Creamy Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients
Eggs: 4
Butter: 1 tsp
Cream: 2 tsp
Pepper powder: ½ tsp
Salt: To taste

Chopped coriander: 1 tsp

Method
Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add butter. Let it melt on a low flame. Meanwhile whisk eggs in a bowl properly. Add cream and whisk again till frothy. Add the whisked eggs into the pan and cook on a very low flame for about 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring in between to get the custard consistency. Later, the eggs will get thicker, but still will be creamy. When the eggs are dry and cooked enough, add salt, pepper and garnish with coriander and serve warm.

Tambittu or Rice Flour Laddu

We prepare Tambittu for Shivaratri and my friend Sridhar’s mom prepares the best Tambittus I have ever tasted. I have tried it umpteen number of times following her steps, but I have never been able to match that taste. Maybe the love with which she prepares is missing in my Tambittu ;)

Tambittu

Ingredients
Rice: 1 cup
Roasted gram dal: 1 cup
Peanut: ½ cup
Poppy seeds: 2-3 tsp
White sesame seeds: 2-3 tsp
Grated dry coconut: 1 cup
Jaggery: 2 cups
Cashew nut: 2-3 tsp
Raisins: 2-3 tsp
Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
Ghee: 2-3 tsp

Jaggery syrup

Grinded mixture

Method  
Dry roast rice till golden colour and allow it to cool. Dry roast peanuts and remove the skin. Dry roast white sesame seeds and poppy seeds separately and keep aside. Grind rice with roasted gram dal to a fine powder and keep aside. Coarsely grind dry coconut powder and add it to the rice powder. Roast cashew nut and raisins in ghee till golden brown and add to the rice powder. Add peanuts, cardamom powder, poppy seeds, white sesame seeds and mix well. Add the jaggery syrup slowly and see if you are able to make balls from the dough. The dough should not be too tight or too loose. Make laddus when the dough is still warm. Laddus taste better when cooled.

Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

Boneless chopped chicken: ½ kg

Pepper powder: 1 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tsp

Chopped onion: 1 cup

All-purpose flour: ½ cup

Bread crumbs: 1 cup

Egg: 1

Oil: For frying

Salt: To taste

Method
Add ginger-garlic paste, pepper powder, onion and salt to chicken pieces and mix well. Grind this mixture in chopper to mince it. Keep in refrigerator for an hour so that it sets well.

Make small balls from the mixture and press them with your palms to give them nugget shape.

Beat the egg and keep it aside. Coat the nuggets in all-purpose flour and dip them in beaten egg and coat them again in bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry nuggets till golden brown. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Stuffed Brinjal Curry

Ingredients

Brinjals: 5-6

Chopped onion: 1 cup

Tamarind paste: 2-3 tsp

Jaggery: 1 tsp

Turmeric: ¼ tsp

Red chili powder: ½ tsp

Asafoetida: ¼ tsp

Salt: To taste

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Curry leaves: 2-3 springs

Chopped coriander leaves: 2-3 tsp
Oil: 5-6 tsp

For stuffing

Peanut: 1 cup

Dry coconut: ¼ cup

Niger seeds: 5-6 tsp (If you don’t get them, you can use black sesame, but taste will change)

Red Chilies: 8-10

Urad dal: 1 tsp

Channa dal: 1 tsp

Jeera: 1 tsp

Coriander seeds: 1 tsp

Cinnamon: 1 inch

Fenugreek seeds: 5-6 seeds

Stuffed brinjal curry

Stuffing powder

Stuffed brinjals

Method

Dry roast all the stuffing ingredients one by one, and after roasting peanuts, remove the skin. Grind all the roasted ingredients and make a coarse powder. Add salt, asafoetida and tamarind paste, mix well and keep aside.

Take each brinjal and make slits but not all the way through. If you want, you can keep the stem or remove it, I prefer keeping them. Stuff the prepared mixture into the slit brinjals carefully without breaking them.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they splutter, add onion and sauté for a minute. Add the stuffed brinjals carefully and fry all the sides till the colour of them changes. Add the remaining stuffing mixture on the brinjals and add turmeric powder, jaggery, red chili powder and salt to taste and add 1-2 cups of water. Mix carefully and close the lid. Cook the brinjals for 15minutes on a low flame stirring carefully occasionally. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with roti or chapati.   

Masoor Dal Pakora

Ingredients

Masoor Dal: 1 cup

Chopped onion: 1 cup

Chopped coriander: ½ cup

Chopped green chilies: 2-3 tsp

Ginger paste: 1 tsp

Salt: To taste
Oil: For deep frying

Masoor dal pakora

Soaked masoor dal

Coarsely grinded masoor dal

Mixture ready for frying

Method

Soak masoor dal for 3-4 hours, drain and grind it with green chilies without adding water. Add chopped onion, chopped coriander, ginger paste and salt to the paste and mix well. Heat oil in a pan and make small balls from the mixture and deep fry the pakoras till golden brown. Serve hot with tomato sauce.