Spicy Couscous with Dates

15 ml olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 whole star anise pods
salt to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
1/4 tsp powdered chilli
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 large fresh mushrooms, chopped
15 ml lemon juice
8g chopped dates
1tsp ground cinnamon
175 g uncooked couscous
1 vegetable stock cube in 350ml of hot water

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and saute onion until tender. Season with anise pods and salt. Mix in garlic, red bell pepper, dried hot red peppers, and black pepper. Continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
Stir mushrooms and lemon juice into the vegetable mixture. Mix in dates and cinnamon, and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Place couscous in a medium saucepan, and cover with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until all moisture has been absorbed.
Fluff couscous with a fork, mix into the vegetables, and serve.

Rogan Josh, Lamb Shanks in the Slow Cooker

2/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 chicken stock cubes
4 whole cardamom pods, broken
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
ground nutmeg to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons corn flour
1/4 cup water
1 large onion, cut into wedges
3 lamb shanks
1 carrot, diced
2 potatoes, diced

Stir the sour cream and all-purpose flour together in a small bowl until smooth and set aside.
In a separate small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water to make a paste.
Combine the chili powder, coriander, ginger, stock cubes, cardamom, tomatoes, water, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Slowly add the cornstarch paste to the tomato mixture, stirring constantly; simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly stir in the sour cream and flour mixture.
Arrange the onions across the bottom of a slow cooker, lay the shanks on top of the onions and pour the prepared tomato mixture over the meat. Place the carrots and potatoes on top of the sauce.
Cover and cook in the slow cooker on High for 8 hours.

Pisang Goreng (Indonesian Banana Fritters)

780g plain flour
125g white sugar sugar
2tsp vanilla essence
600 ml milk
5 eggs
140 g butter, melted
3 kg ripe bananas, sliced
oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and vanilla powder. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg, melted butter and rum flavoring. Mix until smooth. Fold in banana slices until evenly coated.
Heat oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Drop banana mixture by tablespoon into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bananas from oil, and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Karahi Chicken (Hot and Spicy Chicken Curry)

1.5kg chicken pieces
3 onions, chopped
1½ tsp ginger & garlic paste
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
2 whole chillis
1 tsp coriander seeds
10g garam masala
3 bay leaves
100ml Oil
1/2 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
salt to taste
Heat oil in a pan and add oil, bay leaves, red chillies, coriander seeds, garam masala and roast till they splutter. Add the onions and sauté for sometime till it browns. Add the ginger, garlic paste and fry till the oil floats on top. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder and cook for some time.
Now add the chicken and stir a little, then add some water for cooking.
When cooked remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fried Kashmiri red chillies.

Kesari

250 gms sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Suji or semolina
3/4 cup Ghee
1 tsp water
1 tsp Kesari powder or yellow color
a handful Cashews and raisins
Heat the ghee and fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside. Fry the semolina in the ghee till it turns brown.
Add the kesari powder to the 2 cups water and add to the semolina. Keep stirring so that no lumps are formed. Then add the condensed milk and keep stirring till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Put on a greased plate and when cooled cut into the desired shapes.
Serve garnished with the roasted cashews and raisins.

Coconut Laddoos

400 gms sweetened Condensed milk
4 cups desiccated Grated coconut
Take some 50 Gms of the grated coconut and keep aside. Add the remaining coconut to the condensed milk and cook on slow fire. Gently mix till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Cool and roll into small laddoos with greased palms. Roll the laddoos in the coconut powder set aside and serve.
This makes around 20 medium sized laddoos.

Mattar Pulao (Green Pea Pulao)

500 gms Basmati Rice, washed & soaked for 1/2 an hour
1 Onion, sliced
2 cups green peas, parboiled
170g Ghee
1 Bay leaf
8 Peepercorns
3in Cinnamon stick
2 Cardamom pods
8 Cloves
50g Cashews
100g Raisins
Salt to taste
Fry the onions in a pan with the ghee till brown. Fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.
Add cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and cardamoms and fry for a minute. Then add the rice and fry on low heat so that the rice grains are coated with the ghee. Add the green peas and fry for another 3 minutes.
Add salt and cover the rice with double its amount of boiling water. Bring to a boil and then simmer till the water is absorbed.
Garnish with the fried cashews and raisins and serve hot.