SOME BASIC PREPARATIONS... MASALA POWDERS

1 BASIC CHILLY POWDER
½ kg Red Chilies (long or round variety for pungency)
½ kg Kashmiri Chilies or any other non spicy chillies (for adding colour)

Roast the two types of chilies in a pan or in a microwave oven for a few minutes. Powder them at home in the dry blender or get it done at the mill. A teaspoon or two of this chilly powder can be used for any type of dish that calls for chilly powder. It can be stored for more than a year.

2 ALL PURPOSE CURRY POWDER
½ kg Red Chillies for pungency
½ kg Kashmiri Chillies or any other chillies for colour
½ kg coriander seeds
200 grams cumin seeds
50 grams pepper corns
100 grams mustard seeds

Roast all the above ingredients separately then mix altogether and grind to a powder in a mill.A teaspoon or two of this powder can be used for almost all curries both vegetarian and non- vegetarian. It can be stored and used for more than a year.

3 PEPPER WATER POWDER
¼ kg Red Chilies
200 grams pepper corns
200 grams cumin seeds
100 grams coriander seeds
20 grams tumeric powder

Roast all the above ingredients and then grind together to a powder
2 teaspoons of this powder should be added to 2 cups of water, juice of 2 tomatoes, a lump of tamarind and a little salt and cooked for 5 minutes to make instant pepper water. This pepper water should be seasoned with mustard, garlic and curry leaves.

4. VINDALOO CURRY POWDER / PASTE

50 grams mustard
¼ kg red chilies for pungency
50 grams cumin seeds
¼ kg Kashmir chilies or any other chilies for colour
10 grams pepper corns
50 grams tumeric powder

Roast all the above ingredients together for a few minutes then powder in a mill or dry grind in a blender. Use 2 teaspoons of this powder for every ½ kg of meat when cooking vindaloo along with the other ingredients as per the recipe. If stored in an airtight bottle this mixture will stay fresh for more than a year. The same mixture can also be made into a paste if ground in vinegar but it should be stored in a fridge.

5 ALL SPICE POWDER (GARAM MASALA POWDER)
1 teaspoon pepper corns
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon cardamoms
6 pieces of cinnamon

Roast all the above lightly for a few minutes then dry grind to a fine powder. A teaspoon of this spice powder can be used for any recipe that calls for all spice powder or garam masala.

CHILLIE CHEESE STICKS

Ingredients

500 grams flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chillie powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
200 grams butter or margarine
200 grams shredded cheddar cheese
½ teaspoon pepper powder
½ cup sour curds or yogurt

Mix all the above ingredients together and chill for about 2 hours in a refrigerator. Take out and leave to attain room temperature. Onto a floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle shape about ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough into 3 inch stips about ¼ inch wide.
Heat sufficient oil in a pan and deep fry the strips till golden.

Alternately, place these strips on an ungreased baking tray and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes until the cheese straws are golden and puff up.