Sailu's Food - Indian Food | Andhra Recipes | Herbs - Spices| Ayurveda Home Remedies

Moving Home!

2006-05-02T19:20:00.001+05:30

I know quite a few of you are wondering what happened to Sailu.Thanks for the e-mails making enquiries..:).

Well,I am happy to announce that I am moving home.Yes, I have moved to my own domain at http://sailusfood.com and I invite you all to visit my new home.

Thank you all for your kind words,support and encouragement.I'd appreciate if you could update your bookmarks and blogrolls and continue to support my site as you always have.

Welcome to my new home at Sailusfood !

Aloo Tamatar Subzi - Curried Potatoes In Tomato Sauce

2006-04-18T13:28:00.003+05:30

Simple,comforting and flavorful – is how I would describe today’s vegetarian dish with overtones of North Indian style of cooking.I learnt this recipe during my college days from one of my numerous North Indian friends who would bring it in her tiffin dabba with rotis.I reminse the days when we would swap our tiffin dabbas and how I'd lap up delicious North Indian fare like stuffed paranthas and chole while my friends would relish our South Indian tiffins like masala dosas,idlis and garellu.

I always tried out different combinations of a particular dish(which is new to me) using different spices with recipes like curried baby potatoes and aloo palak and finally settle for one which is suited to my palate in terms of spice and flavor.North Indian cuisine calls for the use of less spice than our Andhra cuisine.If I feel that the flavor of a dish needs to be peped up a bit in terms of spice then I do make a subtle change without playing too much with the ingredients and cooking style of the authentic original recipe.The end result has never been disappointing so far and I always had my family and friends relish the food served to them..:)

Aloo Tamatar Sabzi or Curried Potatoes in Tomato Sauce is very simple,everyday dish regularly cooked in many North Indian kitchens.Boiled potatoes are cooked in a spiced gravy of onions and tomatoes and it makes a great curry with rotis and chapatis.I also make this sometimes as an accompaniment to a subtle flavored rice or steamed white rice.
Aloo Tamatar Subzi (Potato-Tomato Curry)

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes (boiled and slightly mash with hand roughly to form small chunks)
1 large onion chopped finely
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1" ginger finely minced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillis
10-12 curry leaves
2 green chilli slit length wise
1 tsp red chilli pwd (adjust according to your choice)
1 tbsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
salt to taste
3 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp oil
chopped coriander leaves for garnish
1 tsp jaggery or sugar (optional)

Heat oil in a cooking vessel and add the mustard seeds and let them pop.Now add the red chillis and curry leaves and stir fry for a few seconds till the flavors are released in the oil.Now add onions,ginger and garlic and saute till the onions turn light brown.Add the green chillis and all the pwds.Combine.
Add the tomatoes and stir fry till the oil seperates and it gets mushy.
Add the potatoes and combine and keep covered with a lid on low heat for 3-4 minutes.
Remove lid and cook further for another 3-4 mts stirring once in a while.
Add salt and enough water to cover the potatoes.
Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat till you get the desired curry consistency.Finally add the jaggery/sugar and combine.Turn off heat.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rotis/chapatis/steamed white rice.

This is my entry to Sweetnicks Antioxidant Rich Foods ARF 5 A Day Tuesdays.

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Cuisine,North Indian Recipes ,Indian Curries

Miriyala Annam - Pepper Flavored Rice

2006-04-15T14:46:00.000+05:30

Did you know that the humble ,shriveled black pepper corn has a great history, status and a glorious past behind it? During its long and fascinating history, black pepper has often been more valuable than gold or precious stones and trade in pepper has been an extraordinarily influential factor in ancient history.

When Barbara of Tigers & Strawberries announced the theme "Ancient Spices" for her food event "The Spice is Right" ,the first thought that came to my mind were Seasame Seeds and Black Pepper Corns.Since I had already blogged about sesame seeds in one of my earlier posts "Nuvvulu Annam"(seasame flavored rice),I decided to blog about Black Pepper which is one of the most exotic ancient spice of India after saffron and is known to be the King of all spices.
Black Pepper,whose name is derived from the Sanskrit word Pippali and Latin name Piper Nigrum meaning pepper black,is native to Malabar, the Western Coast of South India(Kerala).Black Pepper was a valuable spice during ancient times and was used as a currency to trade between east and west. It's been said that no other spice has had a greater effect on world history than pepper. The term ‘peppercorn rent’ actually came from rent which was paid in the form of pepper during the middle ages and that often a man’s wealth was measured by his accumulation of pepper.So high was its value that during ancient times it was used as a currency to pay taxes and there are stories of how 3000 pounds worth of pepper was paid as ransom/tribute when the Germanic tribe or Goths laid siege to Rome,soldiers being paid in pepper for a successful campaign,dowries of pepper given and it was also used as a sacred offering.Read more about the fascinating history of black pepper and how to select , store and tips on cooking with pepper

Ancient Chinese and Sanskrit texts dating to more than 3000 years ago have mentioned about black pepper with Ayurvedic nutrition and Chinese medicine advocating the importance of black pepper as an important spice with powerful healing properties and used in treatment of ailments of stomach and throat,considered to have anti-aging properties,good digestive and a detoxifier too.One of the best home remedies for cold and flu is drinking tea made of pepper corns and ginger.Aromatheraphy oil of pepper is used to clear the head,great for massaging aching muscles and for treating poor circulation.

This exotic spice with a sharp,pungent woody aroma and flavor when cooked for too long ,loses its flavor and aroma ,so adding it towards the end of the cooking will help preserve its flavor.To bring out the sharp flavor of black pepper,I prepared Miriyala Annam or Pepper Flavored Rice with pepper being the main ingredient and curry leaves and seasame seeds were used to offset the heat of black pepper.Hints of the aromatic flavor of curry leaves, mild nutty taste of seasame seeds and the sharp flavor of pepper blended into the rice giving it an irresistable authentic flavor.
Miriyala Annam (Pepper Flavoured Rice)
Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked white rice (each grain should be separate)
1 1/2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tbsp black pepper corns
1 1/2 tbsp seasame seeds
10-12 curry leaves (fresh leaves only)
salt to taste

Dry roast the black pepper corns,sesame seeds and curry leaves in a pan for a few minutes on medium heat tossing them around till the flavors come out and you find a nice aroma emanates the kitchen.Once the seasame seeds change color you can turn off the heat and make a coarse powder.

Heat ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds and let them pop.Add the cumin seeds and let them brown.Add the cooked rice and combine it with the tempering.Now add the ground spice pwd and salt and combine the rice with it such that the spices coat the rice well.The full flavor of the pepper is obtained on freshly ground pepper corns which enhances the taste of the rice giving it a sharper, more lively flavor than the pre-ground pepper powder and also by adding it towards the end of the cooking process which further enhances its taste.
Serve hot with any gravy curry or plain rasam ,appadam(papad) and curds.

Note:Use only fresh pepper corns and not pre- ground black pepper powder as it wont serve any purpose and you are definitely not going to enjoy the flavor of the rice if you use the store bought pre-ground pepper powder.If you venture into your kitchen to cook up this simple flavorful dish be prepared to use only the freshly ground pepper corns,I repeat..:)

Miriyala Annam or Pepper Flavored Rice is my entry to "The Spice is Right" - Ancient Spices" food blog event started by Barbara of Tigers & Strawberries.

Food,Food Blogs,Andhra Recipes,Indian Cooking,Flickr

Palak Kofta - Vegetable Balls Served In Creamy Spinach Sauce

2006-04-13T16:39:00.000+05:30

A major influence on Indian cuisine is the Muslim method of cooking,the Mughlai style,which is distinct in the fact that a lot of stress is laid on cooking the food over slow fire and the use of rich spices and nuts like saffron,almonds,cashewnuts,poppy seeds,elachi,dalchini and jaiphal to name a few ,liberal use of desi ghee and tandoor.Most traditional Mughlai food preparations include the use of curds and cream to produce a rich creamy gravy and the most important part of Mughalai cuisine is the perfect blending of the spices using the right proportions bringing a distinct aroma and flavor to the dish,be it the paneer kebab,meat kebabs or mutton kurma.

Palak Kofta is one such rich Mughalai dish where koftas which are balls made with spinach,potatoes and paneer are deep-fried and cooked and served in a rich creamy sauce prepared with spinach,onions,tomatoes and cashewnut paste.Its a labor intensive dish but its worth the effort and makes a great main course party dish and goes well with butter naan and rotis.
Palak Kofta Recipe

Ingredients:

For Koftas:
2 tbsp grated paneer
1 cup palak leaves (washed and chopped finely)
1 cup of mashed boiled potatoes
2 green chillis finely chopped
1" ginger piece minced
salt to taste
2 slices of bread
Mix all the above ingredients and make small lemon sized balls,roll them in corn flour/bread crumbs and deep fry in oil.

For the Gravy:
1 big bunch of palak (spinach)- washed,blanched and pureed
2 big onions (blanch the onions and make a paste)
2 medium tomatoes (blanche the tomatoes and make a paste)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp garam masala pwd
1 tsp red chilli pwd
2 tbsps cashewnut paste
salt to taste
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp shah jeera (caraway seeds)
cream for garnish(optional)

Heat ghee in a cooking vessel and add the shah jeera and let them pop.Add the onion paste and fry for 4-5 minutes on medium heat ensuring that it doesnt burn.Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for another 2-3 mts.Add red chilli pwd and combine.
Add the tomato puree and let it cook over slow fire till the ghee seperates.
Add the palak paste and the cashewnut paste and combine .Add a cup of water and salt.Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes on low heat.Stir once in a while.
Lastly add the garam masala and mix well.Turn off heat.

Just before serving,spread the koftas on a serving plate and pour the creamy gravy over the koftas and garnish with cream (optional).Serve with hot rotis or naan.If you are serving the dish immediately on cooking, then you can add the koftas to the gravy and simmer over heat for a minute before serving.

This recipe with soft melt-in-the-mouth koftas served in an aromatic and rich gravy is an absolutely tantilising , irresistable dish that will have your family or guests licking their fingers..:)

Recipe Source:Adapted from an Indian cooking magazine

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Cuisine,North Indian Recipes ,Curries

Tri-Colored Paneer Kebabs

2006-04-11T12:48:00.000+05:30

Weekends are generally barbaque times at our home and we did have a great kebab mela ..if I may say so..:) with colorful succulent pieces of paneer kebabs and delicious chicken tikkas ,on Sunday evening.Some of the marinated paneer pieces were still sitting in my refrigerator and the sudden announcement of an arrival of a guest,I knew it was time for another barbaque...:).

Paneer Kebabs are marinated paneer pieces grilled or barbaqued in a traditional tandoor along with onions,tomatoes and capsicums(bell peppers.Away from the monotony,I tried my hand at 3 different marinades,each imparting a different color and taste to the paneer.The subtlety and balance of the flavors, infused in the paneer pieces along with crunchy vegetables makes paneer kebabs,a delicious appetizer or starter.

Tri-Colored Paneer Kebabs Recipe
Ingredients:

Yellow Colored Paneer Kebabs
8-10 paneer pieces (cut into a 2" squares)
4-5 tbsps hung curds
1 tsp black pepper pwd (you can use a pinch of garam masala pwd also for added flavaor)
1 tsp amchur pwd or lemon juice
big pinch turmeric pwd –(give yellow color to the paneer)
salt to taste
Marinate the paneer pieces in the above marinade for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Red Colored Paneer Kebabs
8-10 paneer pieces (cut into a 2" squares)
1 tsp red chilli pwd – (gives red color to the paneer)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp kasoori methi (optional)
4-5 tbsp hung curds
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
Marinate the paneer pieces in above marinade for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Green Colored Paneer Kebabs
8-10 paneer pieces (cut into a 2" squares)
Make a paste of mint (small cup) and coriander leaves(small cup),1 green chilli,1"ginger piece,1 tbsp lemon juice and salt.
Marinate the paneer in this paste for 2 hours in the refrigerator.This marinade gives a green shade to the paneer.
Make thick slices of 3 medium onions and 3 medium sized tomatoes and cut 2 capsicums into big pieces and keep aside.You can marinate the pieces with any of the above marinades.I usually toss them in a dressing of lemon juice and chilli pwd or pepper pwd and skewer them along with the marinated paneer pieces.

I used my traditional earthen stove or home tandoor called "kumpati" (with charcoal) to grill/barbaque the paneer.I did not brush the paneer with oil before grilling.So absolutely no fat was using in the cooking process.Skewer the vegetables and paneer pieces and grill them for 5-6 minutes turning them around while its cooking to ensure they dont burn and cook them till they are soft and attain a light golden shade.Serve with green chutney or tomato ketchup.
An absolutely delicious,melt-in-the mouth,low-carb,healthy appetizer or starter with refreshingly crunchy vegetables!

This is my entry to VKN's Virtual Cooking Competition.That is if I am still eligible to participate as 10th midnight was the deadline...:).My second entry to the VCC Q1 2006 is Charcoal Grilled Pomfret in the category of (Non-Veg) Appetizer.

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Cooking,North Indian Recipes ,VCC-Q1 2006

Badam Kheer - Almond Dessert (Drink)

2006-04-09T16:44:00.000+05:30

An aromatic Indian culinary enticement that is an absolute delight to the sweet-toothed is Badam Kheer, a milk based dessert/drink where ground almonds are cooked in milk and sugar and flavored with saffron and cardamom.Its not-so-creamy texture,mild nutty flavor of almonds, aromatic rich flavor of saffron and cardamom make it a delicious sweet drink after a dinner party or a spicy meal.
Badam Kheer Recipe

Ingredients:
25 almonds (badam pappu)
1 litre milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
4-5 crushed green cardamoms
10-15 strands saffron soaked in warm milk

Soak almonds in hot water for 15 minutes and peel the skin and grind the almonds to a paste adding half a cup of water.
Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy bottomed vessel and add the sugar and almond paste and then on low heat keep stirring once in while till the milk is reduced to 3/4 th of its quantity.Ensure that you stir so that it doesnt burn.
Add the cardamom pwd and stir well.Turn off heat.
Soak saffron strands in some warm milk and stir it well and add it to the kheer.
Garnish with silvered almonds and serve chilled.

Note:Badam Kheer,which is one of my family's favorite drink , can be made to a thicker consistency by boiling the milk till it is reduced to half its original quantity like payasam.I prefer to make it to a drinking consistency by boiling the milk to 3/4th of its original quantity.You can use low fat milk or half and half.The sugar quantity can be adjusted to your choice.It can also be served warm.

Almonds are highly nutritious and are essential nuts for growing children and also give a glow to our skin.Badam Kheer,a family favorite dessert drink ,joins my list of Indian Drinks And Sharbats and I would also like to share this Indian dessert recipe with Indira's series on Indian Sweets 101

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Drinks And Sharbats,Indian Sweets 101,Flickr

Panakam,Panaka - Traditional Indian Drink (Summer Cooler)

2006-04-07T16:24:00.000+05:30

Today is Sri Rama Navami,an important festival especially among the Vaishnava sect of the Hindus. Sri Rama Navami falls on the ninth day of the Hindu lunar year (Chaitra Masam) and is observed as the wedding day of Lord Rama and Sita as well as the birthday of Lord Rama.This day also marks the end of the nine day Utsavam called Vasanthothsavam (festival of spring), that starts with Ugadi.Read more about Sri Rama Navami festival.

Today we prepare Panakam (Telugu) or Panaka (hindi), a festive sweet drink and a summer cooler prepared with jaggery and flavored with dry ginger,cardamom and pepper.We also prepare Vada Pappu (split yellow moong dal) with Chalimidi (rice flour based sweet) as naivedyam or prasadam.
Panakam Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tbsps grated jaggery
2 glasses water
pinch of dry ginger pwd
1 coarsely crushed cardamom
6-7 coarsely crushed pepper corns

Mix the grated jaggery in water and let it dissolve completely. Filter the jaggery water. Add dried ginger powder, crushed cardamom and crushed pepper. Mix well and serve it at room temperature or chilled.

Sometimes during the hot season I serve this traditional Indian drink as a summer cooler or a welcome drink to quench the thirst and its cooling properties helps to cool our system too. This age-old simple recipe has the luxury of the cardamom flavor,the sharp heat of the pepper and ginger pwd blending with the sweet flavor of jaggery water which is so refreshing that you can have 2-3 glasses at one go and still be asking for more..:).

Note:Ginger ,Pepper and Sonti (dry ginger) are traditionally recommended by Ayurvedic Nutrition to heal ailments of the stomach and throat and especially recommended as home remedies for cold and cough.

Vada Pappu And Chalimidi
Vada pappu is split yellow moong dal (pesara pappu) soaked in water for half an hour and strained.This dal is not cooked and eaten along with chalimidi.
Chalimidi is prepared by soaking raw rice in water for 4-5 hours and the rice is spread out on a dry cloth and left to dry completely and then ground to a fine powder.To this rice powder(1 cup) add grated jaggery (1/2 cup) and coarsely crushed elachi. Wet your hands and mix the ingredients well for a few minutes till you get a smooth soft dough like appearence.Chalimidi is to be eaten in combination with vada pappu.

Panakam is my favorite traditional summer drink after majjiga which is made not only as a festive sweet drink but also as a summer cooler and adds to my list of Indian Drinks And Sharbats.For those who havent tried panakam as yet,do try it and you will love it for sure..:)

Food,Food Blogs,Andhra Recipes,Indian Drinks And Sharbats,Flickr

Majjiga Mirapakaayalu - Sun-Dried Chillis

2006-04-05T13:32:00.000+05:30

Andhras love their mirapakaayalu (green chillis)!Not only do we use them liberally to spice up our curries,pachi mirapakaayalu are used to prepare mirchi bajjis(stuffed green chillis),mirchi khatta masala curry ,mirchi ka salan(hyderabadi chilli delicacy)and a hot favorite (among the south indians) is majjiga mirapakaaylu (sun-dried chillis).
Majjiga (buttermilk) mirapakaaya, a traditional Andhra recipe and as the name suggests, is green chillis soaked in sour buttermilk and sun-dried.Once the chillis are completely dried ,their color changes to a nice beige color and they develop a withered look.We usually make them in bulk during the summer season and sun dry them over our terraces where the heat of the sun is the maximum and preserved in air tight containers.They are also called voorumirapakaayalu (telugu) and mor molagai (tamil) and when deep-fried,attain a lovely brown shade,a nice crispy texture and a subtle combination of a sour-salty-spicy flavors and are eaten as an accompaniment to pappu annam (dal and rice),rice and curry and especially with curd rice.

Majjiga Mirapakaaya is a simple recipe but is a lenghty process and requires some patience as the preparation process is spread over a week.All you need are fresh green chillis,thick buttermilk(majjiga),salt and a bright hot sun..:)Usually I use the green chillis which have less spice (the ones shown in the picture below).Wash and pat dry the green chillis and make vertical slits half way along the green chilli on two sides.The slits have to be made such that the green chilli is intact and doesnt open up.Generally the seeds of this particular variety arent too many so I dont really remove the seeds, as when you make the slits a few seeds do pop out on their own.You can remove a few seeds but ensure you dont break the green chilli.Now soak them in enough quantity of thick buttermilk (one kilo of green chillis will require 2 tbsps of salt) with salt added to it till they are well immersed for 3 days (and nights).Cover and shake them twice a day.
Take out the green chillis from the butter milk on the fourth day morning and sun dry it all day by spreading them over 4-5 sheets of newspapers or thick plastic sheet and put them back in the same majjiga again later in the evening at sunset(I usually do this between 6-7 pm). Remember to remove them in the evening and put them back in the buttermilk and let them sit in it all night before you again remove them the next morning to be sun-dried.Continue this process for atleast 3 days.Then throw away the left over sour buttermilk and continue to sun dry the chillis till completely dry (which is usually 3-4 days).
Store them in an air tight container and deep fry them in hot oil till crisp and golden brown (like you fry papad and vadiyaalu) as and when required.These dried chillis arent as spicy as they may appear and it also depends on the spice of the green chilli used in preparing the majjiga mirapakaayalu.If you are one of those who really likes a very spicy chilli then choose the spicer varieties of green chilli when preparing the majjiga mirapakaayalu.(The soaking of the chillis in majjiga will reduce the pungency of the green chilli whatever its spice level).There is another version of preparing the majjiga mirapakaayalu with stuffing (of carom seeds and cumin ) which I hope to share in my future posts.The classic combination of flavors of this traditional Andhra favorite, majjiga mirapakaaya, will delight you and I find it hard to put in words the feeling you experience when you bite into a cruncy sun-dried chilli and savor its taste. Its simply heavenly! Even a simple curd rice when eaten with a majjiga mirapakaaya makes it a special meal.
Recipe Source: Amma

Food,Food Blogs,Andhra Recipes,Indian Cooking,Flickr

Palakayalu - Rice Based Crispy Savory

2006-04-04T17:55:00.000+05:30

Indian cuisine boasts of a wide array of savories ranging from simple plaintain chips to the irresistible samosa.Every region of India be it North or South,East or West ,has its own range of traditional savories which can be nibbled on any time of the day and make great accompaniments with coffee,tea or beverages/juices/cocktails.

Preparing traditional savories at home has drastically reduced over the past few years with most of them being available at home foods outlets in almost every city.I reminse my childhood days of the wonderful aromas emanating from ammamma’s and amma’s kitchens cooking savories like pakodas (fritters),jantikalu,muruku or chakli etc almost every other day and stored in big dabbas and how we would go scrambling into the pantry ,immediately on coming back from school, with pangs of hunger ,to devour them.
Home made traditional savouries do have their advantages over store bought ones in terms of freshness, price (costs much less),can be prepared suited to our palate and stored for atleast 2-3 weeks.We can never be sure of the store bought ones which most of the time lack the flavor and freshness of home made savories.Inspite of it we find that most homes are going in for store bought savories probably out of sheer convenience.I guess,it’s a personal choice.I ,for one, would prefer to prepare our traditional savories like jantikalu and murukku at home and very rarely pick up store bought ones.

Palakayalu are a rice based dry and crispy savory,popular in Andhra.They are a hit with children and sometimes given to teething toddlers who nibble at them to remove the irritation they usually face during teething.They can be made both sweet and spicy.Today’s recipe is a salted version which is crisp with a slightly sweet flavor.If you want a spicy taste,add a tsp of ground green chilli paste to the dough.

Palakayalu Recipe (Rice Based Savory)

Ingredients:
2 cups of plain rice flour
1 ½ tsp sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
2 cups water
1 tbsp vaamu (ajwain,omamu,caram seeds)
oil for deep frying

Add salt, sugar and 1 tbsp of oil to water and bring to a boil.Add the rice flour to it stirring continuously till it forms a thick mixture and turn off heat.Cover and keep aside to cool.
Once cool add the vaamu and mix the dough well kneading for 2-3 minutes to form a smooth dough.Make small balls and roll them into (approx 2” )longitudinal shape.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan and test the temperature of the oil by dropping a small ball of dough into the oil and if it sinks to the bottom ,it means the oil isn’t hot enough. If the ball springs to the top with bubbles all over,it means that the oil is ready to deep fry the palakayalu.Drop the palakayalu (about 30) gently into the hot oil and keep flipping them over till they are golden brown and crisp.
Drain onto absorbent paper and when cool,store the fried palakayalu in airtight containers.
Note: Before you start deep frying them,ensure that you shape out the entire dough into longitudinal shapes and keep them covered.Deep fry them batch wise depending on the size of the deep frying pan.Dont add too many at once.

Enjoy a great tea time snack!

Food,Food Blogs,Andhra Recipes,Indian Cooking,Snacks,Flickr

Charcoal Grilled Pomfret (With Traditional Indian Earthen Stove)

2006-04-02T10:45:00.000+05:30

With summer here,its barbeque time..:).I bought a new traditional earthern cooking stove a couple of days ago, called "Kumpati" in Telugu, where charcoal and firewood is used as a medium to cook food and is a popular stove with our rural folks. Kumpati, to us , serves as our "charcoal barbaque" and used often during summers to prepare chicken tikka,tandoori chicken and paneer tikkas.Its not like a typical tandoor but can be used as one and does serve the purpose of a tandoor to a certain extent.Kumpati basically uses "charcoal" as a cooking medium and the intense heat created by the hot coal cooks the food or meat very quickly giving it a crisp exterior and a soft and juicy interior and serves as a homestyle tandoor.
This cooking stove made of clay,has a hole in the front to feed the fire and holes on the top which act as burners.We can cook food directly over the coal embers or place a cooking vessel or pan over the hot coals to cook the food.Since its made of clay it holds in the heat and the food is cooked quickly.

This morning when we went for our walk along the beach road,we found some fishermen hauling their nets with a fresh catch of fish.We bought some fresh white pomfrets and I cleaned and marinated them in the morning keeping in mind that we could have a barbaque dinner later in the evening.Satish (my husband) is a very willing and enthusiastic helper especially with barbaques.He helped light up the coals and got the "kumpati" all ready to cook the fish in a jiffy..:)
Charcoal Grilled Pomfret Recipe

Ingredients:
4 big white pomfrets (chanduva or mackarel)
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
big pinch turmeric pwd
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
salt to taste

Wash, clean and dry the fish. Make slits on the fish and marinate it in salt and lime juice for 10 minutes.Meanwhile mix together ginger-garlic paste,turmeric pwd,chilli pwd,coriander pwd and cumin pwd and apply this paste to each of the fish and keep aside for atleast 2-3 hours.You can adjust the spiceness of the marinade according to your choice.I marinated the fish for around 10 hours and refrigerated it.Remember fish or meat marinated over a longer period tastes best as it absorbs the flavors well.
Half an hour before you actually want to eat your dinner,get your kumpati (stove) up and ready by lighting up the charcoal and you should have red hot burning embers of coal like shown in the picture.

Grease a grill or hot plate with big holes (like the one shown in the picture) and place the marinated fish (brush oil over the fish before placing it on the hot plate) over it and place the hot plate over the kumpati or hot stove.
Let it cook for 3-4 minutes and then turn the fish on the other side and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes or till golden brown. The real secret to grilling these pomfrets is to not overcook them.Watch closely as you cook the fish ...grill hot and fast and take it off the heat as soon as you can.
You have a perfected cooked moist fish with a mellow smoky flavor ready to be devoured.Serve hot with slices of lemon wedges, salad and chutney.

Note:This fish tastes best when cooked in a tandoor or on a charcoal barbecue or kumpati.However if these methods of cooking are'nt available then use a grill or bake in the oven.

The spices used in the marination for cooking the pomfret differs region wise and the marinade for this particular fish is one which is popular in our home.I use different marinades using yogurt, garam masala and other spices each time I cook fish and hope to share them in my future posts.

Grilling/roasting over charcoal heat or tandoori cooking calls for very little fat or oil and the smoky flavor enhances the taste of the food cooked.So if you are want to cook some low calorie foods,investing in a grill or home tandoor does make sense.So all you weight watchers out there,here’s a very simple,low calorie,healthy,flavorful seafood Indian appetizer (cooked with minimal fat) that you will find hard to resist..:).

Some of the other seafood recipes I blogged earlier are Andhra Chepa Pulusu (Fish cooked in tangy gravy), Chepa Vepudu (Fish Fry), Spiced Fish Fillets and Royyalu Iguru (Prawns Curry) and Royyalu Mungakaaya Kura (Prawn curry cooked with Drumsticks).

Food,Food Blogs,Fish,Indian Cooking,Low Calorie Recipes,Flickr

Ugadi Pachadi -Andhra Delicacy Reflecting Different Flavors Of Life

2006-03-30T13:40:00.000+05:30

Today we are celebrating Ugadi,the Telugu New Year Day, which is the first festival of our Telugu calendar and the first big festival that comes after Sankranti.Our Andhra festival is known by different names in different states of India like “Gudi Padwa” in Maharastra and “Ugadi” in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.Whatever the name this festival takes in different regions,it heralds the dawn of Vasanth Rutu (Spring Season),which is considered the first season of the year (Chaitra Maasam) .Ugadi to the Telugu speaking people marks a beginning of a new year in which nature is in full bloom, symbolizing regeneration and celebrating the season’s freshness.
With the coming of Ugadi, mango season is in full swing with fresh green mangoes flooding the rythu bazaars,garlands of marigold,roses,kanakaambaram, chamanti,naturally perfumed jasmine flowers (mallepuulu) which are in full bloom adorn the deities in temples and yes,you find most of our Andhra women’s braids are adorned with clusters of mallepuulu (jasmine flowers).The doorways of our homes are adorned with mango leaves which signifies prosperity and general well-being.But the most unique and significant tradition of Ugadi is beginning the new year with savoring a unique flavored pachadi (chutney) that epitomizes the spirit of Ugadi called "Ugadi Pachadi",with sweet,sour,pungent and bitter tastes (shadhruchulu or six tastes). This chutney or sauce is a symbolic reminder of the myriad facets of life in a sense prepares us for the year ahead.Of course,other than the special pachadi we also prepare special foods with the use of raw mango like papppu maamidikaaya,maamidi pulihora,maamidi kobari pachadi,pulihora,bobattulu, payasam and garellu.

Ugadi Pachadi is a special preparation prepared in every Andhra home on Telugu New Year’s day.Its made with fresh tamarind,jaggery(panela),fresh mangoes and neem flowers (margosa).One can add sugarcane,coconut and bananas also.The sweetness of jaggery,the sourness of tamarind,the bitterness of neemflower and the pungent flavor of the green mango skin,spice of the chilli powder ,raw tender mango’s taste and lastly salt form the shadhruchulu or six tastes of the sauce.

Andhra Ugadi Pachadi Recipe
Ingredients:

1 cup of raw fresh mango (cleaned and dried and finely chopped along with skin into small pieces)
1 tbsp of margosa flowers (neem tree flowers)
1 cup of grated jaggery
1 tbsp of fresh finely chopped coconut pieces (optional)
3 -4 tbsp tamarind paste
red chilli pwd (according to your choice)
salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients to form a sauce like appearence.If you want a thin and watery chutney add very little water (2-3 tbsps).
Note: You can also add small pieces of sugarcane,pieces of ripe banana,putanaala pappu(roasted channa dal) along with the above ingredients.
Each home has its own version of preparing the ugadi pachadi but the main ingredients (reflecting all the six flavors) are as specified above.

The myriad rich taste of this delicacy tickles and lingers on our tongue for a long time leaving a medley of flavors.The flavors of the Ugadi Pachadi signifies that the mixture of bitter margosa flowers and sweet jaggery reflect the myriad facets of life,both joy and sorrow and prepares one to face both good and bad in the year to come.During this season we find people eating neem leaves and flowers at the onset of Vasantha Ruthu and through out the spring season as its a counter measure for kapha dosha individuals (kapha dosha increases around this period).Ugadi Pachadi is a healthy low calorie pachadi where the Neem flowers , new tamarind, jaggery and fresh raw mangoes contain nutrients that cleanse the system and act as prophylactics(prevention of illness or disease).

Ugadi Subhakankshulu!Wishing you all a very happy Ugadi and a great year ahead!

Food,Food Blogs,Vegetarian,Telugu,Andhra Recipes,Flickr

Peanut Flavored Vegetable Fried Rice & Stir Fried Vegetables In Peanut-Chilli Sauce

2006-03-27T18:00:00.000+05:30

Over the weekend,I cooked a very simple, visually appealing,wholesome, comforting ,nutritious meal with loads of vegetables and which didnt take in too much of cooking time.I really wasn’t in an adventurous mood and decided to play safe with the ingredients used in making a Indo-Chinese fusion meal, comprising of a vegetable stir fry and fried rice dish ,since we had an elderly guest visiting us for lunch.He is the typical Andhrite who loves his rice and chepa pulusu (fish cooked in a tangy spicy sauce) and whose meal has to have spice,definitely not bland.It was a challenge to me with hubby dear wanting to eat a meal with a Chinese flavor and a relative (with an uninitiated palate to Chinese cuisine)who loves spice and was willing to eat whatever I served him.

What I like about Indo-Chinese fusion cooking is, you have enough room to experiment from scratch,don’t have to follow any particular cookbook method,less cooking time though the preparation time is much more than the actual cooking time..:)and the recipes are not traditional in the sense that they haven’t been passed down by our grandmothers.Indo-Chinese fusion cooking is versatile(free-style) in the fact that you can mix and match different foods and ingredients,flavors and textures to suit your palate and gives you the freedom to concote your own recipes.
So here it is, my creation Indo-Chinese medley of a simple and easy ,yet flavorful and nutritious peanut flavored vegetable fried rice and vegetable stir fry in peanut-chilli sauce where the cooking style or technique is primarily Chinese and infused with Indian ingredients.

Peanut Flavored Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked basmati rice or any long grained rice(each grain should be separate and the rice should be completely cool)
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
1 bunch of chopped spring onions
2 green chilli slit length wise
1 small cup of chopped carrots
1 small cup of chopped french beans
1 small cup of chopped cabbage
1 small cup of boiled green peas
½ tsp white pepper powder
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsps of coarsely pwd roasted peanuts
salt to taste

Heat peanut oil to a smoking hot pan or wok and add the carrots and beans and stir fry them for 2 minutes and then add the cabbage, capsicum,green chillis and onions and stir fry on high heat tossing them about till the vegetable get tender.Now add the green peas.
Immediately add the cold cooked rice ,salt,white pepper powder and peanut pwd and stir fry for sometime till rice and vegetables are nicely mixed together.
Add the vinegar and stir in everything till well mixed and then sprinkle the chopped spring onions and stir it in and serve hot.Remove the green chillis from the rice before serving.

Stir-Fried Vegetables in Peanut-Chilli Sauce

Ingredients:
1 green capsicum, cut into big pieces
1 red capsicum, cut into big pieces
2 onions (quartered)
2 carrot thinly sliced (diagonally)
1 bunch of spring onions,finely chopped
1 small cup of boiled green peas
1 cup cabbage cut into big pieces
1 tsp freshly minced ginger
2 tbsp peanut oil (I prefer peanut oil for the flavor it imparts to the food and it holds up to the hot-pan temp which is vital to chinese cooking)
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed in 3-4 tbsps of water

For sauce:
7-8 tbsps of water
7-8 garlic flakes (fry in a tsp of oil till rawness disappears)
4-5 dry red chillis (deseed and soak in water for 10 minutes so that the pungency is reduced)..you can reduce the chillis if you want less spice
3 tbsps roasted peanuts
1 tbsp of grated jaggery (or brown sugar or panela)
Grind all the above ingredients for the sauce to a paste.
Heat a pan or wok to smoking hot and then add oil.Add minced ginger and stir fry for a few seconds and let the aroma permeate the kitchen.Now add carrots and stir fry for a minute and then add the cabbage,capsicum and onions.Now stir fry all the vegetables constantly till tender.Dont over cook them.They should be crunchy and crisp and not mushy.
Now add the peanut chilli sauce and soya sauce and stir fry till the vegetables are well coated.Add 2-3 tbsps of water and salt, if your find the the sauce is getting stuck to the vessel.Dont fret.Its natural and keep stir frying for a few minutes and then add the cornstarch with the water and let it combine with the vegetables till your get a glazed look to the vegetables.
Garnish with scallions and serve hot with any fried rice or noodles.

Indeed,the vegetable fried rice generously flavored with peanuts and stir fry vegetable dish in a very flavorful sauce was delicious and had my guest asking for more.I knew my tyrst with Indo-Chinese fusion cooking was successful in initiating his palate to a totally new taste.I had earlier blogged about some of my adventures with Indian-Chinese fusion cooking like Sprouts Fried Rice,Spiced Fish Fillets and Sweet and Sour Chicken Legs,and they were devoured even before they reached the dining table..:).

Since this fusion meal is loaded with nutritious vegetables,it makes an apt entry to Sweetnicks Anti-Oxidant Rich Foods ARF 5 Day as well as Meena's "From My Rasoi" March theme Fusion Foods.

Food,Food Blogs,Indo-Chinese Recipes,Cooking, Flickr

Majjiga - Andhra Spiced Buttermilk (Salted Yogurt Drink)

2006-03-23T23:24:00.000+05:30

Summer time conjures up memories of big cool earthern pots of churned buttermilk kept in the open verandah of my tatayya’s (grandfather) farmhouse and those visiting him being offered a glass of cool refreshing ‘majjiga’ (Telugu term for buttermilk)-the quintessential summer drink.I reminse the good olden days of sharing some great moments with tatayya over a glass of chikkati majjiga (thick buttermilk). I grew up drinking ‘majjiga’ and it still is a routine affair in our home... call it a mix of tradition, habit , nutrition and comfort. Visit any Andhra home during summer time and you are sure to be welcomed with a chilled glass of majjiga (moru(Tamil),majjige(Kannada),chaas(Gujarati),lassi(punjabi)).
Majjiga is an integral part of Andhra cuisine and no meal is complete without Majjiga which is usually taken towards the end of a meal as it has the ability to enhance digestion.Majjiga which is known by different names in the West like Salted Yogurt Drink,Yogurt Shake and Indian Drinking Yogurt is a blend of three tastes which are sweet,sour and astringent.Majjiga is one of the easiest recipes even a 6 year old can whip up and is nothing but a blend of fresh curds,plain water and salt.Replace the salt with sugar and it becomes Sweet Lassi,a very popular sweet drink beverage in North India,having its origins in Punjab.

The best way to prepare ‘majjiga’ is to always use fresh home made curds and mix it in equal parts of water to make a thick buttermilk (chikkati majjiga).For a more thinner majjiga add 3 parts of water to one part of curds and use a hand churner or kavvam (traditional wooden or stainless steel churner) to churn the mixture ,rolling it back and forth between your hands.
Do this for 2 minutes.This action helps in blending the mixture well and any fat which is in the curd will separate and rise to the top.Skim off the fat.(If you don’t have a hand churner similar to the ones shown in the picture ,use a blender to blend on low speed for a minute)

Andhra Spiced Buttermilk is a soothing combination of fresh home made curds,water,fresh curry leaves,crushed ginger,green chillis,salt and a dash of lemon juice.This spice and herb infused drink is a perfect blend of myriad flavors ….sweet,spicy,sour and salty which balances and pacifies all the three doshas.Vata,Pitta and Kapha,strengthens and increases our appetite and digestive power.

Andhra Spiced Buttermilk

Ingredients:
4 glasses of buttermilk(made from 4 parts water and 1 part curds)
1-2 green chillies finely chopped (adjust according to your choice)
½” ginger piece grated or crushed
few curry leaves (only fresh leaves)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
coriander leaves(optional)
Mix all the above ingredients and chill.Serve cold.

Another variation is to add a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves to the above prepared majjiga.Heat ½ tsp of oil in a pan and add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds and let them splutter.Add the curry leaves and let the flavors blend in the oil, remove from heat and immediately add to the majjiga and cover for a few minutes and then blend with a churner for a minute and chill. Serve cold.
Another version is nimmakaaya majjiga or nimma majjiga which is plain salted majjiga (blend of curds and water)with a dash of lemon juice.
North Indian version of buttermilk or lassi calls for the use of rock salt,dry roasted cumin pwd and fresh mint leaves.Read more about Lassi.

Each home has its own version of buttermilk be it North, South ,East or West.The basic recipe of buttermilk is the same,only the infusion of spices and herbs differs according to each home or region.Read more about curds or yogurt and home made yogurt.

Ayurvedic nutrition recommends buttermilk to pacify Pitta dosha (with the addition of sugar or rose water), pacify Vata and Kapha (use of rock salt, honey,spices like dry-roasted cumin pwd, black pepper and herbs like ginger).Buttermilk is highly recommended as one the best home remedies for certain ailments like piles,diarrhoea,jaundice and dysfunctions of liver and spleen.Read more about the benefits of buttermilk.

This traditional thrist-quenching refreshing drink with high therapeutic and nutritional properties is appetizing,cooling,rejunuvating,soothing and serves as an excellent antidote to sunstrokes during Indian peak summer times. It tones the small intenstine,very light on the stomach and easy to digest unlike other dairy products like cheese and paneer.It goes without saying that majjiga is the healthiest low calorie milk product among the many dairy products and works as a good calcium substitute for the high calorie dairy products.

Buttermilk serves as a good home remedy for removing sun tan.Apply buttermilk to the face and rinse off with cool water, once dry.Do this regularly and your tan disappears and your face gets back it lost glow.So it works as a beauty enhancer too…:)

I had to start with my series on “Indian Drinks & Sharbats” with this heavenly traditional drink which most of us in Andhra cannot do without.So instead of heading for aerated drinks this summer,try out the irresistible, nourishing,old-fashioned beverage 'majjiga' which will revitalize you and keep you cool throughout the delirious hot season.

Food,Food Blogs,Vegetarian,Indian Drinks And Sharbats,Andhra Recipes,Flickr

"Indian Drinks And Sharbats" - Cool Fruit Treats To Beat The Summer Heat

2006-03-20T21:51:00.000+05:30

Well,summer is officially here in India.Its getting hot and as we reside in a coastal area of Andhra Pradesh,the humidity levels are pretty high.Inspite of the sweltering heat,this is the time of the year I look forward to barbecues, watermelons,sweet juicy ripe mangoes,corn on the cob,lemonades and healthy fresh fruit drinks.

Summer offers a wider variety vegetables than any other season and ripe and juicy fruits like watermelons, guavas,lichees, mangoes, musk melons, sweet lime (mousambi), oranges,papaya, grapes,bananas, pineapples, sapota(chikku), pomegranate are available in abundance absolutely fresh from the farm and sold by the farmers themselves at the Rythu Bazaars (Farmer’s Market) at very reasonable prices(as there is no middle man involved here).It’s an absolute delight to visit the Rythu Bazaar and interact with the farmers and watch them arrange the fresh produce early in the morning...:)Infact I visit the Rythu Bazaar ,which is a stone’s throw away from my home,almost everyday on my way back home after my morning walk to pick up fresh vegetables and fruits.You can look forward to seeing some pictures of Rythu Bazaar,the farmers and their produce in my future posts.

During the entire summer season, I make a variety of cool thirst-quenching refreshing fruit drinks and salads almost every day.Summer is extremely harsh on us here in India and sometimes the temperature soars as high as 47 degrees Celsius and the coastal areas face high humidity.Its very common to find people suffering from heat strokes,heat exhaustion and heat stress during these hot weather months.The only mantra I follow for myself and my family to keep the body cool and prevent dehydration is by drinking plenty of fluids and eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables and reduce intake of oily and spicy food.Our consumption of vegetables and fruits during these summer months is the highest than in any other season.

I want to share some of the tips I generally follow during the summer season to beat the sizzling heat and stay cool.Drink water,water and more water...I consume a lot of fluids and drink atleast 12 glasses of water ..ie about 4 litres of water.If you have difficulty in drinking 12 glasses of water,ensure that you can drink atleast 8 glasses of water and supplement your water intake with healthy drinks of your choice like a lemonade or fresh fruit drinks.You don’t have to concote a fancy sharbat or drink,even a humble lemonade or nimmakaaya neelu (nimbu paani) will do.

When we are sweating, our bodies are losing out on essential moisture and minerals like potassium and eating fresh fruits or intake of fruit drinks and healthy salads replenishes minerals and helps absorb and retain fluids and helps us stay hydrated and refreshed.We drink a lot of tender coconut water throughout the summer season and we are fortunate to have home grown coconut trees.Those pictures you see are the coconut trees grown in our garden.Tender coconut water is the best bet for the hot summer.I just love the soft and creamy pulp of a tender coconut..its simply heavenly..:)According to Ayurvedic nutrition the liquid from a tender coconut (90% is water) is so pure and cooling with immense healing properties and is known to pacify pitta dosha and alleviates any pitta-related disorders.
I guess, most of us are used to air-conditioned environments during the summer season. My advice is to avoid extreme changes in temperature at once. If you are feeling extremely hot and are sweating, due to the sweltering heat,then don’t get into an air-conditioned environment immediately on entering your home.First try to cool your body down (room temperature) before getting into the luxury of your air-conditioned room. Our bodies should not be exposed to extreme temperature variations.Try to use as much of ceiling or floor fans to keep cool than AC’s.We spread dry coconut branches and palm leaves all over our terrace and use coir blinds to cover our windows to prevent heat of the hot sun from entering the house and wet the coir blinds which helps in lowering the temperature inside the house.
Avoid all aerated beverages and ice cold drinks with preservatives.They are a big 'no-no' and are banned in my home.I cant stress enough the importance of incorporating fruits in your daily diet regime which gives you fiber,vitamin C and strengthens the immune system.FRUITS to me are absolutely heavenly and are 'manna from heaven' and I can live off fruits..:).They are packed with nutrition, almost negligible calories,minimal fat,full of vitamins, phytonutrients and fibre and easily digestable.There’s nothing more delicious and nutritious as thirst-quenching refreshing drinks and fruit salads and with the abundance of fresh fruit choices available ,you sure can beat the heat and make this summer a savory experience.I hope to share with you a few of these fruit drinks and sharbats in my future posts.

There are numerous ways to prepare refreshing fruit drinks and sharbats which are not only delicious but low in calories and full of nutrition.Most of them are traditional health drinks,herbal drinks and yes,they work on our skin as well and you can call them beauty enhancers too..:)These have worked for me and I hope they help you too.You will find that they are so simple to prepare with the least number of ingredients and yet effective in not only keeping us cool and healthy and bring out that shine to our skin and glow to the face.I look forward to sharing with you in my series on “Indian Drinks & Sharbats”,some healthy and refreshing fruit drinks,herbal drinks and sharbets which I prepare for my family during the summer season.So stay tuned..:)

Food,Food Blogs,Fruits,Indian Drinks And Sharbats,Cuisine, Flickr

Vankaaya Paalu Posina Kura (Green Eggplants Cooked In Milk)

2006-03-16T21:26:00.000+05:30

Green Eggplant or green brinjal,one of the varieties in brinjals (eggplant,aubergine,vankaaya,baingan or badinjan), is one of the most common vegetable which is grown all year round in Andhra Pradesh,the state I belong.They are round to oval in shape with a thinner skin unlike the purple eggplants.The small purple variety of brinjals are used to prepare the famous Andhra delicacy Gutti Vankaaya Kura (stuffed brinjal curry).The green brinjal has fewer seeds and are white which is a sign that they are fresh and tender.These eggplants have a delicate flavor and cook easily and are best suited to prepare this dish and Vankaaya Pachadi, an Andhra brinjal chutney recipe similar to Baingan Ka Bharta.
These eggplants sometimes have a bitter taste,especially during summers, and you can offset the bitterness by sprinkling a tsp of salt over them and place them in a colander so that the bitter juice of the brinjal pieces trickles down.Then wash them thoroughly in water and squeeze off excess water.Vakaaya Paalu (milk) Posina (pour) Kura is a very simple, easy-to-make,low fat dish where the brinjals (as name suggests in Telugu) are blended in milk which give the curry a rich and sweet flavor.

Vankaaya Paalu Posina Kura
Ingredients
1 large green brinjal (chopped into small cubes and place in salted water for 10 mts)

1 finely chopped onion
1 slit green chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds
5-6 slightly crushed garlic cloves
1” finely minced ginger piece
1 tsp red chilli pwd ( adjust according to your choice)
pinch of turmeric pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
salt to taste
1 cup skimmed milk
10 curry leaves
1 tbsp oil

Heat oil in a cooking vessel ,add the cumin seeds and let them brown.
Now add the garlic,ginger,curry leaves and green chilli and fry for a few seconds taking care not to burn the tempering.
Add the chopped onions and saute till the onions turn pink.
Add the chopped brinjals and saute them for a few mts.Add the chilli pwd,coriander pwd and turmeric pwd.Combine.
Add salt and continue to saute for another 3-4 mts on slow fire covered till the brinjals are almost cooked.
Now add the milk and go on stirring on medium heat till milk is completely combined with the brinjals and you attain a thick curry consistency…this could take about 7-8 mts.You need to ensure that the milk doesn’t curdle,so keep stirring till the brinjals are fully cooked in the milk and then turn off fire.
Serve with hot steamed rice or rotis.

Note:You can make this curry with other brinjal varieties like Thai Eggplants or the purple variety.Ensure that they are tender and offset any bitterness before cooking the brinjals.

Some tips on cooking brinjals that I generally follow.If the skin is shrivelled and the seeds are black,don’t even think of using them, as they have matured and best discarded.Try to avoid cooking them in metallic utensils as they discolor the eggplants.Soak the chopped brinjals in water as they discolor when exposed to air.Soaking the eggplants in salted water before cooking ensures that the salted water draws out the moisture and removes any bitterness and hence absorbs less fat while cooking.Try to cook brinjals with the skin as the skin of the brinjal is rich in flavonoids and other antioxidants, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Chlorogenic acid, an anti-oxidant found in eggplants, is especially potent, with research suggesting it has anti-cancer, anti-microbial and anti-viral properties, as well as an ability to help reduce levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol.Eggplant benefits those suffering from high blood pressure and due to its richness in vitamin D, it helps to strengthen our blood vessels and clear blood clots, thereby preventing stroke.Eggplant is low in calories,high in potassium and vitamin K with good fibre content.Read more about the medicinal and health benefits of eggplants.

An ayurvedic remedy for indigestion is to drink soup made of brinjal and tomato and this vegetable helps overcome constipation too.Hopefully, the health benefits of eggplants should encourage all those brinjal haters to venture into their kitchens and whip up a simple low calorie delicious dish like Vankaaya Paalu Posina Kura..:)

Food,Food Blogs,Cuisine,Indian Cooking,Andhra Recipes,Flickr

Nuvullu Annam (Sesame Flavored Rice)

2006-03-08T18:22:00.000+05:30

Sesame flavored rice or Nuvullu Annam is a light flavoured rice delicacy, enriched with nutrients from seasame seeds and Indian spices.This dish is simple unlike a pampered biryani..:)in the fact that the main ingredient is only sesame seeds with the infusion of spices like curry leaves and mustard seeds in the tempering. Sesame seeds have no aroma but the flavor intensifies by lightly dry roasting the seeds giving it a sweet and nutty taste.

Nuvullu Annam (Seasame Flavoured Rice)
Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked white rice (each grain should be separate)
2-3 green chillis slit length wise
1 1/2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp mustard seeds
15-20 curry leaves (fresh leaves only)
1/2 tsp Bengal gram (senaga pappu,channa dal) (optional)
2-3 dry whole red chillis (you can add more if you want more spice)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
¼ cup of seasame seeds (dry roast the seeds in a pan for a few minutes on medium heat tossing them around and make a coarse powder and dont grind them too much...the nutrients of sesame seeds are better absorbed if they are ground)
salt to taste

Dry roast the red chillis and coriander seeds in a pan for 4-5 minutes on medium heat tossing them about till the flavours come out and make a fine powder.Keep aside.
Heat ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Add Bengal gram and let it turn brown.Add the curry leaves and green chillis and fry for a few seconds till the leaves turn a little crisp and the flavours blend in the oil.The curry leaves along with seasame give an aromatic flavor to this dish and that is why the recipe calls for a wee bit more leaves than usual..:)
Add the red chilli pwd,coriander pwd,seasame powder and salt and combine.
Add the cooked rice and combine it such that the spices coat the rice well.
Serve hot with any gravy curry or plain rasam and appadam(papad).

Note:You can use red chilli pwd and coriander pwd instead of whole chillis and coriander seeds.But the best flavour is derived from dry roasting the whole spices and grinding them fresh.There is no substitute to that.Another piece of advice… If you don’t have fresh curry leaves on hand,I suggest you prepare this rice only when you have fresh leaves as the dry ones don’t give out that unique aroma and flavour which only the fresh ones impart.Remember its always the freshest ingredients that bring out the best of Indian cooking.

Since I have blogged about one of the important ingredients used in South Indian cooking,let me elaborate on the nutritional value of sesame seeds.These seeds are high in iron content (equivalent to liver ,if not more),rich in manganese, copper and calcium and also contain Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and Vitamin E (tocopherol).They also contain powerful antioxidants called lignans, which are also anti-carcinogenic.Ancient Ayurvedic nutrition recommends foods prepared with til or seasame seeds for Vata imbalance (feeling low,depressed,anxiety and restlessness)persons. Seasame seeds which have warming properties are one of the powerful vata balancing herbs other than cinnamon, cumin and ginger.Read more about the health benefits of sesame seeds.

Southern Indian cuisine uses sesame oil or gingilly /gingelly oil for cooking purposes and flavoring a couple of vegetable curries and stews.Its very common in many homes to find, Idlis (steamed rice cakes) being doused with gingilly oil and served with a spicy podi mixed in gingilly oil instead of ghee. Infact the famous mango pickle of Andhra "aavakai" is prepared with gingilly oil.Tamarind Rice or Pulihora taste is further enhanced by adding sesame seeds powder or nuvvulu podi.Among the wide variety of rice dishes of South India , Nuvullu Annam is one of my favorites and the addictive flavor of sesame in the sesame rice is sure to touch and delight your taste bud.

Food,Food Blogs,Cuisine,Indian Cooking,Andhra,Telugu,Flickr

Pav Bhaji -Medley of Spiced Mashed Vegetables With Toasted Buns

2006-03-01T01:22:00.000+05:30

Yet another Tuesday and its time for Sweetnick's Antioxidant Rice Foods 5-A-Day.The earlier recipes I submitted for this event were Cauliflower Tomato Curry ,Uthappams and Bisi Bele Bath which is a rice dish with loads of vegetables.Actually I have started looking forward to this event as it really encourages me to think of recipes which include a lot more vegetables than usual.So this got me thinking as to what dish I should prepare which had atleast 4 to 5 vegetables,no,actually more than 5 and that's when Pav Bhaji, the quintessential Mumbai street food,immediately came to my mind.Can you guess how many veggies went into making the bhaji(vegetable)?Well, not 5 or 6 but 10 ..yes,you heard right,its 'TEN' vegetables!If that were not enough,the spice mix which give this dish its unique flavour, the pav bhaji masala,is a mix of more than 20 odd spices.And the herbs that liven up the pav bhaji even further are ginger,garlic,turmeric and coriander leaves.

Among the ten vegetables required to prepare the bhaji , eight were sitting in the fridge and I only had to buy some bell peppers, beetroot and the most essential ingredients of this dish, Pav Bhaji Masala and Pav (bread).You can prepare the bhaji without beetroot too but its just that I wanted to bring in that extra color to my version of the bhaji..:).Probably cant compare it to the authentic 'pav bhaji', the mumbai street food vendors churn out but it was very colorful,flavorful,satisfying and comforting medley of spicy veggies,not to mention nutritional,I have cooked and eaten this past week.

Ingredients:

For Bhaji:
2 onions chopped finely
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 green chillis slit length wise
1 capsicum finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 small cup each of chopped mixed vegetables (french beans, carrots, cauliflower, beetroot,potatoes,green peas,cabbage)
3 tsps pav bhaji masala (any good brand,I used Everest)
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 lemon juice
2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander leaves,onion rings and lemon wedges for garnish

8 pavs (buns)with butter to shallow fry the pavs

Pressure cook all the vegetables except onions,capsicum and tomatoes.Once they are cooked till soft,mash them with a masher while they are hot.Dont drain away the left over water from the cooked vegetables.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and add onions. Fry till the onions turn golden brown in colour. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and fry for 2-3 minutes.Now add the bell peppers and fry for another 2 minutes.
Add pav bhaji masala,red chilli pwd,turmeric pwd,sugar and salt.Stir to combine and then add the tomatoes and fry till oil separates.
Add the mashed vegetables and stir to combine.Add a cup of water and adjust salt, let it cook on slow fire for 20 minutes.Turn off heat and add butter and lemon juice.Combine.
Garnish with onions rings and chopped coriander leaves.
Serve this bhaji with hot pavs lightly toasted in butter.

Note: Bhaji can be prepared with even 2-3 vegetables like carrots,peas,cauliflower or bottle gourd.You can serve this bhaji with plain bread or roti too.

That sure was a lot of Indian street food fare we have had the past week..aloo tikki , corn bhel and Pao Bhaji.Couldnt ask for more luring foods to treat my taste buds especially a dish like pav bhaji...:)

Food,Food Blogs,Vegetarian,Indian Cooking,Antioxidants,Flickr

Ulli Garelu - Medu Vadai (Lentil Dumplings)

2006-02-25T20:58:00.000+05:30

No festive meal is complete without the classic dish 'garelu' or 'garellu' in most Andhra homes,be it for Sankranti,Ugadi,Ganesh Chaturthi or Diwali. Infact during Sankranti,our major harvest festival,on Kanumu day,the sons-in-law of the family are treated to delectable delicacies and one savoury dish prepared is garellu served with meat curry , sambar and coconut chutney.
South Indian Tiffins boast of a variety of Vadas or Garelu like Medu Vada,Masala Vada,Parappu Vadai,Ulundu Vadai or Thayir Vadai or Perugu Garellu or Dahi Bhalla(a North Indian style vada smothered in yogurt and tamarind sauce).What ever their name,the vadas or garelu with a crispy and crunchy exterior and a soft and fluffy inside are sure to delight your pallets.Garellu (Lentil Dumplings) are prepared with whole black gram lentil batter.When chopped onions and green chillis are added to the batter,the prepared dumplings are called 'Ulli Garellu'.(ulli means onion in telugu)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup whole urad dal (black gram dal,minappappu)
1 tbsp raw rice
2" ginger very finely chopped
2-3 green chillies very finely chopped
1 big onion finely chopped
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Soak whole black gram dal and 1 tbsp raw rice for 5-6 hours.
Strain the water from the dal and grind to a paste sprinkling little water and salt.Dont grind all the dal at once,use small portions to grind batch wise as its easier to grind into a soft paste.Add salt while grinding to a fluffy paste.
Then add chopped onions,finely chopped ginger and green chillies to the batter and mix well.

Take a deep frying vessel and add enough oil for deep frying and the oil should be really hot.
Wet your hands with water and take a lemon sized ball and flatten it into a vada on a greased sheet or banana leaf.
Make a hole in the centre of the vada or gare so that it cooks evenly all over.

Slowly drop it into the hot oil carefully and fry it on both sides on medium heat to a golden brown colour.
Serve hot with chicken curry or mutton kurma, sambar or coriander chutney.
Now head to your kitchens and make this 'tiffin with a hole' which is sure to give your tastes buds a delectable treat.
The recipe for Medu Vadai is the same as above ...the other additions to the ground black gram dal batter along with green chillis and ginger are 1 tsp of pepper corns,few curry leaves and 1/4 tsp asafoetida (medu vada recipe doesnt call for onions).

Food,Food Blogs,Cooking,Andhra Recipes,South Indian Cooking,Flickr

South Indian Tiffin - Uthappams (Lentil Pancakes Topped With Vegetables)

2006-02-21T17:45:00.000+05:30

Utappams or thick dosas are South Indian vegetarian tiffin variety made from rice and lentil batter, fermented overnight making the batter slightly sour and then used to prepare thick pancakes like dosas which are light and porous.Uthappams are topped with chopped onions,green chillis and vegetables like tomatoes or carrots but can be eaten without the toppings too.Traditionally its served as a breakfast item but can be served for lunch or dinner and is a complete meal in itself.
Ingredients:

1 cup par boiled rice
1 cup raw white rice
1/2 cup urad dal (black gram dal,minappa pappu)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
salt to taste
1/4 tsp cooking soda

Toppings:

Finelty chopped green chillis,chopped onions,grated carrot,finely chopped tomatoes(deseeded),chopped fresh coriander leaves

Soak rice,urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water for about 8 hours and grind into a fine paste.
Leave it in a warm place to ferment about 8-10 hours.You will notice that the batter has risen and bubbles appear on the top.This is an indication that the batter is well fermented and sour.Add salt and mix well.Just before preparing the uthappams add cooking soda and mix well.
Pre-heat a non-stick tawa or griddle and spread a tsp of oil over it.
Pour a laddle full of batter and spread it thicker than a dosa (about 1/2"- 3/4" thickness).
Spread a tsp of oil around the uthappam and top it with finely chopped onions, chopped tomatoes (deseeded),chopped coriander leaves,grated carrot and finely chopped green chillis.
Cook on simmer for 4-5 mts.Then turn over and cook the other side and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot with coconut chutney,coriander chutney or sambar.
Note:You can use left over idli or dosa batter to make uthappams.

Also check out Priya's Vegetable Pancake (Oothappam) recipe here.

Lentils are a perfect way to add protein, fiber and all the antioxidant benefits to any meal and have the same potent anti-inflammatory antioxidants—flavonoids and flavonals—found in tea, fruits, grapes, red wine and cocoa beans. Fenugreek seeds are immune stimulating, and have antioxidant and anti-tumor properties.The toppping of onions,carrots and tomatoes have all the goodness antioxidants have to offer making uthappam a perfect choice for this week's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday.

Food,Food Blogs,South Indian Recipes,Indian Cooking,South Indian Cooking,Flickr

Aloo Tikki & Corn Bhel (Indian Street Food Fare)

2006-02-18T21:32:00.000+05:30

It would be no exaggeration if I said that one of India’s culinary glories is its comforting street food which offers a myriad of flavours with almost every street corner lined with mobile food vendors (or shall we say restaurants-on-wheels) selling sumptuous snack delicacies.Infact the mushrooming snack joints speaks volumes of how street food is a way of life to the common man and the elite who relish the irresistable rich tapestry of flavours these snacks have to offer,not to mention that it is easy on one’s pocket as well.

There’s something mystical and magical about Indian street food indulgence with the flavours sinking into the food cooked in the open, right before our eyes,the aromas awakening our senses which in turn fires the appetite and its hard for the taste buds to resist the temptation of these freshly made, mouth-watering,wide variety of snacks like pani puri,bhel puri,masala vada,pav bhaji,dahi bhalla,aloo tikki,mirchi bajji,kebabs and papdi chaat to name a few.

Today I prepared not one but two potato based snacks because they not only happen to be my favourites but my husband's all time favourite snacks as well.He suggested we go to our regular street food hawker for some hot chaat this evening and I surprised him by preparing them at home for dinner.So one of the snacks I prepared was Aloo Tikki or Potato cutlets which are pan fried patties,with a crispy exterior and soft interior,made from boiled potatoes,green peas,bread, garam masala,chilli pwd,ginger and lemon.These tikkis are traditionally served with mint and cilantro chutney(green chutney) or a tangy tamarind(imli) chutney.

Aloo Tikki
Ingredients:

1/4 kg potatoes boiled and grated
1/4 cup of boiled and mashed green peas
2 slices white bread toasted a bit and made into a coarse pwd
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
1" ginger grated
3 tbsps of chopped fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp chaat masala (optional)
1 tsp roasted cumin pwd
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
ghee/oil for shallow frying

Boil potatoes and cool them before grating them.Add the rest of the ingredients except the ghee and mix well.Roll into lemon sized balls and flatten them and shape into cutlets or round burger shaped patties and flatten them a bit.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee on a griddle and add 3 to 4 tikkis at a time and let them cook on slow fire till a crisp golden color crust is formed on both the sides.Remove on absorbent paper and serve with tamarind chutney.

Aloo Tikki can be served in a number of ways and one way is to drizzle some green chutney over the tikkis or just plain tamarind chutney and the other is to pour some beaten curd and tamarind chutney with a sprinkling of coriander leaves.Now that's what I call a hard to resist,absolutely lip smacking,inviting snack..:).

Corn Bhel,another delicious snack,is a crunchy spicy sweet chaat or salad,prepared with corn kernels,onions,tomatoes,coriander leaves,sev(crisp lentil based savoury),boiled chick peas,crushed roasted peanuts and drizzled with tamarind chuntey (dip)giving it a spicy, sweet and tangy flavour.

Corn Bhel
Ingredients:

3 tbsps of sev
2 tbsp of crushed roasted peanuts
1 boiled potato diced into small cubes
¼ cup of boiled chick peas (kabuli channa)- optional
small cup of boiled corn kernel
1 small onion chopped finely
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 small tomato de-seeded and chopped finely
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
big pinch of chaat masala pwd(optional)
¼ tsp red chilli pwd
½ tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients and just before serving drizzle with tamarind chutney.The above ingredients would make 2 portions and is a meal by itself.If sev (gram flour based crispy savoury)isn't available,dont worry,as it tastes great even without it.

Tamarind Date Chutney is a brown color,sweet and sour flavored dipping sauce made with tamarind pulp and pureed dates.It is generally used as a stir in with chaats or salads or drizzled over deep fried savoury snacks.

Ingredients:

1 cup tamarind pulp
½ cup fresh dates pureed
3/4 cup grated jaggery or brown Sugar
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp saunf pwd (aniseed)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp jeera powder
2 cups water

Add the tamarind pulp, chopped dates,grated jaggery and water to a pan and cook on a medium flame stirring once in a while and once the dates and tamarind turn soft turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool.Grind to a smooth paste.
Heat this ground sauce in a vessel on medium flame and cook it for 2-3 minutes.Add the spices and mix well.Bring to a boil and turn off heat.Cool and serve.

Note: This chutney should have more of a sweeter flavour and less sour.So check the taste before turning off the heat and if you find that its more sour,add some more grated jaggery.This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

You can also check out Meenal's Aloo Tikki recipe here.

Aloo Tikki and Corn Bhel are my entries for this week's Virtual Recipe Club started by Alysha of The Savoury Note Book and the guest food blogger Biscuit Girl of Your Gonna Eat All That is hosting this week's VRC and the theme chosen by her is Potatoes.These delicious snacks which are my hubby's favorites are also my entries for 'Cooking With Love' theme for this month started by Meenakshi of Hooked On Heat.

Food,Food Blogs,North Indian Recipes,Snacks,Indian Cooking,Flickr

No Grill Cheese Sandwich

2006-02-16T19:18:00.000+05:30

Today is being celebrated as the Cheese Sandwich Day in the food blogosphere.I love cheese sandwiches and so does my 3 year old.Today I made a no-nonsense,stoveless,no-grill cheese sandwich which would qualify as a kid friendly recipe.My son is old enough now where he can assemble things on his own.And he loves it when I ask him to arrange the filling on the bread.It's such fun when you have your child come to help you in the kitchen with his little fingers and then feels so proud of himself for having made a cheese sandwich all by himself..:)
This fix-it-quick sandwich is sure to please anyone who loves cheese sandwiches and is running out of time.All you need is some grated cheese,chopped coriander leaves,chopped onions and green chillis.Mix all the ingredients and layer the bread slices with the cheese mixture.

Read more about why today is being celebrated as the Cheese Sandwich Day here. And the cute icon you see at the beginning of this post is designed by Rand ,brother of Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and Weekend Herb Blogging fame.Thank you,Kalyn for helping me learn so much about different kinds of herbs and foods by fellow bloggers across the world.Its a great theme and just love it.Keep doing what you believe in and we should continue in bringing forth our 'everyday food' to our family,friends and readers across the globe and I am so glad we are all part of a helpful and supportive food blogging community.
P.S Check out this cool T-Shirt at Kitchen Image

Food,Food Blogs,Cheese Sandwiches,Flickr

Recipes Galore! Savour the taste of fellow bloggers food....

2006-02-14T15:36:00.000+05:30

I am learning so much about different kinds of foods,recipes,different cultures and people from across the globe by reading some amazing food blogs and I must say that its time well spent and each day I always look forward to learning something new which keeps me challenged and inspired.The single common factor binding us all together in this blogosphere is love for cooking.This past week I tried out some recipes from the kitchens of fellow food bloggers and must thank them for sharing some great food recipes.

Last night I baked a simple basic chocolate cake with chocolate icing on the occassion Valentine's Day,the recipe of which I got from Saba's Meating Point and it was all over this evening..thanks to my toddler.But I did manage to take a picture of it before it was devoured.Thanks Saba for an easy-to-make yet tasty chocolate cake.
An egg curry I tried was Eggs in Spicy Onion Sauce which Tina of Tina's Cooking shares with us.Its basically a recipe from a cookbook by Maya Kaimal.I didnt make any changes to the recipe and made it exactly the way Tina presented it.Though she didnt mention which region of India this curry originated from,certainly this looked like a Kerala traditional curry preparation with an exotic blend of spices like fennel,cloves,cinnamom,cardamom and black pepper and coconut milk.An absolutely tasty dish which goes great with white rice and rotis.Thanks Tina for sharing this recipe.

Love rice and a great rice dish I tried over the weekend was Paneer Pilaf from Nupur's kitchen.This is an authentic North Indian recipe with the use of garam masala (cloves,cinnamom,cardamom)and kasoori methi(dried fenugreek leaves).This dish is versatile in the fact that you can play around with the spices and add some veggies along with the paneer and rice to whip up an absolutely healthy,tasty and wholesome meal by itself.

To accompany the pilaf I made Tomato Kurma from Kay's Kitchen (it's her mother's recipe) and must say this curry blend is versatile and would taste great with any vegetable, with or without tomatoes.A great tasting Kurma recipe and goes great with dosas and flavoured rice.Thanks Nupur and Kay for sharing your recipes.
Anthony of Anthony's Kitchen has come up with a weekend curry mela where he collects some great recipe links from fellow bloggers and puts it all together in his blog each week.Do check out his forthcoming curry mela to find some mouth-watering delicious dishes this weekend.He sure makes life easy in helping me find some good recipes.

Its Tuesday and its time for ARF/5-A-Day and my entry for this week is Cardamom Tea or Elachi Chai ,an antioxidant rich tea.

Wanna join to have some fun this Thrusday as its the Cheese Sandwich Day in our food blogosphere.Also check out this blog which is dedicated to The Cheese Sandwich.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Recipes,Flickr

Elachi Chai - Indian Cardamom Tea (VRC- Cardamom)

2006-02-12T19:34:00.000+05:30

The theme for this week’s VRC started by Alysha of The Savoury Notebook is ‘Cardamom’,the queen of all spices.The first thought that came to my mind was ‘Elachi Chai’ or ‘Cardamom Tea’ ,a milky sweet flavoured Indian chai tea which enriches and enlightens my day.Chai-a-holic that I am,my day is incomplete without a freshly brewed cup of warm chai and as I relish every sip of this sweet flavoured chai , a fresh feeling of delicious warmth engulfes me…a truly divine experience.

Cardamom which has a lovely parrot-green shade has seeds that are sweet and fragrant and are used to enhance both sweet and spicy Indian foods like sweet rice pudding,pulao or pilaf and of course not to forget that it is one of the main elements in preparing ‘garam masala’ ,an important ingredient in preparing meat dishes and vegetarian curries as well.

The health promoting benefits cardamom has to offer is immense and is known to ease stomach cramps,stimulate digestion,reduces gas and is a great breath freshner.The antioxidant activity produced in tea is said to be greater than 20 vegetables and fruits and research has shown that cardamom also has antioxidant properties and can restore healthy levels of glutathione.Infact this post would make an apt entry for Sweetnicks ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday too..:)
Elachi chai has a thick and golden brown hue with an aromatic sweet taste with no trace of bitterness.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
2/3rd cup milk (you can use skimmed milk)
2-3 pods green cardamom seeds
2 tsps sugar
2 heaped tsps loose tea leaves(non-scented)

Bring water to boil in a stainless steel or non-stick pot. Add cardamom and tea leaves and simmer for a minute. Add milk, sugar and boil till desired colour is obtained.You will know when a lovely aroma is released.Dont boil too much as the tea will impart a bitter flavor.Cover and let it sit for a minute.Strain into cups while piping hot.This serves 2 cups of fragrant cardamom tea.

Note:The amount of milk and water can vary according to personal preference. If you want it more milky, increase the quantity of milk and lessen the water and if you want it less milky reduce milk and increase the quantity of water.

Serve with bajjis ,bhel, pakodas (fritters) or pastries
My entry for this week's VRC-Cardamom and also ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday

Food,Food Blogs,Tea,Cardamom,Indian Recipes,Flickr

SHF #16: Anjeer Halwa (Dried Figs Dessert)

2006-02-10T23:01:00.000+05:30

Well the count down to the most romantic day on earth - Valentine’s has begun and the theme for this week'sSugar High Friday #16 is "Recipe for Love"…tempting desserts that double as aphrodisiacs.What is an Aphrodisiac? "An aphrodisiac is an edible food or drink that imparts amorous qualities and eating or drinking these foods stimulates you and gets you in the mood for love."Some of the aphrodisiac foods that have been written since ancient times are apples,artichokes,aspagarus,almonds,figs,bananas,strawberries,honey,ginger,saffron,spples, apricots,cherries, coconut,dates, grapes, mangoes, papayas, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates and raspberries and of course chocolate.

I will not go into the scientific proof of these aphrodisiac foods but right now in today’s fast paced world,the best aphrodisiac is to keep the mobiles and PC’s turned off ,plan a delectable rendezvous,create intimacy with some candles and soft music,just be there for each other and get captivated by the fragrance of love.Enjoy this Valentine’s Day celebration with the joy of eating,drinking,enjoying each other’s appetites by conjuring up a delicious meal that tantilizes your taste buds and capture the essence of love.There’s nothing more aphrodisiac than that...:)

Fortunately or unfortunately neither myself nor my beloved have too much of a sweet tooth except for an occasional gulab jamun , bobattu (puran poli) or cake which are prepared as part of our festivities or special occassions. Today I conjured up a dessert with some aphrodisiac ingredients and figs (Anjeer) which are considered to be one of the most popular aphrodisiac foods is the main element here and combine it with two other powerful aphrodisiacs like almonds and saffron ,you have yourself a tantilizing healthy dessert!

Almonds are considered an international symbol of fertility and help sustain stamina while Saffron, a rare and exotic herb, has been used through ages in rituals of beauty and love.Halwa is soft,creamy and has a melt-in-your-mouth consistency, and before you know it, your sweetheart will devour it with utmost relish. Anjeer Halwa is a blend of condensed milk and dried figs, dense in texture and has a minimal flavour of sweetness.So some healthy fun cooking and good nutrition can all go together this Valentine's with this sensuous healthy dessert.

Anjeer Halwa (Dried Figs Dessert)
Ingredients:

1/4 lt boiled warm milk
1 small cup of dried figs (Anjeer) chopped into pieces

1 big tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup of sweetened Condensed Milk (Milkmaid)
5-6 almonds blanched and chopped length wise
few saffron strands

Soak the chopped figs in warm milk for an hour and then grind to a fine paste along with the milk.
Heat ghee in a vessel and add the condensed milk and fig paste and cook on medium heat stirring continously till it leaves the sides of the vessel.
Serve hot garnished with chopped almonds and saffron strands.
Note: Halwa can also be eaten cold.

Food,Food Blogs,Desserts,Valentine' Day,Desserts SHF 16

ARF #6- Bisi Bele Bath - Rice & Lentils Cooked With Vegetables and Spices

2006-02-07T16:57:00.000+05:30

Bisi (means hot) Bele (means lentils) Bath (means sauce mixed with rice) is a Karnataka (S.India) speciality rice dish.Don't get carried away by the simple looks of this dish..:) because the preparation of the masalas which bring out the aromatic tangy-spicy flavour of this rich dish is an extravagant and tedious affair.Besides this rich dish,I also prepared Curd rice or Daddojanum (as we Andhras call it) or Thayir sadam (as called in Tamil Nadu) which is generally eaten towards the end of the meal because it has a calm,soothing effect after eating spicy food.

Rice is our staple and also reigns high among my favourite foods and I enjoy making exotic rice dishes for our weekend rendezvous,a change from the monotony of steamed white rice fare..:).Some of the rice dishes I prepared earlier are lemon rice,tamarind rice, sprouts fried rice, andhra pulao(mixed vegetable rice), jeera rice (cumin rice) and coriander rice ..well my kind of warm comforting rice dishes..:).

Bisi Bele Bath ,a wholesome traditional meal of the Kannada people, requires slow cooking of yellow lentils, rice and vegetables with aromatic spices.This rice dish is infused with carbohydrates(rice),proteins(lentils),antioxidants and vital nutrients (vegetables like onions,peas,beans,carrots,potatoes) and as an astringent, tamarind aids digestion. I thought it would fit the Antioxidant Rich Foods category and would make an apt entry for ARF # 6 Tuesday.

Ingredients:

1 cup long-grained rice (cook the rice till soft and mushy)
1 small cup tur dal (Red gram)(cook the dal till soft and well cooked)
2 cups mixed vegetables cubed(carrots, beans, potatoes, peas)
1 cup tamarind juice (soak lemon sized ball of tamarind in 1 cup of warm water for 20 minutes and extract the juice)
2 onions finely sliced
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp grated coconut

Masala:
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
5 dry red chillies
1 tbsp raw rice
1/2 tsp urad dal (black gram dal)
1/2 tsp channa dal (bengal gram dal)
3/4 tsp aniseed/fennel seeds(saunf)
1" stick cinnamon
2 green cardamoms
4 cloves
6 marathi moggu (Tokamiriyalu,Badi Laung)
5 peppercorns
1/4 tsp turmeric powder(haldi,pasupu)
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp grated fresh coconut(you can use dessicated coconut)
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing,inguva)
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a vessel and add all the above spices except asafoetida and fry them on low heat for 2 mts stirring constantly.
Add asafoetida just before you remove the spices off the heat.Cool and make a coarse powder of the spices.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee in a vessel and fry the onions till transparent and then add the vegetables,salt and pinch of sugar and cook them under steam till almost cooked or 3/4th cooked.
Now add the cooked rice and dal and mix well.
Add tamarind extract,2 tsps of the ground masala pwd,salt and grated coconut and mix thoroughly.Let it sit covered for 40-45 minutes on low heat so that the masalas and flavours are well absorbed.
Add 3 cups of water and mix well and pressure cook for 3 minutes or one whistle.If you dont have a pressure cooker,cover with a lid and cook on low flame.
Generally the consistency of the rice is like a thick dosa batter.I like mine to be a little watery so I add a little more water than required..its matter of choice actually.If you like to have the rice thick reduce the water quantity to 2 cups.

Serve hot with melted ghee,papadam and pickle of your choice.More the ghee more the taste..forget the calories and relish this dish.Overwhelmed by the blend & flavor of aromatic spices anyone will devour Bisi Bele Bath in moments and thats not an exaggeration..:)

Curd Rice
Ingredients:

1 cup raw rice (cook rice till very soft and mushy and cool it)
3 cups fresh curd (yogurt)
1/4 cup milk
2 green chillies slit length wise
2" ginger piece finely grated

Tempering:
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard
2 dry red chillis
8 curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida
salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Mix the yogurt to the cooled cooked rice and all the ingredients except the tempering ingredients.Mix well.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and let them splutter.Now add the red chillies,curry leaves and asafoetida and immediately add to the curd rice. Stir and mix again.Adjust salt.

Note:If you eat the curd rice immediately on preparing it then there is no need for milk.But if you have prepared the curd rice well in advance, then add 1/4 cup milk to the curd rice 10 minutes before serving so that it doesnt taste sour.You can garnish with finely chopped onions and fruits of your choice like pomegrante or grapes.Its again individual choice.

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Recipes,South Indian Cooking, Flickr

WHB-Moringa Tree-Drumstick Leaves Soup

2006-02-05T22:33:00.000+05:30

Do you know of the most nutrient rich tree in the world that grows really fast,its root,bark,leaves,flowers and pods can cure more than 300 diseases (according to Ayurveda),whose leaves,flowers and pods are edibles and are used to conjure up culinary delicacies, and can even purify water--but has been overlooked by modern medicine?Yes,we are talking about the Moringa or "drumstick" tree (moringa oleifera) an "all-natural multi-vitamin” and a natural energy booster and its leaves contain high amounts of Vitamin A (four times more than carrots), Vitamin C (seven times more than oranges), protein (twice that of milk), iron(three times the iron of spinach) calcium (four times more than milk) and potassium (triple the amount in bananas) and are low in fat and carbohydrates.The leaves and pods are highly effective in preventing/reversing vision related problems and respiratory ailments, especially in children.

The juice from the moringa leaves is believed to stabilize blood pressure, the flowers are used to cure inflammations, the pods are used for joint pain, the roots are used to treat rheumatism, and the bark can be chewed as a digestive and the gum that exudes from the stem is used to treat headaches.It is antibacterial, stimulant, anti-epileptic rubrifacient, carminative, stomachic, abortif, cardiotonic, antispasmodic, anti-flatulent and antiparalytic and and a good cleanser.

The Moringa or Horseradish tree(aka Munaga,Muruggai,Muranka) is perennial, erect, slender, medium-sized with many arching branches. It has drumstick-like fruits, small white flowers and small and tear drop shaped round leaves which are cooked and eaten as vegetable.There are a number of preparations made from moringa trees and exported from India,namely fresh drumstick fruit,Drumstick powder,Moringa oil,Moringa seed,Moringa leaf powder,Moringa leaf,Moringa pickle,Moringa tea powder,Moringa fruit powder,Moringa seed kernel,Moringa cake powder and Moringa root and many more.Powder from seed kernels works as a natural coagulant which can purify very turbid water removing up to 99 per cent bacteria. Pleasant tasting oilwhich is extracted from its seeds is used in preparing perfumes and lubricants.The seed cake is a protein rich plant fertiliser. The gum obtained from the tree is used in calico printing and in making certain condiments while the bark of the moringa tree is beaten into fibres to make ropes and mats.You can see how each and every part of this remarkable tree benefits mankind.The miracle Moringa tree adorns our backyard and during season yields atleast 300 drumsticks (munaga kaadalu/kaayalu)with amma distributing them to our neighbours,friends and relatives.I decided to blog about this remarkable tree for this Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn.The Moringa has over the years become an integral part of our daily diet.There is something special about these tender green leaves which you can use in your salad,prepare a soup or with dal or use them as a stuffing for paranthas.I use these leaves like spinach to make cutlets and is goes great with masala chai.

I had earlier posted Drumstick Shrimp Curry and now I am sharing with you a soup dish called Munaga Aaku Charu or Drumstick Leaves Soup.

Munaga Aaku Charu (Drumstick Leaves Soup)
Ingredients:

1/2 cup of drumstick leaves (washed thoroughly)
lemon sized tamarind (extract juice and make 3 glasses of tamarind water)
1 tomato (quartered)
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
2 baby onions
3 green chillis slit length wise
10-12 curry leaves
1 tsp jaggery
salt

For tempering:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillis deseed and tear
1 tsp urad dal( split black gram dal)
1/4 tsp methi seeds(fenugreek seeds)
4 flakes garlic crushed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a vessel.Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Add the red chillis,urad dal,methi seeds,garlic and cumin seeds and fry till brown.
Add the onions and green chillis and stir fry for a minutes.Add the tomatoes,turmeric pwd,tamarind water,salt,curry leaves,jaggery and the drumstick leaves and let it boil.Once it comes to a boil simmer the soup for 5 minutes till the rawness of tamarind disappears.Adjust salt and turn off heat.
Have it hot as a soup or serve with hot steamed rice.
Note:Adding boiled tur dal water to the charu/soup further enhances its taste.

Drumstick Leaves Soup is my entry for this month's Soup theme of Virtual Recipe Club started by Alysha of The Savoury Notebook.

Project Moringa of 'Trees for Life', a non-profit organization among other things is trying to popularize moringa leaves in Africa & India as an antidote to malnutrition.Let's spread the word about 'Trees for Life' and Project Moringa and help make a difference to people's lives.

Food,Food Blogs,Weekend Herb Blogging,Andhra Recipes,South Indian Cooking, Flickr

Drumstick Shrimp Curry - Royallu Munaga Kaaya Kura

2006-02-05T09:49:00.000+05:30

Drumsticks or Munaga Kaaya are one of my favourite vegetables and I use them liberally in my everyday cooking be it to make a pickle,mixed vegetable curry or with shrimps,or add them to my favorite sambar(lentil based stew),thiyal or avial.

I will be writing more about 'The Moringa Miracle Tree' for the Weekend Herb Blogging event after I post this recipe and you can read more about this remarkable discovery which can make a tremendous difference to one's health and how each and every part of the tree benefits mankind.

The flavour of the cooked succulent interior of the drumsticks with the seeds is sweet and we use our teeth to scrap away the soft center and discard the outer hard skin.I love to chew upon the outer skin before I discard it..:).The outer skin is scrapped and the drumsticks are cut into finger length pieces (as show in the picture) and then used in our cooking.Today I am sharing with you a curry dish using drumsticks and shrimps(prawns).

Drumstick Shrimp Curry(Royallu Munaga Kaaya Kura)

Ingredients:

2 drumsticks (peel outer skin and cut into finger length pieces and stir fry them for 3-4 mintes in a vessel adding a 1 tsp of oil)
500 gms of shrimps or prawns (shelled and deveined)
2 big onions finely chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4 green chillis slit length wise
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
garam masala (pound 1 green cardamom,1" cinnamon stick and 3 cloves)
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 tbsp coconut paste(optional)
salt
oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander for garnish

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a vessel and add the chopped onions and green chillis and fry till transparent.Add the ginger garlic paste and fry till oil seperates.
Add all the powders and mix well.Add the tomatoes and stir fried drumstick pieces and cook further for another 3-4 minutes.
Add the prawns and stir well till its well coated with the masala.Let it cook for 2 minutes and then add the coconut paste and salt and add 1 cup of water.
Cook covered for 5 minutes till you get the desired curry consistency.Turn off heat.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or rotis.

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Recipes,Andhra Recipes,South Indian Cooking, Flickr

Pesara Pappu Kattu- Split Lentil Seasoned with Spices

2006-02-02T20:49:00.000+05:30

My meals are incomplete without a dal dish.Its the most comforting traditional staple of our home and I can say ,without doubt, to most Indian homes.Considering the nutritional superiority of lentils,I would prefer to cook dals,an excellent source of high-quality protein and much easier to digest, than meat.Indian cooking is known to be labor intensive,but believe me,not all foods require a lot of time and effort in their cooking.So if your looking for that simple,healthy comfort food that can be made in a jiffy ,I have a perfect dal dish for you.

Among all the various dals or lentils, the split yellow moong dal or pesara pappu or dhuli moong is a flat,yellow and mild dal,which is most easy to cook without soaking and easy to digest too.Infact the most important food for a light diet according to our ancient medical science Ayurveda is this moong dal and is recommended for children and the elderly as its easily digested. Well,if your down with a stomach problem you would prefer to eat this dal as its very gentle on the stomach and is recommended for mucus dominated persons (Kapha dosha).We use this dal a lot in our everyday cooking be it as a dal with rice or rotis or combined with greens as a stir fry dish like Thotakura Pesara Pappu or to prepare our traditional sweet Bobattu aka Puran Poli.

It’s the tempering/seasoning which is the most important part of this golden yellow dal which gives it the perfect flavor and its aroma is further enhanced with the usage of ghee.This dal is infused with turmeric which provides a warm flavour other than imparting a golden color while cumin, ginger,asafetida,red and green chilli peppers aid in digestion of dal ,thus, transforming this dish into a truly tantilising everyday Indian dal.

Ingredients:

1 cup split moong dal(pesara pappu) cooked in a pot with 3 cups of water(this dal cooks really fast unlike other dals)
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chilli slit length wise
2 dry red chillis deseed and tear into pieces
1 tsp grated ginger
10 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric (pasupu,haldi)
big pinch asafoetida (hing)
salt
ghee
1 tbsp lemon juice

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a vessel.Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle and brown.
Now add red chillis,green chillis,curry leaves,ginger and fry for a few seconds.
Now add the asafoetida and turmeric and immediately add the cooked dal along with the excess boiled dal water.Add salt.
Let the dal simmer for 8-10 mts.Turn off heat.
Just before serving add a dash of lime and serve hot with steamed rice or rotis or have it as a soup.(If you wish to have it as a hot soup add an extra cup of water)

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Recipes,Andhra Recipes,South Indian Cooking, Flickr

Chawal Ki Roti & Palak Makki (Rice Based Flat Bread & Spinach Corn Curry)

Coming up with nutritious,tasty wholesome meals for my family ,keeping in mind we have a growing child, has always been a challenge to me.I always look for interesting ways (read it as varieties)to conjure up a healthy meal loaded with greens (iron), vegetables (which provide the necessary nutrients),lentils and pulses(protein), whole grains (vital vitamins and minerals) and of course herbs and spices(nutritive and medicinal value) which not only provide natural health benefits but also titillate our taste buds..:).

I try my best to influence the wellness level of my family in choosing a wide variety of fresh foods for balanced nutrition and combining and balancing their tastes and flavors with my cooking.Mostly I rely on the safe,tried and tested techniques utilised to bring out the best of flavours from the ingredients used, which I have picked up from amma and ammamma over time.Everyday is a learning process,adapting and learning from others,with most meals being satisfactory by striking a good mix of different tastes, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. According to Ayurveda each taste has a balancing effect, and including some of each minimizes cravings and balances the appetite and digestion.

Indian cuisine has an eclectic collection of leavened and unleavened Indian breads which are so versatile and can be prepared according to one’s taste and imagination be it the plain roti/chapatti,stuffed rotis or paranthas or puris. Today I prepared nutritious Rice Rotis or Chawal Ki Roti prepared from cooked rice,rice flour,yogurt,methi leaves,ginger and green chillis (very rich in iron and carbohydrates).The rice,yogurt and chillis provide a sweet and spicy earthiness to the rotis while the greens (coriander and methi leaves) add a punch of bitter to offset the sweet.

The subtely spiced curry accompanying the rotis is Spinach(Palak) Corn prepared as the name suggests with spinach,corn,green chillis,ginger,garlic,mango powder and cream.The curry dish offsets the rich flavor of fresh cream and cashewnuts with the sweet-tangy flavour of corn and mango powder– creating a unique balance.In short,a healthy meal spiced with a myriad of flavours to scintilate your taste buds.

Rice Rotis
Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour (biyam pindi,chawal ka atta)
1 cup cooked rice
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp chopped green chillies
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp fresh methi leaves (fenugreek)optional
4 tbsps curd
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste
water as required

Combine all the ingredients and knead into a firm dough (use little water).
Divide the dough into big lemon sized balls.
Roll out each portion into a circle of approx 6" diameter and 1/4" thickness.
Heat a griddle and cook each roti on both sides until brown ensuring that the edges are cooked on the inside too.Smear with ghee (clarified butter) and serve hot.

Palak Makki
Ingredients:

1 big bunch spinach
1/2 cup boiled corn kernels
1/2 tsp shahjeera (cumin seeds)
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 green chillis
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp amchur pwd(dry mango pwd)
1 tbsp cashewnut pwd
1 tbsp fresh cream
big pinch of kasturi methi (dry fenugreek)
1 tsp lemon juice

Blanche spinach and puree it.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a vessel and add shahjeera.Let it sizzle.
Now add finely chopped onions and fry well till oil seperates.Add the slit green chillis and ginger garlic paste and fry further for another 3-4 mts.
Add the palak paste and boiled corn and simmer covered for 3 mts.
Add amchur pwd,cashewnut pwd and salt and mix well.Add 1/4 cup of water and cook
for a few minutes till you get the desired curry consistency.Towards the end add kasturi methi and turn off heat.Add the lemon juice and mix well.
Garnish with fresh cream.

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Recipes,Indian Cooking, Flickr

ARF #5 - Cauliflower Tomato Curry

2006-01-31T21:02:00.000+05:30

I know that there are quite a few who arent fond of cauliflower and tend to use less of this antioxidant rich under-appreciated vegetable in their cooking.I guess, its mostly the manner in which cauliflower is prepared/cooked that is a major deciding factor whether one hates or loves it.I love cauliflower and if its cooked right, its one the best tasting vegetables.Quite a few are put off by the odor while steaming or cooking the vegetable.Try this method which removes the odor and the cauliflower turns a crispy golden brown ..first blanche the florets in salted boiling water for a few minutes which will remove the natural bitterness and then stir fry these blanched florets in some butter or oil till they turn golden brown and then cook this vegetable as the recipe calls for.Believe me,cauliflower cooked in this manner is absolutely delicious and yes,even the person who hates it will begin to love it.

Today’s vegetarian recipe, which is also low in calories, is an antioxidant rich food with, cauliflower,tomato,turmeric and garlic ..all of which are high in antioxidant properties and also my entry for this week's ARF 5 Day Tuesday #5.Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts contain a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a potent antioxidant that breaks down estrogen in the body, that reduce the risk of breast cancer and other estrogen-sensitive cancers, like cancer of the ovaries and cervix.

Tomatoes contain lycopene and is twice as powerful as beta-carotene. They also contain the antioxidant glutathione, which helps boost immune function.Infact eating cooked tomatoes is better for our body as the heat allows more desirable antioxidants in tomatoes to be made available to the body. And because lycopene is fat-soluble, eating tomatoes with oil can improve absorption.

Garlic is one of oldest culinary herb, full of antioxidants, that keeps the heart healthy by lowering cholesterol levels, reducing blood pressure, fighting free radicals and keeping blood from clotting.

Turmeric has been used for centuries in India as a spice in ancient Indian food and medicinal herb to treat a host of ailments.A major notable inflammation-fighting compound called curcuminoids is present in turmeric and the most important of these is curcumin.Curcumin is as powerful an antioxidant as vitamins C and E and even beta-carotene.Antioxidants are also powerful preservatives, which also explain why using turmeric in food helps retain its freshness.
Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower (wash the florets and blanche in salted water)
8-10 garlic flakes
4 medium sized onions finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1/2 tsp coriander pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
salt to taste
3 big tomatoes finely chopped
big pinch of garam masala pwd
oil
1/2 tsp jaggery(optional)
chopped fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Heat 1 tsp butter or oil in a vessel and add the blanched florets and stir fry for 4-5 mts continuosly till you get a light golden color.Remove and keep aside.
In the same vessel add 1 tbsp oil and add garlic flakes and fry for 10-15 seconds.Now add the chopped onions and fry till transparent.
Add all the powders except garam masala and salt and mix well.
Add the tomaotes and cook till oil seperates.
Add the fried florets and cook covered on low heat for 3 mts.
Add 3/4 cup water,jaggery and garam masala and cook till you get the desired gravy consistency.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
This low calorie and vegetarian recipe goes well with rice or rotis.

Food,Food Blogs,Vegetarian ,Indian Cooking,Antioxidants,Flickr

Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken Legs And Spiced Chinese Fish Fillet

2006-01-29T14:51:00.000+05:30

Today the 29th of January is the start of the Chinese New year and the year of the Dog,the Fire Dog.Wish all those celebrating a happy,healthy and wealthy year of the dog that is full of joy,happiness, prosperity.
Happy Chinese New Year!

The Dog in Chinese Astrology represents loyalty,friendship, infinite courage,mighty fortitude and hidden strength.
I went Indo-chinese with 'Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken Legs' today,a starter dish which has a tangy,sweet and spicy flavor.I enjoy cooking Chinese inspired Indianised food and this dish doesnt require much effort and is a very simple recipe.You can play around with the spices and sauces.

Fish plays a large role in Chinese festive celebrations.On New Year's Eve it is customary to serve fish for dinner,symbolizing a wish for abundance in the coming year.I prepared an Indo-Chinese fish recipe,'Spiced Chinese Fish Fillet' which is not only easy to prepare but also tastes great.

Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken Legs

Ingredients:

6 chicken legs
4 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp black pepper pwd
salt to taste
1 big onion finely chopped
2 dry red chilli deseed & tear into pieces(or chopped green chillis)
1 tsp grated ginger-garlic (optional)
1 tbsp oil

Wash chicken and drain water completely.Marinate the chicken with tomato sauce,vinegar,soya sauce,red chilli pwd and pepper pwd for half an hour.
Heat a vessel and add the marinated chicken and let the chicken cook in its own juices(dont add water.
Cover and cook till the chicken absorbs all the spices and sauces.Keep checking and stirring so that it doesnt burn.
Meanwhile heat oil in a pan.When hot add the onions,chillis and garlic-ginger and fry well on high heat stirring continuosly till well browned.Add the fried chicken legs and stir fry for 4-5 mts till well roasted and coated with the onions.Serve hot with salad.

Spiced Chinese Fish Fillet

Ingredients:

fish fillets 6
1 tsp chinese 5 spices powder (equal parts of cinnamon,fennel,star anise,cloves and black pepper)
1 tsp soya sauce(optional)
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
salt
1/4 cup rice flour
oil for frying

Mix all the above ingredients except rice flour and salt and marinate the fish fillets with this mixture and keep aside for 1/2 hr.
Dust the marinated fish fillets with the rice flour and salt.
Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a frying pan to medium-high and fry 2 fish fillets at a time for 2-4 minutes each side till golden brown.Pat dry with paper towel when done.Serve hot with salad.
Variation:Alternately,you can also dip the marinated fish fillets in all purpose flour,then dip in beaten eggs and then coat in bread crumbs before shallow frying.

Food,Food Blogs,Indo Chinese Recipes,Cuisine,Flickr

Shikampur Kebabs - Minced mutton-based lentil patty

2006-01-28T20:22:00.000+05:30

Hyderabad (capital of Andhra Pradesh) and Lucknow (capital of Uttar Pradesh) are the two cities in India where the "kebab" evolved. When and Who introduced the 'kebab' to India is another story which requires a separate post by itself..so let me reserve that for later.

Lucknow is famous for its kebabs and you will find the great great grandsons of bawarchis(Chefs) to the Nawabs(Kings) carry on the culinary tradition of their forefathers in their dhabas till today. Lucknow’s richly flavoured Avadh cuisine is specially known for the quality and quantity of spices used in cooking meat dishes.Murg tikka,fish tikka,paneer kebab,seekh kebab,kacche keeme ki kebab,kalmi kebab and tangiri kebab to name a few, are the famous Lucknowi mouthwatering array of specialities.

Hyderabad,our capital city,is the home of the Muslim Nawabs(rulers) and is famous for it’s Dum Biriyani,simply irresistable grilled kebabs, kurmas and the famous Shikampur Kebab (mutton mince cooked with cumin,cloves and cinnamon and bengal gram lentil and stuffed with cottage cheese,mint,onions and green chillies) and gently grilled on a griddle or tawa with pure ghee.Shikampur means ‘belly-full’ referring to the stuffing in the centre of the kebab.The famous Shammi Kebab of Lucknow is same as Shikampur Kebab without the stuffing.

Ingredients:

500 gms kheema (minced meat)
1/4 cup of Bengal gram lentil(soaked in water for 1/2 hr)
10 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 pods green cardamom
2 sticks cinnamon
5 cloves
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tsp red chilli pwd
2 tbsp oil/ghee(clarified butter)
1 1/2 cup water
Mix all the above ingredients and bring to a boil and then bring to medium heat for 2 mts before reducing to low heat until all the water evaporates and the meat and dal is cooked.Stir occassionally to prevent burning.
Then add salt and blend in a mixie and knead it like a dough.Shape into round pattis.

For filling:

3 tbsp finely chopped onions
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tbsp grated yogurt cheese
4 deseeded and chopped green chillis
salt
Mix all the ingredients for the filling.

Flatten the pattis and put a tbsp of the filling in the center and reshape into a patti.Refridgerate for 20-25 mts.

Pre-heat a griddle adding 2 tbsps of oil/ghee and shallow fry 3 kebabs at a time.Let them cook on low heat to medium heat.Flip over and brown both sides till golden brown.
Serve with salad,onion rings and lemon wedges.

Note:The authentic recipe calls for chunks of meat which is cooked in spices and pounded in a stone mortar.I have used minced meat out of sheer convenience..:)

Food,Food Blogs,Indian Recipes,Indian Cooking, Flickr

Ragi Roti - Millet Flour Based Flat Indian Bread

2006-01-26T14:42:00.000+05:30

Alysha of The Savory Notebook has started a new club called ‘Virtual Recipe Club’ where she has chosen to utilize this club to swap new recipes and share our favorites every month.This month’s (January) theme is – Whole Grain Breakfast Foods that contain whole grains like whole wheat flour,wheat bran,oat bran,wheat germ,millet,whole grain cornmeal,oats,buckwheat or barley.I have chosen to highlight the benefits of including Finger Millet or Ragi as a highly nutritious whole grain in our diets.
The Latin name of Ragi is Elusine Indica which is a traditional crop of S.India and is also known as the poor man’s millet due to its long sustenance.The labouring farmers in our villages sustain on this whole grain which is more superior to rice or wheat in nutritional terms, being rich in proteins,providing highest levels of calcium,antioxidants properties, phytochemicals and high levels of dietary fibre which makes it easily and slowly digestable(hence helps control blood glucose levels in diabetics very effectively).The bulkiness of the fiber and the slower digestion rate makes us feel fuller on fewer calories, and therefore may help prevent us from eating excess calories.I have read this interesting article on fat loss with this wonder grain here ,where the author shows how we can manage to prevent obesity by incorporating ragi in our diet.

I weaned my toddler to complementary foods to meet his nutritional requirements at 5+ months and one of the major health foods I gave him was ragi malt and research has proven that millet grains holds the key to a healthy, wholesome diet and has a better balance of vitamins and minerals than wheat, barley, oats, rice or rye.It has amazing amounts of iron, Vit B, complex protein, amino acids, phosphorus,magnesium and potassium and can be given to babies from age 5+ months as baby food like a porridge or combine it with milk/yogurt/veggies/fruits which is a complete nutritious baby meal.Ragi flour cooked with a little milk and sugar is a tasty and easily digestable breakfast cereal.

Our farmers and labourers,over the centuries have traditionally used ragi as an essential whole grain in their diet,especially in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states and most of their nutrition comes from the traditional Ragi Mudde (Kannada) or Ragi Sankati (Telugu) which is eaten in the morning with a chilli, onions, sambar (lentil based stew)or meat curry and helps them sustain throughout the whole day.

Similar to chapatis or parantas which are wheat flour based,we can prepare ragi rotis from ragi flour.Ragi roti is a traditional Karnataka breakfast dish prepared from ragi flour,fresh grated coconut,onions and green chillis.I usually prepare these ragi rotis with different vegetable stuffings using carrots,peas,cauliflower,drumstick leaves(mulaga akkulu)and methi leaves for added flavour and nutrition.

A highly nutritious and healthy food,Ragi Roti,making its entry for this month's Wholesome Grain Breakfast Food theme of Alysha's Virtual Recipe Club.

Ingredients:
1 cup ragi flour
2 finely chopped green chillies (you can use chilli pwd)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of asafoetida or hing (optional)
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut (optional)
1 onion finely chopped
½ cup cooked fresh vegetables (optional)..I have used grated carrots and boiled mashed green peas

oil for frying
a plastic foil for spreading the ragi dough into a circular shaped roti

Mix all the ingredients, except oil.
Add just enough water to make a firm dough.
Divide big lemon sized balls.Take a plantain leaf or butter paper or a plastic foil and place a ball on it and flatten with your fingers spreading it as thin as possible into a circular shape of approx 6" in diameter.
Pre-heat the griddle spreading a tsp of oil and carefully transfer the rolled out ragi roti onto the griddle.

Cook for about a minute,flip and cook for another minute.Keep flipping till its well cooked on both sides.
Serve hot with chutney.I like to eat my ragi roti with curd and lime pickle.

The traditional Ragi Sankati of Rayalaseema fame has been blogged by Indira of Mahanandi in her blog and you can find an authentic recipe of famous traditional Kannada Raagi Mudde here.You can also check out Vkn's Ragi Dosa recipe at his Dhaba.I'd also like to share with you this article on the benefits and the importance of eating a healthy breakfast.

Food,Andhra Recipes,Millet,South Indian Cooking,Traditional Home Cooking

Rajma - Jeera Rice (Curried Red Kidney Beans with Cumin Rice)

2006-01-24T18:15:00.000+05:30

Sweetnicks is hosting ARF/5-A-Day cooking event where food bloggers can submit their ARF(Antioxidant Rich Foods) recipes every Tuesday where she does a round up of all the recipes submitted.It sure is a great theme to keep us healthy as we share some great antioxidant food recipes with one another.This is my entry for this week's ARF 5-Day Tuesday #4.

Why do we need to eat more anti-oxidant rich foods?What are anti-oxidants and why do we need them?Well,antioxidants help protect healthy cells from the damage caused by free radicals.What are free-radicals,you may ask? Free radicals are unstable, reactive molecules with a free electron that seek to latch onto whatever they can find and are generated by the metabolism of oxygen and other chemicals.Unsaturated fats, certain reactive chemicals, both inhaled and consumed in food or water, microbes,polluted environment and smoking cigarettes all generate free radicals. When these free radicals are not countered by antioxidant nutrients, they may attack healthy cells,cell membranes, fat molecules, or tissue linings in our body and weaken them and if left unchecked, they may contribute to heart damage, cancer, cataracts and other illnesses and may also weaken our immune system.So you want to fill your body with an abundance of antioxidants, while you do your best to avoid oxidant poisons.Antioxidants, also termed as "free-radical scavengers," protect us by binding the free radicals and when we get sufficient levels of these antioxidants, such as vitamin E and Vitamin C, selenium, and beta-carotene in our diet, we can neutralize the free radicals and prevent cellular and tissue damage. For an better overview and understanding of free radicals and antioxidants follow this link.

In her search for anti-oxidant food sources,Alanna of A Veggie Venture came up with a helpful list of antioxidant food sources and she goes on to define these food sources in a very interesting manner.. "The best list of antioxidant-rich vegetables is the list of vegetables you'll actually eat."I couldn’t agree more on that.

Red Kidney Beans or Rajma (Hindi) are a rich source of anti-oxidants and contains cholesterol-lowering fiber which prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making them a very good food source for diabetics.When red kidney beans are combined with whole grains such as rice, they provide an almost fat-free high quality protein. Rajma is quite a popular bean in North India and can be best associated with Rajma Chawal (red kidney beans with rice), the basic staple of N.India and an extremely popular dish which is a complete meal in itself.A signature Punjabi dish ,Rajma is curried beans simmered in spiced gravy of onions and tomatoes which reflects the taste of authentic North Indian cuisine with its rich flavor and appetizing aroma.I generally use kidney beans to prepare rajma curry to go with hot steamed rice,stuffed parathas or salad.I try to incorporate red beans in our diet as much as possible....and rajma curry (with jeera rice) is one of my favourite beans curry.

Ingredients:

1 cup red kidney beans soaked overnight
3 cups water
1 big onion
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
pinch of asafoetida(optional)
pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 big tomatoes finely chopped
1/4 tsp of ground garam masala (2 cloves,1/2" cinnamon and 1 green cardamom)
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1 tbsp coriander pwd
1 1/2 tbsps oil or ghee(clarified butter)
salt to taste
chopped fresh coriander leaves for garnish(optional)

Wash the kidney beans and soak in water overnight.Next morning, pressure cook until soft or cook in a large pot of water till soft.Remove half a cup of cooked beans, crush coarsely and keep aside.
Grind onion, ginger and garlic to a very fine paste.
Heat ghee/oil in a cooking vessel and add cumin seeds and let them brown.Add the asafoetida and stir fry for few seconds and then add the ground onion paste and saute until golden brown sprinkling water occasionally until the ghee starts separating from the paste.
Add red chilli pwd,turmeric pwd,coriander pwd,cumin pwd and salt.Mix well.
Add the tomatoes and cook till ghee seperates.
Add the cooked whole beans along with the residue water left while pressure cooking it.Cover and cook for 3 mts.
Add the crushed kidney beans and a cup of water.Mix well.Add garam masala and cook till required gravy consistency.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with steamed rice,jeera rice,chappatis or phulkas.

Lulu of Lulu Loves London shares another tasty rajma recipe, Kashmiri Rajma.

Jeera Rice
Ingredients:

1 cup long grain rice or basmati rice
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp clove-cinnamon powder
1 1/2 cups water
salt to taste

Wash rice well and soak in water for 20 minutes.
Heat ghee in a heavy vessel.Add the cumin seeds and let them turn brown.
Add the bay leaves and fry for few seconds.Add sugar and drained rice(keep aside the drained water)gently stiring for a mt.
Add spice powder and salt.Mix.Add water and bring to a boil.
Cover and cook on simmer till rice is cooked and water evaporates and see that each grain is separate.Serve hot with rajma or any curry of your choice.

Dawna of Always In The Kitchen shares an interesting recipe Jamaican style Beans and Rice.

Food,Beans,North Indian Recipes,Antioxidant Foods, Flickr

Weekend Herb Blogging #16 - Amaranth Leaves (Thota Kura-Pesarapappu)

2006-01-22T19:04:00.000+05:30

“Amaranth, though relatively unknown today, was cultivated as a food crop in Mexico as early as 7000 years ago. Amaranth grain constituted a principal source of protein for the pre-Hispanic populations of Mesoamerica. Along with beans and corn, amaranth was a fundamental part of the indigenous Mexican diet.”

This was news to me.I thought Amaranth or Thota kura, as its called in our state of Andhra Pradesh, was native to Indian and China.I was wrong.(I must appreciate and thank Kalyn of Kalyns Kitchen for starting a wonderful theme.If not for her,I surely wouldnt know so many facts about different herbs and vegetables) Amaranth has been used for centuries because of its nutritional qualities and today its value has been re-discovered by the health-conscious who have developed a liking to it because of its ability to provide high nutrition both as a vegetable and as a grain.I found some interesting facts on the history of Amaranth here.

Amaranth is herbaceous plant of the genus Amaranthus, is also known as Chinese spinach, choy, , tamri bhaji,chauli,thota kura, mullukkirai Jacob's coat, Joseph's coat. The edible tender leaves and stems, rich in vitamins A and C, protein,folic acid,calcium and iron, are considered as vegetable and are cooked like spinach. Iron levels in amaranth leaves are three times more than those of spinach and the leaves have a taste similar to spinach, but are much sweeter. These leaves are low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and also a very good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper and Manganese. Amaranth is generally available as a red variety (such as red saag,red spinach or red leaf amaranth) or as green amaranth (such as green pointed leaf,tender leaf or green round leaf).The picture above reflects both the red and green amaranth variety.For more information (with pictures) on different varieties of Amaranth leaves follow this link.

Amaranth is considered to be one of the most nutritious plant in the world.Popped amaranth seeds provide a good source of protein which can satisfy a large portion of the recommended protein requirements for children and can also provide approximately 70% of necessary calories. A combination or rice and amaranth, in a 1:1 ratio, has been designated as an excellent way to achieve the protein allowance recommended by the World Health Organization.

Amaranth is a multi-purpose plant in India. The tender leaves and shoots of the amaranth plant are relished as a green vegetable and are excellent for stir-fries and soups. In some regions of the country,the grains are popped and mixed with milk and sugar to prepare kheer(sweet drink) and without milk to prepare halwa(sweet pudding). The roasted and partially popped grains are milled into flour and used to make rotis(flat Indian bread)or, fried in oil to make puris(puffed Indian bread) or crisp pakoras(fritters).

To prepare any recipe using amaranth,wash the greens thoroughly and slice the older woodier stems and use only the tender stems and leaves,which have a mild spinach flavor,for salads.Stems and leaves that may be more mature can be used in stir-fry dishes, soups and steamed dishes with noodles.

In Andhra ,Thota Kura is used to prepare dal (lentil)dishes,stir-fries and soups.Today’s recipe is Thota Kura Peasarapappu which is a stir fry lentil dish cooked with amaranth leaves.Very nutritious, tasty and goes well with rice and rasam.This dish goes well with hot steamed rice and rasam.

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped thota kura
1 small cup pesara pappu(split yellow moong dal) washed and boiled in 1 cup of water till soft but not mushy.The dal must be intact.(When ever I boil the pesara pappu I use the left over water to prepare rasam)
1 big onion finely chopped
3 slit green chillis
1 tsp chopped ginger

½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
4-5 garlic flakes crushed
10 curry leaves
2 dry de-seeded red chillis(tear them into 2-3 pieces)

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a vessel.Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Now add the cumin seeds,garlic flakes,red chillis,curry leaves and stir fry for 15-20 seconds.Dont burn it.
Add the chopped onions,green chillis and ginger and fry on medium heat till transparent.Now add the chopped amaranth leaves and mix well.
Add the cooked dal and mix well,cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat and its ready to be served with hot steamed rice and rasam.

For more recipes on Amaranth follow this link.

Food,Vegetables,Cooking,Andhra Recipes,Weekend Herb Blogging, Flickr

Sprouts Fried Rice - Indo-Chinese Fusion Cooking

2006-01-21T15:37:00.000+05:30

Fusion cooking is basically the art of blending compatible flavours of different foods and cooking methods of East and West to create dishes which are unique,exotic and offer the best of both worlds.With the growing number of food bloggers sharing their food traditions and exposure to multi-cuisines and cooking methods,the enthusiasm to attempt at fusion cooking and bring forth my creative culinary endeavours is growing with each passing day.Of course,I would like to tread cautiously initially ,attempting at safe and familiar ‘mix and match’ foods and spices before embarking on more adventurous creations…:) At the end of the day you want your food to taste good and provide good nutrition and if our experiment with fusion cooking provides just that..what more can you ask for..:)

Chinese cuisine is a very popular cuisine in India and one can find innumerable food joints serving Indo-Chinese fusion cuisine. A number of Indian kitchens,five star hotels,restaurants and wayside dhabas cook and serve this fusion food which involves a different cooking style i.e cooking in a wok with Indian herbs and spices like green chillis,red chilies,coriander,black pepper,garam masala and using Chinese cooking methods and spices like soya sauce,vinegar,tomato sauce,chilli-garlic sauce. This fusion food is very tasty, flavorful and a refreshing change for the Indian palate. Chilli Paneer,Gobi Manchurian, Crispy Schezuan Prawns, American Chopsuey ,Chilli Chicken and Rice dishes like Chicken Fried Rice and Veg Fried Rice are some of the Indo-Cuisine specialities.

One of my favourite cuisines is Chinese and there is something about it,whether it’s the nutrition factor or the special ingredients used or the presentation or the sheer simplicity in cooking style involving less cooking time…which just amazes me. In our home, Chinese Fried Rice is relished by all and its a simple and easy recipe that can be made in a jiffy and can be served alone or as an accompaniment to a main dish.This dish is so versatile that you can use a variety of veggies,chicken,shrimps,eggs,sprouts,corn kernels (let your imagination run wild)..well, it has a bit of everything spices, chillies, meat and vegetables.All I can say it’s a palatable dish that one cant resist.

"Fried rice with Choice of Flavors.There are more ways to make fried rice than I would care to count. Which is more authentically Chinese?...Fried rice, Chinese style, can be varied infinately by following a basic recipe and just changing the main ingredients used in conjunction with the rice. Roast pork, ham, chicken, or any type of seafood or preserved meats may be used."
--Jim Lee's Chinese Cook Book,Jim Lee [Harper Row:New York]1968

Sprouts Fried Rice is a prepared using sprouts,basmati rice and red chilli paste.Each grain of the cooked rice should be seperate and rice should be cold.Chinese wok-cooking is all about the timing of the ingredients and the proper tossing and mixing and maintaining proper temperature(flame).Barbara of Tigers & Strawberries has written a very interesting and in-depth article on home-style Chinese cooking,"Stir Fry Technique: Ten Steps to Better Wok Cookery".A must-read for those who love to cook Chinese.Here’s how the recipe goes:

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked basmati rice
1 cup sprouts
1 tsp red chilli paste (soak 2-3 dry red chillis in 1 tbsp of malt vinegar for half an hour and make a paste)

1 tbsp. groundnut oil
½ tsp. soya sauce
1 tsp tomato sauce(optional)
salt to taste
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
white pepper pwd (as per your choice-its optional)
2 tbsp bell pepper jullienes or spring onions

Heat oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet till it nearly smokes and add the chopped garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds on high heat.Keep tossing around so that it doesnt burn.
Add the red chilli paste and stir fry for 10-15 seconds.Now add sprouts and cover and cook for 2-3 mts on medium heat.
Add the soya sauce,tomato sauce,salt and white pepper pwd and mix well.
Add the completely cooled rice to the wok and stir fry tossing well for about 2 mts.Its important to note here that after adding the rice, flip the whole thing over as quickly as possible in order to coat the rice grains with the rest of the ingredients.
Garnish with bell pepper juliennes or spring onions.Serve hot.

Food,Food Blogs,Indo-Chinese Recipes,Rice, Flickr

Kadai Paneer - Cottage Cheese Creamy Curry

2006-01-19T19:56:00.000+05:30

Admist most of the curries I prepare,Kadai Paneer,is probably one of the most favourite North Indian recipes I have learnt.This is a recipe I learnt from amma who in turn learnt it from our Punjabi neighbours (who taught us many authentic Punjabi delicacies like Sarson ka saag,Makki ki roti,Baigan bhartha).Infact the Matar Paneer Parantha recipe I had posted earlier is courtesy our affectionate Punjabi friends.When hubby dear informed me that an old friend of his was visiting us tonight,the first thought that occurred to me was the fresh paneer I made this morning and was sitting in the refrigerator.Kadai Paneer with rotis..perfect!

Kadai Panner,a typical Punjabi fare is a creamy curry dish where paneer (cottage cheese)cubes are cooked in a kadai(wok) with onion and tomato pastes and simmered with capsicum(bell peppers) and tomatoes and served in a small kadai(that's the way its served in Indian restaurants).The use of the herb Kasturi Methi (dry fenugreek leaves) as one of the ingredients imparts a strong aroma and flavour to this truly special and flavorful vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

200 gms paneer (cottage cheese) cubed and sauté in a tbsp of ghee till golden brown and remove into a dish and add a cup of hot water to the fried paneer cubes and let them sit in it for 5 mts.Drain the water and keep aside.

1 big tomato (deseeded and diced)
1 big capsicum (bell pepper) diced
In the same kadai in which the paneer cubes were sauted,add the diced tomatoes and capsicum and sauté for 2-3 mts and remove from heat.

1 1/2 tbsp oil or ghee
3 medium sized onions (make a paste)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
¼ tsp turmeric pwd
1 tbsp coriander pwd
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp chilli pwd
1 cup tomato puree or paste
¼ tsp kasturi methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
¼ tsp garam masala (make a pwd of 3 cloves,2 green cardamoms and 1” cinnamon)
1 tbsp fresh cream(optional) for garnish
salt to taste

Heat ghee or oil in a kadai or vessel and add the onion paste and fry it well till oil separates.It should be well fried till the raw smell of onions disappears.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 3 mts.Add turmeric pwd,coriander pwd,red chilli pwd,cumin pwd and salt and mix well.
Add the tomato puree and mix well and cook for 5 mts.Add kasturi methi and the fried paneer cubes and let it cook covered for 2-3 mts.
Now add a cup of water,garam masala pwd and sauted capsicum and tomatoes and mix well.Cook for 5 mts covered.
Garnish with fresh cream and serve hot with rotis(Indian flatbreads)/naan or paranthas.

Note:You can prepare this dish without kasturi methi also.If you dont have kasturi methi,garnish with chopped coriander leaves.It tastes equally good.

Food,Food Blogs,North Indian Recipes,Indian Cooking,Curry

Natural Home Remedies To Fight Common Cold -Meme

2006-01-18T17:17:00.000+05:30

At some point or the other we all succumb to the cold virus and are left sniffing and sneezing all day long with a heavy head.Whenever you have a stuffy nose, those irritating symptoms that you experience are part of a natural healing process showing evidence that your immune system is combating illness. And when you cough ,you are clearing your breathing passages of thick mucus that would otherwise be a carrier of germs to the lungs. So you don't really don’t want to stop the bodies own cleansing process but would want to assist it to help eliminate the build up of mucus etc.

Ilva of Lucullian delights has tagged me for a Commom Cold Remedies Meme where I am supposed to share my best remedies for common cold.So here I go...

Inspite of the fast changing trends and the growing influence of modern medicine,there are still some valuable traditional herbal remedies today which have remained unchanged over the years.There are innumerable natural,tried and tested methods to alleviate common ailments and which leave no toxic residues or side-effects.The most popular traditional medical system in India is Ayurveda.Ammamma’s(my grandmother) kitchen always had bottles filled with specially formulated herbal remedies(‘churnam’) using herbs and spices like cumin seeds,fennel seeds,dry ginger,amla,cinnamon,mint,clove,turmeric,seasame seeds,neem,garlic,coriander,fenugreek....and many more for common ailments like cold,cough,fever,constipation,diarrhea,loss of appetite,acidity,headaches etc.She was uncompromising in kitchen and health matters..:)

According to Ayurveda, common cold results from an imbalance of the Kapha-Vata dosha.When there is excess of Kapha (cool,moist charactieristics) and excess Vata (reduction of agni or gastric fire) your body develops a cold. Ginger can reduce excess Kapha and restore agni, making it the best medicine for colds and flus.Herbs that can restore balance to Kapha are especially ginger(allam,adrak) and holy basil (tulasi),cinnamon(dalchini),licorice(athimadhuramu,jethimadh), black pepper and cloves(lavanga).

Drinking any of the above powdered herbs (1 tsp) mixed well in a cup of boiled water (let it sit for 10 mts)helps to alleviate cold.

Another excellent remedy is ginger tea.Add a small tsp each of ginger pwd, fennel seeds pwd,cinnamon pwd and a pinch of clove pwd to a cup of boiled water and let it sit covered for 10 mts.Strain and drink.You can have this tea a couple of times a day.

Another simple but very effective remedy is turmeric(pasupu,haldi).GM of The Spice Is Right has been able to overcome her cold woes with turmeric milk,an effective remedy for cold.Drinking this milk can help induce an early recovery.It helps keeping the lungs clear of phlegm and activates the liver.

Garlic is another extremely effective herb!Eating 5-6 raw garlic cloves a day and 1 to 2 raw garlic cloves for a couple of days after you have been relieved of your cold helps build your immune system.If you can't eat the whole clove,chop it and add it to salads..remember,it should be eaten raw and not cooked.

Hope these natural remedies for common cold help those of you with the cold woes.I am tagging the following food bloggers to learn some home remedies they use to overcome common cold.

Dawna of Always In The Kitchen
Gerald of Foodite
Kat of Cracker Jack'd
Tin of CJ's Food & Discovery
Zoubida of Kitchen Culture
Meme,Health,Home Remedies,Ayurveda,Ginger

Crispy Corn Snack

2006-01-16T17:57:00.000+05:30

Maize,corn,mokkajonna,bhutta,....who doesnt love corn?I have such wonderful memories of amma roasting corn cobs and rubbing them with chilli pwd,salt and lemon juice especially during the monsoons.Eating piping hot corn on the cob is my kind of comfort food.Just love eating corn in all forms, be it corn bhel,corn chaat or flavoured ‘corn in a cup’ or just plain steamed corn kernels.I regularly prepare a healthy sprouts corn salad with fresh corn and sprouts which is healthy and a wholesome meal in itself.Corn is high-fibre food and is a good source of Vit B1, Vit B5,Vit C, Folate,phosphorous and manganese.

Crispy corn is a not-too-spicy snack that is prepared with corn kernels,egg,cornflour,ginger-garlic paste and pepper.This is something which can be made in a jiffy without much fuss and preparation..of course if the fresh corn kernels are cut off the cob already..:).That's the only part which is time-consuming..peeling off the husk layers and removing the corn from the cobs.If you have some frozen corn it sure makes life easy..:)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups corn kernels
1 egg beaten slightly
enough cornflour to coat the corn kernels or seeds
1 tbsp maida(all-purpose flour)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
salt
oil for deep-frying
pinch of pepper pwd/chilli pwd (optional)
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Mix together the corn kernels,egg,cornflour,garlic-ginger paste and salt such that the steamed corn is well coated with this mixture.
Heat oil in a vessel and deep fry the corn over high heat until golden brown.Drain on absorbent paper.
Sprinkle pepper pwd/chilli pwd and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Note:You can try this variation.Fry some chopped spring onions with a little tomato sauce in 1 tsp of oil and combine with deep fried corn and garnish with coriander leaves.Believe me,it's a great tasting snack.

Food,Food Blogs,Recipes,Indian Cooking,Corn

Andhra Chepa Pulusu - Fish Cooked in Tamarind Sauce

2006-01-15T21:41:00.000+05:30

Today is the third day of Sankranti festival and is called 'Kanuma' ..traditionally its the day devoted to giving thanks to cattle.Cows and bulls in the villages are adorned with bells on their neck and offered prasadam (food offering).Non-vegetarian delicacies are cooked and all the younger members of the family pay their respects to the elders and the elders gift them money and clothes.According to tradition followed since our forefathers,the new sons-in-law of the family are treated to lavish lunch spread with authentic Andhra non-vegetarian flavours like gongura mamasam(mutton cooked in red sorrel leaves),chepa pulusu(fish cooked in spicy tangy tamarind sauce),kodi kura (chicken curry),royallu vepudu(prawns/shrimp fry) and many more.. on ‘Kanuma’ day.

We had a very sumptuous lunch spread this afternoon with non-vegetarian delicacies being the ‘theme’..During the festive season all the woman folk of the family lend a helping hand in the kitchen and since it’s a large family gathering everybody puts in their best effort to prepare the best tasting food possible that isn't too hot and has a nice balance of spices with aromatic flavours. They say "Too many cooks spoil the broth" ..well that quote sure doesnt apply here as many cooks add a lot of love,spice and flavour to the dishes being cooked this festive season..:).Its fun and that’s what celebrating festivals is all about.... a day of sharing,caring,laughter and relaxation.

Today I tried my hand at cooking a traditional Andhra fish gravy recipe,Chepa Pulusu,which is amma’s speciality dish.Chepa Pulusu is fresh fish cooked in a tangy tamarind sauce with freshly ground spices.This particular dish tastes best the next day (after the fish pieces are soaked in the tamarind and spice juices) served with hot steamed white rice and sliced onions.Must say that everyone enjoyed the dish though I felt it was no where compared to amma’s Chepa pulusu.I have come to realise that when I cook traditional recipes, they are so close to my heart as I have grown up eating amma's cooking and observing how she combines it all together to make the most tasteful dish one can ever eat.I guess it's the hand of amma’s love..:)

Ingredients:

7-8 fish fillets (mackarel or catfish or tilapia)
1 cup finely chopped onions
4 slit green chillis
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1 1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
4 tbsp tamarind extract
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
10-12 curry leaves
1 big lemon-sized tamarind pulp (soak tamarind in 2 cups of warm water and extract thick juice)
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
salt to taste
1/2 cup oil

Tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)

Heat oil in a wide vessel and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Add the methi seeds and let it brown.Add the curry leaves and stir for a few seconds.
Now add the chopped onions and fry on medium heat till the onions turn transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 3 mts.Add the turmeric pwd,coriander pwd,cumin pwd,red chilli pwd and salt and fry for a minute.Now add the tamarind extract and bring it to boil.
Now carefully place the fish pieces in the vessel and cook covered for 3 mts.Add the green chillis. Turn the fish pieces over and cook.Cover and cook on low heat for 10 mts.Let the sauce thicken and till the oil seperates or leaves the sides of the vessel.Adjust salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Note:Do not stir too much lest the fish pieces break and be gentle while stirring the fish pieces.Serve it after a couple of hours of cooking so that the fish pieces absorb the tangy flavour of the tamarind sauce and spices.In Andhra, we generally prepare this pulusu with Koramenu,Vanjaram,Thella chepa or Bocha.Generally we dry roast the coriander seeds,cumin seeds and dry red chillis and make a powder for this dish.You can use the ready made powders also to save time.But if you have time to spare it would be best to dry roast the spices and make a powder.

Food,Andhra Recipes,Amma,South Indian Cooking,Indian Food Recipes,Authentic Andhra

Bobattu / Puran Poli - Sweet Lentil-Stuffed Indian Bread

2006-01-14T20:32:00.000+05:30

Sankranti/Pongal, is the second day of the festival day when Surya, the Sun God is worshipped and on this day the newly harvested rice is cooked in new earthen pots until the cooked rice overflows from the pot.The overflowing symbolizes fertility and prosperity.A special sweet rice dish is prepared with dal, sugar or jaggery and rice called chakrapongali (rice pudding)…chakra meaning sweet and is cooked to honour and give thanks to God.I had posted this recipe earlier and you can find the recipe to Chakrapongali (also known as Sakkarai Pongal) here.
On this day the newly married daughters and sons-in-law are focus of attention and are gifted new clothes and jewellry by the elders of the family and all the family members are treated to an elaborate Sankranthi Vindu Bhojanam (festive meal)spread out on plantain leaves where all the members of the home sit down on the ground and enjoy the festive lunch spread. This is my all time favorite meals.

Besides the preparation of Chakrapongali ,some of the mouth-watering authentic flavours of Andhra cuisine like Semai Payasam(sweet prepared with vermicilli and milk), Bobattu(stuffed Indian sweet bread), Masala Vada (deep fried doughnut shaped lentil dumplings), Pulagamu prepared with fresh rice from the harvest and pesara pappu (split yellow moong dal) ,Kalagalupu Kura (mixed vegetable curry) with chikkudu kaaya(lima beans), vankaaya (egg-plant or brinjal),mulaga kaadulu (drumsticks), kanda (yam),plaintain(raw banana),teepi dumpallu (sweet potatoes),mixed vegetable stew,kobari perugu pachadi (coconut-yogurt chutney) and daddojanam (curd rice) are prepared in almost every Telugu home.

One of my favourite sweets we prepared this Sankranti is Bobattu which is also known by the name of Puran Poli or Bhakshalu.Its basically a bread with sweet-lentil stuffing prepared with refined flour,sugar or jaggery and split bengal gram lentil.Amma makes excellent bobattulu and am posting amma's recipe on how to prepare them...(step by step process).In coastal Andhra its known by the name 'bobattu' and in the Telengana and Rayalseema region of Andhra its called as 'bhakshalu',though the basic recipe is the same..only the name differs.

Ingredients:
1 cup chana dal(split bengal gram lentil) soaked in water for 2 hours and drained
1 cup jaggery or sugar(you can adjust the sugar or jaggery according to your choice)
1 1/4 cups maida (refined flour)
enough water to prepare dough
3-4 tbsps oil
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp clarified butter/ghee
pinch of salt

Cook channa dal in a cup of water in a pressure cooker till it becomes soft and mushy.Cool.Grind to a fine paste.
Heat a pan and add the dal paste and sugar or jaggery and cook further till they blend and form a lump such that you can prepare small balls for stuffing.Keep stirring on low fire so that it doesnt burn.
Add cardamom powder and pinch of salt and mix well.Turn off heat and cool.Prepare small lemon sized balls with this lentil mixture and keep aside.

Mix refined flour,pinch of salt,2 tbsps oil and enough water to make a very soft and sticky dough.Knead well.

Grease your hands with oil to knead the dough and take a small portion of dough and flatten it into a disc of the size of your palm. Place a ball of "sweet lentil ball" in the centre and draw the edges of the dough from all sides to cover the 'sweet lentil ball' completely.

Take a sheet of transparent plastic wrap or a plaintain leaf and gently flatten each ball carefully with your fingers to form a 6" to 8" diamater flat circular bobattu/poli (grease your hands while flattening).

Fry it on low flame on a hot griddle or tawa.Roast both sides till brown spots appear.

Smear with ghee on both sides when done.Serve warm with clarified butter/ghee.
Note:You can store the 'bobattulu' for a few days in an air tight container or in the refrigerator.

Indian Food,South Indian Cooking,Andhra Recipes,Recipes,Authentic Andhra,Amma

Paramannam-Sweet Rice Pudding ( Naivedyam )

2006-01-13T10:10:00.000+05:30

Annam Payasam or Paramannam (Food Of The Gods) is a sweet dish which is prepared as an offering to God in almost every home in Andhra on most special occasions and festivals.According to Hindu tradition & spiritual customs, by offering Naivedyam to God in the form of sweets like chakripongal, payasam,paramannam and fruits the devotees acknowledge the good things that come from God.After God partakes of the offering the naivedyam becomes prasadam. Prasadam is consumed after performing puja or worship and consuming the delicious prasadam symbolizes the bliss of self-realization.

Paramannam can be served hot or cold as a dessert and is prepared with rice,milk and sugar or jaggery and garnished with raisins and cashewnuts.We prepared Paramannam as 'Prasadam'(offering to God) this morning on the occassion of Bhogi,the first day of Sankranti Festival and this is the recipe as prepared by Amma.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw rice washed and drained
1/2 cup sugar or grated jaggery
1 lt milk
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ground green cardamom
fried cashewnuts and raisins for garnish
1 tbsp ghee(clarified butter)for frying cashewnuts and raisins

Wash and soak rice in water for about fifteen minutes.
Heat a pan and bring milk to a boil.Lower heat and add the rice to the milk.Cook until the rice is soft and the mixture looks thick.Remove from heat and cool.
Add the sugar and mix well and keep stirring till it mixes well.
Heat ghee in a skillet and add cashew nuts. Fry for 1-2 mts till the cashewnuts turn light brown. Add raisins and stir for a few seconds.Add this along with the remaining ghee to the cooked rice.Add cardamom powder and a pinch of salt and mix well.Turn off heat and keep covered for 5 minutes.Serve hot or cold.

Note:If you are using jaggery in place of sugar you must follow this method.Heat a small pan and boil 1/2 cup water and add grated jaggery.On slow fire let the jaggery cook till it melts and is sticky (if you touch a drop of the jaggery between the thumb and fore finger it should feel sticky).Dont let it heat too much,it should basically melt...approx 4-5 mts. Remove from heat and keep aside.Let it cool for 3-4 minutes and then add to the cooled cooked rice otherwise the milk might split.

Masala Vadas are popular South Indian deep fried crisp lentil dumplings prepared with channa dal(bengal gram lentil),onions and Indian spices.The outer crust is crisp,tastes great and is generally eaten as a snack.It can be eaten as it is or served with green chutney or coriander chutney.Paramannam,Masala Vada with masala chai ....our festive breakfast menu for Bhogi after offering prayers .

Masala Vada
Ingredients:

1 cup soaked and drained channa dal(split bengal gram)
1 tsp raw rice
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 flakes garlic
1" ginger chopped
5-6 curry leaves
4 green chillis
1 large chopped onion
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
pinch of garam masala (optional)
1 tsp chopped mint leaves (optional)
salt
oil for frying

Soak channa dal and rice in water for 2 hours.Drain.Keep aside a fistful of drained channa dal and grind the rest of the channa dal and rice,green chillis,cumin seeds,ginger and garlic coarsely.To this coarse mixture, add chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves,salt and garam masala and mix well.Add the remaining channa dal and mix well. Make small lemon-sized balls and pat it lightly on your palm or on butter paper and slide into hot oil and deep fry until golden brown.

Food,Desserts,Amma,South Indian Cooking,Andhra Recipes,Recipes

Harvest Festival - Makara Sankranti ( Indian Thanksgiving )

2006-01-12T12:36:00.000+05:30

"Sankranti Subbhakaankshalu!!Wishing you a memorable festive season which brings good luck & prosperity and hoping your days ahead are filled with happiness.Have a wonderful Bhogi & Pongal."
“Unity in diversity”…this phrase is apt in identifying India in its diversity of religious beliefs and the cultural traditions of the different states.One festival which clearly reflects that is Sankranti ,one of the most colorful and popular festivals of Andhra celebrated with a lot of fervor and enthusiasm.Sankranti is a secular harvest festival celebrated in most parts of India under different names .. Sankranti(A.P,Karnataka),Pongal(Tamil Nadu),Makar Sankranti (Maharastra and Gujarat) and Lohri (Punja and Haryana). Sankranti which is the most important festival for us Telugus and is called 'Pedda Panduga' ( big festival) signifying that it is a time to discard the old and welcome the new and is the harbinger of more light and sunshine in life.Sankranti is celebrated over four days, the first day(13th Jan) is called 'Bhogi', the second day(14th) is 'Sankranti', the third day(15th) is, 'Kanuma' and the fourth day (16th), 'Mukkanuma'.

Inspite of the fast changing times with people migrating from villages to bigger cities in search of greener pastures and with cities expanding ,the spirit behind the way we celebrate our festivals has not quite changed.Bhogi,the first day is marked with gaiety and is celebrated on the eve of Sankranti or Pongal in all its entirety with traditional practices and customs which have been followed since our forefathers.

Early in the morning at 4 a.m ,a bonfire (Bhogimantalu) is lit on the occasion of Bhogi symbolizing ringing out the old to ring in the new.Old brooms, baskets,clothes,junk firewood,broken wooden furniture are all thrown into the fire signifying the cleansing of the house and a fresh start to the new year.Life is seen as a continuous renewal.This is the picture of our Bhogimantalu on Bhogi day at 5 a.mDuring this entire festive season women decorate their ‘vaakili’(the entrance to the house/front porch) with 'muggu/kolam/rangoli' of varied hues and sizes and place Gobbemmalu (small balls made from cow dung and decorated with marigold and pumpkin flowers)in the center.Muggulu are artistic intricate patterns drawn with hand on a washed surface using rice flour or chalk powder and decorated with colors and flowers and bring out the richness and uniqueness of Indian tradition and culture. Every muggu is reflective of the art and artistic capabilities that each woman possesses and is a celebration of life.Here's a picture of a simple 'Muggu' which my 3 year old help color this evening..:)
In the evening many homes with children (below 4-5 years) arrange Bommala Kolluvu (arrangement of an array of toys and dolls) and Bhogipalla perentam (a gathering of women guests and relatives) where a mixture of regi pandlu(berries),senagalu (soaked and drained whole chick peas),flower petals,slices of sugar cane and small coins are showered over the heads of children dressed in new clothes to trickle down the blessings of elders,family and friends and remove 'dhristi '(protect from any evil eye). All the guests and relatives who are invited for the Perentamu are given a gift pack of assorted items (tambulam) which includes clothes, lentils, betel leaves, betel nuts, bananas, traditional sweets,flowers, turmeric and kumkuma.

Another great sight in every village during Sankranti is a decorated bull with multi-coloured attire moving from one house to another led by its master who plays the nadaswaram (flute) to the accompaniment of the dol (a drum). The 'gangireddi' is trained to perform a variety of feats like nodding in acceptance, kneeling and bowing down and even dancing!You will find the decorated bull going around each home here in the city too during the festival season.Old clothes, raw rice and money are given away to the gangireddula vadu (bull’s master) in charity on the occasion of Sankranti.Here's a picture of a fully adorned gangireddu with his gangireddi vaallu (masters) performing a feat in front of my ammamma's(grandmother)home.
Bhogimantalu,traditional oil bath,muggullu decorated with gobbellu ,preparation of traditional sankranti sweets and savouries like ariselu and bobattulu(variety of sweet rice cakes),jantikulu(savoury made with chick pea flour),paalakaayulu(rice flour savoury),semai payasam(sweet vermicilli dessert),paramannam(sweet rice pudding),pulihora (tamarind rice ),masala vada (deep fried lentil dumplings)and many more...,new clothes & gifts given to house-hold helps and Bommala Kolluvu are the main features of Bhogi Panduga (festival).Picture of our Bhogi lunch spread(Vindu Bhojanam) on a plaintain leaf.
Pulihora or Tamarind Rice is a dish we prepare for most of our festivals in S.India.Its a tangy flavoured rice mixed in tamarind sauce and spices and garnished with roasted peanuts and tastes great with plain yogurt and appadam (papad).

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice (each grain should be separate)
1/4 tsp teaspoon turmeric (haldi,pasupu)
3-4 tbsp oil
salt to taste
20 fresh curry leaves
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
salt to taste
4 tbsps tamarind extract
1 tbsp channa dal (split bengal gram)
1 tbsp urad dal (split black gram)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds ( aavalu)
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
5 medium dry red chili
4 green chilis slit length wise
1 tsp chopped ginger
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida, inguva)
1 tbsp sesame seeds pwd(nuvvulu) (optional)

Mix the cooked rice with 2 tbsp oil,salt, turmeric pwd,roasted peanuts and 10 curry leaves. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a vessel.Add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Now add dry red chillis,cumin seeds,channa dal,urad dal and fry for 15-20 seconds till light brown.
Now add the slit green chillis,ginger,asafoetida and curry leaves and fry for 10 seconds.Now add the tamarind extract and cook till the raw smell disappears..approx 3-4 minutes.Add the seasame seeds powder and mix well.Remove from heat.
Add this to the rice and mix well.Adjust salt.
Serve with plain yoghurt.
Note:You can adjust the tamarind extract according to your taste.

Food,Food Blogs,Cooking,Indian Cooking,Andhra Recipes,Telugu

Let's Pledge - Not Waste Food!

2006-01-10T19:49:00.000+05:30

New year brings promise and hope but not to this young child who is left at the mercy of nature.Can you imagine what it is to go hungry?Just imagine going without food for a day…..and there are millions who dont even get water to drink for days, leave alone eat a meal.This picture is so heart wrenching and is a harsh reminder of the grim reality that we are very fortunate while others suffer. UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAQ) in the edition of their annual hunger report have stated that around six million children each year die of hunger and malnutrition.

Let us take this opportunity to change the life of a few needy people in this new year and help build a world without poverty. Are our thoughts trying to help sustain a soul in need? Or are they turning a blind eye to the one who cries for help? Are they reaching out to answer a call? Are we directing our thoughts to where they can do some good and really make a positive difference? God has equipped each of us with this great gift to convert our thoughts into powerful prayer-that is, praying for someone instead of just thinking about them. Thoughts turned into prayers will materialize into God's blessings,protection,power,strength and God's healing balm poured out on those we pray for.

This picture was e-mailed to me by a friend with her new year resolution not to waste food and requesting me to do the same.Our traditional upbringing has taught us to respect the food we eat as God (Para Brahma Swaroopam). Let us all resolve and pledge this new year – “not waste food”.

“I promise I will never waste my food no matter how bad it tastes and how full I may be. I pray that He will protect this little boy, guide and deliver him from his misery. I pray that we will be more sensitive towards the world around us and not be blinded by our own selfish nature and interests. “

This would be one of the best resolution’s we could ever strive for – “not waste food ever”. It is not a difficult promise to keep and serves as a constant reminder to us that we are all the same with each of us having equal right to survive. Should we allow this child’s call for help remain unanswered like screams of millions like him that exist and somehow don’t disappear when the camera shoots their plight? Those of us who follow the practice of not to waste food also have the responsibility to ensure that the people we know, our friends and loved ones also follow the same.Let us all endeavour in our efforts to spread the word among friends,loved ones and community to inculcate this healthy practice to “not waste food” and also to get our children into this habit so that they can promote it further.I hope this picture will always serve as a reminder to us of how fortunate we are and that we must never ever take things for granted.

I have made my promise.Will you all make yours too...never to waste food?!Its the least we can do for a hungry child.

"Those who tell you it can't be done have always been around, but throughout history progress has always come from those who said it could be done."

Food,Hungry,Poverty,Malnutrition,Blogs

World Cuisine - Global Food Blogs

2006-01-10T13:25:00.000+05:30

List of favorite World Cuisine Food blogs that I visit.

Always in the Kitchen

Cj's Food & Discovery

Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Foodite

Fran's House of Ayurveda

Cracker Jack'd

In Praise of Sardines

Kalyn’s Kitchen

Kiplog’s Foodblog

La Majuluta

La vie au jour le jour

Lucullian Delights

Mental Masala

My Mom's Recipes And More

The Pilgrim's Pots and Pans

The Savory Notebook

The Traveler's Lunchbox

Tigers & Strawberries

Tomatilla

TwoEats

Verdant San Francisco

80breakfasts

Matar Paneer Paratha - Indian Bread Stuffed with Cottage Cheese & Green Peas

2006-01-09T20:22:00.000+05:30

We were fortunate to have good Punjabi neighbours (in our growing years) who made some of the best paranthas and who taught us the art of preparing authentic Punjabi parathas.I grew up eating different varieties of stuffed parathas prepared with almost all vegetables and greens I can ever think of ..carrots,radish,potatoes,cauliflower, spinach,methi leaves,coriander,mint, onions, paneer, sprouts..and more.In fact, I relished eating parathas stuffed with left over dal,rice and veggies for breakfast, brunch or dinner.

Paratha which is basically a N.Indian fare are unleavened flat breads similar to tortillas .The art of cooking up a paratha is something that is mastered over time..practice,practice and more practice.I must appreciate Paz of " The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz" in her maiden attempt at preparing parathas.She sure did a great job...keeping in mind Indian Cuisine is absolutely new to her.I am yet to master the art making a perfect parantha like amma.

Parathas serve as a healthy wholesome food for growing children and for kids who dont eat their veggies,giving them stuffed parathas is a smart way to get them to eat their veggies.I get my child to eat his vegetables with stuffed paranthas and make it for breakfast and also pack it as a tiffin for him to eat at play school.Speaking of breakfast,Meena of Hooked on Heat is hosting yet another very interesting theme ..."breakfast". "Matar Paneer Paranthas" is the entry "From My Rasoi" for this month's breakfast theme.

For the dough:
3/4 cup maida (all purpose flour)
1 cup atta (whole meal flour)
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
salt to taste
3/4 cup buttermilk (whisk 2 tbsp yogurt with enough water to make 1 cup of buttermilk)

For the stuffing:
1 small cup boiled peas lighly mashed
1 small cup grated panner (cottage cheese)

1" ginger
2-3 minched green chillis(you can reduce if you want less spice)
2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp garam masala pwd
salt to taste

Mix the two flours,salt and ghee.Add enough buttermilk to the flours and knead a soft dough.Set aside covered with a thin wet cloth (so that the dough doesnt dry) and let it sit for an hour.

Mix together minced ginger and chopped coriander leaves and make paste.Mix the mashed green peas and this paste and stir fry for 2 mts in a little ghee.Add garam masala and a pinch of salt and mix.Finally add the grated cottage cheese and mix well and make small balls and keep aside.

Divide the dough into small portions(shape into lemon sized balls) and flatten each ball (approx 3"-4" in diameter) and put a small ball of the stuffing in the center.Cover the mixture by drawing the edges towards the center and mould into a ball again.

Take each of these stuffed balls and by pressing on a floured board ,roll into a round (pancake shape) (approx 6"-7" diameter) paratha with a rolling pin. Pre-heat a griddle or tawa and place a rolled out parantha and cook till small bubbles appear on top and then flip the paratha and cook it again for a few seconds or so by pressing with a spatula or kitchen towel.Brush little ghee/oil on both the sides along the edges and fry on both sides until brown patches appear.Keep flipping over both the sides and make sure that both the sides of the parantha are cooked well till golden brown.While preparing the paranthas ,keep the fried paranthas warm by placing them in a towel-lined basket or bowl and fold over the sides of the towel.
Note:Any left over dough can be refrigerated upto 3-4 days.The parathas taste just as good if not better and since the dough has been rested the paranthas can be rolled out easier.

Serve hot with yogurt,green chutney or any curry of your choice.So here I am indulging myself to a hot parantha with mango pickle(aam ka achaar)and my favorite beverage,masala chai, to bring down the chill of a winter morning!

Food,Cooking,Recipes,Indian Cooking,North Indian Recipes

Weekend Herb Blogging #14 - Red Sorrel Leaves (Gongura Pachadi)

2006-01-08T17:43:00.000+05:30

For this Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen, I am blogging about a very interesting sour leaf called Red Sorrel.Hibiscus cannabinus aka red sorrel leaves,roselle,gongura (telugu)pulicha keerai (Tamil),Ambad bhaji,ambada,ambadi(Hindi) are popular sour greens here in the Southern State of Andhra Pradesh.Red Sorrel comes in two varieties, one is green leaf and the other being red variety which is more sour than the green/white stem variety.The leaves are bitter and mildly astringent and have a predominantly acidic taste.The Caribbeans prepare an exotic deep red sorrel punch, a sweet fruit drink with a wild tanginess from the flowers of the red sorrel plant ("sorrel" to Jamaicans) that form its base. These leaves and flowers have a cooling effect and act as an appetizer.

Red Sorrel has some health benefits too and is useful in relieving symptoms of fever. The leaves of this herb are useful in the prevention and treatment of scurvy which is a deficiency caused by lack of vitamin C. Fresh leaves of the plant are useful in stimulating the stomach and aiding its action. These leaves are beneficial in the treatment of jaundice and a tablespoon of fresh red sorrel juice mixed with butter-milk (made from cow's milk) is recommended once daily in the treatment of jaundice.

Gongura is available in abundance here and Gongura pachadi/pickle is a very popular authentic Andhra pickle variety on the lines of aavakai (raw mango pickle).These greens are used to prepare curries, stews, dals, and spicy pickles.In Andhra ,Gongura is used to prepare dishes such as Gongura Pappu (lentil),Gongura Vepudu(stir fry),Gongura royallu(prawns),gongura mamsam(mutton)and gongura pachadi,the recipe of which I am posting today.The recipe source is amma (my mother)who prepares excellent authentic andhra pickles.

Ingredients:
4 big bunches fresh gongura leaves (red sorrel)
7-8 whole dry red chillis(de-seeded)
1 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)
7-8 green chillis(less spice ones)
1 tbsp minapppapu (black gram dal)
1 tbsp senaga pappu (bengal gram dal)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
12-15 cloves garlic (peeled and lightly crushed)
4 tbsps oil
salt to taste

Tempering:
3 tbsp oil (yes,its 3 tbsps as its a pickle)
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 whole dry red chillis
10 curry leaves

Seperate the gongura leaves from the stalks and leave them in an open cool and dry place for 2 days so that the leaves wither.After 2 days wash the leaves.Spread over kitchen towel.
Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed vessel.Add the leaves and fry them till rawness disappears and it becomes soft.Remove and cool.The fried leaves should look like shown in the picture.

In the same vessel add 1 tbsp oil and add methi seeds and fry till light brown and then add coriander seeds,urad dal(black gram),channa dal (bengal gram lentil) and dry red chillis and fry stirring constantly till light brown.Add the slit green chillis and fry for 2 minutes.Remove from fire and cool.
Grind these above ingredients with salt.Now add crushed garlic and the fried gongura leaves and grind very coarsely.It should not be soft.

Now heat 3 tbsps of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.Now add the whole dry chillis and curry leaves and fry for 20 seconds.Remove from fire and add to the ground gongura pachadi along with the oil.This pachadi does require a wee bit more oil like most pickles.

This particular pickle can be stored in the refrigerator upto 3-4 weeks and goes well with hot steamed rice and a liberal dose of ghee and sliced raw onions.

Note:I have used the red stemmed variety of leaves which is more sour than the white stemmed.If you are using the leaves of the white stemmed variety,you can add approx 1-2 tbsp tamarind extract while grinding the ingredients.

Food,Cuisine,Cooking,Andhra Recipes,Weekend Herb Blogging

Kodi Gudu Pulusu - Boiled Eggs In Tamarind Gravy

2006-01-07T23:31:00.000+05:30

"Pulusu" (Telugu term) comes from the word 'pulupu' meaning sour.Tamarind pulp (Chintapandu) is the main ingredient in Andhra pulupu kurallu (sour dishes)which gives the dish a tangy flavour.Jaggery or sugar is also used in some of the pulupu dishes which gives a sweet and sour flavour to the dish. Andhra cuisine consists of atleast one such gravy dish as part of a regular meal...like Pappu (lentil)Pulusu ,Menthi(Fenugreek) Pulusu,Pesara Pappu(Split yellow moong dal) Pulusu,Kaakarakaayi (bitter gourd)Pulusu , Bhendakaayi (Tinda/Gherkins)Pulusu,Chepa (fish)Pulusu.Any vegetable or meat cooked in a sweet and sour gravy is generally called "Pulusu" ....mind you,not all dishes call for jaggery or sugar.You can use most vegetables to prepare pulusu like lady's finger,egg plants,gherkins,bitter gourd,bottle gourd....well, the list can go on,the choice is yours.

I am using eggs in today's dish ..eggs are a regular in my kitchen and had earlier posted 'bagara anda masala'(eggs cooked in rich creamy sauce),a North Indian dish.'Gudu(egg)Pulusu' is a typical andhra dish where boiled eggs are cooked in onions and tamarind gravy and tempered with mustard seeds,methi seeds,garlic and curry leaves.It's generally served with hot steaming rice but it goes well with rotis too.

Ingredients:

6 boiled eggs make slits along the length of each egg and lightly fry them in 1 tbsp oil with a pinch of turmeric for approx 1-2 mts
2 onions chopped finely
3-4 green chillis slit length-wise
1 tsp red chilli powder
big pinch of turmeric pwd
3/4 tsp coriander pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
1 tomato chopped (optional)
1 big lemon sized tamarind (soaked in warm water and pulp extracted)or 2-3 tbsp of tamarind paste (this can vary according to your choice)
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cups water
chopped coriander leaves for garnish
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp sugar
For tempering:1/4 tsp mustard seeds,big pinch of methi seeds(fenugreek seeds),3 flakes crushed garlic and few curry leaves

Heat oil in a vessel and mustard seeds and let them splutter.Now add methi seeds, curry leaves and fry for few seconds till methi turns brown.Add garlic and let it fry for 5 seconds.Dont brown the garlic...lightly fry it.
Add chopped onions and green chillies and fry till they turn light brown.
Now add chilli pwd,turmeric pwd,coriander pwd and cumin pwd,mix well and saute for few seconds.
Add chopped tomatoes and fry for 4-5 mts.
Add tamarind extract and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.Add salt and sugar and reduce heat and let it simmer for 2-3 mts.Add the boiled and fried eggs and let it cook in the gravy for 10 minutes or till you get the required gravy consistency.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve this hot steamed rice or rotis.

Food,Cuisine,Cooking,Indian Cooking,Andhra Recipes,Eggs

Tomato Iguru Pachadi - Tangy chutney lightly seasoned with spices

2006-01-06T20:13:00.000+05:30

Fresh juicy tomatoes are an integral part of my kitchen and the sweet-tangy flavor of the tomatoes is something irresistable.Almost every other day tomatoes are used in my cooking ...sliced and drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper or with sandwiches or as a hot soup.And, of course,it goes without saying that most Indian curries and ‘rasam’ are incomplete without fresh tomatoes.

Pachadis are prepared with most vegetables and serve as a cross between a relish and a curry and no South Indian meal is complete without a pachadi.Pachadis are thick,lightly cooked,seasoned with spices,low fat and healthy. Tomato pachadi is tempered with mild Indian spices and garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

I had earlier posted a similar Andhra pachadi prepared with egg plant/brinjal,Vankaaya Pachadi,which is cooked on the same lines as tomato pachadi.Tamarind pulp is an essential ingredient in preparing most pachadis as it imparts a tangy-sour flavour to the pachadis but tomato pachadi is prepared without the tamarind pulp as tomatoes already have a tangy flavour.

Ingredients:
3 ripe tomatoes
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp urad dal(split black gram)
1 large onion finely chopped
3 green chillis slit length wise
1 tsp chopped ginger
chopped coriander leaves for garnish
salt
1 tbsp oil

Slice an "X" on the bottom of each tomato with a knife and place them in boiling water for 2 mts and remove them into a bowl of cold water so that the skin will easily peel.Once peeled mash the tomato pulp and keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Add the cumin seeds and black gram dal and let them fry for a few seconds till brown.
Now add the curry leaves,chopped onions,ginger and green chillis and fry till transparent for 3-4 mts.Dont brown it.
Now add the mashed tomato pulp and salt.Mix well.Let it cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Turn off heat and garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
Serve with hot rice or rotis.

Health Benefits of Tomatoes:
According to ayurveda, tomato is sour, warm, a stimulant, an appetiser, laxative, anti-flatulent with curative effects in low-appetite, controlling excessive fat and blood impurities. It also cures piles, jaundice, weakness and fever and prevents constipation. Tomato is a good source of iron,potassium, B- carotene (vitamin A) and vitamin C.It is very low in calories and is an important food in weight reducing diets and with less carbohydrate content makes it a good vegetable or fruit for diabetics and weight watchers.Lycopene, a very powerful antioxidant,is present in tomatoes and has been found to be beneficial in preventing prostate cancer.

Food Cuisine
Cooking
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Vegetarian

Mutton Kurma-Rich Creamy Meat Curry

2006-01-03T19:35:00.000+05:30

Most Indian Food recipes/blends have been handed down through generations (from great-grandmom to grandmom to mom to daughter)and most curries/dishes have always lent themselves to improvisation.Each home has its own formula or its own distinctive flavor and aroma for a particular dish depending on the spices used( spices which are freshly prepared each day for each dish).Each region of the country has its own spice blend in cooking a particular dish with each having its own distinctive flavor with variations in the spices and ingredients used in preparing that dish.

The dish am posting today is one which has the typical Mughlai flavor with a blend of spices which lends a certain exotic flavor to it.Mutton Kurma is a typical Mughlai or Hyderabadi dish cooked with yogurt ,almonds or fresh coconut.Its a mild lamb curry where mutton pieces are marinated in yogurt and mild spices and cooked in onion,tomato,poppy seeds and coconut based gravy resulting in a rich thick curry preparation. Garnish of blanched almonds,fresh cream and fresh coriander leaves further enhances the flavor of this rich tasty gosht kurma dish.

Ingredients:
500 gms mutton ,cubed(gosht,lamb)
2" cinnamon stick
5-6 cloves
3 green cardamoms
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsps grated fresh coconut
2 large onions finely chopped
1 medium tomato chopped
1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3-4 green chillies slit length wise(increase if you want more spice)
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1 1/2 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala pwd
3/4 cup thick yogurt (curd)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ghee
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Optional ingredients (for a richer creamy taste)
10 blanched and sliced almonds
2 tbsps warm milk
few strands of saffron
1 tbsp cream

Clean mutton and add the curd,red chilli pwd,coriander pwd,cumin pwd,ginger garlic paste and green chillis to it.Keep aside the marinated mutton for an hour.
Soak poppy seeds in a little warm water for 10 mts and grind both poppy seeds and grated coconut to a fine paste. Keep aside.
Heat both oil and ghee in a heavy bottomed iron vessel and add whole spices and bay leaf and fry for 5-7 seconds. Add the chopped onions and fry till transparent.Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 4- 5 minutes.
Now add the marinated mutton and fry over medium heat with lid till the water from the meat and yogurt is absorbed.Check in between and stir.
Now add the poppy seeds-coconut paste and salt to the mutton and mix well.Cover and cook for 3 mts.Add 2-3 cups of water and cook with lid till the mutton is tender and the gravy thickens.Adjust salt and add garam masala pwd and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
(You can even pressure cook the mutton for 10 minutes or till mutton is tender)

If you want a rich creamy taste,soak few strands of saffron in 2 tbsp of warm milk and add to the mutton towards the end of the cooking process.Garnish with blanched and sliced almonds and fresh cream.
Your Shahi/Mughlai Gosht Korma is ready to be relished with rotis/naan/paranthas , biryani or pulao,steamed white rice or dosas.

Food and Drink Cooking
Recipes Indian Cooking Indian Food Recipe

"New Year´s Dinner Recipe & Photo Swap" - Chepa Vepudu (Fish Fry)

2006-01-02T15:00:00.000+05:30

Melissa of Cookingdiva ,Cannella,Marcella,Alvira are co-hosting a special theme "New Year´s Dinner Recipe & Photo Swap" and Chepa Vepudu, a simple fish fry recipe is my entry for this event along with Andhra Royallu Iguru.

Fish can be flavored and cooked in many ways and the use of Indian spices makes them even more tasty.Chepa Vepudu is a very simple and easy fish fry recipe and if you are fond of seafood or fish,I am sure you are going to enjoy this fish fry recipe.

Ingredients:
6-7 fish fillets
2-3 tbsps oil
For the marinade:
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
2 tbsp chopped onions
3/4 tsp saunf pwd (fennel,aniseed)
1/4 tsp garam masala
salt
Make a paste of all the above ingredients.

Clean fish. Apply the marinade to all the fish fillets and keep aside for 20 minutes.

Heat 3 tbsps oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and add 10-12 curry leaves and fry for 5 seconds.Now add the marinated fish fillets and cook them on slow fire for 7-8 minutes.See that the fish doesnt burn or get stuck to the vessel.

Flip over the fried fish and let them cook and brown on the other side.Cook for 4-5 minutes.

Turn off heat and serve hot as a side dish with steamed white rice and curry or rasam.

Here is the picture of Andhra Royallu Iguru (Prawn Curry) and the recipe is here.

Thank you Melissa,Cannella,Marcella,Alvira for inviting me to join you all for this fun holiday gathering and share my new year´s eve dinner recipe and photos.

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Andhra Royallu Iguru ( Prawns Curry ) & Dates Balls (Khajur Sweet)

2006-01-01T14:31:00.000+05:30

We spent New Year's eve at home with close friends and family ..an after dinner session over hot coffee playing board games and UNO cards.Of course there was lots of cake and sweets to usher in 2006 on a sweet note and we sure had a wonderful countdown into the NEW YEAR.

Consider myself fortunate to be part of a very loving family and good friends and now that I have started blogging I have begun to bond with my fellow bloggers and readers.Amazing technology this...Internet..bringing us all closer.I thank God for giving me this opportunity to meet wonderful people and thank you all so much for stopping by my blog and wishing me and my family all the good things in life...:)

Today I am sharing with you a family favorite sea food dish,Andhra Royallu Iguru,a simple fresh prawn curry preparation in sauted onions and Indian spices.Am also sharing a very simple,low fat sweet dish ,Date(khajur)Balls,where dates are combined with crushed biscuits and dry fruits and then rolled in crushed corn flakes.Wanted to start the New Year on a sweet note too..:)

Andhra Royallu Iguru is a sea food curry recipe from Andhra where fresh prawns are cooked in onions and Indian spices and masala resulting in a very tasty curry preparation!

Ingredients:

500 gms prawns shelled,deveined and cleaned
1 large onion finely chopped
1 medium tomato chopped
10 curry leaves
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies slit length wise
1 tsp chilli pwd
1/3 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
½ tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp garam masala pwd
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add the chopped onion and green chillis and fry till transparent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves and fry for a minute.Add chopped tomatoes and fry for another 3 minutes.
Add turmeric pwd, coriander pwd, cumin pwd and chilli pwd. Mix well.
Add the cleaned prawns,salt and mix well.Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Now add 1 cup of water and cook further covered with lid for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.Add garam masala pwd and mix well.Turn off heat and garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves.
Serve hot with steamed white rice or chapatis/rotis.

Dates Balls

Khajur or Dates provide natural sugar in the form of glucose and fructose and are very healthy with high fibre content and I often use them to make Dates Balls which is a sweet with dry fruits,biscuits and corn flakes.It's healthy,nutritious and low fat.My son is very fond of this sweet and I get him to eat his required quota of dates and dry fruits..:)

Ingredients:

1 cup of finely chopped dates (khajur)
6-7 Britannia Marie Biscuits
2 1/2 tbsp almonds
2 1/2 tbsp pista
4-5 tbsp crushed corn flakes
5-6 tbsp of water

Add the water to the chopped dates in a pan and slowly cook it over low heat for 6-7 minutes or till the dates get mushy(crush with the spoon).Turn off heat and cool.
Dry roast the almonds and pista for 6-7 minutes on medium heat stirring constantly.Cool and grind to a coarse pwd.
Powder the biscuits.Keep aside.
Mix the biscuit pwd to the dry fruits pwd.Add the cooled cooked dates to this pwd mixture and mix well.
Make small balls and roll over crushed corn flakes.Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.Serve.
(If the balls are not sticky to touch,roll the balls in little honey (which makes them sticky)and then roll them over crushed corn flakes)

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and God Bless!

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

New Year Greetings "2006" !

2005-12-31T23:39:00.000+05:30

Wishing you all a New Year filled with good health,new hope and new beginnings!
There is NO limit to the goals you can attain or the success you can achieve!
Your possibilities are as endless as your dreams !!
May "2006" open up for you more opportunities,lead you to the path of success,
happiness ,prosperity and showers on you all that you ever wished for.

My wish for you.....

H appy times with friends & family
A bundance
P rosperity
P lenty of love
Y outhful excitement at lifes simple pleasures

N ights of restful slumber
E verything you need
W ishing you love & light

Y ears of good health
E njoyment & mirth
A ngels to watch over you
R emembrances of happy years!

Wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous new year!Have a nice weekend and a lovely day!

Sailaja,Satish & Nehal

P.S My toddler son,Nehal wanted me to bake a bunny rabbit cake for New Year's eve.Am sharing with you the picture of the cake that Nehal and I enjoyed decorating together....:)

Celebrating Christmas Eve with Sweet Pongal

2005-12-24T11:33:00.000+05:30

Here's wishing you all a very Happy and Cheerful Christmas & Happy Holidays! Celebrating the Lord's birthday with this sweet dish as an offering to HIM!

Sweet pongal is a sweet and pudding-like dish that is traditionally prepared in South India for the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti festival celebrated on January 14th.In the rural villages people gather in front of their homes and cook the 'sweet pongal' in earthen clay pots.The courtyards are decorated with long shalks of sugarcane and under it this sweet dish is prepared.

This sweet is also prepared as 'naivedyam' or 'prasadam' as an offering to God during various festivals of India.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw rice
1/4 cup moong dhal (green gram lentil)
1 1/4 cup grated or powdered jaggery
5-6 cardamoms (powdered)
10-12 cashewnuts
8-10 raisins
2 tbsp ghee

Dry roast whole green gram dal till light brown in colour.Remove from fire.
Wash rice.Pressure cook the rice and dal till it becomes very soft and mushy.Alternately you can cook the rice and green gram dal with 3 1/4 cups of water in the microwave and set aside.
Heat jaggery in half cup of water till it dissolves completely.
Add the cooked rice and dal to the jaggery and cook on low flame for few minutes.Turn off heat.
Heat ghee and add the cashewnuts and raisins and fry till brown and add these along with the ghee to the sweet pongal.Now add the cardamom powder and mix well.
It can be served hot or cold.

Food Cuisine
South Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Ulli Kaadalu Pakodi - Onion Stalk Fritters

2005-12-23T16:19:00.000+05:30

Onion pakodas (fritters) are a famous snack of India.In Andhra,the stalks of onions are also used to make pakodas.The basic ingredients being besan (bengal gram flour) and onion stalks.Onion stalk is useful as herbal medicine and its juice is good for the treatment of anaemia.These fritters are tasty and can be eaten dipped in tomato sauce or chutney.

Ingredients:

1 cup besan (bengal gram flour)
10-12 onion stalks chopped finely (discard the flower buds)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4 green chillies, chopped
a few curry leaves (optional)
1 tbsp hot cooking oil
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp cooking soda
oil for deep frying
water to make batter

Combine besan,green chillis,chilli pwd,ginger garlic paste,chopped onion stalks, corainder leaves,cooking soda and salt.Heat oil and add 1 tbsp of this hot oil to the above mixed batter and mix well.Now add enough water and mix to form a dropping batter consistency.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan and when the oil is hot drop in spoonfuls of the batter to make pakodas(fritters).
Remove when the pakodas turn golden brown.
Serve hot with tomato sauce or coriander/cilantro chutney.

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Kothimiri Pachadi - Cilantro Chutney

2005-12-22T15:06:00.000+05:30

This authentic Indian chutney is so versatile and goes with most foods and tastes great on crackers,sandwiches,grilled chicken,fish,chips and of course no Indian meal is complete without freshly prepared chutney.Generally its prepared fresh and traditionally served with curry and other side dishes in a traditional Indian meal to contrast the flavors.Its a very popular chutney here in India and there are numerous ways of preparing chutneys and each home has its own own version of making it.In the North its called 'Hari Chutney'(hari means green in hindi) or 'Green Chutney'.Down south chutneys are eaten with idlis(steamed rice cakes),dosas,vadas and steamed rice. You can have it as a side dish,as a spread or a dip for savouries like pakodas and samosas,bread or cheese rolls....the choice is yours.

Ingredients:

2 big bunches of fresh coriander leaves (washed and chopped)
2 green chillis (slit lengthwise)
2 dry red chillis
1 tbsp channa dal (senaga pappu, bengal gram lentil)
1 tbsp urad dal(minappa pappu, black gram lentil)
¼ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 ½ tbsp tamarind paste
pinch of sugar or jaggery(optional)
salt
oil
Seasoning- 1 tsp mustard seeds and few curry leaves

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, let them splutter. Add the dry red chillis, urad dal, channa dal and fry constantly till brown (approx 2-3 minutes on medium heat).
Remove from pan. To the same oil add the coriander leaves and green chillis and fry for 3-4 minutes on medium heat stirring continuously.Remove from fire and cool.
Grind the fried dals mixture, tamarind paste and salt till the dals are well ground.Next add the coriander leaves and green chillis and grind to a slightly coarse paste adding little water.
Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds and let them splutter and then add the curry leaves and fry for 10-15 seconds and turn off heat.Add this to the chutney and mix.Serve with idli,dosa,vada or as a dip for any savoury of your choice.

I like my chutney to have a slightly sweet tangy taste so I add some jaggery or sugar.This can be stored in the refrigerator upto a week but it is advisable to finish it in a day or two.My 3 yr old and I use the left over coriander/cilantro chutney as a spread on toast and its absolutely heavenly!

I had posted this recipe earlier but without a picture of the chutney,so posting it again today.Our breakfast today was ravva dosa with coriander chutney.

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Indian Home Cooking

Bagara Anda Masala - Eggs Cooked In Rich Creamy Sauce

2005-12-21T11:09:00.000+05:30

There are innnumerable ways of cooking eggs right from a simple boiled egg or bull's eye to a stuffed egg curry.Bagara Anda Masala requires the famous Indian 'Bagara masala' which is a type of Indian curry where the key flavours are coconut, tamarind, peanuts and sesame seeds. Bagara Baigan(egg plant),a Hyderabadi speciality dish is cooked with these ingredients which lends its a certain exotic rich creamy quality that no one can resist.Bagara Anda Masala is eggs cooked in peanut-sesame paste and in tamarind sauce and without the use of onions or tomatoes(onions and tomatoes are the basic ingredients for most indian curries) and believe me it tastes great.This dish goes well with flavoured rice,rotis or white rice.

Ingredients:

6 boiled eggs
1 1/2 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds (til,nuvvulu)
1 tbsp fresh coconut
1 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)
oil for cooking
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
pinch of methi (fenugreek seeds)
1-2 whole dry red chillis
4 garlic flakes chopped
8-10 curry leaves
2 slit green chillies
1/2 - 3/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp jeera pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/3 tsp turmeric pwd
1 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 cup water - as required
salt
1/4 tsp garam masala pwd

Heat 2 tsps oil in a pan and add the boiled eggs and fry for 2 minutes and remove.Make small slits with a knife along the length of the eggs and keep aside.

Dry roast sesame seeds and poppy seeds for 4-5 minutes. Grind sesame seeds,poppy seeds,fresh coconut and roasted peanuts to a fine paste adding some water.Keep aside.

Heat 1 1/2 tbsps oil in a pan.Add cumin seeds and let them splutter and then add methi seeds.curry leaves,dry red chilli,green chillis and chopped garlic fry for 20 seconds and then add the ground paste.Saute till oil seperates..i.e approx 7-8 minutes on medium heat and stirring it constantly so that it doesnt burn.
Now add chilli pwd,turmeric pwd,coriander pwd,cumin pwd and saute again for 30 seconds.
Add the boiled eggs and mix well.Add tamarind paste and let it cook covered for 4-5 minutes.

Now add 1 cup water and salt, cover and cook on medium flame for about 10-12 minutes. Lastly add garam masala pwd (optional).

Serve hot along with plain white rice, biryani, paratha or roti.

Food Cuisine
Recipes
Indian Recipes
Traditional Indian Home Cooking

Vankaaya Pachadi - Egg Plant Chutney

2005-12-20T16:53:00.000+05:30

This particular recipe is similar to the Punjabi dish Baigan ka Burtha.Down south in Andhra,we dont use any of the spice powders which are used in preparing the burtha.To prepare the pachadi,mustard seeds,cumin seeds and black gram are used for tempering and the egg plant is grilled or placed directly over the gas burner so that the insides of the egg plant is cooked.The flavour of the grilled brinjal/egg plant is very different to the one where brinjals are chopped and cooked in any gravy or stir fry dish.The big round white-green egg plants are used to prepare vankaaya pachadi.When choosing the egg plants check if there are any tiny holes and if you find any such holes it means that it is infected with worms. The egg plant should be firm to touch but not hard.It should be tender and the seeds will be white.If very hard it means its very mature and the seeds will be black and those can be discarded as they dont taste good at all.

Ingredients

1 large green brinjal
1 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
1/2 mustard seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp urad dal(split black gram)
1 large onion chopped
3 green chillis slit length wise
1 tsp chopped ginger
chopped coriander leaves for garnish
salt
1 tbsp oil

Apply oil to the egg plant and place it on the burner and keep turning the brinjal, so that the skin on the surface is uniformly blackened.Place over the burner till the egg plant softens and cooked.(Alternately you can put it on the baking sheet and bake it at 350 degrees C and keep checking it and turning it till the skin starts cracking and can be peeled off without difficulty. Remember, this process has to be done carefully so that the inner part of the egg plant is cooked well)

Remove from fire when done and wash the egg plant with water. Peel the skin and mash the egg plant.This is how it looks like after the skin is peeled.

Add tamarind paste and salt to the mashed egg plant and keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.Now add the cumin seeds and black gram dal and let them fry till brown i.e 1 minute approx.
Now add the curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
Add the chopped onions,ginger and green chillis and fry till transparent.Dont brown it.
Now add the mashed egg plant which has been mixed with the tamarind paste and salt.Mix well.Let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
Turn off heat and garnish with chopped coriander.
Serve with hot rice and ghee or rotis.

Andhras love their brinjals and one special dish is stuffed brinjal curry called 'gutti vankaaya kura' which is made with the small purple egg plants.It can be eaten with rotis or rice.

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Chole Masala With Puri - White Chick Peas Masala Curry with Fried Indian Bread

2005-12-18T19:08:00.000+05:30

White chick peas or garbanzo beans or kabuli channa is a popular lentil in most parts of India.It belongs to the pea family and its nutty ,creamy flavor and less fat makes it popular and a favorite for anyone who tries it.They are naturally rich in protein and are high in manganese, folate, iron and dietary fiber.

Chole, a Punjabi dish,is regularly cooked in my kitchen.We generally eat chole as a evening snack garnished with chopped onions and cilantro(coriander leaves) or eat it with puri or bhatura(type of Indian bread)for dinner.

Ingredients for Chole:

1 cup white chick peas (soak overnight in 6 cups of water)
To cook the kabuli channa it has be soaked in water and pressure cooked.It is necessary to ensure that the channa is soaked in plenty of water for 6-8 hours, preferably overnight. Wash and pressure cook in good amount of water, since the channa will first bloat to third its size on soaking, then double that on pressure cooking. So soaking is important before pressure cooking for best results.

Pressure cook for at least 5-6 whistles, to be done.Many add cooking soda to soften the channa but I think that spoils the taste.Just plain boiling in a pressure cooker should be fine. While cooking the channa, add a small pouch of muslin cloth in which a tsp of tea leaves have been tied. This will enhance the colour and flavour of the dish. You can also add a bayleaf and a stick of cinnamon, if the dish is going to be spicy.

1 tsp tea leaves (tied into a small muslin cloth to form a pouch)
1 cup tomato puree
1 large onion
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp garam masala pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp punjabi chole masala (any good brand)
1/4 tsp sugar (optional)
salt
1 cup water
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Pressure cook the white chick peas till soft but not mushy.Make a paste of 3 tbsps of the boiled chick peas.Keep aside the boiled chick peas along with the left over water (used to pressure cook the chickpeas) and the boiled chick peas paste.
Grind onions to a paste.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pan.Add the onion paste and 2 slit green chillis and fry well till oil seperates.
Now add the ginger garlic paste and fry till oil seperates stirring constantly so that it doesnt burn.
Add turmeric powder,chilli powder,coriander pwd,cumin pwd and salt.Mix well.
Add tomato puree and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Now add boiled chole with the left over water and the boiled chole paste.Mix well.
Add more water if required ,cover and cook till you get the desired consistency for gravy.
Add garam masala and chole masala and mix well.Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with puri,roti or bhatura.

If you have an cast iron skillet use it to cook the channa ..thats how the street food vendors make it - in big kadais which are cast iron.You can cook it in any cooking vessel.

Method to prepare puris:

Take a wide bowl and mix together 1 cup atta (wholewheat) flour,a dash of ghee or oil or margerine and pinch of salt.Make a deep well in center and pour little by little some warm water to make a smooth stiff dough(not too stiff nor too soft).It should be a slightly firm dough.Let it sit covered for 15 minutes.Divide dough into small lemon-sized balls and roll them out using a rolling pin.The rolled out puris should be circular shaped around 6-7 cms in diameter.

Heat enough oil for deep frying the puris.Slowly slide the rolled out puris into the hot oil and press gently with the spatula so that it puffs up with the steam and swell up like a balloon and turns golden brown with a light crisp. (If it doesnt rise immediately to the surface it means the oil hasnt reached the correct temperature for frying)Flip the puri to cook the other side for 15-20 seconds till it turns golden brown.Drain the puris ensuring all the oil has been drained along the sides of the cooking vessel.Remove onto a absorbent kitchen towel.

If the oil is the right temperature the puris will puff up within seconds of sliding into the hot oil.Serve piping hot with chole or potato curry or any curry of your choice.Puris taste best when hot and served immediately on frying.

Puri is a famous fried Indian bread eaten with curries or veggies on non-veg curries and is eaten for breakfast,lunch,dinner.Infact my son and I enjoy eating puri with white sugar ..:).Believe me,it tastes great.I pack my son's tiffin box with puri spread with mixed fruit jam and he just loves it...:)

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
North Indian Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Curried Baby Potatoes

2005-12-16T15:56:00.000+05:30

Potato is a regular vegetable in my kitchen.There are innumerable ways of cooking up potatoes.Use it almost every other day be it, potato curry with masala dosa,vegetable pattis,salads,potato fry,mixed veggie rice dish,a gravy dish or aloo parathas.Today,I cooked some baby potatoes gravy dish which has a rich flavour using cashewnuts,melon seeds and poppy seeds ..of course with Indian spices..'garam masala'.Turned out great.Excellent with rotis/parathas.

Ingredients:
1/4 kg baby potatoes (boiled and peeled)
1 cup chopped onions
2 green chillis slit
whole spices (1" cinnamon stick,3 cloves,2 green cardamom pods)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1 tsp chilli pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala pwd
melon seeds and cashewnut paste (soak 2 tsps melon seeds and 6 cashewnuts in water for 10 minutes and grind to a paste)
coconut - poppy seeds paste (Dry roast 2 tsps khus-khus and grind to a paste along with 1 tbsp grated coconut .You can use dry coconut if fresh isnt available)
oil
salt
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan.Add the chopped onions and green chillis and fry till rawness disappears.Cool and grind coarsely.Keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsps oil in a pan.Add whole spices and fry for 10 seconds.Add ginger garlic paste and 1 tbsp of water and fry stirring it constantly so that it doesnt burn for 3-4 minutes.Now add the coarsely ground onion paste and fry for 3 minutes on medium heat.Take care that it doesnt burn.
Add coriander pwd,cumin pwd,chilli pwd and salt.Mix well.
Now add the boiled potatoes and mix well.Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
Now add the coconut-poppy seeds paste and cashewnut-melon seeds paste.Mix well and add 1 1/2 cups of water and let the potatoes cook in these masalas for 10-12 minutes.
Add garam masala pwd and mix well.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

This baby potato gravy curry can be served hot with rotis/paranthas or rice.

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
Indian Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Menu For Hope II

2005-12-15T19:55:00.000+05:30

On 8th October a 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the northern parts of Pakistan and India leaving more than 73,000 dead and over 3,000,000 people left cold, injured, hungry and homeless.You can read more about the earthquake here.

They need our help!

Food bloggers from around the world have joined together for the Menu For Hope II campaign started by Chef Pim to help the earthquake victims.The website First Giving is collecting all the donations and then forwarding the funds directly to UNICEF, the recipient organization. This fund is being earmarked to support the victims of the Kashmir earthquake.

As a donor, you can be confident that your donations will utilized for the cause it is being collected for. And you might even win a fabulous prize at the same time.Take a look at the amazing Menu For Hope II that food bloggers from around the world have put together, take your pick, and go ahead to First Giving to make your donation.

This young girl in this picture now has to look after her younger sister by herself. She has no family members left to help her.

We can help all those suffering like this young child.Let’s go to First Giving and donate now!

Senaga Pappu Menthu Kura - Fenugreek Leaves Stir Fried in Lentils

2005-12-15T16:46:00.000+05:30

Methi Channa dal is a semi dry (sukha) curry which is very nutritious made with methi (fenugreek leaves) and channa dal (split bengal gram).Fenugreek leaves are rich in iron, vitamins, and minerals and is generally cooked with potatoes or dals (lentils).Fenugreek leaves have many medicinal properties and help in improving digestion, reducing colic, relieving constipation, and hemorrhoids.

Channa Dal(Bengal Gram) is nutritious and has a sweet,nutty flavor and is easily digested.Its a popular lentil in India and generally used in dal dishes and savories.The legumes are also roasted and powdered into chickpea flour(besan), another widely used ingredient in nearly every regional Indian cuisine.Besan is the basic ingredient in preparing bajjis,a popular snack in India.

This healthy recipe is regularly cooked in my kitchen ensuring my toddler son gets his vital nutrients in his growing years.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh methi (fenugreek)leaves washed chopped
1 small cup senaga pappu (channa dal,split bengal gram)
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
2 cups water
1/3 tsp turmeric pwd (pasupu,haldi)
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 garlic flakes finely chopped
pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 green chilli finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
1 tsp butter
salt

Wash the channa dal and add two cups of water,salt,coriander pwd and turmeric pwd pressure cook till one whistle.The dal should be soft and not mushy.
Heat oil in a skillet. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter and now add the garlic and hing and fry for 10 seconds.
Now add tomates and green chillies and fry till oil seperates.
Add the chilli pwd and mix well.
Add chopped methi and the cooked dal and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes covered.The consistency of the dal is semi dry.
Towards the end add butter and mix it well.

Serve hot with roti or rice.

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Ulava Chaaru / Horsegram Lentil Thick Soup

2005-12-14T14:52:00.002+05:30

"Ulava Chaaru" in the winter! There couldn’t be a better time to enjoy this steaming hot delicious South Indian soup with rice!

Rasam or Chaaru is a South Indian soup prepared with tamarind (paste) water, tomatoes and pepper,coriander,garlic and other spices...lentils are an integral part of most rasams. It is eaten with rice, or can be had as a soup by itself. In a normal South Indian meal,rasam or chaaru is a must.

Horse gram or ulavallu(telugu),Kulith(Hindi)and Kollu payiru(Tamil) is a staple lentil of many Indian farm families.It is a small,flat,oval bean with a darkish rusty tan color and has an assertive earthy flavor.Horse gram is believed to prevent the formation of stones in the kidney and for those with the problem, consuming boiled horse gram water for one month will help to dissolve the urinary stone and can help cure it without surgery. It is also believed to be beneficial for cough and phlegm too.

Ulava Chaaru is a traditional Andhra Rasam or Chaaru.Its a thick horsegram lentil soup and is generally served with fresh cream or butter and rice.In our homes we serve it as a special dish in parties and weddings.

Ingredients:
1 cup ulavalu (soaked overnight)
tamarind, soaked in hot water
3 green chilies slit lenght wise
10 button onions (peeled)
2 whole dry red chilies
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp jaggery(optional)
2 tbsp oil

For the Powder:
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 garlic cloves
Grind coriander seeds,cumin seeds and garlic cloves to a fine powder and keep aside.

Soak overnight the horsegram (ulavalu) and boil it in 8 cups of water in a fairly large pot.Boil till the dal is well cooked.Generally ulavalu will not have a mushy appearence as compared to other lentils like tur dal.The liquid has a dark brown chocolate color.Strain the liquid and 1/2 cup of cooked dal. The remaining left over dal can be thrown away.Generally its used by farmers as fodder for their cattle.

Take 1/2 cup of cooked ulavalu and one cup of the strained ulvallu water and grind it to a paste.Keep aside the ulavalu paste.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet.Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Now add cumins seeds,whole red chillis and curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
Now add the button onions and green chillis and fry for 3 minutes.
Add the strained ulavalu water and let it boil.Add salt,jaggery and turmeric pwd.
Now add the ground pwd ,ulavllu paste and tamarind paste and let it cook on low heat for 20- 25 minutes stirring occasionally and till you get a thick soup like consistency.
Serve hot with rice and a generous amount of fresh homemade butter or cream.

Generally the butter is melted and added to the soup and rice,mixed and eaten.Very tasty dish , eaten and relished more during winter times as its supposed to give heat to the body.

Traditional Andhra dish - 'Ulava Chaaru' is my entry to 'From My Rasoi' food event started and hosted by Meenakshi of Hooked on Heat...the theme being 'winter' I couldnt think of a better dish than 'Ulava Chaaru'...:)

Food Cuisine
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Mirchi Khatta Masala - Tangy Green Chillis Curry

2005-12-13T11:28:00.000+05:30

Long green chilli peppers are large, mild chilles and are generally used here in India to cook Mirchi Ka Salan(Hyderabadi dish),stuffed bajjis,pakoras and other gravy dishes...they can be chopped, ground into paste, slit, and deseeded, or an entire chilli can be inserted in the dish.

These chillis have a very mild spice to them and I usually like to cook these chillis during winters as a curry dish which has that tangy flavour.It goes well with pulao,rice and rotis.My family enjoys this dish, especially during cold weather.I thank my chef friend,D,for sharing this recipe...here goes "Mirchi Khatta Masala" for you...

Ingredients:

10 long green chillis (cut into 2" pieces)

1 cup chopped onions (make a coarse paste)
1/2 tsp shahjeera (black cumin seeds)
1 tbsp chopped pudina (mint leaves)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala pwd
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp of boiled channa dal paste (boil 2 tbsp of channa dal and make a paste)
2 tbsp of khus-khus and melon seeds(magaz,dawsa ginjallu) paste(soak 2 tsps each of poppy seeds and melon seeds in little water for half an hour and make a smoothe paste)
3 tbsp oil
2 cups water
salt
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan.Add shahjeera and pudina leaves and fry for 10 seconds.
Add the coarse onion paste and fry till oil seperates.
Next add ginger garlic paste and fry till oil seperates.
Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well and fry till oil seperates.
Add chilli pwd,cumin pwd and coriander pwd and mix well.
Now add the green chilli pieces and salt, mix well.Cover and cook on slow fire till three fourth cooked.
Now add the khus-khus and melon seed paste along with boiled channa dal paste and tamarind paste.Mix well.
Add water and mix well and cook till the chillis are soft.Add garam masala towards the end and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serves best with hot rotis and rice/pulao.

Food
Indian Recipes
Indian Cooking
North Indian Recipes

Kodi Kura -Simple Traditional Chicken Curry

2005-12-11T15:54:00.000+05:30

Traditional chicken curry cooked here in most Andhra homes is very simple.Button onions (sambar onions or shallots) are generally used in cooking non-veg dishes which are better tasting than the normal onions and have a mild sweet flavour.You can use the normal onions too.

This chicken recipe is a basic chicken gravy curry.Simple,easy and tasty!

1/2 kg chicken ,cleaned and cut into medium sized pieces
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup button onions/sambar onions(peeled)
whole spices (3 elachi,2"dalchini,6 cloves,one star aniseed)
2 cups of water
salt
oil
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

For paste:
1 tbsp coriander seeds
5-6 dry red chillis
1 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
2 elachi (green cardamom)
4 lavanga (cloves)
2" dalchini (cinnamon)

Grind the button onions coarsely.Remove and keep aside.
Dry roast dry red chillis,coriander seeds,elachi,dalchini,cloves,saunf and make a paste adding some water.
Heat 3 tbsps of oil in a skillet and add whole spices.Now add the coarsely ground onions and fry till brown.
Add ginger garlic paste and chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Now add the ground paste and salt and mix well.
Cover and cook till oil seperates.
Now add 2 cups of water and cook till done.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with rice or rotis.

Food Cuisine Recipes
Indian Cooking
Andhra Recipes
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

Indian Kitchen - Traditional Coffee Filter / Modern Coffee Maker

2005-12-11T14:05:00.000+05:30

The magnificent aroma of hot and freshly brewed coffee will hover over most S.Indian homes and a traditional coffee filter is essential to prepare it.Brewing coffee is an art and one masters with practice and its according to one's taste...some like it light/strong/black.To get that perfect decoction its a ritual that most women follow every day.

The brass coffee filter in the picture is an antique one used by my grandmother and is more than 70 years old..Yes,its an antique piece and is very precious to me..:)

A coffee filter is a two portion steel/brass container.The lower portion is for the collection of the brew that percolates down and the upper part for pouring boiled water and ground coffee beans and a filter is placed within the upper portion.The brew that percolates down can be strong or light depending on the amount of ground coffee added to the filter.

Generally the coffee powder used is Chicory and Pure.We use prefer to use the pure one as its got an authentic and aromatic flavour.I pick up my coffee powder at the local coffee bean seller who grinds the coffee beans in my presence and is absolutely fresh.

Of course,today the traditional coffee filters have given way to the modern electronic coffee makers by reputed brands and are very useful too.We also use the modern coffee maker in our kitchen.We,andhras,love our coffee..be it filter coffee or instant coffee..:)

I have been inspired by Indira of Mahanandi to start the Indian Kitchen series.Thanks,Indira for bringing forth this idea to showcase our Indian Kitchens / Utensils to the rest of the world.

Indian Kitchen Indian Utensils
Andhra Cooking
Traditional Home Indian Cooking

You Are What You Eat Meme : My Top 10 Favorite foods!

2005-12-10T19:47:00.000+05:30

I have been tagged by Paz of The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz and Lera of Myraid Tastes to share my top 10 favorite foods. Thank you Paz and Lera.This meme was started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.It wasnt easy coming with only 10 favorite foods but had fun in creating this meme post..:)

Its been exactly a month since I have started this food blog and was going through the index of the recipes I had blogged so far and found that I havent blogged all my favourite foods yet. That reminded me that I need to post more of my favorite food in here.

So,I finally manage to come up with my top 10 favorite foods.

1.My all time favourite dish is Chicken Biryani. Indian that I am, rice being the staple diet, biryanis,pulaos and flavoured rice dishes are an integral part of my kitchen.Of course,not to forget steamed white rice which is our afternoon meal along with a veggie or non-veg curry ,dal cooked with a leafy veggie, veggie pachadi which I call our Andhra salad..:) or veggie stir fry dish ,rasam which is a steaming hot tamarind water soup cooked with Indian spices or sambar,pickle especially’aavakai’ which is a spicy mango pickle and some papad or saabudana fryums.This is a normal south Indian meal which I cook every day and relish and will always be my favourite meal.

2.Chinese Cuisine – I love Chinese food,period! I have always had consistently good Chinese food, be it sweet corn chicken soup,plump dimsums served with interesting sauces, fragrantly spiced chilli pepper prawns, honey and pan-fried noodles,crispy potatoes, chicken dumplings or Chinese greens.

3.Italian Cuisine – Italian food combines the ultimate in comfort food – like simple pastas with rich tomatoes, garlics and olive oil. Italian food is full of the flavors and sensations that just feel right and I would say that Pizza with lots of cheese, Lasagne and Pasta are all my favorite Italian foods.I have posted one of my favorite pasta recipe-Cheesy Pasta Bake

4.Salads- Love salads , any kind of salad.Be it veg,non-veg or a macaroni pasta salad..:).One of my favorites is Mixed Sprouts Corn Salad

5.Indian Street Food – Street food is a culinary tradition that most Indians wouldn’t dream of doing without.Street food here is a learning experience by itself, cooked right before your eyes, reassuring not only of the freshness of the food being made but also the ingredients that go into preparing it.Just love Murri Mixture (Andhra Bhel),Paani Puri,Samosa and Chaat.I cant live without these street foods.

6.Sweets – Kolkatta’s famous Rosagulla , Hot Gulab Jamuns and Bobattulu or Poran Puli are my favourite Indian sweets and of course pastries. Indira of Mahanandi has given a step by step method of preparing Puran Poli (Bhakshalu/Bobattulu) in her blog.

7.North Indian Food- Stuffed Parantha with Dal Makhani ,Butter Panner Masala and Mughlai Chicken Curry and a big glass of Lassi (sweet buttermilk).

8.Masala Chai- Need it every single day and my favorite hot beverage especially during winters.There’s nothing more soothing than a hot cuppa chai/tea.

9.Masala Dosa – My all time favorite Breakfast dish.Eat it for dinner as well.I am extremely fond of this famous S.Indian tiffin.I have posted the recipe of the favorite tiffin Masala Dosa

10.Bread Toast with peanut butter.My most favourite, simple, made with least effort, tasty food which I eat it for breakfast,lunch or dinner on an occasional lazy day…:)

Having listed my favorite foods , I cant help but get nostalgic with the memory of eating hot, homely food at my grandmother's house as a child for Sankranti,our main S.Indian festival,with all the family members (grandparents,parents,aunts,uncles and cousins) swatting on the ground in a circle and eating food spread on a plaintain leaf. Those gatherings would happen only once a year in the month of January when Sankranti is celebrated ushering in the New Year.

Those mouth watering, delicious, wide spread special meals will always remain the most favourite family meals I ever had.

Thank You ,Paz and Lera, for tagging me to share my most favorite foods.It was fun and nostalgic too.

So let’s get more food bloggers to have some fun too..:) Do I have only 5 bloggers to choose?Alright,here I go...

Anne of Anne's Food
Chanith of Mom's Recipes and More
Doc of Gluttony Is No Sin
Rums of Life & Food
Susan of Farmgirl Fare

So,,its over to you foodies and have fun as much as I did in sharing my fav foods and tagging you to share your fav foods..:)

Food Cuisine Cooking Recipes
Indian Food
You Are What You Eat Meme

Gutti Dondakaayi - Stuffed Gherkins/Tondli

2005-12-10T14:31:00.000+05:30

These oblong shaped vegetables are an unusual treat to an otherwise monotonous meal. They lend themselves well to stuffing, slicing, frying, etc. Gherkins (Tondli,Dondakai) tastes great cooked by itself, or as a combination with other veggies. Take care to wash hands immediately after cutting the vegetable, since it tends to stain fingers and make them rough.Always nip of a tiny piece off the top and base tip, before cutting, stuffing, etc.

Posting my mom's recipe called Gutti Dondakaayi (Stuffed Dondakaayi).

Ingredients:

1/4 kg fresh tender dondakaayalu (gherkins,tondli,kunthroo)
4 dry whole red chillis
1/2 cup roasted channa dal(dalia,putanalla pappu)
1 tsp cumin seeds
7-8 garlic flakes,peeled
salt
oil for frying
10-12 curry leaves
Clean the gherkins and make a vertical slit on one side length wise..i.e each gherkin should be intact and not cut into two pieces.
Heat oil for deep frying the slit gherkins.Deep fry the gherkins till slightly brown and cooked.Remove on absorbent paper and cool.

In the same oil add curry leaves and fry for one minute.Remove and cool.
Dry roast cumin seeds and red chillis.Cool.Now blend to a fine powder cumin seeds,red chillis,roasted channa dal and garlic.
Stuff this powder in the fried gherkin slits.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet and add the stuffed gherkins and fry on medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring till well blended.
Remove onto a dish and garnish with fried curry leaves.
Serve with rice.
Here in Andhra we use dondakai a lot in our cooking.You can also use the same method for cooking stuffed brinjals/egg plant.

Food Cuisine Cooking Recipes
Andhra Cooking
Traditional Home Indian Recipes