mixture together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat well after adding each egg. Add the vanilla to the mixture and mix well to combine. Next, use a spatula to alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, starting and finishing with the flour. Spread the batter into the cake tin, making sure it's evenly spread.

9. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Test the center of the cake with a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean. 10. Cool the cake in the tin for about 5 minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack to cool. 11. Once the cake has cooled cut it into squares of a desired size and place them in an airtight container. Pop the container in the fridge for at least 2 hours or even overnight. 12. Now for the icing. Place the icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. 13. Stir the mixture until it is smooth but still a bit thick. You don't want the liquid to get too thin otherwise the sponge cake won't absorb the coating. 14. Now it's time to assemble the Lamingtons. Put out some newspaper under wire racks to catch any mess. Place the cake pieces on the racks and have your chocolate icing and desiccated coconut ready. 15. Quickly coat the sponge cake on all sides in the icing mixture and then gently roll the cake in the coconut. Repeat the process. 16. The Lamingtons can be stored in an airtight container for 5 days.

Vada Pav
Ingredients
8 ladi pavs (small squares of white bread) 1 recipe Dry Garlic Chutney

For the vada filling

1 1/2 cups boiled and mashed potatoes 2 green chillies, chopped 1 1/2 tbsp grated garlic 1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)

1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing) 6 to 8 curry leaves (kadi patta) 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) 1 tbsp oil

For the outer covering

3/4 cup besan (Bengal gram flour) 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi) a pinch of baking soda 1 tsp oil
salt to taste

Other ingredients
oil for deep-frying

Method For the vada fillling

1. Pound the green chillies, ginger and garlic using a mortar and pestle. 2. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and saut for a few seconds. 3. Add the pounded mixture and saut again for a few seconds. 4. Add the potatoes, turmeric powder and salt and mix well. 5. Remove from the fire and cool. 6. Divide into 8 equal portions. Shape into rounds.

For the outer covering

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and make a batter using approximately 1/3 cup of water. 2. Dip each round of the vada filling into the batter and allow it to coat the mixture well . 3. Deep fry in hot oil, till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

How to proceed

1. Slice each pav into half and spread some dry garlic chutney inside. 2. Place one vada in each pav and serve immediately.

Chiken korma
Ingredients: 1.kg Chicken breast or mini breast fillets 1 heaped tablespoon of finely grated fresh ginger 3 cloves of garlic, minced 150g thick (plain) yogurt 1 dried red chilli 2 finely chopped onions 1 tbsp ghee or veg. oil 1 tbsp ground coriander Pinch of ground black pepper 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala water 75g creamed coconut salt, to taste 2 heaped tbsps ground almonds finely chopped Coriander Leaves, to garnish juice of 1/2 lemon Instructions: 1. Cut the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks 2. Mix the chicken with the ginger, garlic and yogurt. Cover and marinade for 12 hours or in the fridge overnight. 3. Liquidise the chopped onion and red chillies, add a little water if you need to. blend til smooth. 4. Heat the ghee/oil in a pan. 5. Add the ground coriander, ground black pepper, turmeric and garam masala and stir fry for about 1minute over a low heat. 6. Turn up the heat, add the onion and chilli paste and stir fry for 10-minutes. 7. Add the chicken and the marinade and continue to stir fry for another 10-minutes. 8. Add the creamed coconut and enough water to *just* cover the chicken and bring to the boil, stirring until the coconut is dissolved. Stir in the ground almonds. 9. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is tender (30-40 minutes). 10. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix well.