Moms Recipes

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 05, 2006 Gutti vankaya koora Gutti Vankaya Kura (Stuffed Brinjal curry) This sunday, me and suresh have been to Little India,the home of indian community in singapore, I happened to spot these cute little green brinjals at the local market in serangoon road. This is a bustling market full of fresh vegetables, fish, meat, spices, flowers, souveneir items, clothes and what not. Vankaya has been an all time favorite in my home. Though I use all kinds of brinjals, cooking gutti vankaya with these green ones especially brings out the best of this curry. This is one of the traditional recipe which is a must in our family gatherings. One bite of it, and you are in heaven :-) Ingredients green brinjals - 11 chillie powder - 2 tb sps turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp oil - 3 tb sps 1 1/2 cup of water. salt to taste for stuffing 1 cup sesame seeds 3 tb sps chana dal (senagapappu) 2 tb sps urad dal (minapappu) 4 garlic cloves (crushed) 2 elaichi 1 small stick of cinanmon 1 inch piece of ginger (chopped) oil - 1 tb sp

Preparation 1. heat kadhai, add 1 tb sp of oil. Add chana dal, urad dal, choppped ginger, garlic, cloves, elaichi, cinanmon and fry for 3 minutes in low flame. add sesame seeds and fry till golden brown. switch of the flame, allow the mixture to cool and grind them to a tight paste adding little water if necessary. 2. Wash brinjals thoroughly in water and remove the stems. slit them in a plus shape. 3. Divide the ground paste into two halves(one for stuffing and the other for gravy).Carefully stuff the ground paste into each brinjal. use your left hand to separate the slits and stuff the paste with your right hand fingers slowly so that the brinjals do not break.

4. Heat 3 tb sps of oil in a kadhai, add curry leaves, and drop stuffed brinjals slowly. stir them for a few seconds gently and cover the pan with a lid. keep stirring occassionally and cover it with the lid again. Do this till the brinjals turn soft. 5. remove the lid, add the remaining portion of the ground paste, turmeric powder, chillie powder, salt,water and mix gently so that brinjals do not break.

6. raise the flame and allow the water to boil. once water has come to boil, lower the flame and cover with a lid. keep stirring ocassionally. As the gravy turns thick switch of the flame.

7. Garnish with corinader and

serve hot with steamed rice.

gutti vankaya kura with potato fry

Labels: brinjal, gutti vankaya iguru, gutti vankaya kura, stuffed baingan, stuffed brinjal, stuffed brinjal curry

May 26, 2006 Bendakaya vepudu Bendakaya vepudu (Okra Fry) Okra is a rich source of many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin B6 and folic acid. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar. For best cooking results, okra should be fresh (not frozen). The pods should be small (3 inches or so long), or the okra becomes tough and stringy. If forced to use frozen okra, remove as much of the moisture as possible before cooking by spreading on a paper towel, or patting it dry. I remember my moms pattern to remove the moisture where she used to wash okra’s with fresh water and wipe them up each separately with a dry cloth before she cuts them. Ingredients Okra (bhendi) – 20 1 Onion chopped Curry leaves a pinch of turmeric

Oil – 2 tb sp Salt to taste

Seasoning Minapappu (urad dal) – 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Red chillies - 3 to 4 Green chillies - 5-6 (slit into two halves)

Preparation 1. Wash okra and wipe them up with a dry cloth.

2. Slice each one into small thick pieces. 3.In a pan heat oil, add seasoning, when the seeds splutter add curry leaves, onions and a pinch of turmeric. Fry till onions are soft but not brown in color. 4. Add okra pieces, salt to taste, mix and cover the lid for 3-4 mts. 5.remove the lid and let it cook for itself undisturbed. Stir in between but not frequently. 6.once the pieces are soft and slightly crispy turn the flame off and serve hot.

bendakaya vepudu

Labels: bendakaya, bendakaya fry, bendakaya vepudu, lady finger fry, lady's finger

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes May 24, 2006

kodi koora

Kodi Kura (Traditional Andhra Chicken Curry) Andhra cuisine is a blend of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Major part of nonvegetarian dishes are made of chicken, meat and sea food like fish,prawns and crabs. The most important spices used in Andhra region are ginger, garlic, cumin, fenugreek, cinanmom, cloves, cardamom, poppy seeds, coriander seeds,star ani seed and bay leaves. Kodi koora (Chicken curry) is one of the most popular dish in Andhra. Garelu (A snack made with urad dal) and kodi koora is considered to be a great combination in Andhra. This is a curry which is prepared with cubes of chicken cooked with onions and home-made masala. Ingredients Chicken - 500 gms (cut into cubes) Onions - 8 finely chopped Green chililes - 5 to 6 (slit into two halves) Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Turmeric - 1 tsp Chillie powder - 2 tb sp Salt to taste oil - 3 tb sp water - 2 cups Poppy seeds (gasagasalu) - 6 tb sp Cloves (lavangalu) - 6

Cardamom (elaichi) - 3 Small cinanmon stick (dalchini) Coriander seeds (dhaniyalu) - 2 tb sp Cashew nuts - 2 to 3 tb sp Ginger - 1" piece Garlic - 3 pods Preparation 1. Grind poppy seeds, cloves, elaichi, cinanmon stick, coriander seeds, cashew nuts, ginger, and garlic to smooth paste. 2. Wash chicken cubes with water. Add ground masala paste,2 tb sp of chillie powder, a pinch of turmeric, and salt, leave aside for 15 mts. 3. Heat oil in a kadhai, add chopped onions, a pinch of turmeric, curry leaves, green chillies and fry till golden brown. 4. Add chicken cubes and mix well. cover with a lid for 4 mts and let it cook in low flame. 5. Remove the lid, add 2 cups of water, cover and cook in low flame till the chicken pieces turn soft. salt can be added at this point if not sufficient. once the chicken is soft, cook in high flame till the gravy turns thick. 6. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rice or chapathis. This goes well with both rice and chapathis too.

Labels: chicken, chicken curry, chicken gravy, kodi iguru, kodi kura

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes May 24, 2006 Nimmakaya pulihora

Nimmakaya Pulihora (Lemon Rice) Pulihora a sour, spicy hot and salty dish is considered to be a good stimulant for a dead tongue. It is easy to cook and is a good stomach filler. Hindus consider turmeric powder as a symbol of auspiciousness, this dish is therefore cooked for almost all good occasions and during festive days. It is also distributed in temples under the name of Prasad.In the North coastal part of Andhra Pradesh, people used to call it Saddi but younger generations may not know this name. Pulihora can be made with a variety of combinations using mango, lemon and tamarind. I would like to present the easiest way of preparing it using lemon. Ingredients : Cooked Rice - 1 large cup (not too mushy and without lumps) Green Chillies - 8-10 (Slit into two halves) Chana Dal - 1 1/2 tb sp (Also called senagapappu/Bengal Gram) Urad Dal - 1 1/2 tb sp (also called minapappu) mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp (also called avalu) curry leaves - 2 sprigs ground nuts - 3 tb sp (also called pallilu/veru senagapappu) turmeric - 1 t sp oil - 3 tb sp Lemon - 2 (squeeze juice without seeds and set aside) salt to taste Preparation: 1. In a pan, heat oil. Add Green chillies, Chana dal, Urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves, groundnuts, turmeric and fry till golden brown. Switch off the flame. 2. Add salt and lemon juice to the above fried mixture and mix it with cooked rice thoroughly. More lime juice can be added if you prefer sour taste.

Labels: lemon rice, nimmakaya pulihora, pulihora

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 08, 2006 pappu charu Pappu Charu (Toor dal rasam) A very tasty and an easily digestable dish that is popular in Andhra homes. My mom used to make this dish during winter, serving it with hot rice, ghee, potato fry and gummadi vadiyalu... mmm :-) the thought itself is mouth watering. Ingredients Kandipappu (toor dal) - 1 cup brinjal - 1 (cut into cubes) tomato - 1 ( cut into cubes) okra (bendakaya) - cut into 2 inch size pieces onions - 2 (cut length wise) green chillies - 6 (slit length wise)

tamarind - 1 big lemon size. (soak in 2 cups of water and extract the pulp) oil - 2 tb sps turmeric - 1 tsp salt to taste. sugar - 1 tb sp (optional) for seasoning mustard seeds - 1 tsp jeera - 1 tsp red chillies - 4 curry leaves - 2 sprigs garlic - 3 cloves (cut into small pieces or crush them) chopped coriander to garnish.

Preparation 1. Pressure cook kandipappu with 2 cups of water till 3-4 whistles and mash it smooth. Set aside.

2. In a separate sauce pan add 1 cup of water, brinjal, onions, okra, tomato, green chillies, curry leaves and on medium heat cook till the vegetables turn soft. This would take around 15-20 mts.

3. Add, mashed dal, tamarind juice, salt, sugar,turmeric powder and allow to boil in low flame for 15 mts. Adjust tamarind juice and salt according to taste while cooking.

4. For the tadka/popu, heat 2 tb sps of oil in a pan. Add crushed garlic, mustard seeds, jeera, red chillies, curry leaves and allow them to splutter. Add this seasoning to pappu charu. Allow to cook for 3 more minutes, garnish with coriander and serve hot with rice.

pappu charu with vankaya vepudu

Labels: pappu charu, pappu pulusu, toor dal rasam

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 11, 2006 vankaya vepudu Vankaya vepudu (Brinjal Fry with roasted bengal gram powder) This is another tasty dish with brinjal that my mother in law prepares and is a good when accompanied with pappu charu, sambhar, or dal. Ingredients Fresh Brinjals - 10 Oil - 4 tb sps. salt to taste. for powder Roasted bengal gram - 1 cup (also called putnala pappu/vepudu senagapappu) Dried red chillies - 10 jeera - 1 t sp salt - 1 tb sp for seasoning mustard seeds - 1 t sp jeera - 1 tsp curry leaves - 1 sprig urad dal (minapappu) - 2 tb sps dried red chillies - 4 onions - 2 (slit length wise) green chillies - 6

onions, chillies and roasted bengal gram powder

1. Heat a pan and fry roasted bengal gram, dried red chillies, jeera in low flame for about 4 mts. Switich of the flame when bengal gram starts turning its color. Allow to cool, add salt and grind to coarse powder.set aside. (This powder can be stored in a tight container for about a month).

2. Wash brinjals, slit them into 4 halves (make a plus shape) leaving the stems. 3. Heat oil in a kadhai and fry brinjals in low flame till brinjals turn soft. (cover with a lid and stir occassionally)

4. Set aside the brinjals once soft.

5. In the remaining oil, add urad dal, mustard seeds, jeera, dried red chillies (4), curry leaves, green chillies. fry for 2 mts in low flame.

6. Add onions, and fry till soft (for about 4 mts in low flame).

7. Add fried brinjals to onions, and cook for 3 mts in low flame.

8. Add roasted bengal gram powder, adjust salt and stir gently so that brinjals do not break. leave on low flame for 3 mts.

9. Serve hot with rice, sambhar/pappu charu or dal.

Labels: baingan, baingan fry, brinjal, brinjal fry, vankaya, vankaya vepudu

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 12, 2006 Royyalu vepudu

royyalu vepudu, suresh's favorite :-)

Royyalu vepudu (Prawn fry) Andhra royyalu vepudu, a lip smacking sea food dish made with onions and Indian spices, always proves to be a good hit during parties. A simple and easy dish to prepare. Ingredients Prawns - 500 gms onions - 10 (finely chopped) green chillies - 10 water - 2 cups curry leaves - 2 sprigs turmeric powder - 1 tb sp chillie powder - 3 tb sps salt to taste. oil - 3 tb sps poppy seeds - 3 tb sps (gasagasalu) cloves - 3 (lavangalu) elaichi - 1 (cardamom) dalchini - 1 small stick ginger - 1 inch piece garlic - 3 cloves dhaniyalu - 1 tb sp (coriander seeds) jeera - 1 tsp Preparation

1. Grind poppy seeds, cloves, elaichi, dalchini, ginger, garlic, dhaniyalu,and jeera to smooth paste and set aside.

2. Remove the shell of prawns, add 1 t sp on turmeric and 1 t sp of salt. wash them well with lots of water (about 6 to 7 times). Drain water and set aside.

3. Add ground masala paste, chillie powder, a pinch of turmeric, 1 tb sp of salt to washed prawns and mix well.

4. Add 2 cups of water and boil them in high flame, stirring in between till water dissolves.

5. Heat oil in a kadhai, add curry leaves, green chillies, onions and cook till soft (for about 4 mts in low flame).

6. Add boiled prawns to onions and mix well. Adjust salt and chillie powder accordingly. cook in low flame for bout 5 mts covering with a lid and stirring occassionally. 7. Serve hot with rice.

Adding boiled prawns to fried onion

Labels: prawns, prawns fry, royyalu, royyalu vepudu

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes

July 14, 2006 Minapattu (Plain Dosa) A south indian savoury, which is served plain as well as with a variety of fillings too. One bite and you fall in love with it, I bet :-) . All you need is some time to make this tasty breakfast. It can be served with accompaniments like coconut chutney, peanut chutney, sambhar, or podis. Ingredients 1 cup whole urad dal (Minapappu) 2 cups of rice 1/2 cup of chana dal (senagapappu) 1 tb sp of methi seeds Preparation 1. Wash and soak urad dal, rice, chana dal and methi seeds together in lots of water for about 5-6 hours.

2. Drain water and grind them to a smooth batter, not too thick nor too watery. Add water while grinding for the batter to turn smooth.

3. Transfer the batter to a vessel, cover it and leave it overnight for fermentation. 4. The quantity of batter increases by morning. Add 1 tb sp of salt to the batter, mix well. Now the batter is ready for making dosas. 5. Place and heat a dosa pan (skillet) on the stove. Pour a laddle full of batter on the pan and spread into thin round shape as shown below. Move the laddle in circular shape till the batter turns into thin round shape. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of oil on the sides and allow to cook till dosa turns to golden brown in color.

6. Turn dosa to the other side as shown below and allow to cook for few seconds. Keeping dosa for a long while on the pan would turn dosa to be more crisper so make sure you dont over cook them.

7. Reverse dosa again, fold into two halves and serve hot with chutney.

dosa with kobbari-senagapappu chutney

Labels: atlu, dosa, minapattu, plain dosa

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes July 17, 2006

Peetalu Pulusu (Crabs cooked in Onions and Tamarind Sauce) Last friday when I was at fair price to buy some fruits I happened to find crabs and the funniest part is how I picked and put them in the plastic bag, Each time I pick a crab with the forceps kind of thing, those sharp edge legs get stuck on to the bag. It so happened that by the time I finished putting 3 crabs successfully in, half the bag was torn and the lady at the cleaning counter was laughing at me. Finally managed and gave it to the same old lady for cleaning. She was so nice enough to clean them up as they do it in India. Thanks to her, otherwise another exercise would have started at home :-). Each crab should be cut into 2 pieces(if crabs are small leave them as they are) and the legs crushed slightly (with a pestle). Do not crush them fully, A slight crack on the shell is sufficient. Wash them thoroughly with water and set aside. Ingredients Salt - 2 tb sps (adjust according to taste) chillie powder - 3 tbsps green chillies - 6 (slit length wise) tamarind - 1 big lemon size (soaked in 2 cups of water) coriander leaves - 1 small bunch (finely chopped) For the Gravy Masala onions - 4 (slit lengthwise) dhaniyalu(coriander seeds) - 3 tb sps jeera(cumin) - 2 tb sps garlic - 5 cloves

1X1" ginger piece

How to cook them: 1. Grind all the ingredients for the masala to smooth paste and set aside. 2. In a deep kadhai heat 4 tb sps of oil, add crabs with 2 tb sps of salt, 3 tb sps of chillie powder, 1 tsp of turmeric, 6 green chillies and mix well for all the crabs to get coated evenly. 2. Cover and cook for 5 mts on low flame. Add masala paste, mix well. Cover and cook for 10 mts on low flame. 3. Remove the lid and add tamarind juice. Increase the flame and allow to cook for 5 mts. Lower the flame again, cover and cook for about 30 mts till the tamarind sauce turns to gravy consistency. Adjust salt according to taste. 4. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot rice.

Labels: crab pulusu, crabs, peetala pulusu, peetalu, peetalu pulusu

April 24, 2007

Majjiga Pulusu/Majjiga Charu (Spicy yoghurt stew) This is a simple and delicious dish that is cooked in andhra homes. There are lot more variations in cooking this dish. Today I was a bit busy with my other household chores so had to opt for a simple yet tasty recipe and here goes .... Plain yoghurt/Curd - 1 cup Water - 1/2 cup Medium size onions - 2 (finely chopped)

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Dried red chillies - 4 Green chillies - 4 (finely chopped) Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Coriander leaves - a small bunch (finely chopped) Salt to taste Oil - 2 tsps

How to .... 1. Beat the curds and water together softly without lumps or blend it in a mixer for about 30 seconds. 2. Add turmeric, chopped onions, green chillies to the beaten curds and mix well. 3. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera, mustard seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves and fry for about a minute on low flame then switch off. 4. Add this tadka to the beaten curds, mix and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. 5. Serve with rice and sun dried chillies (majjiga mirapakayalu/challa mirapakayalu).

Labels: majjiga charu, majjiga pulusu, youghut stew

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes May 30, 2007 Nuvvulu Koora (Sesame Curry) Long back I mentioned in a meme about this dish thats my moms special. Sesame is usually available in cream white and black in color. I used the cream white one for making this dish. Do you know sesame seeds are rich in calcium, vitamins B1 and E. Here goes the recipe....

What we need .... Sesame seeds (nuvvulu) - 1 cup Onions - 2 medium sized chopped finely Coriander seeds - 1 tsp Jeera/cumin seeds - 1 tsp Garlic cloves - 4 Curry leaves - 1 sprig Turmeric - 1/2 tsp Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust according to your spice level) Salt to taste Oil - 2 tsps

How to .... 1. Grind garlic, coriander seeds, and jeera coarsely. To it add sesame seeds and grind to a coarse powder. Set aside. 2. Heat oil in a kadhai, add curry leaves, chopped onions and turmeric. Allow the onions to turn light brown in color.

3. Reduce the heat to medium, add ground sesame powder, salt to taste and fry for about 8 mins so that the curry doesn't stick to the pan.

4. Add chilly powder and fry for another 5 mins on low flame till the curry turns golden brown .

5. Serve hot with steamed rice, a dollop of ghee and I bet u'll luv it.

Labels: nuvvula kura, sesame, sesame curry

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 01, 2007 Tomato Pappu (Tomato Dal) Its comfort food time at home these days and tomato dal is my first choice I'd opt for. I love this simple yet tasty flavor dish that goes well with chapati or steamed rice accompanied with potato fry. Here goes the recipe ....

What we need .... Toor Dal (kandipappu) - 1 cup Tomatoes - 6 (finely chopped) Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Garlic - 4 cloves (crushed) Chilly powder - 3/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp Green Chillies - 4 (slit lengthwise) Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsps (thick pulp) Oil - 2 tbsp Salt to taste

For the popu/tadka Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1 sprig Asofoetida powder - 1 tsp Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch finely chopped for garnish

How to ... 1. Wash dal, add 3 cups of water, turmeric, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp of oil, and pressure cook till soft. Once cooked mash dal and set aside. 2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a sauce pan. Add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds (1tsp), as they start spluttering add curry leaves, garlic, green chillies and asofoetida powder. 3. Lower the flame and add chopped tomatoes.

4. Cover and cook on medium heat till the tomatoes turn soft. Add chilly powder, salt, coriander powder and allow to cook for 2 mts.

5. Add mashed dal, tamarind pulp. Add water if the consistency of dal is thick. Cook for 4 mts on medium flame. Switch off.

6. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with steamed rice, a dollop of ghee accompanied with potato fry or papads.

Labels: dal with tomato, pappu tomato, tomato dal, tomato pappu

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 04, 2007

Mudda Pappu (Toor Dal) This is termed to be andhra delicacy served first during any meal. Steamed rice with mudda pappu, avakayi and ghee, this has always remained my all time favourite since childhood. Simple and easy to cook too. Soft cooked rice with a dollop of ghee and mudda pappu is a nutritious meal for kids. This can also be cooked using pesarapappu/yellow split moong dal. Here it goes ....

We need .... Kandipappu/Toor Dal/Red Gram Dal - 1 cup Water - 2 cups Oil - 1 tsp Turmeric - 1/4 tsp Salt to taste 1. Wash dal and soak in 2 cups of water for 15 mts. Soaking helps dal cook faster. 2. Pressure cook till 3-4 whistles or till the dal is soft. 3. Once the pressure goes off, remove the lid, add salt and mash well. 4. Serve with hot steamed rice a dollop of ghee (clarified butter), avakayi with papad or vadiyalu as accompaniment.

Labels: mudda pappu, pappu

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 06, 2007

Mixed Vegetable Curry Being born in south India, I grew up eating south indian dishes mostly, but I loved eating north indian dishes whenever we go to restaurants. Especially the mixed vegetable curry with butter naan was my all time favourite. Different combination of vegetables cooked in onion gravy tastes amazing. Do not overcook vegetables for this makes them turn mashy. Well you don't need to have any plan to make this curry. Check out for the vegetables lying down in your fridge, thats what I did too. A potato, carrot, capsicum, tomato, green peas and here goes my dish .... Other vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potato, french beans, brinjal etc., can also be used to cook this dish. I could'nt go out to get them all and hence fixed it up with what is available.

We'd need .... Potato - 1 (cut into cubes) Yellow Capsicum - 1 (cut to thin slices lengthwise) Red Capsicum - 1 (cut to thin slices lengthwise) Carrot - 1 (cut into cubes) Green peas - 1 cup (boiled) Cherry tomatoes - 7 (cut into two halves) Onions - 4 medium size (sliced lengthwise) Cloves - 5 Elaichi - 1 (cardamom pod) Cinnamon stick - 1 inch Ginger - 2 inch Garlic pods - 2 Bay leaves - 3 Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1 tsp Butter/Heavy Cream - 1 tbsp Water - 1 cup Salt to taste Oil - 2 tsps Coriander leaves - 1 sprig (finely chopped for garnish)

1. Pressure cook vegetables in 2 cups of water till 3 whistles. Once cool, remove and drain excess water. Excess water can be saved and reused at a later stage while adding water to this curry. 2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadhai/sauce pan, add half the onions and fry till soft and

light brown in color. Remove from flame, allow to cool and grind to smooth paste along with cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and garlic. Set aside. 3. Heat rest of the oil in a kadhai, add bay leaves, fry for a minute. 4. Add remaining onions and fry till soft and golden brown.

5. Add ground onion paste, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt to taste and fry for 2-3 mts on medium flame. 6. Add boiled vegetables, green peas, cherry tomatoes and mix well.

7. Add water and bring it to boil, reduce the flame and allow to cook till the gravy is thick. 8. Once the gravy is thick add garam masala, butter/cream and mix well.

9. Switch of the flame, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with naan, roti or chapathis.

Labels: gravy with mixed vegetables, mixed vegetable curry, mixed vegetables

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes July 24, 2007 Nimmakaya Karam (Spicy powder with lemon) A nice accompaniment with idly, dosa or steamed rice with a dollop of ghee. A visitor to my blog requested for this recipe and here I go.... Its so simple and easy too. We need .... bengal gram/chana dal - 1/4 measuring cup

urad dal/minapappu - 1/4 measuring cup methi seeds - 1/4 tsp hing/asofetida - 1/4 tsp Dried red chillies - 10 (increase or decrease according to your spice level) Salt to taste Lemon juice - 3 tbsps (increase or decrease according to your taste) Oil - 1 1/2 tsp

How to..... 1. Heat oil in a pan, fry methi seeds till they turn light brown in color.

2. Add asofetida, urad dal, chana dal, dried red chillies and fry on medium flame till the raw smell of the dals disappears. Take care that the dals don't get burnt. keep stirring continuously. This process takes about 5-7 mts.

6. Switch of the flame. Allow to cool off , add salt and grind it to lightly coarse powder. 7. Mix lime juice, adjust salt and store in an air tight container. Goes well with idly, dosa and even steamed rice too.

Labels: Nimmakaya Karam

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes August 07, 2007 Poornam Boorelu (Sweet gram dumplings)

Termed to be a heavenly delicacy of Andhra,these sweet dumplings my mom used to cook for us on sankranti, a festival celebrated in andhra during the beginning of harvest season. I loved eating them with melted ghee poured over it. No doubt that I run back to my childhood moments whenever I cook them, while I dream of going home, cooking this dish all by myself and surprise mom. Coming back to the recipe...

We need... ( Makes 10 burelu) for the sweet balls Chana Dal - 1/2 measuring cup Sugar - 1/2 cup sugar Elaichi(cardamom) powder - 2 tsps for the batter Rice -1/4 cup Urad dal (Minapappu) - 1/2 cup sugar - 1 tbsp

How to ..... 1. Wash and soak rice and urad dal in water for about 2 hrs. 2. Soak chana dal for about half an hour. Pressure cook dal in 1 cup of water till 4-5 whistles. Set Aside.

3. Grind rice and urad dal to smooth paste adding sufficient water. It should be ground to thick dosa batter consistency. Set aside for 4-5 hours.

4. Heat a kadhai, add cooked dal, sugar, elaichi powder and on medium heat keep stirring till the dal turns thick enough to make a ball. Stirring continuously helps dal not to stick to the pan.

5. Allow the paste to cool. Grease your hands with oil or ghee and roll the paste to lemon size balls as shown below. Set aside.

6. Add sugar to the fermented batter. I prefer adding sugar over salt to the batter. Adding sugar gives a mild sweet taste when compared to adding salt. Note: Left over batter can be used to make dosas. I generally take required qty of batter, mix sugar accordingly so that the whole batter does'nt get wasted just because the whole batter is sweet. 7. Heat oil in a deep pan. A tiny drop of batter put in the oil should pop up immediately on the top. Reduce the heat to medium. 8. Dip each ball into the batter, so that it evenly gets coated. Drop them gently into oil and fry them till golden brown. Fry the balls in batches depending on the size of the pan.

9. Remove from oil, drain on a kitchen paper to remove any excess oil and serve. Pulihora (Tamarind rice) with burelu makes an excellent combo.

Labels: boorelu, burelu, poornam burelu, purnam burelu

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes April 10, 2008 Jhiva For Love (Rasam - Spicy South Indian Soup) Summers during childhood usually passed at my grandmothers place. "Ammamma" thats how I called my granny, which means mother's mother. She was very tender and gentle by nature and took great pleasure in feeding me while sharing memories of her childhood, her marriage with my grandfather, her days as a young bride so on and so forth.... I used to read the bhagavatham for her at bedtime lying down in her lap. Mashed rice with rasam and a dollop of ghee is all that comes into my mind whenever I think of her. As I got older I began to get addicted myself to this delicious mild looking broth made with tangy tomatoes and fragrant coriander. 'Rasam' aids in digestion, helps in getting relieved from sinuses, and above all a comfort food that soothes the indian palatte. This can be served as a soup accompanied with pappadums, pakoras, any other starter or just eat it with plain rice. A perfect combo on winter nights. I feel honored to pay tribute to my grandma thru jhiva for love

We need .... Medium sized tomatoes - 5 (cut into cubes) Rasam powder - 2 tsps (I used 777 Madras rasam powder) Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (increase if you want a more spicy version) Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized ball (soaked in 3/4 cup water) Turmeric - 1/4 tsp Ghee - 1 tsp asofetida/hing - 1/4 tsp Oil - 1 tsp Salt to taste

For the tadka/popu..... Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp Curry Leaves - 1 sprig Dried Red chillies - 2 (broken to half) Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch (for garnish)

How to.... •

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In a sauce pan, heat ghee and oil together. Add tomatoes, turmeric, hing and mix well. cover and cook till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy and the juices running out. Add pepper, rasam powder and mix well. Add water and bring to a boil Squeeze out the pulp from soaked tamarind and add it to boiling rasam.

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Add salt to taste, mix well. Cover and simmer for 5 mts. In a pan, heat oil on low flame. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Add dried red chillies, curry leaves. Fry for 30 secs. Turn off the heat and add the popu/tadka to rasam. Garnish with cilantro/coriander. Serve hot with rice, ghee and papaddums

Labels: Rasam, Spicy lentil soup, Tomato rasam

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes July 25, 2008 Chicken Avakaya (Chicken Pickle)

Mixture of exotic spices with chicken is a pickle made back at home by my mom. A perfect partner for steamed rice. For all those chicken lovers out there, try this and I bet you'll love it. you'll need chicken - 1 lb (I've used chicken with bones) cut into bite sized pieces Turmeric - 1 tsp

ginger & garlic paste - 1 tbsp Oil - 1/4 cup Mustard seeds (avalu) - 1 tsp coriander seeds (dhaniyalu) - 1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera) - 1/4 tsp cloves (lavangalu) - 10 cardamom pods (elaichi) - 3 cinnamon stick (dalchini) - 1 inch poppy seeds (gasagasalu) - 2 tbsps Large Lemon - 1 (Squeeze the juice and set aside) red chilly powder - 1/4 (adjust according to spice level) Salt to taste How to: 1) Wash chicken pieces under running water and drain. 2) In a bowl mix together ginger garlic paste, turmeric. Add washed chicken pieces to this mixture and coat well. 3) Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan/kadhai, reduce the heat to medium and add chicken to it. mix gently, cover the pan with a lid for 2 mts.

4) Remove the lid and on medium low flame allow the chicken to fry till golden brown. Keep stirring in between such that all the pieces are evenly cooked and colored. Do not overfry the chicken as this turns the pieces hard to chew. Light golden brown color would be good.

5) Once the chicken is fried, set aside and allow it to cool. Meanwhile dry fry all the spices individually (mustard seeds, coriander seeeds, cumin seeds, cloves, elaichi, dalchini and poppy seeds) on low flame till nice aroma comes out. Do not burn them (the pickle would turn bitter if spices are over burnt) 6) Once done allow the spices to cool off and grind all spices together to a fine powder.

7) Heat the squeezed lime juice on low flame for 10 seconds (Do not overheat). Alternatively you could warm it for 10 seconds in a microwave. Adding fresh lime juice will not let the pickle stay fresh for long time and thats why we want it to be warm. 8) Now add ground spice powder(do not add entire powder at once, instead add in small quantities and adjust according to your spice levels), dried red chilly powder, to the fried chicken and mix well. Add lemon juice and adjust salt. 9) If the pickle looks too dry a little bit of oil could be added. Its not required to heat oil at this point of time.

10) Leave the pickle in the bowl for an hour and transfer it into a closed jar. This pickle stays fresh for a month even if not refrigerated. If you are not refrigerating the pickle and leaving it outdoors, make sure the pickle is covered with good amount of oil floating on top. It can be eaten on the day of preparation itself. Serve it with steamed rice. Also goes well with dosas and idlys too.

Labels: chicken avakaya, chicken pickle, kodi avakaya

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes January 30, 2009 Kodi Guddu Pulusu (Eggs in tamarind gravy)

"Pulusu" in andhra means thick gravy curry cooked with tamarind and onions. This dish tastes sweet and sour and is best eaten hot with steamed rice accompanied with papad or potato fry. With quite a few ingredients in hand this dish is easy and quick to prepare. When I'm tired and not in a mood for cooking a full course meal this dish goes to my rescue.For those of you who do not eat eggs, substitute with other vegetables like lady's finger (bendakaya), brinjals (vankaya), bottle gourd (sorakaya) etc., I have used organic eggs but normal eggs would also do as good as the organic ones. Store bought or home made tamarind paste can also be substituted in this dish. I usually soak tamarind in little hot water, extract the pulp out of it and refrigerate it for further use. I have used sugar in the recipe but it can also be replaced with grated jaggery or brown sugar as well. Lets hop on to the recipe. A few tips for boiling eggs: 1. Bring water to boil in a sauce pan. When the water starts bubbling up, with a slotted spoon, slowly slide in one egg at a time into boiling water. Let the eggs cook for 10-12 mts in the water. Switch of the flame. Allow to cool off a bit and remove the shells. When in hurry. discard hot water and run the eggs in cold water under a tap and remove the shells. 2. Another alternative I follow while boiling eggs is, pressure cook eggs with 4 cups of water to 1 whistle. Let the pressure settle down, then remove the lid, discard the water and remove the shells of the eggs.

We need: 4 eggs (boiled, shells removed and make slits lengthwise) lemon sized tamarind (soaked in 1/2 cup warm water and extract pulp out of it) 4-5 tsps oil

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) 1 tsp mustard seeds (avalu) 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 4 dried red chillies curry leaves - 2 sprigs 4 medium sized onions - finely chopped (makes 3 cups of chopped onions) 6 green chillies - finely chopped 1/2 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ginger & garlic paste 1 tbsp coriander powder 1 tbsp cumin powder 1 tbsp red chilly powder (adjust according to your spice levels) 3 tbsps sugar Salt to taste Coriander leaves - 4 sprigs (finely chopped)

How to: •

In a kadhai/wide pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Add pinch of turmeric and drop in boiled eggs gently into the pan. Fry on medium flame for about 2-3 mts till brown spots start appearing on the eggs. Remove and set aside.

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Add remaining oil ( 3 tsps) in the kadhai. Reduce the flame to low. Add in methi seeds and fry for 20 seconds. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow to splutter then add red chillies and fry for about 30 seconds.

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Throw in curry leaves, chopped green chillies and chopped onions. Add turmeric (1/4 tsp), salt. Increase the flame to medium and fry till the onions turn soft and light brown.

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Once the onions turn light brown, add ginger garlic paste and fry for about 1 to 2 mts till the raw smell disappears. Add cumin powder, coriander powder and chilly powder. Mix well and fry for 1 minute.

Add squeezed tamarind juice/pulp + 1 cup of water and bring it to boil. Add sugar. Adjust salt and chilly powder. Simmer and let it cook for about 3-4 mts.

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Gently add in all the fried eggs, dropping one egg at a time. Allow to cook for about 10-15 mts till the gravy thickens.

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Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.

Labels: egg, egg pulusu, guddu pulusu, kodi guddu pulusu, pulusu

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes May 25, 2006 Mamidikaya pappu Mamidikaya pappu (Mango Dal) Rice is the staple food of southern part of India and a typical Andhra meal consists of pappu (dal) with pickle, fry and papaddums. Kandipappu or tuvar dal is one of the popular dals grown in India. It is called as arhar in Bengali and tuvara parippu in Malayalam. It’s slightly sweet and highly digestable too. Mango has been my all time favourite since my childhood. Those hot sunny days during March and April when plenty of mangoes are available,my granny was busy preparing pickles and we eating raw mangoes with salt and chillie powder, the thought itself makes my mouth water. Here in Singapore raw mangoes are available all through the year and mamidikaya pappu is a frequent dish in my home. I love the mangoes available at Mustafa which are a perfect choice to make this tasty dish. Ingredients

Kandipappu (toor dal) - 1 cup Green Chillies - 6 (slit into two halves) Turmeric - 1 tsp Chillie powder - 1 tsp Salt to taste Oil - 1 1/2 tb sp Ghee - 1 tsp 1 Raw Mango (sour in taste and cut into bite size pieces) Seasoning Mustard seeds (avalu) - 1 tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Red chillies - 3 to 4 Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Garlic - 2 (cut into small pieces or crushed) Hing - a pinch For garnishing Finely chopped coriander

Preparation 1. Wash and pressure cook dal adding a pinch of turmeric, ½ tsp of oil and 2 cups of water. (adding turmeric and little oil to dal helps dal to cook fast and soft)

2. Once the pressure is gone remove the lid of the cooker and mash dal with a masher. 3. Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add seasoning with a pinch of hing. when the seeds start spluttering, add mango pieces, stir once and cover with a lid for 3 mts in low flame till the mango pieces turn soft. Turn off the flame. 4. Add chillie powder and salt to mashed dal. Mix well. To this add the fried seasoning, little water and cook in low flame for 3 mts for the dal to absorb the flavour of the seasoning. 5. Garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Mamidikaya pappu with bendakaya fry our lunch today

Labels: dal with mango, mamidikaya pappu, mango, mango dal, pappu mamidikaya

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 19, 2006

Senagapappu - kobbari chutney (roasted bengal gram and coconut chutney) This is a simple and easy to make chutney that goes well with tiffins like dosa, idli, mysore bajji.... What we need green chillies - 8 (slit length wise) roasted bengal gram (vepudu senagapappu) - 1 cup grated coconut - 1 cup oil - 1 tsp salt to taste for tempering oil - 2 tsps curry leaves - 2 sprigs mustard seeds (avalu) - 1 tsp jeera - 1 tsp urad dal (minapappu) - 1 tb sp red chillies - 3 Preparation 1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry green chillies for 3 mts in low flame. 2. Allow to cool. Grind roasted bengal gram, grated coconut, fried green chillies and salt to smooth paste. Set aside. 3. Heat 2 tsps of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, curry leaves, and red chillies. Fry them for 2 mts in low flame. Add this to ground chutney. 4. Serve hot with idli or dosa.

Labels: chutney, coconut bengal gram dal chutney, kobbari, kobbari senagapappu chutney, senagapappu

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 22, 2006

GARELU WITH COCONUT CHUTNEY Ulli Garelu (Andhra Vada) A festive treat especially made for the sons in law of our family. Garelu, also called vada make a perfect combination with kodi koora or kobbari pacchadi (coconut chutney). In my first few days every time I make the dish, it was a disaster. Later I learned the right way from my mother in law. Ingredients minapappu (whole urad dal) - 2 cups onions - 4 finely chopped green chillies - 7 finely chopped coriander leaves - 1 small bunch finely chopped jeera - 2 tsps salt to taste. oil for deep frying. Preparation: 1. Soak minapappu in water for about 4-5 hours/overnight. Drain water completely. 2. Grind minapappu in a mixer/blender without adding water to tight paste. The batter must be thick that when you make vada's they should not run out of shape. 3. Remove and add salt, jeera, chopped onions, green chillies, coriander leaves and mix well.

4. Heat a deep pan with oil.

5. For making the vada's you can use your hands or a thick polythene sheet. Back at home in India, we use plantain leaves (arati akulu) to make these vada's. 6. Take a small ball of batter on to your left hand, pat into round shape and make a hole in the center. 7. Drop gently into hot oil from the sides. Fry till golden brown turning them both sides. 8. Serve hot with coconut chutney(recipe given below) or kodi koora.

Kobbari Pacchadi (coconut chutney) Ingredients: grated coconut - 1 cup green chillies - 10 (slit length wise) minapappu - 2 tb sp jeera - 1 tb sp dhaniyalu - 1 tb sp (coriander seeds) garlic - 2 cloves a small ball of tamarind oil - 2 tsps for seasoning dried red chillies - 3 (broken to small pieces) mustard seeds - 1 tsp jeera - 1 tsp minapappu - 1 tb sp (urad dal) curry leaves - 2 sprigs oil - 1 tsp

Preparation 1. Heat 2 tsps of oil in a pan, add urad dal, jeera, dhaniyalu, green chillies and crushed garlic. Fry till golden brown. Remove and allow to cool. 2. Grind the above with coconut, tamarind and salt to taste. 3. Do the popu, by heating 1 tsp of oil in a pan, adding minapappu,mustard sees, jeera, curry leaves, dried red chillies. Add this to ground chutney. 4. Goes well with all tiffins like vada, dosa, idli etc.,

Labels: chitti garelu, garelu, medhu vada, ulli garelu, vada

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 01, 2006 pesarattu upma

pesarattu - upma a scrumptious and filling meal, perfect for a sunday brunch :-)

pesarattu - upma - allam pacchadi (moong dal dosa,upma with ginger chutney) pesarattu - upma is one of the tastiest and traditional breakfast of Andhra Pradesh. Its made with moong dal or green gram lentil (also called pesalu in telugu). This tastes well with ginger chutney.

Ingredients for pesarattu (moong dal dosa) moong dal - 2 cups ginger - 1 inch piece green chillies - 8 salt - 2 tb sp cumin seeds - 2 tsps (also called jeera) oil/ghee - 4 tb sps Toppings for pesarattu onions - 4 (finely chopped) green chillies - 4 (finely chopped) Preparation 1. Soak moong dal over night, Next day drain the water, add 8 green chillies, ginger piece, 2 tb sps of salt and grind into smooth paste adding little water. 2. Remove the batter add jeera (cumin seeds) to the batter.

soaked moong dal in water

pesarattu batter 3. Heat an iron pan till hot (if you sprinkle water it has to sizzle). 4. pour a spoonful of batter in the center of the pan and spread it round in shape. 5. add chopped onions and green chilies pieces for topping. 6 add 1 tsp of oil/ghee on top and edges of pesarattu. 7. lower the flame for 2 mts and then turn the flame to high. 8. allow the pesarattu to turn on golden brown color at the bottom and then turn it back. 9. allow pesarattu to fry for a minute and then turn it back again. Fold into two halves and serve hot with upma and ginger chutney. (see below for recipe and photos.)

pesarattu on pan Ingredients for upma sooji (upma ravva) - 1 cup

onions - 2 (cut into slits) green chillies - 6 to 8 chana dal - 2 tb sps (senagapappu) urad dal - 1 tb sps (minapappu) mustard seeds - 1 tsp ginger - 1/2 inch piece (chopped) oil - 2 tb sps ghee - 1 tb sp curry leaves - 1 sprig water - 2 cups salt to taste.

Preparation 1. Heat oil & ghee in a kadhai. Add chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves and fry for 3 mts. Add slit onions, chopped ginger, curry leaves and green chillies. 2. Fry them till onions turn soft.

3. Add 2 cups of water and salt and bring it to boil (you can test if the salt is sufficient or not by tasting the water. if the water is salty to taste, it indicates that salt would be sufficient after adding upma rava, otherwise add

little more salt to water.) 4. when the water comes to boil, turn the flame to low, slowly pour upma rava while stirring it with another hand to avoid lumps.(see the picture given below) 5. Turn the flame off and cover with a lid for 4 mts. serve hot with pesarattu.

Ingredients for ginger chutney chana dal - 3 tb sps (also called senagapappu) urad dal - 3 tb sps (also called minapappu) coriander seeds - 1 tb sp (also called dhaniyalu) jeera - 1 tsp tamarind - big lemon size ginger - 3 inch piece (a big piece cut into small pieces) green chillies - 15 to 17 (slit length wise) jaggery - 2 cubes (alternatively sugar can also be used) oil - 3 tb sps salt to taste

Preparation 1. Heat oil in a pan and fry chana dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, jeera, green chillies for 3 mts in high flame 2. add ginger pieces to it and fry for another 2 mts in low flame. switch off the flame. 3. allow this mixture to cool, add tamarind, jaggery, salt and grind to smooth paste adding water. 4. serve it with pesarattu - upma.

Frying for allam chutney

Labels: allam chutney, allam pacchadi, ginger, moong dal dosa, pesarattu, upma

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 18, 2006 Mysore Bajji A delicious breakfast which we like a lot. I remember my mom making the batter and leaving it overnight. That makes bajjis come out soft and tastier, says mom.

mysore bajji with senagapappu-kobbari chutney What we need: maida - 2 cups sour curd - 1 cup (whip smooth without lumps) onions - 2 finely chopped green chillies - 3 finely chopped jeera - 1 tsp cooking soda - 1 tsp salt to taste oil for deep frying

Preparation 1. Sieve maida.mix with sour curd and leave overnight. 2. In the morning add salt, cooking soda, onions, green chillies, and jeera to form a thick batter without lumps as shown.

3. Heat oil in a pan and drop batter into round balls. Fry till golden brown in color and serve hot with senagapappu-kobbari chutney. 4. These bajjis can also be made instantly if you have left over sour curd at home. Just sieve maida, mix with sour curd, cooking soda, onions, green chillies, jeera and fry them as shown below.

Labels: bajji, mysore bajji

Moms Kitchen - Andhra Recipes June 15, 2006 Cauliflower Masaledar Cauliflower Masaledar Ingredients cauliflower - 1 (cut them into florets) onions - 2 (chopped) capsicum - 1 tomato - 1 (chopped) cloves - 3 (lavangalu) elaichi - 1 dalchini - 1 small stick (cinnanmon stick) poppy seeds - 2 tb sps (khus khus) dhaniyalu - 1 tb sp (coriander seeds) jeera - 1 tsp ginger - 1 inch piece garlic - 2 cloves chillie powder - 1 1/2 tb sps salt to taste oil - 3 tb sps Preparation 1. Add 1 tsp of salt in hot water and soak cauliflower florets for 3 mts. 2. Drain water and set aside.

3. Heat 1 tb sp of oil in a pan and add half of chopped onions. Fry for 3 mts in low flame. Add all of the chopped capsicum to it and fry till onions and capsicum turn their color. Switch of the flame and allow them to cool. 4. Grind tomato, poppy seeds, cloves, elaichi, dalchini, dhaniyalu, jeera, ginger and garlic, fried onions and capsicum to smooth paste. set aside.

5. Heat 2 tb sps of oil in a pan, fry remaining onions till golden brown. Add cauliflower florets, mix well and cook with lid covered for 3 mts in low flame.

6. Add ground paste, 1 1/2 tb sps of chillie powder, salt to taste and 3 cups of water. mix well. Turn to high flame and bring to boil. Allow to cook with lid covered till gravy turns thick and cauliflower pieces are well cooked.

7. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rice, chapathis or roti.

Labels: cauliflower, cauliflower curry, cauliflower masala, gob