Tangy Mango Chutney (Chatpatee Aam Ki Launjee)

Chef: Nirmal Gupta (56), House wife, New Delhi

Ingredients
(to prepare about 400-500 gm chutney)


1. Raw Mango (about 400-500 gm)
2. Sugar (300-400gms depending on how sour the mango is)
3. Black Salt (1/2 tea spoon) 
4. White Salt (1/2 tea spoon)
5. Red chilly powder (1/4 tea spoon, or as per taste)
6. Garam Masala (1/4 tea spoon)


Steps for preparation       
1.Wash the raw mangoes and wipe a dry cloth.
2.Peel the raw mangoes and then grate it finely till all the pulp is removed from the mango.
3. Place this grated pulp in a cooking pan and add sugar in it.
4. Turn on the stove and cook on low flame for 5 minutes. Stir continuously.
5. When the pulp and sugar reach a nice golden yellow state, add black salt as well as white salt, red chilly powder and garam masala.
6. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes while stirring.
7. Allow it to cool and serve
8. Garnish with pomegranate seeds or red cherries while serving, if preferred


Estimated Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Best Served With: Bread, chapati 
Shelf life: 2-3 weeks (if refrigerated)

Chilly Potatoes

Chef: Akanksha Agarwal (26), New Delhi, India

Ingredients:

To Be Mixed As A Marination

1. 2 tsp chilli sauce
2. 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
3. 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
4. 3 tbsp tomato sauce
5. 1/2 tsp salt
6. 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper powder

Other Ingredients

1. 250 gms baby potatoes
2. 1 tbsp oil
3. 2 tsp chopped green chillies
4. 2 tsp chopped garlic
5. 2 tbsp chopped coriander
6. salt to taste
7. 1/4 tsp chilli powder 

Preparation Steps

1. Slice the potatoes (taking off little thick peels) and keep aside in a bowl of cold water.
2. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and deep-fry the potato slices till it turns to golden brown colour from all the sides.
3. Dip the fried potato slices in the prepared marination and keep aside for 10 minutes.
4. Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and green chillies saute for a minute on a medium flame.
5. Add the potatoes along with the marination, coriander or mint leaves, chilli powder and salt, mix well and cook for 5 minutes on a slow flame.
6. Serve hot with toothpicks inserted in each slice.

Estimated Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Best Served with: Tamarind / Mint & Coriander Chutney, Soda

Pasta Indiana

Chef: Akanksha Agarwal (26), New Delhi, India

Ingredients
Pasta:

• 2 cups whole grain penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Vegetables:

• 2 medium sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped green beans
• 1 medium chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt

For Pasta sauce:

• 6 medium diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can of diced tomato
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes (adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sugar (adjust to taste)

For Preparing Pasta:

• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes (adjust to taste)

Preparation Steps


Part - 1 (Pasta and Vegetables)
1) In a large pot boil the water with salt and oil.
2) After water comes to the boil add the pasta.
3) Cook the pasta until it is just tender, not too soft. Drain the water and set pasta aside.
4) To prepare the vegetables, heat some oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.
5) Add vegetables (carrot, green beans, bell pepper and mushrooms) and sauté until they are nearly tender.

Part - 2 (Pasta Sauce)

1. Mix the cornstarch in ¼ cup of water and keep aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the basil, Italian herbs, and chili flakes stir and add tomatoes.
3. Let the tomatoes cook until they become pasty.
4. Next add cornstarch, salt and sugar to the tomato sauce, cornstarch will give thickness to the sauce.
5. Next add the sauté vegetables to the sauce and cook for few minutes on medium heat until sauce come to the desirable thickness.

Part - 3 (Bringing it all together)

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add basil and chili flakes stir for few seconds.
2. Next add the drained pasta and sauté for a minute until pasta is well coated with oil.
3. Pour the vegetable sauce over the pasta
4. Serve hot with slice of French bread and salad.

Estimated Preparation Time: 1 hour

Best Served with: Garlic bread, salad

Green Mint & Coriander Chutney

Chef: Nirmal Gupta (56), Home-maker, New Delhi, India

Ingredients:
1) 100gm fresh mint leaves
2) 150gm fresh coriander leaves
3) 20 gm fresh curry leaves
4) 1 fresh red onion
5) 1 raw mango
6) 2 green chillies (can be increased or decreased as per taste)
7) Amchur powder (2 tsp), Coriander powder (2 tsp), Salt (2 tsp)
8) Water (1 tumbler)
9) 1 lemon


Preparation Steps:
1) Pick the mint, coriander and curry leaves from the stalks, leaving some fresh stalks in
2) Peel the raw mango and cut into small pieces (appropriate for grinding)
3) Peel the red onion and dice it into medium sized pieces (appropriate for grinding)
4) Remove the stalks from the green chillies and break them by hand into 2-3 pieces each
5) Add all the ingredients from Step 1-4 above into the blender
6) Add a little water (about 50 ml) to the blender and grind for 2-3 minutes, until the contents are all blended into a uniform paste. The paste should have the consistency of a normal ketchup. Add more water if needed.
7) Add amchir powder, coriander powder and salt now and blend further for 30 seconds
8) Squeeze the leon juice and add the juice (remove seeds before adding) to the chutney in the blender. Mix it well
9) Your chutney is now ready to be enjoyed.
10) Store in a glass container and keep in the refrigerator for later use.

Estimated Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Shelf Life: 3-4 days (if stored in refrigertaor)
Best Served With: Indian Chaat (Bhelpuri, Samosa, Panu Puri, Paapdi), Fast Food, Fried Snacks, Sandwiches, Chapaati