India

• Bonda - fried banana balls with cardamon

  Cooking time: 10 min. / 10 min.Difficulty: easy

  Bonda and masala chai were my first breakfast in India. The cardamon aroma got to my head forever and when I imagine India, the first that occurs to my mind is this amazing smell and unforgettable breakfast.

  

• Banana ice cream with cinnamon and cardamon

  Cooking time: 5 min. / 0 min.Difficulty: easy

  I was sitting in the garden of a small local house in Indian Kerala. It was completely dark outside. Just coconut leaves were whispering on the palm trees above my head. There was a (truly) happy cow eating grass just right behind me and all of a sudden the owner of the house came and brought me this delicious refreshing desert after amazing dinner.

  

• Suji halwa - sooji ka halwa

  Cooking time: 5 min. / 7 min.Difficulty: easy

  Suji halwa recipe I learned in Golden temple in Amritsar in India, where they feed even a hundred thousand people a day for free. It is an incredible place and the halwa was incredibly tasty desert too, yet very simple. BTW it was served in recyclable plates made of leaves.

  

• Beef biryani

  Cooking time: 30 min. / 1 hod. 30 min.Difficulty: easy

  This beef biryani I have learnt in one muslim village in Kerala, India. When you moved out of the village for just a few kilometers, cows were sacred there because of hinduism.

  

• Vegetarian biryani with pineapple

  Cooking time: 15 min. / 20 min.Difficulty: easy

  I met a couple who owned a hidden small restaurant somewhere in a palm tree wood. They taught me a few fantastic recipes, this vegetarian pineapple biryani included. It is important to use basmati rice and if you have a pineapple extract too, it will bring the dish to a higher level. Still, it is yummy without it as well ;)

  

• Ginger pepper fish Kerala style

  Cooking time: 5 min. / 6 min.Difficulty: easy

  Kerala is well known for its backwaters. You can find thousands of various rivers and ponds throughout the state. There is no wonder, one of the most desired specials is fresh water fish. My favourite was a ginger pepper recipe. Firstly, when watching the preparation in one street restaurant, I was a bit hesitant as one huge table spoon of black pepper for one fish seemed a little bit too much. But the chef knew only too well what he is doing. It was delicious and very fast and easy too.

  

• Mashed tapioca Kerala style (cassava)

  Cooking time: 15 min. / 15 min.Difficulty: easy

  The most frequent side dish in India are for sure all kinds of flat breads or rice. At some parts of India, you can get something like mashed potatoes. But it is not potatoes but tapioca. Flavoured by various kinds of spices depending on the region. The main ingredients for Kerala style recipe are coconut and curry leaves. This recipe I have learnt in one fishing village and we ate it in style, on the roof.

  

• Chicken curry

  Cooking time: 10 min. / 30 min.Difficulty: easy

  It was a nice change to have a bit of a meat in India. Very interesting part was buying the chicken already. It was as fresh as it gets. Traditionally there are no fridges in India`s meat shops. There are live chicken instead running around and got "ready" only when a customer comes and buy one or two.

  

• Gobi masala - Couliflower masala

  Cooking time: 10 min. / 20 min.Difficulty: easyvideo

  This recipe I learnt from gipsies in a desert in Rajasthan, like chapati for instance. As they can`t afford having full pantry of ingredients ( .... they even do not have a pantry at all actually ......) they use just a minimum of them. Sometimes less means more, including this gobi masala recipe. Try it, it is worth it.