Pachadi series: Carrot & capsicum pachadi (Carrot & green bell pepper chutney)

Ingredients:

• Medium size carrots about 4
• Small Green bell pepper – 1
• Green chilles- 5
• a handfull of coriander leaves
• few curry leaves
• Tamarind paste and salt.

Dry ingredients :

• chana dal – 3 tsps
• urad dal – 1 1/2 tsp
• dhania and jeera – 1/2 tsp each

Take these four ingredients in a dry pan and toast them till light brown. Once warm transfer these to a mixer and grind to a fine powder.

Procedure:

Peel and chop the carrot to small pieces. chop the  green bell pepper and slit the chilles.

In a pan add two tsps of oil, then add the curry leaves and green chillies. After a minute add the veggies and salt. Cover and cook till soft. Just before turning off the stove add the coriander leaves and tamarind.

Combine this mixture with the  powdered dry ingredients and grind to a coarse paste.
If the mixer is not cooperating, add a bit of water. That should work.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, adjust the seasoning and do the talimpu (tempering).. Take a tsp of oil, once hot add few mustard seeds. Then half a tsp each of chana dal, urad dal and jeera. Then add the curry leaves and a pinch of asafatedia.

Serve with chapathi or hot white rice. Also tastes great with toasted wheat bread.

Pachadi series: Dondakaya pachadi (Tindora chutney)

Ingredients:

• Tindora: about 25
• Green chilles:  5
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Garlic cloves :2
• few curry leaves
• tamarind paste – 3 tsps
• jaggery/sugar: 1/4th tsp (optional)
• salt to taste and
• talimpu ingredients.

Procedure:

Wash the tindora and cut the edges off. Cut the tindora to small pieces.

Slit the green chilles.

In a pan put the cumin seeds and fry for few seconds. Remove.

In the same pan, add some oil, green chilles, curry leaves and the tindora. Add some salt and cook till the vegetable becomes soft. Cool completely.

Take a mixer, add the cumin seeds and run it for few seconds. Then add the sauteed tindora, garlic cloves, tamarind paste and salt. Grind till soft. Check the seasonings.

Do the talimpu (popu/tadka) with a tsp of oil, bit of mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp each of chana dal, urad dal and cumin.  Also add few curry leaves and hing.

Mix the tadka with  pachadi and serve it with chapathi or white rice.

A get-together menu

Appetizer:

Strawberry punch, masala vada, nachos with mango salsa.

Main course:

Sorakaya pachadi (bottle gourd chutney), Guttivankaya kura (stuffed brinjal curry), Beans,carrot & lima beans fry, Puliyogare noodles, Bisibelebath & Curd rice.

Dessert:

Mango Mousse

Sankranthi Subhakanshalu

Sankranthi Subhakanshalu!

photo courtesy:
123greetings

Sankranti (Telugu: సంక్రాంతి ), is a festival that signifies the beginning of the harvest season for the farmers of India.It is also called ‘Makara Sankranthi’, it is celebrated primarily in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka & Maharashtra. (above article taken from wikipidea, more info click here….

In Andhra pradesh, my home state we call it “pedda panduga” which means the big festival. It is generally a three day festival, which starts on Jan 13th and goes up to Jan 15th (Sankranthi is one of the few festivals which come on the same day every year). Each day has its own significance.

• The first day being the bhogi panduga
• Second day Sankranthi and
• The third day is Kanuma.

I have a lot of child hood memories associated with this festival.

Aariselu (made of rice flour & Jaggery)

On Bhogi, we use to wake up as early as 4 am in the morning and lightup bhogimantlu (bon fire). Items like old broom sticks, woods and paper are thrown in to the fire. It signifies the destruction of the evil and departure of the poverty. Later we clean the courtyards and sprinkle it with water and cowdung and draw beautiful muggulu (also called rangoli). Then the muggulu are decorated with mariglod flowers on fresh round cow dung balls. Then everyone takes bath and wear new clothes.

Sankranthi, the main day of this three day celebration starts with Lakshmi pooja(Goddess of wealth). Sweet Pongal (made of rice, lentils and Jaggery) is offered as naivedyam (offering) to the god. The cattle, especially cow is also offered prayers.

Other entertaining sights during Sankranthi are Gangireddu (decorated oxen) which are taken from one house to other, they are often see nodding their head, accompanied by their owner who sings songs. People offer them rice and clothes. We also have bommala kolluvu which displays various dolls and toys.

Food plays a very important part in this festival. In Andhra we make ariselu( made of rice and Jaggery), kajjikayalu, jantikalu, puliharam(tamarind rice), garelu, boorelu, laddu and sweet pongal.

Women and kids go to relative’s house and neighboring houses for tambulam (which consists of tamalapakulu, coconut and flowers)

Kanuma, is a festival for farmers. The farmers decorate their cattle and offer prayers. This is a very happy occasion for the farmers because they sell their produce and get money. People visit temples and family gatherings happen.

Cinema is a very popular media in our Andhra, a lot of movies are released during this period. In the evening people go to watch the movies.

There are so many other memories which are related to this festival, like- hari dasu, banthi poolu, chamanthi poolu(flowers), gobbimmalu, muggulu, gummadi kaayalu, and all the sweets which I mentioned earlier. No wonder we call it pedda pandugaa in our Andhra Pradesh. It truly is, though I miss all of this here in U.S, just to think about it makes me so happy.

Wishing each and every one a Very Happy Sankranthi!

Previously posted on Jan11′07.

Pachadi series: Gongura pachadi (Red sorrel leaves chutney)

mango pickle and gongura chutney

Andhra pradesh, my home state is very popular for eating hot and spicy food. Coming to pickles, the most populous one’s are aavakaaya (mango pickle) and gongura pachadi (red sorrel leaves chutney).  In Andhra, we make lot of instant pickles which are supposed to be consumed in two to three days.   These types of pachadi’s can be made either with vegetables, greens or dal’s.

Today i want to share with you Gongura pachadi, one of the most famous pachadi’s of all times. My mom makes this pachadi in three different ways. One with green chille, one with dry chille and urad dal and the other with dry chille and peanuts. The one i am posting today is with the peanuts.

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This beautiful picture was taken in one of our dear friend’s house. They have planted this gongura plant, which has grown beautifully in their backyard. I was lucky enough to pick the fresh leaves and make the pachadi.

Recipe:

• Gongura leaves- about 4 cups
• a handfull of peanuts
• dry red chilles- 5
• tamarind juice – 1tsp (adjust depending upon how tangy the gongura is)
• onion- 1/4th

Tempering/ Talimpu:

• oil- 1tsp
• mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• chanadal, urad dal, cumin seeds- 1/4th tsp each
• few curry leaves
• dry red chille-1
• pinch of hing

In a pan put the oil, once hot add the mustard. Once the mustard starts to dance, add the other ingredients and fry till light brown.

Procedure:

In a pan put a teaspoon of oil and fry the peanuts till light brown. Remove and keep it on the side. In the same pan add the dry chille and fry. Remove, now add two teaspoons of oil and the gongura leaves with little bit of salt. cook in low heat till gongura becomes soft. Let cool.

In a mixer grind the peanuts and red chille coarsely. Now add the gongura, some salt, tamarind juice and very little water. Grind till its smooth. Now add some chopped onion and grind it just one more time. You should still be able to see some chunks of onion.

Finally add the tempering and enjoy the pachadi with hot rice and some ghee.

Pesara pappu Payasam (Moong dal Payasam)

After a long break, I am finally back to blogging. Though i love posting recipes, since i was away for so long I was too lazy to get back. But my friends kept pushing me to get back to blogging. So, here i am finally after six months. Not sure how often i will be posting, but i am planning not to hibernate completely.

Being Navaratri I made  payasam today.

Recipe:

• Moong dal – 1cup
• Jaggery- 1 1/4th cup
• Milk- 3 cups
• water- 3 cups
• Cardamom pods- 3
• Few cashews and a tbsp of ghee

To grind:

• toasted poppy seeds (gasaalu)- 3tsps
• grated fresh coconut- 4tsps
• and handful of cashews

grind the above ingredients with half a cup of milk to a smooth paste.

Procedure:

Cook moong dal in two cups of water. Make sure to not over cook it. The dal should still hold its shape. Keep it on a side.

Now in a different vessel add a cup of water and jaggery. Cook it till the jaggery is completely melted. Then add the ground mixture with 3 cups of milk. On a medium heat cook for ten minutes.

Now add the cooked moong dal and stir till everything is well combined. Now simmer this whole mixture for another ten minutes in a low heat.

Turn of the heat.Lastly add the cardamom powder and also fry some cashew in ghee and add it to the payasam.

Happy Ugadi

Ugadi Subhakanshalu.
Wishing you all a very Happy NewYear.

Ugadi is the New Year’s Day for the people of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. In Andhra and Karnataka it is called Ugadi, whereas in Maharashtra it’s called Gudipadava. Ugadi marks the beginning of new Hindu lunar calendar with a change in the moon’s orbit.

On Ugadi we make Ugadi Pachchadi, which has tamarind, jaggery, raw mango and neem flowers. The significance behind this preparation is that life is a mixture of good and bad, joy and sorrow and all of them have to be treated alike.

To make Ugadi Pachchadi:

Tamarind pulp
Jaggery
Small pieces of raw mango
Neem flowers (In U.S we don’t find neem flowers, so I made mine with out them)
Small pieces of banana
Little bit of red chillie powder and
A pinch of salt

Soak tamarind in water for few minutes or microwave for 20 seconds. Squeeze the pulp, the consistency should be little thick (if u feel it’s too thick, u can always add water). Now add jaggery, mango, banana, neem flowers, red chillie powder and salt.

Offer to the god and then eat as prasadam.

Previously posted on mar 19th ‘07

Atukula upma ( Poha upma)

• Atukula (poha/Avalaki) upma is very common tiffin (breakfast) item in Karnataka. The first time I tasted this was in my in-laws house. I am not sure if Andhra people do this upma or not, but my mom never made this. I loved it the very first time I tasted it. All I can say is simplicity at its best.

• Its a very simple recipe which can be whipped up in less than ten minutes. Ultra satisfying and always comes in handy for a quick fix meal.

Recipe:

Poha (Atukulu/Avalaki) – 2 cups

Medium onion- 1

Peanuts about 10

green chille- 4

few curry leaves

coriander leaves

lemon juice and salt.

• In a skillet add a tablespoon of oil followed by mustard seeds. When mustard starts to dance around add the peanuts, half teaspoon each of chana dal and urad dal. When slightly brown add the green chille and curry leaves. Then add the onions, a pinch of salt, turmeric and cook till onion becomes soft.

• While the onion is cooking take the poha under the cold water and rinse it of twice. Put the poha immediately in the collander and drain the excess water.

• Once the onions are soft add the poha, followed by salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook the poha for five to seven minutes. Once done add some lemon juice and chopped coriander.

NOTE:

Its important to use thick poha for this recipe, if not poha will become mushy.

Stuffed aloo baji in a croissant

• I have had the above picture in flick r photos for about three months now. I uploaded it thinking i will post the recipe soon.

• But i kept postponing it. Few of my readers have asked me that they could not find the recipe. I am sorry about that. Finally i am posting the recipe today.

• Life has been quite busy recently and blogging had definitely taken a back seat. I will try to post atleast a couple of recipes in a month. Fingers crossed……

• Coming to the recipe- I just used the store bought croissant dinner rolls, stuffed them with potato curry and baked them in the oven for few minutes.

Recipe:

• Pillsbury reduced fat croissant dinner rolls- 1 pack
• Potato curry (For the recipe, click here)

• The croissant dough which i bought come in a tin. When you open it, you will find dough in the form of a square shape. It has some dots on the dough, just cut the dough following the dots and you will end up with eight traingle shaped dough.

• Now fill little bit of potato curry in the center of the dough. Start rolling from one end to the other end. Now put the croissants in a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes depending upon your oven temperature.
• Can be served with hot and sweet tomato sauce, found in the Indian stores.

NOTE:

1. Croissant dinner rolls are found in any American supermarkets here in the U.S.
2. Make the potato curry little bit more spicy than usual because croissant is buttery and mild. So to compliment that you need to have the curry little spicy.
3. Put a good amount of curry inside the dough, because when it bakes the croissant puffs up.

• For a sweeter version, instead of potato curry i put few chocolate chips( about 10 ) and few walnuts pieces.

Thotakura pappu (Amaranth leaves Dal)

• Thotakura pappu is a very common dal in the Andhra house holds. I remember my mom making this dal at least twice a week. After moving to U.S Amaranth leaves have become like a childhood memory for me. I don’t see them that often in the Indian grocery stores here. But when i do find them, I don’t miss a chance in making this dal.

• Pappu (dal) with some kind of greens or veggies is very common in Andhra. Pappu with hot rice, a dollop of ghee and avakaya (mango pickle) on the side are sure to please your taste buds. Simple and clean flavors which takes me down the memory lane.

• Preparation is very simple. Take the amaranth leaves with toor dal, onion, green chille and tomato to a pressure cooker. Cook until soft and finally do the tempering. It can’t get any simpler than this.

Recipe:

• Toor dal: half cup
• amaranth leaves- a bunch
• onion- 1/2
• Red juicy tomato- 1
• Green chille- 3 to 4
• Tamarind paste- 2 tsp
• and salt.

Procedure:

Cut the onion, green chille and tomatoe into small pieces. Wash the Amarath leaves, drain the water and chop them. Now take the toor dal, amarath leaves, green chille, onion and tomato with a pinch of turmeric in a vessel. Cook it in the pressure cooker till soft.

Once cooked, mash a bit and do the tempering with a tsp of oil, few mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp chana dal, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, few curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.

Add the tempering to the cooked dal mixture. Now add the salt and tamarind and return the dal mixture to the stove and cook for another five minutes.

Serve the pappu with hot rice.

Pizza with nan

Pizza is definitely a comfort food. Who can resist a slice of pizza with a crispy crust, sweet and tangy tomato sauce , hot Jalapeno and to mellow it down some melted mozarella. This is one of those foods which i am totally addicted to.

Being a vegetarian my toppings pretty much remain the same. Onion, peppers, mushrooms and Jalapeño. Since i am not fond of olives,I generally avoid them.

NY has some of the best pizzas i have ever tasted. Thin crust, but generously a big size is sure to please your taste buds.

I make pizza at home with the help of some store bought ingredients.

A perfect replace for pizza dough can be found in Indian nan.

One nan with your favorite veggies, may be a salad and a soft drink can be one ultimate satisfying meal.

I made pizza for Valentines Day. So, what did you guys cook up …..

Recipe :

Nan (From Indian store)- 2

Small onion -1 (cut half inch lenght wise)

Red and green bell pepper – 1/2 each (cut half inch length wise)

Jalapeno- 1 (chopped)

Red crushed pepper

Tomato sauce (any brand, ok)

Shredded mozarella cheese ( I used the low fat) and

Olive oil.

• Take a pan add a bit of olive oil and fry the onion with a pich of salt and crushed red pepper. Cook just until they become little soft . Keep them a side.

• In the same pan sautee the jalapeno, red and green peppers with a pinch of salt. Cook just for two minutes. Keep them a side.

• Now take a nan add a layer of tomato sauce. Top it with onion, red, green pepper and some red crushed peppe. Finally top it with shredded mozzarella cheese.

• Put it in the toaster oven and cook it just until cheese starts melting.

• Since its just two of us, Instead of regular oven i make my pizza in the toaster oven. I dont put any foil or a plate in the bottom of pizza while its cooking. Since the heat comes directly in contact with the surface, you get a nice crispy base.

Note:

• If you are making for more than two, I would recommend making the pizza in the regular oven.

• Don’t over cook the veggies, you still want to have a bite to it.

Stuffed Bittergourd (Kakarkaya pottalu)

I assume most of you out there are not a big fan of bitter gourd like i was. Though its extremely bitter, it has tons of nutritional values to it. It stimulates digestion and is also very good for diabetes people.

A while back i asked Ven, how come most of the things which we like (sweets, fried items) are not healthy and the things which we don’t like (like certain type of veggies, fruits, whole wheat products) are healthy. He replied by asking me: why do you like something when you know its not healthy for you. I think we all know that, but we end up leaning towards the unhealthy stuff.

As of know my priorities and my eating habits are changing for good. Now my perspective is-just give a try and try getting use to it. You may not love it, but i am sure you will eventually like it. One vegetable i have adapted this kind of strategy is bitter gourd.

when ever my mom made stuffed bitter gourd, I used to eat the stuffing and just the seeds in the bitter gourd. But now i eat all of eat. If i am running the kitchen, In addition to just cooking i need to eat them to set a good example at least for the people around me.

 

 

 

Recipe:

Bitter gourd(Karela/Kakarkayi)- Medium size 2

Medium sized onion-1 (chopped to tiny pieces)

dalia powder/chanaga pappu powder- 4 tbsps

grated dry coconut – 1 1/2 tbsps

red chille powder- 1/2 to 1 tsp

and salt as desired

Procedure:

My mom’s version of cooking the Bittergourd:

My mom used to cook the whole bitter gourd in a pot with some salt, turmeric and tamarind. Once cooked she used to pan fry(not deep fry) the bitter gourd with a teaspoon of oil till its roasted on all sides. And then cut in the center and stuff the dalia and coconut mixture.

My version of cooking Bittergourd:

Cut the bitter gourd in to thin round circles. Pop them in the microwave and cook for good three minutes. Now in a pan put a teaspoon of oil and fry the bittergourd on both sides till golden brown. Sprinkle some salt and keep a side.

In the same pan, add some more oil and add the chopped onion. Cook until soft and then add the dalia, coconut, red chillie powder and salt. At this point the mixture will be dry, sprinkle few tablespoons of water which will help you make round balls out of it. Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and turn off the stove.

When the mixture is warm enough to handle, make round balls out of it. And serve this with the pan fried bitter gourd and hot rice.

Note:

If you want to take away at least little bit of bitterness from the BG, cook them in water with some salt, tumeric and tamarind. Drain and cut into small circles and pan fry them.

This recipe requires very little oil because we cook the BG in microwave/water. 

Recipe: Amma

 

Sankranthi Greetings

 

Wishing Family, Friends and Fellow bloggers a Very Happy Sankranthi!

Sankranthi Subhakanshalu from 14th-16th

• 14th -Bhogi
• 15th -Makara Sankranthi and
• 16th -Kanuma

For more info on the festival, checkout my Sankranthi post from last year.