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CORN EGG BREAD
This one is an oldie-but-a-goodie indeed. Adapted from the original recipe in Abby Fisher’s What Mrs Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, published in 1881, this slice of culinary history is still as comforting and satisfying today. 
Eggs — 2
Salted butter — 1 tbsp, melted and slightly cooled
Cornmeal — 2 cups
Buttermilk — 1 cup
Baking soda —1 tsp
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8” x 8” baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, add the eggs and beat until homogenous.  Add the cooled melted butter and whisk together.  Add the cornmeal, buttermilk and baking soda and stir well until smooth. 
Pour into pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

SPICY LAMB VINDALOO
Vegetable oil — ¼ cup
Yellow mustard seeds — ½ tsp 
White onions — 2 cups, diced
Kashmiri chillies — 6-7 whole, substitute any dried chillies if you don’t have Kashmiri
Cinnamon — 2-3 sticks
Fennel seeds — 1 tsp
Whole black peppercorns — 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds — 1 tsp
Cloves — 4
Turmeric powder — ½ tsp 
Kashmiri chilli powder — 1 tsp
Garlic — 6 cloves 
Fresh ginger — 2” piece, peeled
Rice wine vinegar — ¼ cup, substitute any white vinegar if you don’t have rice wine vinegar
Tamarind paste — ¼ cup
Jaggery or dark brown sugar — 2 tbsp
Kitchen salt — 1 to 2 tbsp
Boneless pork or lamb —1 kg, cut into medium size pieces
Cilantro (fresh coriander) — for garnish
Toast chillies, cinnamon, fennel, peppercorns, cumin and cloves in a pan on high heat for two or three minutes. Grind the cooled toasted spices with the salt, turmeric, garlic, ginger, tamarind paste and vinegar in a food processor or blender to make a coarse paste. Add a touch of water (up to a ¼ cup) if needed to make the paste.
Rub the paste onto the pork or lamb well and set aside. You can do this ahead of time and marinate for up to six hours. Heat the oil on high heat in a large pot or pan and when the oil is almost smoking, turn the heat down to medium. Add the mustard seeds and almost immediately the onions. Fry onions with a healthy pinch of kosher salt.
When the onions are golden brown, add the Kashmiri chilli powder and the marinated meat and brown it. Add extra oil if needed. Make sure the pan is large enough so all the pieces of meat get to sear well. Once the meat is browned on all sides, add three cups of hot water, another two tablespoons of vinegar and the jaggery. Bring to a boil and turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or so until the meat is tender. 
Taste for salt and add as needed. The dish should be spicy, tangy, aromatic with the cinnamon and clove, and just slightly sweet from the tamarind and jaggery. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with rice or dinner rolls.

CRISPY MASALA FISH ROLL
This legendary fish roll at Chai Pani and Botiwalla primarily uses ginger garlic paste (GGP) as the main ingredient. What’s so beautiful about this dish is the fish comes out crispy without breading, it’s just the GGP frying and forming a nice crust, and it’s gluten free! The GGP and lime juice give a nice tangy zing, warm, fragrant notes from roasted coriander, a pinch of heat from the Kashmiri chilli, and beautiful color from the turmeric. Welcome to your new favorite way to cook fish!
Roasted coriander powder — 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder — 1 tsp
Turmeric powder — ½ tsp
Kitchen salt — to taste
Ginger garlic paste (GGP) — 2 tbsp
Juice of half a lime
Neutral oil  — we used grapeseed oil 2 tbsp, plus more for frying
Fillet of a flaky white fish such as tilapia, cod or haddock  — 1, cut into 1” strips
Tomato ketchup —  for finishing
Fresh cilantro — for garnish
For the cilantro chutney
Fresh cilantro leaves —1 cup
Garlic — 2 large cloves
Ginger — 1 small piece
Jalapeño or serrano chilli pepper — ½
Sugar — ½ tsp
Salt — to taste
Juice of half a lime
Place roasted coriander powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric and salt in a medium mixing bowl and stir together. Stir the ginger garlic paste into the dry ingredients until well combined, it should be a vibrant red color. Add the lime juice and oil. Taste and adjust to your liking.
Coat fish in the marinade. Let sit for at least two hours, but no more than six hours. Heat a generous amount of neutral cooking oil in a utensil to 350º F degrees. Using a thermometer, keep your oil between 325º F and 350º F. (You can also pan fry in about 1” of oil.)
Carefully drop in your well-coated fish without crowding the pot, cook until golden brown, about three to five minutes. Place fish on paper towel to drain off excess oil. Repeat with remainder of fish.
For the chutney: Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender, do not puree, you are looking for a thick and chunky texture.
Warm your naan on the burner and top with chutney, sliced onion, ketchup, and more cilantro. Place fish fillets and fold the naan. For the full Chai Pani experience, wrap in foil or wax paper and enjoy!
MATCHSTICK OKRA FRIES
Let’s face it; okra (ladiesfinger) gets a bad rap. People typically don’t like it because of its texture, often referring to it as "slimy” or "oozy,” but in fact okra is a delicious vegetable that has a refreshing flavor, pairing well with corn, tomatoes and eggplant. To the sceptical okra eaters out there please pay attention, there is no trick to enjoying okra, it’s just how you prepare it. Growing up in India, chef Meherwan Irani’s mom was in a constant battle with her sons about their abysmal okra consumption. It wasn’t until the okra fry came into the picture that Meherwan saw the light — the crispy, green, lime juice, and chaat masala covered light. Instead of chopping the little green pods into short segments, Meherwan’s mom julienned the veggies by hand, cutting the okra into long, thin strips, and then frying them in canola oil. Lime juice, chaat masala (a funky, zippy, Indian seasoning salt), gave the okra fries added flavor and brightness. Since 2019 matchstick okra fries have become a staple on the Chai Pani menu.
Okra — ½ kg
Canola oil — for deep frying
Sea salt —1 tsp, plus more to taste 
Chaat masala — 1 tsp, plus more to taste 
Juice of 1 lime
Julienne okra lengthwise, cutting it into thin strips about the width of shoestring fries.
In a vessel, heat canola oil over medium-high. Once the oil reaches 350°F, add the okra in small batches, taking care not to crowd the pot.
Gently turn the okra to ensure even cooking. Fry two or three minutes or until the okra is lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel using a slotted spoon. The okra should be crispy but not dark.
Once the paper towel has soaked up some of the excess oil, place the hot okra in a bowl and toss with salt, chaat masala and lime juice. (Squeeze just half the lime at first, and then increase the amounts of salt and lime juice to taste.)