Apple Pie

Ingredients:

For the pie crust:

  • 280g of flour
  • one teaspoons of sugar
  • 200g of butter
  • 110ml of ice cold water

For the filling:

  • 6-7 apples

according to taste:

  • cinnamon
  • vanilla
  • sugar or honey

Serve together with:

  • vanilla ice cream

Cooking Method:

  1. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl and add butter as small cubes on top.
  2. Using two forks or other utensils (e.g. pastry cutter, food processor etc.), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until all butter is flour coated and mostly pea-sized.
  3. Drizzle the cold water in (few tablespoons at a time) and stir after each addition. Stop adding water when the dough comes together easily and begins to form large clumps. The dough will feel moist and a little sticky, but not wet.
  4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated. Form two separate balls and flatten each one into a disc.
  5. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours (to up to 2 days).
  6. Roll out first disc and tuck the dough into a deep oven dish. Refrigerate as you prepare the filling.
  7. Peel the apples and cut into thin slices. Fry lightly with a little butter and add cinnamon, vanilla and sugar/honey according to your taste.
  8. Pile the filling into the pie dish with the bottom crust and distribute equally and tightly.
  9. Roll out the second disc and cut into stripes to create top lattice pie crust as on the picture. Alternatively you can lay the rolled out pie crust on top and slit some vents with a sharp knife. As a last step flute the edges.
  10. Bake the pie for a total of roughly one hour at 200 degree celsius.
  11. After letting the pie cool down for a little, enjoy this homely and festive dessert with some vanilla ice cream. You can store the leftovers for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Cauliflower, potato with hing

Ingredients:

  • Cauliflower (fresh or frozen mixed with broccoli)
  • potato
  • ginger paste
  • green chilli
  • raisins
  • bay leaf
  • cardamom
  • cinnamon
  • cloves
  • turmeric
  • cumin
  • Kashmiri mirch
  • garam masala powder
  • hing
  • ghee
  • oil
  • salt
  • little sugar 

Cooking Method:

Cut cauliflower and potato in cubes. Heat some oil in a vessel. Fry the cauliflower and potato pieces with some salt and turmeric powder to give it a good colour. After frying, keep them aside. 

To the oil in the vessel, add bay leaf, some cardamom, cloves and cinnamon pieces , ginger , green chilli paste, hing and saute.

Mix appropriate quantity of turmeric, cumin, Kashmiri mirch, garam masala powder with little water and add to the vessel. Mix well. Add the fried cauliflower and potato pieces. Add little salt and sugar.

Add enough water to form a semi dry prep. When the mixture starts boiling, cover and cook for about 8 to 10 mins. Open the lid, add some raisins and ghee, if available. Mix in low temp and serve with rice or bread.

Potato with pachforan, onion

Ingredients:

  • Potatoes
  • onion
  • green chilli  
  • hing
  • pachforan
  • turmeric powder
  • ghee
  • salt
  • sugar
  • oil

Cooking Method:

Cut potatoes in small cubes. Grate some onion.

Heat some oil in a vessel, add little pachforan , hing and saute. Add the cut potatoes and grated onion. Stir fry for a while.

Add turmeric powder, green chilli if available, salt, pinch of sugar. Mix well. Add enough water to form a dry prep.

When the mixture starts boiling, cover and cook in low flame for about 8 to 10 mins. Open the lid and make it dry. Add little ghee if available. Serve with chapati, puri, paratha.

Russian Pilaf

For 6 portions

Ingredients:

  • 2 small cups uncooked Basmati rice (ca. 350g)
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 large onion
  • 400g chicken meat (cut in ca. 4 cm pieces)
  • 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
  • 3 cloves of whole unpeeled garlic
  • Some neutral tasting oil for frying

Spices:

  • Salt according to taste (you will need good amount)
  • Pepper according to taste
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 3 whole unbroken dried red chilis (for aroma, not spiciness)
  • 2 bay leaves

Cooking Method:

1.) Cook the rice in vessel or rice cooker and set aside when ready.

2.) Grate or cut finely carrot and set aside. Cut onion into 2-3 cm stripes.

3.) Add oil to deep vessel (e.g. wok) warm on medium heat. Add chopped garlic and shortly after the cut onion. Sauté until onions are translucent. 

4.) Add chicken, increase heat and fry until you see golden brown patches on the meat. 

5.) Add spices, some water (ca. 200ml), whole garlic gloves and carrot. Close the lid and cook on medium heat for ca. minutes.

6.) Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper, if required. The sauce should taste a little too salty, as you will be adding large quantity of unsalted rice in the next step.

7.) Add the cooked Basmati rice to the mixture and mix well. You mixed also need to add additional water, if rice absorbs all the sauce to quickly. After mixing taste the dish again to see I f there is enough salt. Add more of it if necessary.

8.) Enjoy this festive and flavorful dish. Tastes best with yogurt salad.

Carrot & Apple Muffins

For small 36 muffins

Ingredients:

  • 100ml rapeseed oil
  • 100ml natural yogurt
  • 100g dark sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 200g flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5-6 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 apple grated
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 50g sultanas, raisins, chopped nuts (optional)

Cooking Method:

1.) Mix the oil, yogurt, sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla in a bowl

2.) In a different bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking powder

3.) Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and add the grated apple, as well as any extra ingredients you‘re using. Mix with spoon or spatula until well combined, then spoon the mixture into the muffin cases.

4.) Bake for 25 minutes in preheated oven (190 Celsius). Leave to cool for at least 5 min. Can be stored in a tin for three days or frozen for two months; defrost overnight before serving.

White potato with kalounji or nigella seeds

Ingredients:

  • Potato
  • hing
  • kalounji
  • green chilli
  • oil
  • salt
  • sugar or sugar free.

Cooking Method:

Cut potatoes in small cubes.

Heat some oil in a vessel, add little kalouni , hing and saute. Add the cut potatoes in the vessel and stir for a few minutes.

Add green chillies. Add salt and pinch of sugar or sugar free, stir again. Add enough water to form a dry prep. When the mixture starts boiling, cover and cook in low flame for about 10mins. Open the lid, make a dry prep and serve with chapati, paratha or puri.

Potato with cumin seeds and hing

Ingredients:

  • Potatoes
  • green chillies
  • tomato
  • cumin seeds
  • a small dry red chilli
  • hing
  • turmeric
  • cumin
  • coriander powder
  • oil
  • salt
  • little sugar or sugar free.

Cooking Method:

Cut the potatoes in small cubes. Finely cut a small tomato.

Heat some oil in a vessel, add some cumin seeds and dry red chilli as seasoning and saute. Add the washed potato pieces, stir fry for a while.

Add little hing, salt and turmeric powder. Stir again, then add the finely cut tomato pieces, mix well. Add some cumin , coriander powder and little sugar or sugar free.Add green chillies.

Add appropriate quantity of water to form a dry prep. When the mixture starts boiling, cover and cook in low flame for about 8 to 10 mins. Open the lid, make a dry prep and serve with bread, chapati etc.

Жаркое (Russian potato and meat stew)

4 portions

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 onions
  • 1 carrot
  • 200g pork meat
  • 700g potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons oil for frying 
  • Spices:
  • 1 tablespoon of paprika spice
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt
  • pepper

Cooking Method:

1.) Cut the meat and potatoes in cubes (roughly 3cm) and carrots into small pieces (half circles or quarter circles). Dice onions and keep ingredients separated.

2.) Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the meat and sauté for few minutes until all sides look cooked. Add onions, carrots and spices sauté until the onions become translucent.

3.) Add half a glass of water and than potatoes on top (don’t mix). Put a lid on the top and cook on small heat for approximately 20 minutes.

4.) Open lid and check if potatoes are already cooked. Add more salt and water according to your taste. Cook a little more if necessary until potatoes are cooked. 

5.) Enjoy this simple, yet flavorful dish.

Solyanka (Russian spicy sausage soup)

4 portions

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion
  • 1-2 Paprika
  • A bag of Spinach (fresh or frozen)
  • 6 Sausages (if possible spicy sausages)
  • Some olives
  • 400g canned tomato purée
  • 2 tablespoons of Oil for frying

Optional (e.g. if you want to increase the volume):

  • carrot
  • potatos
  • broccoli 
  • bacon (fry with onions)
  • 4-6 pickled cucumber cut to thin circles
  • Garlic

For garnish:

  • Lemon
  • Plain yogurt or sour creme 

Spices:

  • 1 tablespoons of Paprika spice
  • 3 tablespoons of pickled cucumber juice
  • two cubes of chicken or veggie stock
  • salt
  • A little Chili or Kashmiri Powder (you might not need if you used chili sausages)

Cooking Method:

1.) Cut the vegetables into small pieces and sausages/olives into rings.

2.) Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for few minutes until onions become translucent. Add sausages and fry for 1-2 minutes. 

3.) Add 400g of the canned tomato and the other cut veggies. 

4.) Add water so that amount is in good balance with amount of veggies (usually around 1 liter)

5.) Add spices and adjust quantities according to your taste (esp. Salt and Chili)

6.) Cook for approximately 20-30 minutes until all veggies are cooked. 

7.) When serving in a bowl for one person, add a ring of lemon and a tablespoon of yogurt/sour cream. 

8.) Enjoy this flavorful dish which will warm you up during the cold winter months.

Didu’s Banana Cake

Ingredients:

  • Banana paste (1 cup – mash about 2 medium bananas)
  • Sugar (¾  cup)
  • Eggs (2)
  • Butter/Oil (½  cup – I use butter)
  • Flour (1 ¼ cups)
  • Baking powder (1 tsp)
  • Baking soda (1 tsp)
  • Dark Chocolate (optional)

Cooking Method:

  1. Separate the egg yolks from the whites
  2. Mix all ingredients together except the egg whites and whip to thoroughly mix
  3. Beat the egg whites together and add to the mixture
  4. If you’d like melt quarter cup of dark chocolate and add to the mixture. I melted the chocolate by placing it in a cup in a larger bowl of hot water.
  5. Whisk everything together and pour into a square (9×9 “) baking dish to bake at 350F for 40 mins

(Every oven is different, so the time and temperature may vary – so best to use your judgement. In Japan, we used 170C for 25 mins)