The recipe of this quintessential North Indian black gram curry has been shared by Mrs. InderGrewal from Mumbai. I’ve known her for 8 years and it’s always been a pleasure to watch her cook in perfect rhythm, with absolute care and love, in her methodically organized kitchen. She is also a strong believer of sticking to a healthy diet. 

Many recipes, especially sauces, use blanched and skinned tomatoes to avoid the unwanted texture of cooked curled tomato skin in the dish. Blanching essentially loosens the tomato skin, so it is easy to peel off. Once that’s done, the tomatoes can be used to make tomato juice, tomato soup, homemade pasta sauce or ketchup.

Malai Kofta is a creamy, mildly spiced Indian delicacy – fried potato and cottage cheese dumplings covered in a thick spice-based gravy through which individual flavours reveal themselves very subtly. Prepared on special occasions, like Diwali and Holi, Malai Kofta is best enjoyed with hot naan. Chef Danish Ashraf, Executive Sous Chef at the Renaissance Convention Centre Hotel, Mumbai -- who specializes in Modern European Cuisine -- shared this recipe along with tips to create that perfect gravy. 

One of the five 'mother sauces' in conventional French cuisine. Serve with your favourite steamed greens, vegetables, fish, chicken or crepes. This recipe yields ½ to ¾ cup.

Chef Nilesh Limaye's Crisp Fried Eggplant Dredged with Peanuts is a Pan-Asian dish with a twist of red wine and Demerara (brown) sugar. The crunch factor is everything here, and it comes from crispy eggplant slices fried at the right temperature and good quality roasted peanuts.

No English breakfast is complete without eggs, and scrambled is typically the way to go. In India, we cook almost everything over direct flame and that's one of the main reasons our scrambled eggs turn out dry. If you want delicately cooked eggs that are creamy and melt-in-the-mouth, the double boiler method is much more suited. It may take a little longer than usual but you’ll be amazed at what a little patience can accomplish. 

An authentic recipe from the Bohra Muslim community given to us by Fatema Kakal, an aesthetician and a very meticulous cook. As with her kebab recipes (Nargis Kebab and Shaami Kebab) Fatema says the trick to these mince patties ('pattice' in colloquial Indian) is in the frying - get that right and you can master this dish in no time. 

Oven-roasted potatoes have a lovely crispiness without being high in calories. They  taste best when just out of the oven. If it sits too long after baking it loses its crispiness. If pressed for time, roast the potatoes in the oven until half-done and then re-roast before serving till you get the desired texture. Adjust the amount of lemon in the dressing depending on how tart you like your sauce.

Good mashed potatoes are never dry. Instead, they have a thick batter-like consistency. My recipe calls for buttermilk because I feel it really enhances the flavour and gives it just the right texture. Try it!

This is an easy one-pot dish. Have it for breakfast, or as a meal with some roasted bread. Use the leftovers to make a baked omelet by covering it with whipped eggs and some seasoning.