Rasaswad

 This is the secret that I still hadn't managed to learn from mom. Here it goes:  Take 4 parts whole dhana (coriander seeds), and roast them a few minutes on a very slow flame. The trick is to not roast them all the way, but just until they get warm, a bit crunchy, and slightly fragrant. Remove in a plate and let cool. Take 1 part jeeru (cumin seeds), and also roast it (not as much as you would for say, Shekelu jeeru). Again, just enough till it gets warm. Let it also cool. Coarsely grind each of them separately, and mix together. In a vaghariyu, heat a bit of oil, add hing, and add it to the spice mix. Now add a few whole red chillies (mainly to keep insects away). Once it's cool completely, fill into an airtight container.  This now belongs in your everyday masala dabba. 

 It's weird how I never wrote this one down. It was a staple in graduate school, and it's a super forgiving recipe..adapting to "whatever you manage to have on hand"...you'll see that theme here: Heat about 2-3 tbsp oil in a pan, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp ginger paste (jar is ok), 1 tbsp minced garlic (or garlic paste), and saute for a few seconds. Add one finely chopped red onion (or two if they are small, or white onion..whatever you have on hand is fine). Saute for a few minutes until onion turns slightly brown around the edges. Add 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder (or coriander cumin powder, whichever you have on hand), 1 tsp raw mango powder (amchur, optional), 1 tsp chole masala (optional. Can also add garam masala). Saute all the spices for a few more seconds. Add a splash of water if needed to avoid burning the spices. Then add 1 can peeled and ground tomatoes (or use fresh, or tomato sauce, whichever you have on h...

The devil is in the details on this one...  11/2 cup w hole wheat flour +  1/2 cup  rice flour +  1/2 tbs  salt +  1/2 tsp  crushed pepper +  1 tsp  whole raw cumin.  3 tbsp  oil + 1 tbsp ghee warmed up and make muthi padtu mon. Make a stiff (but not too stiff) dough using very warm water (a bit over a cup) and set aside for half an hour or so. Knead well, and roll into big rotis. Dock with fork, and cut with a small cookie cutter. Dry on a paper while you roll the rest. Heat oil (fairly high heat), and then add lots of them at the same time. Keep the heat relatively high, so the oil temperature doesn't drop too much. Turn them a couple of times, and drain. Sprinkle some sanchal + mari powder. Cool and store in airtight container. 

 Was a great centerpiece for Thanksgiving this year.  Peel, core and dice 4 large apples. Roast 1 cup walnut in the oven, and chop it.  Butter and flour the bundt pan, preheat oven at 350.  In the mixer bowl, add 3 eggs, 1 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 11/4 cup oil, 2 tsp vanilla. Mix. Sprinkle 1 tsp fine salt, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp baking soda. Then add 21/2 cups AP flour (I was running out, so ended up using some cake flour). Mix the batter until mixed. Add the apples and walnuts and mix lightly. Add to the pan, and bake for about an hour.  Glaze: Toast some more walnuts. Caramalize sugar. Add butter and milk, and a tiny pinch of salt. Cook. In case it curdles, run hand blender. Add some powdered sugar to get the needed consistency. Decorate the cake. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/apple-walnut-bundt-cake

 My impulse buy during the pandemic was a kitchenaid bread bowl with baking lid. Here's the recipe:  In the bowl, add 2 cups AP flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 2 tsp instant yeast, 11/2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp kosher salt, 2 tbsp butter and 1 cup warm water. Mix/knead for 5 minutes with the kneading hook. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour. At this point, they recommend removing it and folding edges. I just did it in the bowl, with a bread spatula, and it seemed to work fine. Let rise for another half hour. Flour the lid, and put the shaped loaf on it, make cuts, cover and cook in 375 oven for 35 minutes. Serve with loads of butter and fleur de sel!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kmsBCZEoL4

 Peel and quarter Kohlrabi, add olive oil, salt, pepper and roast in 425 degrees oven until brown (about half an hour, turning a few times in between). Add chopped parsley and grated permesan and serve.  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/roasted-kohlrabi-with-parmesan-3561919

This is actually a slightly different version of Wolfgang Puck's famous soup recipe. The thing is, it's also his own recipe from an old video, and I like it better, mainly because of the honey.  Cut open a butternut squash, remove seeds. Apply a bit of olive oil, sprinkle some salt and papper, and bake in a 425 degrees oven for about half an hour (or until it's properly cooked). Remove the pulp with a spoon and set aside. In a pot, heat some olive oil and butter, add half a chopped onion, saute for a few minutes. Add cinnamon, dry ginger powder, and cardamom. Add veg stock (or water), cream, and honey and reduce for a few minutes. Add the squash pulp, mix and blend using a stick blender (or regular blender). Cook for a few more minutes, and adjust the consistency as needed.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K63GLrvN9No