Chitti Avadalu

Chitti Avadalu :

Ingredients:

Ingredients for Garelu (Dumplings):

Black Gram – 100gms
Water – 55gms to 60gms
Salt to taste or 1/2tsp
Oil for Deep Frying
Ingredients for Perugu (Curd):

Curd – 400gms
Green chilies – 5
Ginger – Small Piece
Cumin Seeds – 1/2tsp
Curry Leaves – Few
Fenugreek Seeds – 5 Seeds
Black Gram – 1 1/2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 3/4tsp
Cumin Seeds – 3/4tsp
Turmeric Powder – A Pinch
Salt to Taste
Asafoetida – 1/8tsp
Oil – 6tsps
Ingredients for Buttermilk:

Curd – 100gms
Salt around 1/2tsp
Water – 100gms

Preparations:

Preparing Batter:

Take dal in a bowl and wash it. Add fresh water to the dal and soak it for4 to 5 hours. In a mixer grinder grind the soaked dal adding salt and water. Add water little by little while grinding. Beat the batter with fingers to incorporate air for soft garelu (dumplings). The consistency of the batter should not be too thick or too thin. If the consistency of the batter is thick, the dumplings will not get cooked when fried. If the consistency of the batter is thin they absorb lot of oil when fried in oil. To test the consistency of the batter, take water in a bowl. Add a small portion of the batter in the water. If the batter sinks then the consistency is not right. If the batter floats then the consistency is right. The batter floats on water when it is light. So the fried garelu will be soft when the batter is light.



Preparing Perugu (Curd):

First coarsely grind the green chilies, ginger and cumin seeds. Then add the curry leaves and grind (just use the whip button) coarsely so that the curry leaves will get chopped finely instead of becoming a paste. Take this ground mixture into a plate and keep it aside. Take curd in a bowl and whisk it with a whisker till smooth. Add salt to the smoothened curd and mix well.

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is hot add the fenugreek seeds and black gram. Fry till the seeds start changing color. Then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry till the seeds splutter and then add the asafoetida. Mix well and add the ground chili paste. Fry well and switch off the flame. Now add the turmeric powder and mix well. Turmeric powder when mixed with hot oil and mixed into the curd gives the curd a nice color. Now add the seasoning to the curd and mix well. Add chopped coriander leaves to the curd for better flavor. Keep this curd in fridge till use or else it will turn sour.

Preparing Buttermilk:

We dip the garelu in either buttermilk and then allow them to soak to become soft. Then we add the soaked garelu to the prepared curd. The hot garelu when directly added to the curd curdles the curd and releases water. So to avoid this first we have to bring down the temperature of the garelu to normal and then soak them in the curd mixture to absorb the tastes of the curd.

Mostly people dip the dumplings (garelu) in water after frying them. For better taste we are using buttermilk for soaking the garelu. When the garelu are dipped in buttermilk, they soak the buttermilk and become soft. Buttermilk is a product of curd so the flavors mix well. If we dip them in water and then add to the curd, the taste will be mild and different.

Churn the curd, salt and water together and prepare thin consistency buttermilk. Salt in the buttermilk should be more when compared to the salt in the curd which we have prepared earlier.

Method:

Preparing Chitti Avadalu:

Heat a pan and add oil enough for deep frying the garelu. When the oil is hot, wet your fingers and take a portion of the batter with the wet fingers and drop small portions into the hot oil. After a while they float in the oil. Then fry them by stirring with a ladle till they are golden in color. Remove the garelu when they are light golden in color and immediately add them to the prepared buttermilk. Soak the garelu in buttermilk for few minutes.

Do not fry the garelu till they turn red in color. Such deep fried garelu when dipped in buttermilk will not absorb any liquid. So it is necessary that the garelu are fried till they are light golden in color.

After few minutes observe that the garelu have absorbed buttermilk and become soft. Remove them from the buttermilk and keep them in a plate separately.

Like this fry the garelu with the remaining batter and soak them in the buttermilk and keep them separately in the plate.

Serving:

Take two bowls and add the soaked garelu in each bowl equally. Now add the prepared curd on the garelu and spread it. See that all garelu are nicely dipped in the curd mixture. Leave these bowls aside for one hour. After one hour observe that the garelu have absorbed the curd mixture. Now they are ready to be served. Serve garnished with chopped coriander.

Points to Notice:

Why we fail in making this dish?

If the batter is thick and garelu are made with this thick batter, then they will not get cooked and will not absorb any liquid. Batter should be light—so check for the consistency.

If the batter is of right consistency but garelu fried till they turn red, then also the garelu will not absorb any liquid. So fry them till they are golden in color then they will absorb the liquid to become soft.

Third point is salt.

If the proportion of salt is more in curd mixture than the proportion of salt in the buttermilk, to balance the salt it will draw water from the soaked garelu. Thus the garelu will become hard and your recipe fails. So take care and see to it that the salt is more in the buttermilk than the salt in the curd. See that the buttermilk tastes saltier than the curd mixture.

If one follows these points and make this recipe then you can enjoy soft and tasty Chitti Avadalu.

Avadalu are also known as Perugu Vadalu. Usually Avadalu are made in the following manner:

Pat a portion of batter on the palm and make a hole in the centre. Drop this in hot oil and fry them till golden in color. Dip them

in buttermilk and soak them in the curd mixture. To soak them we need a flat bowl to occupy all the garelu separately. Then while serving serve each avada with some curd on it. But here I made chitti garelu (fried small dumplings of the batter) and arranged them in two individual bowls. Each chitti avada can be eaten with a spoon.

Aava Pulihora

Aava Pulihora :

Ingredients:

Rice– 200gms (2—100ml Cups)
Water – To cook rice (2 3/4Cups with 100ml Cup)
Tamarind – 50gms
Bengal Gram – 2tsps
Black Gram – 2tsps
Fenugreek Seeds – A Pinch
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Green Chilies – 6 (Spicy Variety)
Red Chilies - 2
Asafoetida – 1/8tsp
Turmeric Powder – Little Less Than 1/4tsp
Salt – To Taste (1 3/4tsps)
Cashew Nut Pieces – 2Tbsps
Peanuts – 2Tbsps
Curry Leaves - Few
Oil – 4Tbsps
For Mustard Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds – 2tsp
Red Chilies – 2
Water – 25ml

Preparations:

Take rice in a bowl and add water. Wash the rice well and drain water. Add the measured water to cook the rice. Place this bowl in pressure cooker and cook. After first whistle, cook rice on low flame for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to cool by itself. Remove the rice bowl from the cooker and spread rice in a plate.

Take tamarind in a microwave safe bowl and add 50ml water. Place this bowl in microwave oven and cook on high power till it reaches a boil (45 seconds). Cool and grind the cooked tamarind with 35ml water to a smooth paste and strain it to remove fiber.

Wash and slit green chilies. Wash curry leaves.

Method:

Take 2tsps mustard seeds and 2 red chilies which have been broken into pieces. Using a mortar and pestle grind the mustard seeds and red chili pieces adding around 25ml water to a smooth paste.

Add tamarind paste, mustard paste and salt to the rice and mix well.

Heat a pan and add oil. When oil is hot add cashew nut pieces and fry till they turn golden in color. Remove the cashew pieces from oil and add to the prepared rice. Add peanuts and fry and add them to the prepared rice.

To the remaining oil add Bengal gram, black gram and fenugreek seeds. Fry till the seeds start changing color. Then add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Then add slit green chilies, curry leaves and fry till chilies are fried well. Then switch off the flame and add red chilies and asafetida and turmeric powder. Mix and immediately transfer the seasoning along with oil to the prepared rice. Mix the rice well till it gets the color of turmeric. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Points To Observe:

It is advisable to grind the mustard seeds and red chilies using a mortar and pestle only to get the real flavor of mustard. Grinding in a mixer grinder would give a mild mustard flavor.

When red chilies are added to the seasoning see that they do not turn dark red or black in color---that is the reason we have added them after switching off the stove. Similarly after adding turmeric powder to the hot oil just mix and immediately transfer the mixture to the rice or else the turmeric gets burnt and tastes bad. Adding turmeric in hot oil instantly brings out the color which when mixed with rice gives a nice color.
http://www.youtube.com/user/gayatrivantillu/videos?view=0
Fry all the seasoning ingredients, cashew nut pieces and peanuts to a golden color to bring out the taste---do not fry them till they get deep color.

This pulihora tastes best when served after 2 hours of preparing it---by that time rice absorbs all the flavors and tastes better.

Mixed Vegetable Rice

Mixed Vegetable Rice :

Ingredients:

Rice – 100gms
Water – 200gms
French Beans – 20gms (Sliced)
Carrots – 40gms (Cubed)
Potatoes – 60gms (Cubed)
Green Peas – 50gms
Onions – 40gms (Sliced)
Caraway Seeds – 1tsp
Cinnamon – Small Piece
Cloves – 2
Garlic – 1Or 2 Cloves (Peeled)
Cashew halves – 10
Raisins – 15
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Red Chili Powder – 1/2tsp
Salt to Taste
Oil – 2Tbsps


Preparations:

Take rice into a bowl, add water and wash it. Discard the water and add 200gms of fresh water to the rice. Place the rice bowl in pressure cooker and cook. After first whistle lower the flame and cook the rice for 10 minutes. Remove the rice bowl from the cooker as soon as the cooker cools down. Spread the cooked rice in a plate and add 1/2tsp ghee. Mix the rice with a fork to coat with ghee. Mixing with a fork will not make the rice mushy.Crush garlic clove (1 or 2), cinnamon stick & cloves in a mortar and pestle. Take this spice crush into a plate and cover it till use.

Take a microwave safe bowl and add potato cubes, carrot cubes, green peas and sliced french beans. Add 30ml water to the vegetables and place this bowl in oven. Cover the bowl partially and cook on high power for 5 minutes. Mix well with a spoon and add 25ml water (or as required) and place this bowl in oven covering it partially. Cook on high power for 3 minutes. Allow 2 minutes standing time before removing the bowl from oven.

Fry cashew nuts till golden in color. Similarly fry the raisins till they swell. Keep these fried ingredients aside for garnishing.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add caraway seeds and fry till they splutter. Then add sliced onions and fry till they are crisp. Then add the spice crush, turmeric powder, red chili powder and cooked vegetables. Mix all well and add salt. Mix again and cook covered on low flame for 1 minute. Then add the cooked rice and mix to coat the spices well. Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. The dish is ready to serve. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and fried raisins.

Points to Notice:

Cut the vegetables evenly—so that they cook well and also look good.

Garlic smell lovers may add 2 or more garlic cloves.

Red chili powder gives color as well as taste to the dish. However green chilies may be replaced for red chili powder. But remember to fry the green chilies well in oil to bring down the hotness.

Remove the rice from cooker as soon as it cools down. Immediately spread the rice in a plate and add ghee. The rice grains will not stick when ghee is added. Mix the rice with a fork. Mixing with a fork will not make the rice mushy.

Cover the spice crush till use to retain the aroma.

In pulaos we generally put whole spices, while in Biriyanis we put powdered (ground to paste) ones. This dish tastes like that of a Biriyani family but looks like a Pulao. Serve this dish hot with any paneer gravy dish or cucumber raita.

Point to Share:

This is the first North-Indian dish I have tasted. In our family we were not used to eating garlic. So when we prepared a Biriyani recipe with all the masalas—it was too pungent for us. So my father suggested major changes and my mother prepared this milder version of Biriyani. My father wanted us to enjoy this north-indian taste also. Though we have cut down so many spices yet it gave a unique taste to this rice dish. As expected we enjoyed this dish very much. From then on this used to be a regular dish in our house and we enjoy it with onion raita. So I gave a name to this recipe as NANNA (FATHER IN TELUGU) BIRIYANI. Even after my marriage I regularly make this NANNA BIRIYANI and my family members enjoy it.

My father passed away in October 2008 and I dedicate this recipe as a tribute to him.

Sweet Curd

Sweet Curd :

Ingredients:

Full Cream Milk – 2Litres
Sugar – 200gms Or To Taste
Buttermilk – 10ml (Approximately)

Method:

Mishti Doi gets a distinct flavor when the milk is boiled in a clay pot over a charcoal oven. While selecting a clay pot, take a wide mouthed clay pot over a narrow mouthed clay pot. Using a wide mouthed clay pot helps milk to evaporate fast and also helps in milk not spilling over the pot. We need to prepare the clay pot before putting it to use.


Take a tub full of water and immerse the clay pot in it. Add water till the rim of the tub to see that the pot is fully immersed. Soak the pot overnight in water. Next day take the pot out and rub the inner surface with fingers and observe that the black color of the pot coats the fingers. To prevent this, fill the pot with water and heat it on low flame. After heating the pot for 30 to 40 minutes observe the vapors over the water surface. Then switch off the flame and keep it aside for some time to cool. Drain out water from the pot and rub the inner surface and observe that the black color of the pot doesn’t stain the fingers---this indicates that the pot is ready to use.

Take full cream milk into a bowl and heat it. Heat the milk till it reaches a boil. Now transfer the boiled milk to the prepared pot. We can even boil the milk directly in the pot also but observe the milk bowl after transferring milk into the pot. There will be a thick coating at the bottom of the bowl which is formed after boiling milk. When milk is boiled directly in the pot it also gets a thick coating (as shown) at the bottom of the pot. Then, when milk is boiled further to evaporate, the thick layer at the bottom of the pot gets scorched and leaves a scorching smell to the milk—which spoils the taste. To avoid the scorched smell of milk, first boil milk in a bowl and then transfer this milk into the pot and proceed. Now the milk is ready to be boiled further to thicken.

Boiling milk in a clay pot gives a distinct flavor to the milk. When the milk in clay pot is boiled over a charcoal oven, it boils slowly forming a thick layer of cream on the surface. Portable charcoal ovens are available in the shops selling clay pots. In olden days people used to cook not only their daily food but also delicacies in these portable ovens. Nowadays we see young generation using a modern portable oven which is familiar with the name barbecue to prepare many grilled dishes for picnics and parties. Here let us use this barbecue to make mishti doi.

First know the parts and usage of a barbecue. Barbecue has a stand in which a slotted tray is arranged. Charcoal is lit in the slotted tray. Then find a grill which is placed above the charcoal in the slotted tray. Find a sliding plate beneath the barbecue stand which is used to collect the ash from the burnt charcoal.

Take some coconut fiber and open it up with fingers. Spread the coconut fiber in the slotted tray evenly. Cover the coconut fiber with charcoal and keep the slotted tray ready. Bundle up few newspapers and place them in the ash tray. Using a match stick lit the newspapers and immediately set the prepared slotted tray in the stand. Using a plate or a card board, blow air, above the charcoal. The fiber catches fire from the burning newspapers through the slots of the tray. Once the fiber starts burning the charcoal is lit. Thus the barbecue is ready for using. Place the milk pot above the burning charcoal. Add sugar and mix well with a ladle till sugar dissolves. As the flame is a charcoal flame which would be less only and as we are using a wide mouthed pot, it would not allow the milk to spill over. However if there is any doubt of milk spilling over mix with a ladle—as the milk starts evaporating it would not spill over. Milk boils inside the pot as we are using a wide mouthed pot. Reduce milk by boiling over low flame for a thicker cream. After some time observe a change in color of the cream on top of the milk. Sugar caramelizes and gives a nice color to the milk. Allow the milk to boil to reduce further. Place a slotted plate on the pot and leave the milk to boil till the charcoals puts off—by that time milk reduces sufficiently forming a thick cream on top. Cool the milk for a while before adding buttermilk to set curd. In winters it would be difficult to set curd so, add buttermilk to the milk while the milk is still hot (Temperature between 50oC to 55oC). As shown in the movie I have added buttermilk, when the milk is at 53.5oC on candy thermometer. From one side, separate the cream with a spoon and add buttermilk to the milk & mix with spoon. Cover the milk bowl and allow to set. It is advisable to use a rice cooker to set curd fast in winters. Add water to the rice cooker bowl. Place the milk pot in the rice cooker and see to it that it doesn’t touch the water in the rice cooker bowl. Cover the rice cooker and switch on “Keep Warm” mode. As the milk sets, Mishti Doi would be ready. Keep the pot in fridge for few hours before serving. Serve mishti doi in small cups with a spoon.

Points To Notice:

Mishti Doi is a delicacy made in eastern parts of India. Mishti means Sweet and Doi Means Curd (Dahi)---Sweetened Curd.

Use full cream milk to prepare Mishti Doi as the thick cream set on top would be very tasty.

Add sugar as per requirement—I have used 200gms of sugar and the sweet is moderate.

I have used around 10ml of buttermilk for setting curd---use as per ones requirement. Use buttermilk in place of curd as it mixes well with milk and sets surely and fast.

Use a wide mouthed clay pot than a narrow mouthed clay pot. As the surface area would be more milk boils inside the pot only when using a wide mouthed pot whereas it spills over in a narrow mouthed pot.

Using a clay pot gives a special flavor to the milk.

Using a charcoal oven gives a thick layer of cream. As flame heat would be less in charcoal oven milk boils slowly yielding a thick cream.

To avoid the scorching smell boil milk in a steel container first and then transfer it to the clay pot. Then reduce the milk by boiling in clay plot over charcoal oven to get thick cream and flavored mishti doi. Milk boiled in clay pot over dried cow dung fire gives another unique flavor to the mishti doi.

To prevent accidents and smoke lit the barbecue in an open place till the charcoals are lit well.

Reduce milk to ones requirement. Reduced milk gives thick curd---however do not reduce to such a level where the curd sets like stone---then it would taste like Khoa Or Mawa. Here I have reduced to little more than half the quantity (2 Liters Milk to Approximately 1 1/4 Liters).

Sugar flavored milk takes longer time to set and in winter weather it takes even longer time. So it is advisable to use rice cooker as shown in the movie to set Mishti Doi.

One important point to notice is it would be heavier on stomach as the curd is made with reduced milk and is sweetened too. So eat in limited quantity and enjoy the unique taste.

Mirapakaya Bajji

Mirapakaya Bajji :

Ingredients:

1.Long, Stout Chilies – 8
2.Tamarind – Gooseberry Sized
3.Carom Seeds(Ajwain) – 1 1/2tsps
4.Salt To Taste
5.Gram Flour – 1 Cup
6.Baking Powder – 1/4tsp
7.Oil To Deep fry

Preparations:

Take tamarind in a microwave safe bowl and add little water. Microwave this on high for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave again on high for 30 seconds. Keep aside. Take a mixie jar and add Carom Seeds (Ajwain). Add salt and the tamarind along with the tamarind water. If you have any doubt that the carom seeds do not get crushed to a fine paste, first powder them in a mortar and pestle and then add to the mixie jar. Now make a fine paste of the above ingredients. Take it into a plate and keep aside. Slit the chilies length wise and remove the seeds with the help of a spoon. Do not remove the seeds if you want the bajjis to be hot. If you want you can remove half seeds and keep half seeds so that the bajjis will be hot but not burning. Stuff these chilies with the tamarind mixture and keep aside for 4 to 5 hours. By doing this your bajjis will not be hot at all. The chilies get a nice flavor of carom seeds and tamarind and will be tasty.

Method:

Take gram flour in a bowl and add salt. Add baking powder also and mix. Slowly add water to get batter in right consistency. Heat a pan and add oil to it. To test whether the oil is sufficiently hot or not, drop a few drops of the batter into the oil. It should first sink and then slowly rise to the top. Then the heat is right. If it pops up immediately then switch off the heat and let it cool. Another way of cooling the oil is to add cold oil to it. Now dip the prepared chilies in the batter and drop them in the oil and fry on medium heat. Fry till golden brown. When done remove them on to the paper napkin to remove excess oil. Serve them hot.

Points to Remember:

 Make the gram flour batter 2 hours before you fry the chillies. Then they will puff rightly. Because of baking powder these chillies get browned fast. So fry them only on medium heat stirring all the while to get even browning. Remove the seeds from the chilies according to your taste. If you want them hot do not remove seeds. If you want them less hot then remove half the seeds. If you do not want it hot then remove all the seeds. After removing the seeds you can take some and grind along with the tamarind pulp also and stuff thereafter. It purely depends on your tastes.

Tip:

At times the stuffing comes out while frying and the oil gets spoilt. Do not worry. There is one age old tip. After frying the bajjis , take the pan away from heat and add some tamarind to the hot oil . Let the tamarind get fried completely. It becomes black and dry. Cool the oil along with the tamarind. Then strain it through a strainer and you get clear oil . But do not fry the oil repeatedly. It is not good for health as the property of oil changes once it is heated to high temperatures. So take less quantity of oil for frying and fry the chilies in 2 to 3 batches instead of one batch with more oil. Like this the oil remaining after frying will be less to get consumed. But remember not to use this oil for deep frying. Rather use this oil for daily cooking where you use only 2 to 3 teaspoons only.

Variations:

After frying these bajjis slit them length wise and keep aside. Chop onions finely, add some lemon juice and mix well with fingers. Stuff this onion mixture in the fried bajjis and serve. They taste excellent.

 Or

Cut the bajjis into round pieces and spread them in a plate. Sprinkle chopped onions above these pieces. Sprinkle some lemon juice, some fine sev and serve as chat.

Or

Cut the bajjis into round pieces and spread them in a plate. Take some whisked curd(smoothened curd) and add to the bajji pieces. Add tamarind chutney and green chutney to them. Sprinkle some tamarind chutney and green chutney. Cover with fine sev. Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander and serve.

Magaya Pickle

Magaya Pickle :

Ingredients:

Mango Pieces – 2 1/4Kgs
Turmeric Powder – 60gms
Salt – 600gms
Husked Gingely Oil – 1Kg
Fenugreek Powder – 200gms
Red Chili Powder - 400gms
For Seasoning:
Oil – 50gms
Fenugreek Seeds – 1tsp
Mustard Seeds – 2tsps
Red Chilies – 7
Asafoetida – 1tsp

Preparations:

Selection of Mangoes:

Select mature, firm, big, sour and even sized mangoes. The pickle tastes better when mangoes are fully mature and sour. Choose only the tree plucked mangoes. Mangoes which have fallen to ground would have internal damages which increase the chances of spoiling the pickle

Cleaning of mangoes and making pieces:

Observe the sticky liquid (SONA IN TELUGU) flowing from the mango which has to be cleaned. Fill water in a bucket. Remove the stems (Muchhelu in Telugu) attached to the mangoes as shown in the movie. Observe the sticky liquid (SONA) coming out. Drop the mango in the bucket. Like this remove the stems of each mango and drop it in the bucket. Let the mangoes soak in the water for half an hour. Then wash the mango thoroughly by rubbing between the palms. Washing this way removes the sticky liquid from the mangoes. Take them into a tub or a big bowl. Take a clean and dry cloth and wipe each mango thoroughly. Spread the wiped mangoes on a clean cloth. Like this wipe all mangoes and dry them in shade for 10 minutes. Take a clean and dry scraper and peel the mangoes. Take a clean and dry chopping board and a knife and cut the mangoes into finger length pieces, discarding the seeds. Take theses cut mango pieces into a deep bowl. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Mix well till your fingers are wet. The sour mangoe pieces when mixed with salt ooze moisture. Take a clean and dry jar and transfer the salted, turmeric coated mango pieces into it. Cover and keep this jar aside at a dry place for 36 hours. Do not cover the jar tightly.

Method:

After 36 hours of soaking, bring out the jar. Take a dry, deep bowl. Pour the contents of the jar into the bowl. Observe that there is lot of liquid oozed from mangoes. Take handful of mango pieces between your palms and squeeze to remove water as much as possible. Like this separate the mango pieces from the liquid by squeezing. Collect the liquid into a clean and dry bowl and cover it loosely. On the terrace, under the direct sunlight, spread a plastic sheet. On the plastic sheet spread the mango pieces in a single layer. We need to sundry the mango pieces. During peak summer season sun drying the mango pieces for one day will be sufficient. If you desire to dry the mango pieces for more than one day, re-soak the dried mango pieces in the liquid overnight. Again the next day squeeze the mango pieces and dry them under direct sunlight. While the mango pieces are drying, we need to do some preparations.

Preparing Oil:

Take oil in a bowl and heat it on low flame for 15 minutes till smoky. Then switch off the stove and cool the oil to room temperature by keeping this bowl aside. If required to add additional oil, always remember to heat the oil and then cool it completely to room temperature before adding to the pickle.

Preparing Fenugreek powder:

We need to prepare the fenugreek powder. Heat a pan and add the fenugreek seeds. Roast the seeds on low flame stirring all the while. Stir fry till the seeds turn dark brown in color. To test the doneness, crush a roasted fenugreek seed with a stone or a heavy thing. If the color of the inner portion of the seed is also dark brown like the outer portion, that means the seeds are roasted to right texture. Take the roasted seeds from the pan into a plate and set aside to cool a bit. Take a dry mixie jar and add sufficient quantity of roasted seeds and grind them to a fine powder. Do not sieve the powder—let its texture be slightly grainy. Measure this powder and keep it aside.

Procedure:

After 5 hours bring the bowl in which we have kept the oozed liquid and let it cool. After 7 hours observe that the mango pieces are sun dried nicely with salt getting deposited on them. When we try to break / cut a mango piece and it should break / cut easily.

Take a dry deep bowl and add the dried mango pieces. To the mango pieces add the fenugreek powder and chili powder. Mix all well with hand. After mixing properly add the liquid and mix again. Now add the cooled oil, which we have kept aside and mix well. After sometime observe that oil separates from the mixture. Now prepare the seasoning.

Seasoning:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds. Fry till the fenugreek seeds change color and mustard seeds splutter. Then switch off the stove and add red chilies and asafoetida. Mix well and enjoy the sweet smell of asafoetida. Mix this seasoning in the prepared pickle. Mix well and then transfer the prepared pickle to the jar or bottle. After some time observe that the oil forms a layer above the pickle and if it doesn’t form a layer add some oil on top of the pickle. Remember to heat oil and then cool it completely before adding to the pickle. Now the pickle is ready to use. For daily use, take a small quantity of pickle into a clean and dry jar. Avoid using the main pickle jar for daily use.

Measurements of Maagaya for Lesser or More quantity:

Presuming one raw mango weighs 250gms, we get approximately 215gms of mango cut pieces. It is advisable to base all our calculations on the mango pieces.

For 215gms of cleaned and cut mango pieces, (i.e., for one mango) use:

Salt – 55gms
Fenugreek Powder – 20gms
Red Chili Powder – 40gms
Oil – 95gms
Learn More About Mangoes And Salt In Pickling:

Take firm and big mangoes. It is necessary that the mangoes are raw and creamish in color when cut. The mangoes should taste sour. The taste of this pickle is proportional to the sourness of the mangoes. When the sour mango pieces come in contact with salt they ooze out water. That water helps in making the Masala moist in the pickle. However, when water oozes out there are chances of it spoiling the pickle. So the salt we add saturates the water and also acts as the balancing ingredient to the sourness of mango. It works as a preservative for the pickle. If the sourness is too high, you may need to add extra 5 – 10 grams of salt for 215gms of mango pieces. If they are not that sour you may reduce the quantity by 5gms. In any case ensure that the salt content is not less than 50gms for 215gms of cut mango pieces. Check, preferably after 96 hours before deciding to add more salt.

The salt which I have used is table salt. Nowadays table salt is available in various variations and the manufacturers are adding additional chemicals to make it free flowing. Similarly instead of Sodium salts, Potassium salts are also marketed. Unlike in the past, the saltiness of each salt is differing. The base standard is always sea-salt which has almost become extinct in the market. For 215gms of Cut and cleaned mango pieces, the base sea salt requirement is 50gms only. In my video, I have shown the table salt which I have used. My observation in the kitchen is, Potassium salts are less salty compared to Sodium salts and I need to put relatively large quantities of Potassium salts while cooking. With Pickles I didn’t want to take a chance, for which I have used the regular Sodium table salt with which I am comfortable with. Salt is a crucial component in pickling and one has to be imaginative to deal with the practical problem. For the novice, I can suggest to add 50gms of salt and progressively increase it, depending upon the taste and smell coming out of the pickle.

Variations:

Take some pickle in a bowl and add some curd and mix well. This instant MAAGAYA PERUGU PACHHADI tastes excellent with dosa’s and Idli’s. Adding few chopped coriander leaves to this perugu pachhadi gives another taste to the same dish.

Some people put one or two seeds also in the pickle. As children, it used to be a trophy, if we were to get one during its serving. Avoid putting more seeds.

Points to Notice:

Husked Gingely Oil is preferable depending upon availability reliability. Sometimes we find gingely oil adulterated with Til oil  which leave a slight bitter taste in the pickle. Use any other refined oil locally available if you are not sure of availability of Gingely Oil.

Remember to heat oil and then cool it completely before adding to the pickle (except seasoning oil which would be hot)

While frying the Fenugreek seeds, take care not to burn them.

Once you feel that the Fenugreek seeds have been fried adequately, don’t forget to remove them from the vessel in which they have been fried. If you forget they would get burnt with the residual heat in the frying pan.

Masala Peanuts

Masala Peanuts :

Ingredients:

Peanuts – 250gms (1 1/2Cups)
Gram Flour – 75gms (1/2Cup)
RiceFlour – 45gms (1/4Cup) $$
BlackGram Flour – 1tsp **
DriedGinger Powder – 1/4tsp **
Salt – To Taste (Approx.1 1/2tsps)
Turmeric Powder – 1/2tsp
Dried Mango Powder – 1/2tsp
RedChili Powder – 1 1/2tsps **
Citric Acid – 1/8tsp
BlackPepper Powder – 1/2tsp **
CorianderPowder – 1Tbsp **
Green Chilies – 2
Water – As Required (Approx.1/2Cup)
Oil – For Deep Frying

$$ Click Here
**  Click here

Preparations:

First we need to roast peanuts. Place a paper plate in a microwave oven. Spread the peanuts in the paper plate and micro wave on high for 2 minutes. Allow one minute standing time before removing the peanuts from the oven. If not using a microwave oven, fry the peanuts in a pan on stove top. Fry the peanuts stirring on low flame till they crackle.

Grind the citric acid crystals using a mortar & pestle.

Wash and finely chop the green chilies.

Method:

Spread a paper napkin in a plate and keep it ready. After frying the masala peanuts spread them on the paper napkin to soak excess oil.

Heat a pan and add sufficient oil to deep fry the peanuts. While the oil is getting hot, prepare the mixture.

Take a mixing bowl and add the roasted peanuts. To this add gram flour, rice flour, black gram flour, coriander powder, dried ginger powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, powdered citric acid, dried mango powder, salt and chopped green chilies. Mix all the ingredients well. Add water little by little to the mixed ingredients and prepare a mixture. See that oil is sufficiently hot before frying the masala peanuts.

Before dropping the mixture in hot oil, wet fingers with water or oil, as the mixture is sticky to touch.

Dip fingers in water and take a portion of the mixture with the wet fingers to avoid stickiness. Then drop the mixture in hot oil separating each peanut while dropping. However, during this process any droplets of water falling in the hot oil would splutter and cause oil burns. To avoid this, dip fingers in oil before dropping the mixture in hot oil.

With oil coated fingers take a portion of the mixture and drop carefully in hot oil. Separate each peanut while dropping the mixture. After few seconds, stir the peanuts for even frying. Fry the peanuts on medium flame till they turn golden brown in color. Before removing the fried masala peanuts from oil, drain oil by tilting the ladle against the wall of the pan. Then place the fried masala peanuts on the paper napkin to soak excess oil. In the procedure mentioned above fry the masala peanuts till all the mixture is used up. Cool the fried peanuts before eating so that they would be crisp.

Points To Observe:

If using good quality gram flour avoid using black gram flour. As nowadays store bought gram flour is lacking the required stickiness, I have added black gram flour to bind the mixture. The black gram flour brings the stickiness thus forming a coating on each peanut.

The rice flour helps in making the coating crispier while gram flour brings the taste.

Adding green chilies brings a special taste---hence do not be tempted to add red chili flakes or add additional red chili powder instead of green chilies. As the green chilies get fried well during the process they would lose all the moisture and hence would not get spoilt.

Roasting the peanuts using a microwave oven is easy as one need not keep a watch on it. If peanuts are roasted in a pan on gas stove, do not forget to stir continuously while dry roasting---as this would ensure even roasting.

While preparing the mixture add water little by little. If the mixture becomes runny we need to adjust all the other ingredients accordingly which may not bring the right taste. If the mixture is thick we can add some more water to bring it to the right consistency.

While dropping the mixture in hot oil it is advisable to use oil to tackle the stickiness of the mixture instead of water. As water splashes in hot oil and may cause oil burns.

While dropping the mixture in hot oil try to separate the peanuts so that they get fried evenly without forming a lump.

As these are fried items, after frying, place them on paper napkin to soak excess oil.

Cool to room temperature before serving so that they would be crispy.

Serve these tasty and delicious masala peanuts as snacks are as tea time accompaniments.  

Lassi

This is a very simple recipe for which detailed text is not necessary.

However the following may be kindly noticed

Often commercial lassi leaves a lingering taste and flavor on our tongue. It gives an impression that a lot of Kova, Malai etc  have to be added to get the taste and flavor.

Vanilla essence is the secret ingredient in the commercial lassis' which leaves a feeling of rich lassi. It should be added in small quantity so that while gulping it down only we should get a sweet smell somewhere within. Therefore I have suggested here 2 drops only for the quantity prepared. Don't add more or less !!!

Its not essential to add Kova, Malai, etc for the richness. However if one is not calorie conscious she may add these as toppings.

A dash of soaked basel seeds and a small quantity of  finely chopped cashew, almonds can also be added. A very small quantity of grated fresh coconut (not paste)  or crumbled paneer adds crunch to lassi

Add  ingredients moderately to have sipping consistency.

Variations:

Instead of vanilla you may add rose essence or Roohafza

Enjoy with family and friends !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fruit Cake

Fruit Cake :

Ingredients:

Maida – 35gms
Sweetened Condensed Milk – 100gms [At Room Temperature]
Unsalted Butter – 25gms [At Room Temperature]
Baking Powder – 1/8tsp
Hot Water – 1/8Cup {Microwave On High Power For 10 Seconds}
Instant Coffee Powder – 1/3tsp
Cocoa Powder – 1/3tsp
Candied Plum Pieces – 25gms
Candied Pineapple Pieces – 30gms
Mango Jelly Pieces – 25gms
Currants – 25gms
Dried Apricot Pieces – 10gms
Sultanas – 25gms
Candied Gooseberry Pieces – 10gms
Raisins – 10gms
Candied Lemon Peels – 5gms
Candied Orange Peels – 25gms
Fig Pieces – 15gms
Dried Date Pieces – 15gms
Almond Pieces – 10gms
Cashew Nut Pieces – 10gms
Walnut Pieces – 10gms
Candied Syrup – 25gms {Syrup Left After Making Gooseberry Candy)  {Jam May Be Substituted}
Brandy – 20ml {Orange Juice May Be Substituted}
Mixed Spices – Few (Fennel Seeds, Piece Of Nutmeg, Piece Of Cinnamon,  Clove, Green Cardamom, Few Seeds Of Black Cardamom, Piece Of Star Anise, Piece Of Mace)
For making candied peels and fruit candies Click  here to watch my another movie


Preparations:

Into a mixing bowl add cashew nut pieces, almond pieces, sultanas, walnut pieces, currants, raisins, fig pieces, apricot pieces, date pieces, candied pineapple pieces, candied gooseberry pieces, candied lemon peels, mango jelly pieces, candied orange peels, candied plum pieces and brandy. Mix all the ingredients well and see that all nuts and fruits are coated with brandy. Cover the bowl and keep it aside overnight. For handy use soak the nuts and fruits in a jar, cover and shake it to coat the nuts and fruits with brandy evenly. Observe that the fruits absorb the brandy in ten minutes. For those who do not wish to use brandy, replace it with orange juice.

Next day preheat oven (Conventional oven suits better as cake takes longer time to get baked---here I have used an OTG) at 150OC. Take an oven proof cake bowl and add ghee into it. Coat the ghee by smearing at the bottom and sides of the bowl. Take butter paper in three layers and place at the bottom of the bowl. Similarly line the sides of the bowl also with layered butter paper. Coat the butter paper with ghee and keep this bowl aside.



To hot water add instant coffee powder and cocoa powder and mix well.

Using a mortar and pestle crush the mixed spices to a powder. Measure 1/8tsp of this powder and keep it aside till use.

Method:

Into a mixing bowl add unsalted butter and candied syrup. Mix well till the mixture is smooth and creamy. Then add sweetened condensed milk and mix till smooth. Now add the coffee-cocoa mixture and mix well. Add the measured spice powder and flour mixture to the prepared butter mixture and mix well. See that there are no lumps and the batter is smooth. Now add the soaked nuts and fruits and mix well. See that all the nuts and fruits are evenly coated with the cake batter. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake bowl and level it with a flat spatula. Place this bowl in preheated oven and bake the cake at 150OC for one hour.

After one hour, place another rack above the cake rack in oven and cover it with a plate or aluminium foil—so that the top portion of the cake gets less heat and it would not burn. After covering bake the cake for another 30 minutes at 150OC. To test the cake, insert a toothpick and check. If the toothpick comes out clean, it indicates that the cake is done. If batter sticks to the toothpick, then bake the cake for some more time. When the cake is done, remove the bowl from oven and leave it in the bowl for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer the cake on to a wire rack. Carefully remove the butter paper from the sides and bottom of the cake. Place the removed butter paper on wire rack and invert the cake on to this butter paper---this way the cake will not get the print of wire rack. Cool the cake completely before transferring it on to a serving plate. Cut into pieces and serve.
Points To Remember:

As cold things take longer time to bake, see that the sweetened condensed milk and unsalted butter are at room temperature.

Coffee and cocoa mixture would give a nice caramel colour along with flavour to the cake.

For the flour, butter and condensed milk used in this recipe, in total use 250gms of nuts and candied fruits/dry fruits.

As we are using many candied fruits which have their own unique flavour, there is no need to use any essence.

I have used the candied syrup in this recipe. As the candied syrup also has the flavour of the fruit used, I have used it in this cake in place of jam.  Any jam of one’s preference may be substituted in place of candied syrup.

To soak fruits and nuts I have used brandy. Orange juice may be substituted in place of brandy. The dried fruits soaks up the alcohol or orange juice and is plumped out during baking resulting in a very moist cake. I made this cake using orange juice also. I have observed that the cake made using orange juice is very moist compared to the cake made using brandy. The reason is alcohol evaporates while orange juice got added to the liquid content in the cake. Also the candied fruits got soaked in orange juice becoming soft and got mixed up while baking giving it altogether a new flavour.  Whereas when we use brandy the dry fruits like currants and raisins get plump up and all fruits and nuts used in the cake retained their shape even after baking. Hence when we take a bite of this fruit cake, we get different flavours in different bites depending on the fruit we get in that bite. Hence brandy is preferred over orange juice.

One can soak these fruits and nuts for up to two weeks also.

Mix baking powder well into the flour—if necessary sift baking powder and flour together to get mixed.

As the baking is done in a slow process at 150OC (slow baking) and also we are using less quantity of flour, use three layers of butter paper so that it will not get burnt.

Use freshly ground spices to get a flavourful cake.

A fruit cake is not light as a sponge cake, so it does not need to be beaten as much. Just mix till the batter is smooth.

After transferring the cake mixture to the prepared cake bowl smoothen it with a flat spatula making sure that the fruit is hidden by the cake mixture, because it is the fruit that will burn when exposed.

Use a serrated knife to cut the cake for best results. As the cake is rich with fruits and nuts it would be easy when we cut it using a serrated knife.

One more tip to cut the cake is to freeze it for 30 minutes before cutting to get even pieces.

It is advisable to use an OTG (Oven Toaster Grill) or a conventional oven over the convection mode (or a combination mode) of a microwave oven as the baking process is slow and takes longer time to bake.

Here I have shown the fruit cake using lesser quantities as we don’t have small children at home and it would be heavy for elders. For those who wish to make the cake in a bigger quantity multiply the measurements given and try.

Enjoy this rich eggless fruit cake even if it is not a festive season.

Nimmakaya Pappu

Nimmakaya Pappu :

Ingredients:


Pigeon Peas – 1/2Cup (100gms)
Water 1 1/4Cups
Juice Of One Lemon (2Tbsps)
Black Gram - 1 1/2tsps
Fenugreek Seeds – 5
Mustard Seeds – 1/2tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
Curry Leaves – Few
Asafoetida – 1/8tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/8tsp
Deggi Mirch Powder – 2tsps
Deggi Mirch Powder when added to a dish gives a bright red color to the dish but tastes less spicy. If this powder is not available add normal red chili powder in less quantity (1 to 1 1/2tsps or to taste)

Salt – To Taste (1tsp)
Oil – 1 1/2Tbsps

Preparations:

Use a pressure cooker to cook dal quickly. Take a bowl which will fit into the pressure cooker & add dal. Add water and wash the dal. To the washed dal add 3/4Cup of water and place this bowl in pressure cooker and cook. After first whistle cook the dal on low flame for 15 minutes and switch off the stove.

Wash the lemon and squeeze juice. To the lemon juice add salt required for the dal. Mix well with a spoon to dissolve salt in lemon juice.

Method:

Remove the cooked dal bowl from the pressure cooker and mix with a spoon. Add the prepared lemon juice. To get the right consistency add water (here I have added 1/2Cup water to the cooked dal) and mix well. Transfer the prepared dal to a serving bowl and keep it aside.

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add black gram and fenugreek seeds. Fry stirring on low flame till the seeds start changing color. Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry the seasoning till the seeds crackle. Then add asafetida and curry leaves. Mix well and switch off the flame. Now add turmeric powder and deggi mirch powder (or red chili powder). Mix well and immediately spread the seasoning on the prepared dal. Serve this dal with hot rice and enjoy.

Points To Remember:

Use Deggi Mirch powder to make this dish as it is less spicy yet gives a bright color to the dish.

If Deggi Mirch powder is not available use normal red chili powder in moderate quantity (according to taste) ---even this would taste good.

Salt and lemon juice may be added according to taste. After mixing salt mixed lemon juice with dal, taste the dal and adjust the seasonings.

Using pressure cooker cooks the dal fast with less effort.

It is advisable to add just sufficient water to cook the dal in pressure cooker. To get the desired consistency one may add water later.

After squeezing juice from lemon, immediately add salt and mix---otherwise the juice turns bitter. Take salt in a bowl and squeeze lemon juice in this bowl for easier job.

After adding chili powder to the seasoning, immediately mix and spread it on the dal. Red chili powder when mixed with hot oil burns fast---before it burns it need to be spread on the dal. The water in the dal stops the burning process. So act quickly, after adding the chili powder to the hot seasoning. To ease the process add one table spoon of water to the seasoning which will cool the seasoning immediately and avoids burning of chili powder.

Serve this colorful, tasty and simple dish with hot rice

Gongura Pappu

Gongura Pappu :

Ingredients:

Pigeon Peas – 60gms (1/4Cup)
Gongura (Dekanee Hemp) – 75gms (Leaves Only)
Bengal Gram – 2tsps
Black Gram – 1 1/2tsp
Fenugreek Seeds – 3 Seeds
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Salt - To Taste
Turmeric Powder – 1/8tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1tsp
Water - 125ml
Oil – 1Tbsp

Preparations:

Take gongura leaves into a bowl and add water. Wash the leaves well. Finely chop the washed leaves and take them into a bowl. Take dal in a bowl and wash it. Add measured water to the dal. Place the dal bowl and gongura leaves bowl in pressure cooker and cook. After you hear the first whistle of pressure cooker, lower the flame and cook for 15 minutes. Once the pressure of the pressure cooker goes down, remove the bowls and keep them aside.

Method:

Now let us season the dal.

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add fenugreek seeds followed by bengal gram and black gram. Fry stirring, till the seeds start changing color. When the seeds are golden brown in color add mustard seeds and fry till they crackle. To this seasoning now add the cooked leaves, cooked dal and mix well. Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and sufficient water (60ml) to get the desired consistency. Mix well and cook for a minute. Stir well and transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with plain rice.

This dal has a unique flavor. It tastes very good.

DUM Biriyani

This recipe consists of three stages:

1. Preparing Rice
2. Preparing Curry
3. Layering Biriyani and giving it a DUM

Here we will follow the recipe in steps.

Basic Ingredients:

Raw Rice – 2 Bowls (50gms in each bowl)
Water – 2 Bowls (100gms in each bowl)
Carrot Pieces – 50gms
Potato Pieces – 35gms
Cauliflower Pieces – 60gms
Capsicum Pieces – 50gms
Green Peas – 50gms
Cashew Nuts – 2tbsps
Raisins – 1tbsp
Sun Dried Onions – 30gms
Oil Used In This Recipe – 7tbsps

Preparing Rice:


Take rice in 2 separate bowls (50gms of rice in each bowl). Wash the rice and add water (100gms of water in each bowl). Place these bowls in a pressure cooker and cook them. When pressure develops in the pressure cooker, lower the flame and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes increase the flame and let pressure build up in the cooker. Before the cooker whistles, switch off the flame. As soon as the cooker cools down open the lid and remove the cooked rice bowls. EETARAKA MUNDU ANNAM GINNALANI COOKERLONINCHI TEESEYYALI. Add half a teaspoon of ghee in each rice bowl and mix with a fork. When ghee is added the grains of cooked rice will get separated. When mixed with a fork the rice will not get mashed up.

Seasoning Rice:

Ingredients Required For Seasoning:

Green Chilies – 4 (break each chili into 2 pieces)
Bay Leaves – 2
Cinnamon – Small Piece
Cloves – 3
Big Cardamom – 1(crushed)
Turmeric Powder – 1/8tsp
Salt 1/8tsp for each bowl of cooked rice
Oil – 1tbsp
Take all the ingredients except salt and oil in a plate and keep it near. Heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is hot add the ingredients and fry till the chilies are crisp. By then the aroma of the cinnamon, cloves and big cardamom gets into the oil. This seasoning when mixed with rice gives it a nice flavor. Switch off the flame and add turmeric powder. Mix well and add this seasoning to one bowl of cooked rice. The rice gets a nice color from the turmeric powder in the hot seasoning. One can even add saffron milk (few strands of saffron soaked in few table spoons of warm milk) to the rice for nice yellow colored and flavored rice. Mix the rice only with a fork otherwise the rice gets mushy. Add around 1/8tsp of salt in each bowl of rice and mix well with a fork. Like this prepare one bowl of plain white rice and another bowl of yellow seasoned rice.

Marinade:

Ingredients:

Sliced Onions – 100gms
Ginger – Small Piece
Garlic – 1 Clove (Peel the garlic and keep it aside)
Cinnamon – Small Piece
Cloves – 3
Big Cardamom – 1
Powder the cinnamon, cloves and big cardamom in a mortar & pestle and keep this powder covered till use to retain the aroma.

Red Chili Powder – 1 1/2tsps
Salt – 1tso or to Taste
Turmeric Powder – 1/8tsp
Cumin Powder – 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder – 1/2tsp
Chopped Mint Leaves – 2tbsps
Chopped Coriander Leaves – 3tbsps
Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi) – 1tbsp
Curd – 100gms
Heat a pan and add 2tbsps oil to it. When oil is hot add the sliced onions and fry. Fry the onions stirring all the while till they turn brown in color. Take these browned onions in a mixie jar and add garlic and ginger. Grind the onion mixture to a fine paste adding some water. To this ground onion mixture add curd, salt, red chili powder, ground cinnamon, clove and cardamom powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, dried fenugreek leaves, chopped mint leaves and chopped coriander leaves. Whip the mixie jar ingredients to get mixed well. The marinade is ready now. Keep this marinade aside till use.

Use this marinade to marinate the vegetables. How????? We will learn how to marinate the vegetables and how to give DUM for the Biriyani in 

Niluvu Dondakaya Koora

Ingredients:

Little Gourd – 350gms
Green Chilies – 7
Curry Leaves – Few
Black Gram – 2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
Salt To Taste
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Lemon Juice – 3tsps
Oil – 4tsps

Preparations:

Wash and clean the Dondakayalu. Cut the dondakayalu into thin slices. Take these pieces into a microwave safe bowl and add little water. Microwave the vegetables on high for 5 minutes. Stir once with a spoon and microwave again on medium power for 7 minutes. Give 5 minutes standing time before taking out the bowl from the microwave oven. Slit green chilies lengthwise and keep them aside. Chop the curry leaves and keep them aside.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add black gram and fry. When the seeds start changing color add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Now add the chopped curry leaves and slit green chilies. Fry well. Add the turmeric powder and mix well. Now add the cooked vegetables and mix well. Add salt to taste. Mix well and cover the pan with a lid. Cook covered for 5 minutes. When the curry appears dry, switch off the flame and add lemon juice. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Serve hot with plain rice.

Tips:

Curry leaves are rich in Vitamin A. Many people remove them while eating. So next time you think of adding curry leaves to your dish, first chop them well as we did in the above dish. Fry these chopped curry leaves along with the seasonings. This way it is difficult for people to separate them while eating. Instead of popping Vitamin tablets it is better to eat what is available naturally. The taste of the dish is enhanced due to the aroma of curry leaves. So don’t waste them by throwing away.

Little Gourd (Dondakaya) Onion Curry

Ingredients:

Little Gourd (Dondakaya) – 150gms
Onion – 1
Cumin Seeds – 1/2tsp
Red Chili Powder – 3/4tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/8tsp
Oil – 3tsps
Salt To Taste


Preparations:

Wash and clean the little gourds. Cut them into bit sized cubes. Take them into a microwave safe bowl and spray some water. Microwave the vegetables on high power for 5 minutes. Stir once with a spoon. If required spray some more water. Now microwave the little gourd pieces on medium power for 5 minutes. Give 5 minutes standing time. Peel the onion and chop finely.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add cumin seeds. Fry them well. Add chopped onions and fry till light brown in color. Now add the cooked vegetables and mix well. Add salt and turmeric powder and mix. Then cook covered on slow flame for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and add red chili powder to the vegetable. Mix well and fry for one minute. Transfer this to a serving bowl. Serve hot with plain rice. 

Dondakaya kaya koora

Ingredients:

Ivy Gourd (Dondakaya) – (18) 540gms
Gram Flour – 100gms
Oil for Frying Gram Flour – 1Tbsp
Salt – To Taste
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 1/2tsps
Red Chili Powder – 2tsps
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Dried Curry Leaves – Handful
(Crush the dried curry leaves with fingers)
Oil for Frying Ivy Gourd – 7Tbsps
(If the size of an ivy gourd is that of the size shown in the movie clip, take 1tsp oil per Ivy gourd for frying)

Preparations:

Wash & clean the Ivy gourds. Make vertical slit with a knife cutting three-fourths downwards. Slit all the Ivy gourds and take them into a microwave safe bowl and add 15ml water. Place this bowl in oven and cover it partially. Cook the Ivy gourds on high power for 3 minutes and stir once. Again place the bowl in oven and cover it partially. Cook the Ivy gourds again on high power for 3 more minutes. By now the vegetables are soft enough to handle to stuff the powder. Drain the gourds in a colander and remove water. Cover the colander to retain heat so that the vegetables remain soft.

Heat a pan and add 1Tbsp oil to it. Add gram flour and fry stirring on medium heat for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes lower the heat and add crushed dried curry leaves, roasted cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Fry all these dry ingredients on low flame for 2 minutes till you get a nice aroma of spices. Take this powder into a plate.

Method:

First stuff the Ivy gourds with the prepared powder. Hold an Ivy gourd between thumb and index finger and press lightly near the slit. The slit expands. Now stuff the Ivy gourd with the spice powder and press with the finger. Stuff as much powder it can take and keep it in a plate. Similarly stuff all the Ivy gourds and keep them ready. Heat a pan and add 7Tbsps oil to it. When oil is hot carefully place these stuffed Ivy gourds in the pan. Arrange them in the pan side by side - do not put them one above the other. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and carefully turn each Ivy gourd. While turning the gourds take care that the stuffing is intact. To ensure the stuffing is intact do like this:

Tilt the pan and take the oil with a spoon. Pour this oil on the stuffed portion of each Ivy gourd. The hot oil will wet the stuffing and it stays intact. Then turn the Ivy gourds and fry that side too. Cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes on low flame. Covering the pan will allow the vegetable to get cooked. The oil which we have added will make the vegetable fry. Like this, cover and fry the gourds till they are completely cooked. In this process if you feel the vegetable is getting dried and lacks water to get cooked, add water on the lid and cover the pan. The rim of the lid has a slight depression in which we have to add water. The water evaporates and the vapor condenses inside the pan - the vegetable gets cooked with this vapor. Now if you observe, two sides of the gourds look fried as there will be a slight change in color. Now turn the gourds sideways and cover and cook till done. Once the gourds are fully cooked remove the lid and fry them uncovered for few minutes. Then transfer the gourds to serving plate or bowl and serve hot with plain rice.

We can use the remaining stuffing powder by frying it for a while. After removing the fried gourds to a serving plate or bowl, add 1Tbsp of oil to the same pan and add the remaining stuffing powder. Fry on low flame stirring until you get a nice aroma of fried gram flour. Take this fried powder into a bowl and serve with the fried Ivy gourds. 

Little Gourd or Ivy Gourd Curry

Ingredients:

Little Gourd or Ivy Gourd – 500gms
Black Gram – 2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
Green chilies – 5
Curry Leaves – Few
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Salt to Taste
Lemon Juice – 1Tbsp
Oil – 3tsps

Preparations:

Wash and clean the gourds. Cut the head and tail ends of each gourd. Then cut the gourds into thin slices with a sharp knife. Take a microwave safe bowl and add the cut gourd pieces. Add 30ml water to the gourd pieces and place the bowl in microwave oven and cover it partially. Cook the gourds on high power for 5 minutes. Stir once and place the bowl in oven and cover it partially. Now cook the gourds on 50% power for 7 minutes. Stir once again and place the bowl in oven and cover it partially. Now cook the gourds on high power for 5 minutes. Test the doneness by pressing it between fingers.

Wash the green chilies and grind them coarsely in a mixer grinder.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is hot add the black gram and fry stirring till the seeds start changing color. Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry till the seeds splutter and add the coarsely ground chilies and curry leaves. Fry the seasoning well and add turmeric powder. Mix well and add the cooked gourd pieces. Mix all well and add salt to the curry. Mix again and cook covered on low flame for 2 minutes stirring once or twice in between. When the curry is done switch off the flame and add lemon juice to the curry and mix well. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl and serve hot.

Points to Notice:

While selecting ivy gourds, take the tender ones, as they have a special natural sweet taste. The gourds with seeds and are red inside will be sour to taste.

Cutting the vegetable in even and thin slices enhances the taste through looks.

Green chilies may be replaced with red chili powder—but the color of the curry changes. To keep the curry in green color I have added green chilies. Green chilies when used by chopping them into big pieces may cause problem while eating the curry. As it will be difficult to identify the green chili in the green colored curry, it is better to grind them and use to avoid segregation.

Green chilies, salt and lemon juice may be adjusted according to ones taste.

Microwave cooking times may vary from one machine to other. Cook till there is no rawness in the vegetable. Cooking a vegetable in a microwave oven will not make it mushy (even if it is cooked for a long period) if just sufficient water is added to cook the vegetable. The vegetable will retain the shape even when cooked for a long period. That is the great advantage of using a microwave oven.

For people who are not oil conscious, may use 6tsps of oil and prepare this curry. After cooking the vegetable remove the lid and stir fry for few more minutes to get a fried version of the curry. Stir frying the vegetable makes it crisp giving the curry a fried taste. The extra oil used will allow the curry to fry and enhance the taste.

Add rice to the curry and mix in the pan itself to get tasty fried rice type rice. The oil along with the spices adhering to the pan will get mixed up with the rice and gives it a nice taste.

Chikkudukayala Koora

Ingredients:

Chikkudukayalu (Indian Broad Beans) – 500gms
Potatoes – 200gms
Bengal Gram – 2tsps
Black Gram – 1 1/2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1 1/2tsps
Salt to Taste
Oil – 5tsps

Preparations:

Wash and clean the Chikkudukayalu. String them and break the pods into pieces. Check for the worms inside the pods. Take all the broad bean pieces in a microwave safe bowl and add some water. Keep this bowl in a microwave oven and microwave on high power for 5 minutes. Stir once and cook on 30% power for 7 minutes. Allow standing time of 5 minutes to see the broad beans cooked.  Keep the bowl aside. Remove any excess water left after cooking the broad beans. Use this water to cook the potatoes.

Wash and clean the potatoes. Cut them into long pieces and take them into a microwave safe bowl. Add the drained water (water drained after cooking the broad beans) to the cut potatoes. Cook the potatoes in a microwave oven on high power for 5 minutes and on 30% power for 5 minutes. Allow standing time of 3 to 4 minutes and the potatoes will be cooked.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. Keep the seasoning ingredients near the pan. When oil is hot add the bengal gram and black gram. Fry till the seeds start changing color. Then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry till the seeds splutter. Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix. Add the cooked potatoes and broad beans and mix well. Add salt to the curry and mix well. Cook covered on slow flame for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir once. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Serve this curry with hot rice.

Points to Notice:

Slit open the broad bean pods to check for worms. Many just break them into pieces and use them. In such cases the worms hidden inside the pods remain in the broad bean pieces. So it is necessary to open the broad bean pods before or after breaking them into pieces.

Broad beans are rich in fiber. String the broad beans first and remove the fiber and then break them into pieces (TELUGULO CHIKKUDUKAYALU OLAVATAM ANTARU). If you cut the pieces with a knife, because of the fiber you will not be able to enjoy the curry.

I have asked you to keep the seasoning ingredients near the frying pan. The reason is after adding the turmeric powder and red chilli powder if you take time in adding the cooked vegetables, the powders may get burnt and the curry will get burnt smell. So we have to be quick in action to add the cooked vegetables after adding the spices.Cooked vegetables have some water and that will balance the dryness of the spices and prevent burning. One can avoid using potatoes and prepare this curry with just broad beans also. However if potatoes are added it will enhance the taste.

Coconut And Carrot Curry

Ingredients:

Carrots – 500gms
Water – 20ml
Bengal Gram – 1 1/2tsps
Black Gram – 1tsp
Mustard Seeds – 1/2tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1/2tsp
Green Chilies – 4
Ginger – Small Piece
Curry Leaves – Few
Grated Coconut – 3/4Cup (90gms)
Salt – To Taste (3/4tsp)
Turmeric Powder – A Pinch
Oil – 5tsps
Chopped Coriander – 2Tbsps


Preparations:

Take carrots into a bowl and add water. Wash carrots well by rubbing between fingers. Take a carrot and remove the stalk portions on both ends and cut into even sized cubes. Similarly cut all carrots into even sized cubes. Take a microwave safe bowl and add cubed carrots. Add 20ml water to the carrot pieces. Place the bowl in microwave oven and cover partially. Cook carrots on high power for 7 minutes and allow 3 minutes standing time before removing the bowl from oven. Carrots would be JUST cooked---observe by pressing a carrot piece between fingers. Place a strainer in a bowl and add the cooked carrots along with water into the strainer. Do not throw away the residual water as it would be sweet and tasty, hence consume it.

Into a mixie jar add green chilies and ginger and grind coarsely. Take the coarsely ground chili mixture into a plate and keep it aside.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil. When oil is hot add bengal gram followed by black gram. Fry the seasoning stirring on low flame. When the seeds start to change color, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry the seasoning till the seeds crackle. Then add curry leaves and ground ginger-chili paste and fry well. Mix well and add cooked carrot pieces. Mix well and add turmeric powder and salt. Mix once again well and cook covered on low flame for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir once and cook again covered for 3 more minutes. Remove the lid, stir once and add grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and cook covered on low flame for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes switch off the flame, remove lid, stir once and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve hot with plain rice and enjoy.

Points To Remember:

Carrots have natural sweetness in them hence add salt moderately. Similarly take just sufficient quantities of green chilies and ginger just to enhance the natural sweetness of carrots.

It is observed that, carrots when cooked in microwave oven, retains their natural sweetness. If microwave oven is not available steaming the carrot pieces in pressure cooker is the next best option.

To steam carrots in pressure cooker:

Take a vessel and place another vessel with holes above it. Take carrot pieces in the vessel with holes (vessel used to sprout whole moong). place these two bowls in the same order in pressure cooker and cover the lid with weight. Heat the pressure cooker on high flame. After first whistle cook on lower flame for 7 minutes.

After adding ginger-chili mixture fry stirring for a while to remove the raw smell of green chilies and enhance the flavor.  Switch off the flame and allow the cooker to cool naturally on its own. Remove the bowls from cooker and observe water collected in the lower container---consume it as it would be sweeter.

After adding salt cook covered on low flame so that all the carrot pieces get the taste.

Natural sweetness from carrots, good crunch from grated coconut, flavor from ginger, green chilies and chopped coriander makes this dish taste unique. 

Capsicum Fenugreek Leaves

Ingredients:

Capsicum – 3 (110gms)
Potatoes – 2 (125gms)
Onion – 1(70gms)
Fenugreek Leaves – 50gms
Tomatoes – 250gms
Red Chili Powder – 2tsps
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Salt – 1 1/2tsps or To Taste
Oil – 9tsps

Preparations:

Wash and deseed the capsicums. Cut the capsicum into medium sized pieces. Take the capsicum pieces into a microwave safe bowl and add 10ml water. Place this bowl in a microwave oven and cover it partially. Cook the capsicum pieces on high power for 1 minute. Allow 30seconds standing time before removing the bowl from the oven. You will observe that the capsicum pieces are 80% cooked. The pieces will be cooked yet they will be firm and crunchy.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into medium sized pieces. Take these potato pieces into a microwave safe bowl and add 20ml water. Place this bowl in a microwave oven and cover it partially. Cook the potato pieces on high power for 3minutes. Allow one minute standing time before removing the bowl from the oven. You will observe that the potato pieces are three-fourths cooked. The potato pieces should be cooked but they should retain their shape and should not be mushy.

While selecting fenugreek leaves always opt for small bunch. For every stalk there should not be more than 4 to 5 leaves. Such tender fenugreek leaves are less bitter compared to the matured ones. Cut the roots of the fenugreek stalks and wash them thoroughly. Then take 50gms of such washed tender fenugreek leaves and chop them finely. Take the chopped fenugreek leaves into a microwave safe bowl and add 15ml water. Place this bowl in a microwave oven and cover it partially. Cook the fenugreek leaves on high power for 1 ½ minutes. Allow one minute standing time before removing the bowl from the oven.

Wash and chop tomatoes into small pieces. Take the tomato pieces into a microwave safe bowl. Place this bowl in a microwave oven and cover it partially. Cook the tomato pieces on high power for 3 minutes. Allow one minute standing time before removing the bowl from the oven.

Peel the onion and cut it into medium sized pieces.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is hot add the onion pieces and fry stirring well. When the onions are transparent add the cooked capsicum and potato pieces. Add salt and mix well. Now add the turmeric powder and mix well. Cook the vegetables covered on medium heat. After 3 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and mix. Add the cooked fenugreek leaves and mix well. Fry the vegetables till dry. Now add the cooked tomato pieces and mix well. After adding tomatoes the curry appears gravy. Fry the curry till all the moisture is absorbed. Then add the red chili powder and fry for a minute. Now the curry is ready to serve. Transfer the curry into a serving bowl. Serve the curry hot with Roti, Paratha or even Rice.

Cabbage Green Gram Curry

Ingredients:

Cabbage – 300gms
Green Gram – 1 cup (50ml Cup)
Ginger – Small Piece
Green Chilies – 5
Onion – 1
Curry Leaves – Few
Salt to Taste
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Black Gram – 1 1/2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 3/4tsp
Cumin Seeds – 3/4tsp
Cashew Nuts – 2tbsps
Oil – 7tsps

Preparations:

Take green gram in a bowl and wash it. Add water and soak it for half an hour or till done. When done remove the water and keep the soaked green gram aside. Slice the cabbage finely with a thin slicer in a food processor or with a sharp knife. Take this cabbage in a microwave safe bowl and add little water. Cook this cabbage in a microwave oven on high power for 5 minutes. Stir with a spoon and microwave again on 30% power for 7 minutes. As we are using very little water, we need to cook in microwave for a longer time in 3 intervals. Stir once again and microwave again on 30% power for 5 minutes. Give standing time 5 minutes before removing it from the oven. After cooking the cabbage spread it in a plate to cool. Wash & clean green chilies & ginger and grind them to a coarse paste. Wash Curry leaves and chop them finely.

Take the cooked cabbage and remove excess water by pressing hard between your palms. Collect the water in a bowl and keep it in fridge as this can be used as vegetable stock.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add Cashew Nuts and fry till golden in color. Remove the fried cashew nuts and keep them separately. In the same oil add black gram and fry till it changes color. Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and fry till the seeds splutter. Add the chopped curry leaves and coarsely ground chili-ginger paste and fry well. Add chopped onions and fry till they become transparent.  Add turmeric powder and mix once. Add the water removed cabbage to the pan and mix. Add salt, mix and cook for few seconds. Now add the soaked green gram and mix well. Add the fried cashew nuts and mix. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Serve hot with plain rice and curd chilies.

Points To Remember:

Use very little water while cooking the cabbage. As the cabbage itself holds lot of water, cook in very little water to get less stock in the end. Sprinkle just few drops while cooking. If required we can add few more drops and cook the cabbage. As you have seen in the above movie clip, we have cooked the cabbage in 3 intervals by stirring and adding water when required.


Do not throw away the cabbage cooked water. We can make Rasam with this cabbage water or use it in any gravy dish. This stock contains vitamins so use it innovatively. If for any reasons you are throwing this cabbage water, throw it at a far off place as it smells bad.

Cabbage Coconut curry

Ingredients:

Cabbage – 300gms
Coconut – Small – 1/2
Green Chilies – 5
Ginger – Small Piece
Curry Leaves – Few
Salt to Taste
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Bengal Gram – 2tsps
Black Gram – 1 1/2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 3/4tsp
Cumin Seeds – 3/4tsp
Oil – 7tsps

Preparations:

Slice the cabbage finely with a thin slicer in a food processor or with a sharp knife. Take this cabbage in a microwave safe bowl and add little water. Cook this cabbage in a microwave oven on high power for 5 minutes. Stir with a spoon and microwave again on 30% power for 7 minutes. As we are using very little water, we need to cook in microwave for a longer time in 3 intervals. Stir once again and microwave again on 30% power for 5 minutes. Give standing time 5 minutes before removing it from the oven. After cooking the cabbage spread it in a plate to cool.

Take the coconut and cut it into small pieces. Grind the coconut pieces in a dry mixie to get grated coconut. Wash & clean green chilies & ginger and grind them to a coarse paste. Wash Curry leaves and chop them finely.

Take the cooked cabbage and remove excess water by pressing hard between your palms. Collect the water in a bowl and keep it in fridge as this can be used as vegetable stock.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add Bengal gram, black gram and fry well. Fry till the seeds change color. Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and fry till the seeds splutter. Add the chopped curry leaves and coarsely ground chili-ginger paste and fry well. Add turmeric powder and mix once. Add the water removed cabbage to the pan and mix. Add salt, mix and cook for few seconds. Then add grated coconut and mix well. Transfer this curry to a serving bowl. Serve with hot rice and curd chilies as accompaniment.

Points To Remember:

Use very little water while cooking the cabbage. As the cabbage itself holds lot of water, cook in very little water to get less stock in the end. Sprinkle just few drops while cooking. If required we can add few more drops and cook the cabbage. As you have seen in the above movie clip, we have cooked the cabbage in 3 intervals by stirring and adding water when required.

Do not throw away the cabbage cooked water. We can make Rasam with this cabbage water or use it in any gravy dish. This stock contains vitamins so use it innovatively. If for any reasons you are throwing this cabbage water, throw it at a far off place as it smells bad.

While grinding the coconut in a mixie, ensure that the mixie jar is dry. When the mixie jar is dry you get finely grated coconut. When the mixie jar is wet, the coconut gratings get stuck to the wet jar and we will not get finely grated coconut.

One can use fried cashew nuts also in this dish for taste enhancement.

Bendakaya Pulusu

Ingredients:

Okra – 500gms
To Make Curry Spicy, Use Green Chilies Or Red Chilies Or Red Chili Flakes

Green Chilies – 5 (Slit Them)  [     Or
Red Chilies – 2 (Break them into pieces)      Or
Red Chili Flakes – 1tsp ]
Black Gram – 2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
Curry Leaves – Few
Oil – 4tsps

Preparations:

Wash okra well and spread them on a dry cloth to dry. Keep them aside for few minutes or wipe dry. At times we get overgrown okra among the lot. To identify the overgrown okra, take the okra and bend the tail end with thumb—if the okra doesn’t break easily then that is the overgrown okra. Try to cut the overgrown okra and it will make a scratchy sound. Hold the overgrown okra piece between fingers and it will be hard to touch. Even one piece of overgrown okra in the curry will spoil the taste of the entire curry. Discard all overgrown okras and cut only the tender ones. Tender okras have pointed tail ends. Take the okra and bend the pointed tail end with thumb and it breaks easily if the okra is tender. Remove the top portion of the okra and cut into even sized pieces. Similarly cut all the tender okras into even sized pieces and take them into a bowl.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add black gram and fry stirring. When the seeds start changing color add mustard seeds and fry till they start crackling. Then add cumin seeds and fry till seeds crackle fully. Now add green chilies (or red chili pieces or red chili flakes) and fry. Then add curry leaves and mix well. To the fried seasoning add the okra pieces and mix well. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Take care while adding salt as the quantity of the vegetable reduces on cooking.  Now cook covered on low flame for one minute. After one minute, remove lid and gently mix the vegetable. Again cook covered on low flame for a minute. Repeat the process of cooking covered for one minute and stirring afterwards till the vegetable is cooked. As okras have a sticky substance, cooking covered for long time will make the curry sticky. So it is necessary to stir the vegetable after every one minute of cooking. After some time the sticky substance vanishes and the pieces look dry. By that time the vegetable will be cooked. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl and serve hot with hot plain rice or roti.

Aratikaya Nimmakaya Koora

Ingredients:

Raw Bananas – 420gms
Ginger – 1/2” Piece
Green Chillies – 5
Curry Leaves – Few
Bengal Gram – 2tsps
Black Gram – 1 1/2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
Fenugreek Seeds – 2 Seeds
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Salt to Taste
Oil – 7tsps
Lemon Juice – 2 1/2tbsps

Preparations:

Take a bowl of water. Add salt to the water in the bowl and mix well. Wash and clean the bananas. Peel the skin of bananas and cut them into small cubes. Immerse these cut banana pieces in the prepared salt water. Wash them once in this salt water and drain. Take these banana pieces in a microwave safe bowl and spray some water. Put this bowl in a microwave oven and microwave on high power for 5 minutes. Give standing time of 2 minutes and stir once. Now the banana pieces are cooked, keep them aside. Wash and clean the green chillies and ginger. Make a coarse paste of the green chillies and ginger in a mixie and keep it aside. Wash, clean the curry leaves and chop them finely.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add the Bengal gram, black gram and fenugreek seeds. Fry the seeds till they change to golden brown color. Then add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry till the seeds splutter. Now add the chopped curry leaves, paste of green chillies and ginger and fry. Add the turmeric powder and mix well. Now add the cooked banana pieces and mix well. Add salt to the curry, mix and cook covered on slow flame for 2 minutes.

Remove the lid and mash the banana pieces coarsely with the ladle. Switch off the flame and add the lemon juice. Mix well and transfer the curry into a serving bowl. Serve hot with plain rice.

Points To Remember:

While peeling the bananas apply oil to your palms, knife and the chopping board otherwise it would be difficult to wash the sticky black gum of the bananas.

Immerse the cut banana pieces in salt water till use to prevent them from turning black.

While cooking in microwave oven allow standing time because it will continue to cook by the conducted heat still trapped in the vegetables.


Always remember to add lemon juice after switching off the flame only otherwise the curry may turn bitter.

Aratikaya Podi Koora

Ingredients:

Raw Bananas – 3 (600gms)
Bengal Gram – 2tsps
Black Gram – 2tsps
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
Green Chilies – 4
Ginger – Small Piece
Curry Leaves – Few
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Salt – To Taste
Lemon Juice – 1Tbsp
Oil – 3Tbsps

Preparations:

Roasting can be done on a charcoal fire or on a direct flame of a gas stove. They can be roasted in oven or in a microwave oven too. Here let us see few methods of roasting raw bananas.

Method1: Roasting On Direct Flame:

Wash bananas and smear oil all over the bananas. Smear oil on all bananas and place them on direct flame of the gas stove. Roast the bananas turning at intervals till they turn black and appear soft to touch. This way roast all the bananas and keep them aside to cool. Remove the charred peel of the bananas and mash them with finger tips. Then mash the bananas with a masher to a fine texture. Now the bananas are ready to make the curry.

Method 2: Roasting In Microwave Oven:

Wash raw bananas and prick them at several places with a sharp knife. Prick all the bananas so that when they are cooked in microwave oven steam will escape through these slits and they will not burst in the oven. Take a paper napkin and place a banana and wrap it. Similarly wrap all the bananas in paper napkins. Now arrange the wrapped bananas in the oven as shown. Cook the bananas on high power for 4 minutes. Turn the sides of the bananas and cook again on high power for 2 minutes. Once cooked, the bananas will be soft to touch. Then take them out from oven and remove the paper napkins. Cut the end portions of the bananas and peel the skins. Be careful while doing this as there will be lot of steam and it may burn your skin. Take a spoon and scrape the white portion left on the skins of bananas. Now mash the bananas well with a masher.

Wash green chilies and ginger and make a coarse paste in a mixer grinder.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add bengal gram and black gram. Fry till the seeds start changing color. Then add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry till the seeds splutter. Then add the ginger-chili paste and curry leaves. Fry the mixture well and add turmeric powder. Mix well and add mashed bananas. Mix again and add salt. After adding salt, mix again and cook for one or two minutes stirring. During this process if you observe any big pieces of banana mash them with the ladle. Once everything is mixed well switch off the flame and add lemon juice. Mix well and transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Serve hot with plain rice. This curry goes well as an accompaniment with curd rice too.

Aloo Pudina Curry

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 4 (300gms0
Green Chilies – 3
Dried Mint Leaves – 1 1/2Tbsps (1gm) {If desired fresh mint leaves may be added. Shade Dried Mint leaves give enhanced flavor & taste to the curry}
Cumin Seeds – 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder – 1tsp
Red Chili Powder – 1/4tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Salt – To Taste (3/4tsp)
Dried Mango Powder (Amchur) – 1/2tsp
Oil – 3Tbsps

Preparations:

Take potatoes into a bowl & add water. Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Into a pressure pan add 125ml water and place a colander into it. Add washed potatoes to the colander and cover the pressure pan. Cook the potatoes in pressure pan on steam. After first whistle cook potatoes on low flame for 7 minutes. Remove the cooked potatoes and cool them for a while. Peel the boiled potatoes and cut them into small pieces.

Wash the green chilies and chop them finely.

Heat a pan and add the dried mint leaves. Fry stirring for few seconds till the mint leaves become crisp. Take these dried mint leaves into a plate and crush them with fingers.

Method:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When oil is hot add the cumin seeds followed by chopped green chilies. Fry the ingredients stirring till green chilies are crisp. Then add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and dried mango powder. Mix well and add boiled potato pieces. Mix well to coat the spices and then add salt and crushed mint leaves. Mix all well and fry the curry for two minutes. Once done, transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Serve this curry with roti, paratha, naan or with plain rice. Especially this curry is used as a filling for Samosas.

Points To Notice:

Using dried mint leaves gives an extra flavor to this curry. However fresh mint leaves also may be used if desired.

To cook potatoes generally we add lot of water to potatoes and cook them on stove top or using a pressure cooker. In this method of cooking, potatoes absorbs water and at times become mushy too. Using a colander, in a pressure cooker or a pressure pan steam cook the potatoes and get the right texture.

To make dried mint leaves, wash fresh mint leaves well and spread them in a single layer on a clean cloth. Dry the mint leaves in shade till dry. Store them in a jar and use them when required. I usually store them in refrigerator. When required I dry roast the leaves to enhance its flavor.

As we are cooking boiled potatoes it is advisable to use a flat pan so that the potato pieces get fried evenly without becoming mushy—they also get browned well and become crispy when fried in single layer.

It is advisable to mix the spices separately and add to oil at one go so that the spices would not get burnt when added to hot oil. For further safety add few drops of water after adding the spices and fry till water evaporates—this way the spices would not get burnt.

The tangy taste of dried mango powder when mixed with flavorful mint and crisply fried potatoes the curry tastes heavenly. Try this recipe and share with your family members.