The Besan Ka Pura

Pura, chilla, vegetarian omelette - this underrated vegetarian Saturday morning breakfast is known by many names, and is so easy to customise to your liking. Here's the recipe! Serves 10-12 puras.

Mix two cups of besan (gram flour) with about a cup and a half of water, a pinch of turmeric, a half spoon of chilli powder, two green chillies finely chopped, half an onion finely chopped, a small tomato finely chopped, and two to three tablespoons of chopped coriander. Some people don't like tomato in their Pura, some put grated carrots: customise all you want!

Heat a pan or tawa to hot, use oil spray for light grease. Ladle the mix into the pan and spread into a thin, round crepe. Wait until the Pura is cooked and sliding around in the pan. Carefully flip. Drizzle a few drops of oil into the sides to add a little crispiness if you like; as you can see I like my Besan Ka Pura crispy!

Serve with achar or chutney of your choice!

The Kali Mirch

Inspired by Hall IV canteen's late night tandoor menu at IIT Kanpur that I had basically every other day, I present my very own rendition of Chicken Kali Mirch Tikka (Pepper Kebabs).

In a pan, mix either 4 chicken whole legs (maryland cut) or 8 of just the drumsticks with 2/3 cup of yogurt, 2 spoons of freshly ground pepper, salt to taste, a teaspoon of mustard oil, half a spoon of cumin powder, a tablespoon of minced garlic, half a cup of ground cashews, and a spoon of freshly squeezed lime. Make slices into the chicken to allow for faster cooking and easier marination. Marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced. Place the legs on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper (retain the leftover marinade). Spray a little oil onto the top and bake for 20 minutes. Flip sides, apply the leftover marinade to the top of the chicken, spray a little oil and bake for 20-25 more minutes or until cooked and blackened. Serve hot with lime, green chillies and raw onion!

The Baby Scallops and Roe

Monday blues? Fine dine at home with this scallops with carrot puree recipe!

In a pan, heat a tablespoon of butter. Add to it a spoon of chopped garlic and a third of an onion (chopped). Once the onion is cooked, add two cups of grated carrots, half a cup of mushrooms, three tablespoons of chopped cashews and a sprinkle of parmesan, along with salt and pepper, a little paprika, a little cumin, and a little dash of cardamom powder. Cook until carrots are tender. Move to a blender with a dollop of yogurt and two tablespoons of milk. Blend into a puree. Set aside.

Sauté scallops (with roe on) in some butter with salt and pepper, and plate up with pureep a sprinkle of nigella seeds and desiccated coconut, and a side of rocket and crushed cashews! Quantities depend on your intake or lack of carbs with the meal. Enjoy!