Breakfast Samosas

Chenna, soft curd, 1-1/2 Pounds
Milk for chenna, 1 Gallon
Lemon Juice for chenna, 1/2 Cup
Turmeric, 1 Teaspoon
Black Salt (kala namak), 1/2 Teaspoon
Black Pepper, 2 Teaspoons
Asofoetida, 1/2 Teaspoon
Sugar, 1/4 Teaspoon
Butter, 2 Tablespoons
Cream, 3 Tablespoons
Green moong dal, split, 1/2 Cup
Ginger, powdered, 1 Teaspoon
Wheat germ, 2 Tablespoons
Basil, dried, 1 Teaspoon
Sage, fresh, Handful
Paprika, 1/2 Teaspoon
Ghee, For frying
Flour, white, 1-3/4 Cups
Salt, 3/4 Teaspoon
Ghee, 4 Tablespoons

Soak the moong dal overnight, replacing the water at least once. Drain the dal and grind to a coarse consistency, as scant water as needed. Make a chaunce with the ginger and asofoetida, then add the basil, sage and paprika, and fry until the sage leaves are crispy. Add the dal and wheat germ and cook for a few more minutes, until the dal has absorbed the chaunce. The mixture is finished when it has a dry, crumbly texture, but enough moisture to clump together. Add a little butter if more moisture is needed. When done, set aside to cool.

Make curd in the usual way, pressing for 10 minutes under medium weight. Heat 2 Tablespoons of butter in a pan, add the cream. Mix in ½ teaspoon of turmeric, black salt (sparingly), black pepper and sugar. Add the curd, mix gently and cook until curds take on uniform color and consistency. Cover pan and set aside.

Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt, then adding the ghee with your fingertips until it's a coarse crumble. Add between ½ and ¾ cup of warm water, mixing quickly and kneading until you have a soft, plaint dough that's not too sticky. Knead for about 8 minutes. To assemble roll out a thin dough, cut into circles, cut circles in half. Take a dough half, fold over and fill with a combination of the chenna the dal mixtures. Don't mixture the two mixtures together, just put a little of both in the samosa. Close and seal the edges as you work, sealing in the filling. Fry in ghee until golden brown, then drain well before packing into tiffins.

Fresh Fruit with Yoghurt Tahini

Fresh seasonal fruits, 2 Pounds
Lemon juice, 2 Teaspoons
Yoghurt, 2 Cups
Tahini, 3 Tablespoons
Honey, 3 Tablespoons
Cayenne, 1/2 Teaspoon
Cinnamon, 1/4 Teaspoon
Nutmeg, 1/4 Teaspoon
Mint, fresh, Handful
Almonds, ground, 2 Tablespoons

Choose a selection of ripe fruits, for example: bananas, oranges, pears, berries, melon, grapes. Peel and core (ready to eat), and spritz with lemon juice to keep from browning. Cover and set aside. Make the sauce by mixing together the yoghurt and tahini, remaining lemon juice, honey and spices. Dollop the sauce overtop of the fruit, covering the top surface to keep fruit away from air. Sprinkle ground almonds overtop and add fresh mint leaves.

Chidwah

Walnuts, 1/8 Cup
Almonds, sliced, 1/8 Cup
Pistachios, 1/8 Cup
Pecans, 1/8 Cup
Ginger, powdered, 1/4 Teaspoon
Asofoetida, 1/8 Teaspoon
Cayenne, 1/8 Teaspoon
Turmeric, 1/4 Teaspoon
Raisins, golden, 1/2 Cup
Chickpea flour (Besan), 1/3 Cup
Cardamom powder, 1/8 Teaspoon
Nutmeg, 1/8 Teaspoon
Salt, To taste
Cumin powder, 1/2 Teaspoon
Ginger, crystalized, 1/8 Cup
Yam, 1 large
Ghee, For frying

Make a chaunce with the ginger, asofoetida, cayenne and turmeric. Add all the nuts and fry until fully coated and crisped. Add the raisins for the last 2 minutes, and fry until plumped and crisp. Set the mixture aside. Make a batter with the besan, cardamom, nutmeg, salt and cumin. Heat the ghee, then press the batter through a colander or utensils with holes, dropping the batter into the hot oil to fry the boondis until golden brown. Drain and set aside. Peel and dice the yam into very small sticks and fry until crispy. Toss salt onto the sticks while still hot. Mix together all ingredients, including crystallized ginger. Toss well and offer.

Ratha Cart Khaja Wheels

Flour, 2 Cups
Corn Oil, 3/4 Cup
Salt, To taste
Sugar, 1 Cup
Ghee, For frying
Sugar, raw, 1/8 Cup

Mix together 1-1/2 cups of flour, salt and 2 Teaspoons corn oil in a bowl. Slowly add water to make a stiff dough. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and pliant. Next make a paste by mixing together ½ cup of corn oil with ½ cup flour. Beat until thoroughly blended. Roll out the entire dough ball into a bag rectangle. Spread the thick paste out over the dough, covering as evenly as possible. Roll the dough up into a long rope, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Take each piece and roll it out again to about a four inch diameter. Use whatever objects are handy to impress the shape of a round center hub, and several spokes, into the dough, to look like a wheel.

Make a syrup by mixing 1 cup of sugar and ¼ cup water and bringing to boil until you get a good syrup consistency. Heat ghee in a wok. Slide the khajas into the ghee and fry until they turn pinkish. Remove from ghee, drain for a moment, then dip into the sugar syrup for a short time and set aside to drain. Before the loose their heat, flip the khajas over and press raw sugar into the backside.

Date Milk

Milk, whole, 6 Cups
Bananas, ripe, 5
Dates, soft and pitted, 30
Vanilla, 2 Teaspoons

Put all ingredients in the blender and liquefy. Chill thoroughly, then put in a thermos to keep cool.

Spicy Ginger Tea

Ginger, fresh, 3 Inches
Jaggery, 1 Cup
Cardamom, Pinch
Lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon
Apple Juice, 2 Cups

Finely mince the ginger and bring to boil with the jaggery in 8 cups of water. Simmer for 20 or 30 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients. Put in blender for two minutes, then into a thermos to keep hot.