My grand-mother’s tea is a lovely rich brew. You can also try cinnamon sticks, cloves, whole cardamom, dried ginger powder or fresh grated ginger in this tea.

Ingredients:
4 cups whole milk Or 2 cups milk & 2 cups water
9-10 teaspoons sugar or to taste
4-5 teaspoons good quality Indian black tea leaves
1/2-3/4 teaspoon powdered cardamom
1/2-3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the milk turns a lovely pinkish brown, 7-10 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Steep tea covered 1-2 minutes, strain and serve hot.

You can also make this tea with coconut milk for a very indulgent flavor. Prepare tea as above but add coconut milk just after it comes to a boil. Heat the milk through but do not let it boil or it might curdle.

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This is a classic Marathi dessert that is easy to make! Eat it with puris (Indian fried bread) or on its own.

Ingredients:
2 liters whole milk
3/4 tablespoon clarified butter (optional)
3 ounces vermicelli
6 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon powdered cardamom
4-5 strands saffron
8-10 cashews / almonds, slivered
Cook milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning or sticking.

Meanwhile, heat clarified butter in a skillet. Toast the vermicelli in the butter till golden, 4-5 minutes.

Add the toasted vermicelli to the milk and bring the milk back to the boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add sugar, cardamom and saffron to the milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, till the milk is golden and slightly thickened, about 12-15 minutes. Stir in the nuts. Serve hot, at room temperature or chilled.

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This versatile and quintessentially Indian condiment works great with Indian dishes as well as Western. Try it on chicken, fish or shrimp. In India, tea party menus are rarely complete without cilantro chutney sandwiches. You can adjust the chutney’s heat to your taste, by adding or reducing the number of chilies.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. cilantro leaves, washed
3-5 Thai bird chilies
1-11/2 teaspoons cumin seed powder
2-3 small cloves of garlic, peeled (optional)
pinch of sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt or more
juice of 1 lime
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend into a smooth paste, using a little water if needed. Taste the chutney and add more seasonings as required.

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These breads can be soft or crisp and cookie-like. Traditionally they are made with pumpkin. You can also use butternut squash, apples, pears, ripe peaches, plums or very ripe bananas in them.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat OR all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup for rolling puris
1 cup red pumpkin, grated and cooked OR prepared pumpkin puree
6 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil OR butter
1/2 liter vegetable oil
Sauté pumpkin briefly in 1 teaspoon oil, steam-cook (or microwave) till tender, 5-6 minutes and mash well. Measure 1 cup pumpkin pureé into a bowl. Stir in sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and butter. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour till it forms small beads. Use the fruit to knead flour into a firm dough. Divide it into 1-inch, flattened discs. Roll each into a 3-inch wide, 1/4-inch thick puri.

Heat oil in a wok. When bubbles rise to the top, reduce the heat slightly. Fry 2-3 puris at a time. These dense breads are unlikely to really puff up.

Serve them for tea, a quick breakfast or healthy, after-school snack. They last up to 10 days stored in an airtight container.

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Serves 4-6, 15 minutes 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound pumpkin / butternut squash, peeled & grated / cut into
chunks
12 tablespoons yogurt
4-6 tablespoons milk (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons clarified butter / vegetable oil
1-2 green chilies, sliced (optional)
5 curry leaves (optional)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
pinch of turmeric
pinch of sugar
3/4-1 teaspoon salt
3-4 sprigs of cilantro, washed & finely chopped

Preparation:

Sauté the grated pumpkin in 1 teaspoon clarified butter. Cover and steam-cook briefly in 2-3 teaspoons water till tender, 5 minutes (or steam-cook / microwave the chunks. Mash the flesh).

Whisk yogurt till smooth. If tart, add a pinch of sugar; if too thick, stir in some milk. Add salt. Fold yogurt into the pumpkin.

Heat the remaining clarified butter in a seasoning wok, small pan or ladle till almost smoking. Reduce the heat, add the mustard seed and cover the pan till the popping subsides.

Add the chilies and curry leaves. Turn off the heat and mix in turmeric. Stir once and fold into the salad. Garnish with cilantro. Serve cool / at room temperature.

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Serves: 4, Time: 60 minutes marinating + 30 minutes cooking
Special Equipment: Mortar-pestle / spice mill

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast OR bone-in drumsticks
1 1/2 white OR red onions, minced
1 tomato, chopped fine
2 tablespoons yogurt
3 tablespoons cumin seeds, freshly toasted & powdered
2 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
4-6 sprigs cilantro, washed & finely chopped

Preparation:

Clean and cut chicken breasts into 11/2-inch cubes (for an appetizer) or 3-inch chunks (for an entrée). Leave drumsticks whole. Combine ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, chili powder and salt. Rub the paste into the chicken. Marinate covered at least 1 hour.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Brown the onions, 3-4 minutes. Briefly sauté the tomato. Add chicken and 2 cups hot water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, till the chicken is tender and the water has reduced, 12-15 minutes. To reduce sauce further, increase the heat and cook, 5-10 minutes. Stir cumin powder into the chicken. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

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Serves: 6-10, Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups Basmati rice
6 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
11/2 teaspoons Shah jira OR cumin seed
8 cloves
6 green cardamom pods
3 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
11/2 teaspoons salt

Preparation:

Rinse the rice well in a colander and drain completely.

Heat oil in a deep pan till almost smoking. Reduce heat to low, add the bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Stir to release their aromas and essential oils, about 30 seconds. Sauté the cumin seed. Raise heat slightly and add the rice. Sauté till aromatic and toasty, 1-2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, pour in water and mix in salt. Cook covered, 15-20 minutes, till rice is fluffy and tender. Serve hot.

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Serves 4-6, 90 minutes cooking, 2-3 hours chilling

Ingredients:

2 cups toor dal (yellow lentils) OR Canary lentils
1 large ripe tomato, diced
2 pickling cucumbers, diced
2 spring onions OR a handful of chives, finely chopped
6 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons or more lemon juice
1-2 green chilies, sliced (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin seed powder
pinch of turmeric
pinch of asafoetida
pinch of sugar
11/4-11/2 teaspoons salt
black pepper to taste
3-4 tablespoons washed & finely chopped cilantro

Preparation:

Pick over the lentils for stones and other debris. Rinse lentils well in several changes of water to remove excess protein. Drain. Place lentils in a pot with 2 litres water, turmeric and asafoetida. Cook, stirring occasionally, till tender and mushy, 45-60 minutes.

In batches, blend the lentils, black pepper, salt, chilies, and lemon juice till smooth, using up to 1 litre of water to liquefy the lentils. Pour the soup into a large bowl and check the seasoning. Add more cumin powder, salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed.

Chill the soup 2-3 hours before serving. To serve, cut the tomato, onions and cucumber fine. Stir the soup well as the lentils might settle to the bottom. Pour soup into bowls and top with diced vegetables. Garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream, black pepper and cilantro.

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Serves: 6-10, Time: 6-8 hours draining, 30 minutes prep.

Ingredients:

4 lb. ready-made yogurt
250-300 grams sugar
11/2 tablespoons charolya (optional)
6 strands saffron in 2 teaspoons warm milk
grated nutmeg to taste

Preparation:

To make shrikhand, yogurt must be drained of all its liquid. Start the process the night before you plan to serve shrikhand. Place two layers of cheesecloth / thin, clean dish cloth in a colander over a bowl. Arrange the extra cloth over the sides. Pour in 4 lbs of firm, home-made / store-bought yogurt. Bring the edges of the cloth together and tie them tight, just above the yogurt, making a round, firm ball. Water will immediately begin to drain out.

Hang the pouch from a height (kitchen cupboard handle / sink faucet) overnight to drain, with the bowl beneath to catch the liquid. You could also leave the pouch in the colander, occasionally transferring the nutritious whey into another container (drink it or use for kneading Indian bread dough or making yogurt-based sauces).

Drain the yogurt, 6-8 hours. When it feels firm and the pouch is dry, scrape the thick, granular yogurt cheese (chakka) into a container. Stretch the cloth tight to scrape off the last bits with a knife / spoon. You will end up with about 2-21/2 lbs of thick yogurt cheese. Use it immediately or refrigerate covered, 2-3 days (it makes a great dip too).

To make shrikhand, beat the chakka smooth in a large bowl. Whisk / stir in sugar. Soak saffron in milk, 2-5 minutes. Mix it into the shrikhand. Add charolya and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir thoroughly till smooth, adding 1 teaspoon milk if needed. Garnish with more charolya and nutmeg. Serve at room temperature / cool.

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