Sunday, December 23, 2012

Phali Chutney - Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup - Peanuts
2 Table Spoons - Putnalu [Roasted Chana Dal]
2 Tea Spoons- Dry Coconut
6 - Green Chillies, Cut into halves
Grape Size - Tamarind OR [ 1/2 Cup - Sour Curd]
Salt
Turmeric

Tadka:
Oil
Mustard seeds
Urad Dal
Hing
Red Chilli
Karvepak

Procedure:
  1. Soak tamarind and remove the seeds.
  2. Dry fry the peanuts and keep them aside.
  3. Heat some oil and add green chilles, take them out of the oil after a minute and grind along with rest of the ingredients mentioned in list.
  4. Add tadka at the end.
Note: To make it simple - while preparing tadka, add the green chillies in the tadka. Then separate the green chillies from tadka and grind them along with peanuts. This way you dont have to heat the oil twice.

Allam Pachadi - Ginger Chutney

Ingredients
1/4th Cup - Ginger
4 - Green Chillies
4 - Red Chillies
1/4th Tea Spoon - Methi Powder
Lemon Size - Tamarind
1/2 Tea Spoon - Jaggery, Grated/Powder [Adjust as per your taste]
Salt
Turmeric

Tadka:
Oil
Mustard Seeds
Urad Dal
Hing
Red chilli
Karvepak

Procedure
  1. Soak tamarind in water for some time, remove all the seeds.
  2. Grind all the above ingredients. Add water if required.
  3. Add tadka at the end.
  4. This chutney goes well with Idli, Dosa, Upma etc.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Pesarattu - Green Moong Dal Dosa

Ingredients:
2 Cups - Pesalu/Green Moong Dal
2 Tea Spoons - Rice OR RiceFlour
8 - Green Chillies
1 Inch - Ginder
1 Tea Spoon - Jeera
1 - Onion, Chopped [Optional]
Handful Of CorrianderLeaves / Kottimeera, Chopped [Optional]
Salt

Procedure:
1. Soak Moong dal in water for 10 hrs or over night.
2. If using rice for this recipe instead of rice flour, soak the rice along with moong dal.
3. Drain the water and grind the moong along with green chilles, ginger, salt, rice/rice flour. Add water to get dosa consistancy.
4. Take the batter into a bowl and add jeera and mix the batter.

5. Batter is ready to prepare moong dal dosas.

6. Optional: Once the dosa is made, before taking dosa out of the pan you can add chopped onions, kottimeera and few chopped green chillies and fold the dosa into half and serve.

7. Dosa can be served with Ginger Chutney, Green Chutney or Onion Chutney.

Donger - UradDal and Curd Chutney

Ingredients:
1 Cup - Urad Dal Powder
1/2 Tea Spoon - Chilli Powder
2 - Green chillies, finely chopped
1 Cup - Sour Dahi
1 - Lemon [Optional]
Salt [Adjust as per your taste]
Pinch of Hing

For Tadka:
1/2 Tea Spoon - Urad Dal
1/4th Tea Spoon - Mustard Seeds
5 - Curry Leaves - Cut small
1 - Red Chilli
Hing Powder
Oil

Procedure:
  1. Take a bowl and mix Urad Dal powder, chilli powder, green chillies, salt, Hing and sour dahi. 
  2. The consistency of this mixture should be similar to Idli batter. Adjust dahi accordingly.
  3. If sourness of the mixture is not enough, add some lemon until the desired sourness is reached.
  4. Add tadka at the end.
Serving Suggestions:
  1. Similar to chutneys, this could be mixed with plain rice with ghee. Or
  2. Could also be served as side dish for curd rice, bhaji's etc.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Appadala Pindi / UradDal Powder - Dry


Ingredients:
6 Table Spoons - UradDal Powder
2 Tea Spoons - Chilli Powder [Adjust per your taste]
1 1/2 Tea Spoon - Salt [Adjust per your taste]
1/2 Tea Spoon - Hing
Lemon Juice [Adjust per your taste]

Procedure:
Mix all the above dry ingredients. That is all, UradDal powder is ready to use.

Serving Suggestion:
Mix some UradDal powder in rice (Similar to how KandiPodi/BatachaPud or any other food powder is served with rice). Add some Lemon juice, oil/ghee and mix the rice. Serve Hot.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Baked Vegetable Cutlet


Ingredients
1 - Carrot  - finely chopped
1 - Green Capsicum -Medium Size Capsicum diced
2 Handful - Spinach leaves - finely chopped
2 - Boiled Potato - peeled and mashed
4 - Green Chillies - finely chopped
1/4th Cup - Green Peas
1/2 Tea Spoon - Garam Masala
1/2 Tea Spoon - Coriander powder
1/2 Tea Spoon - Kasoori Methi
1 Tea Spoon - Chaat Masala
1/2 Tea Spoon - Red Chilli powder (Or As per your taste)
2 Table Spoons - Corn Flour/Rice Flour
1 Cup - Thick Poha
1 TableSpoon - Oil
Salt As per your taste

Procedure:
  1. Preheat the oven at 430 degree Fahrenheit.
  2. Boil the potatoes, peel the skin and mash them. Keep the mash potatoes aside.
  3. Heat oil in a pan and add diced carrot and stir them until cooked.
  4. Add green pepper, green peas in cooked carrot and mix them.Add little water if required.
  5. After veggies are cooked, mash them.
  6. Now add mashed potatoes, chopped spinach and green chillies.
  7. Add Garam Masala, Coriander Powder, Chat Masala, Kasoori Methi, Chilli Powder, Corn Flour/Rice    
      Flour and mix them well.
Cooked and Seasoned Veggie Patty Dough
  8. Now take small quantities of the dough and make equal size patties.
  9. Dry fry or microwave poha for a minute until poha becomes crunchy. Roughly crush this Poha.
  10. Now roll each patty in to crushed poha and place them on a baking tray. You can also use Pizza Stone
        or a cup cake tray if you don't have a flat backing tray.
  11. Bake the patties in the oven for 20 minutes
  12. After 20 minutes, turn the patties over and again bake them for 20 more minutes.
  13. Serve the Veggie Cutlets hot with mint or tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.

Veggie Patties Baked in a Cup Cake tray

Veggie Patties Baked on Pizza Stone

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Idli/Dosa Batter

Ingredients:
4 Cups - Idli Rice or Ponni Bolied Rice
2 Cups - Whole Urad Dal
2 Tea Spoons - Salt (or as per taste)
Water

Procedure:
  1. Wash Idli rice and Soak the rice for 8 hours or over night.
  2. 2 hours before grinding, wash Urad dal and soak it. Cover it with a lid.
  3. Drain urad dal water in a bowl and grind urad dal first. Use urad dal water during grinding.
  4. If grinding using a wet grinder, we usually grind urad dal for 30-45 mins. This makes urad dal batter very soft, light and fluffy, thus when making idles they come out spongier.
  5. Take out the urad dal batter and later grind Idli rice for 20 minutes in a wet grinder. Add water as required.
  6. Make sure you do not add more water, as the idlis will come out flat.
  7. Take out the rice batter and mix it along with urad dal. Add salt and mix well with your hand.
  8. Cover the batter and store it in a warm place preferably.
  9. The fermentation process usually takes 8-10 hrs or more depending on the outside temperature.
  10. After 8 hours, the batter will rise atleast half of the original batter quantity. If the batter did not rise,  do not mix the batter instead let it be for few more hours. Batter should rise inorder to get soft idlis.
  11. Once the batter is ready, mix the batter well. Idli/dosa batter is ready to use.
  12. For making idlis the batter should be little thick, but when dipped with a ladle and poured it should flow smoothly. If the batter is too thick and doesn't flow smoothly add little water and mix well.
  13. For making dosas the batter should be thin, we usually take some batter separately and mix little extra water and make dosas with this batter and we make idlis with the remaining batter.




Monday, November 26, 2012

Gunta Ponganalu

Ingredients:
6 Cups - Dosa Batter
1 - Big Onion chopped
6 - Green Chilles chopped
1 Cup - Coriander leaves
1/4th Cup - Chana Dal
Oil






Procedure:
1. Soak ChanaDal for 30 minutes.
2. Add all the ingredients to the Dosa batter and mix well.


3. Heat the Gunta Ponganalu pan and add few drops of oil in each slot.
4. Put the Stove on medium heat.
5. Use a spoon and pour a spoonful of batter into the Gunta ponganalu pan, fill 3/4th of the slot with batter, this way they have room when they expand over the heat.

6. Cover the pan with a lid. After few minutes, try to move the ponganalu and if they move easily which means they are fried on one side, turn them upside down in the pan and wait for few more minutes and take them out of the pan.
7. Gunta Ponganalu are ready to serve.
8. This can be served  with Putnalu or Coconut Chutney or Tomato Ketchup.




Monday, November 19, 2012

Masala Muruku


Ingredients:
2 Cups - Rice Flour
1 Cup - Besan
2 teaspoons - Jeera
1 teaspoon - Ginger Garlic Paste
2 tablespoons - Butter
Chilli Powder/Green Chillies
Hing
Salt to taste
Oil
Water

Procedure:
1. Heat oil for deep frying.
2. Apply butter to Muruku Instrument.
3. Mix all the ingredients along with 2 teaspoons of hot oil.
4. Add water and mix the dough a bit softer than Chapathi dough.

5. Once the oil is heated, put it on Medium heat. To test if the oil is heated, drop a small piece of dough into the oil and if the dough comes onto the top with some bubbles then the oil is ready for frying.
6. Add dough to Muruku instrument and press the dough into the oil.

7. Fry till they are Golden brown.

Vegetable Soup


Ingredients:
1/2 Cup - Beans cut into small pieces
1/2 Cup - Carrot cut into small cubes
1/2 Cup - Sweet Corn
1/2 Cup - Capsicum [Optional] small pieces
4 Cups - Water
2 tea spoons - Corn Flour powder
Salt to taste
Pepper Powder

Procedure:
  • Boil the water in a vessel and add vegetables to it.
  • Once the vegetables are cooked, add salt.
  • Add 1/2 - 1 Cup of water if the water evaporates.
  • Take a small cup with some water and mix the corn flour powder and make it into a paste.
  • When the water begins to bubble add this corn flour paste.
  • Stir continuously.
  • Add pepper powder at the end and server hot.


Friday, November 16, 2012

Bread Bonda


Ingredients :
For Aloo Bhaji:
2 - Boiled Potatoes
1/2 cup - Green Peas
1 - small Carrots
1 - Onion chopped
1/4 tablespoon - Red Chili Powder
1/4 tablespoon - Garam Masala
1/4 tablespoon - Ginger Garlic Paste
1/2 tablespoon - Green Chili paste
1/4 tablespoon - Paavbhaji Masala
1/4 tablespoon - Amchur powder
1/4 tablespoon - Coriander powder
4 - Curry leaves (optional)
3 table spoons - Oil
Coriander leaves (optional)
Salt - to taste
Turmeric Powder
For Bread Bonda:
Bread Slices - Edges must be removed
Water
Oil for Deep frying

Procedure:
For Aloo Bhaji:
  • Take a Pan add oil and heat it.
  • Add onion pieces and saute them. Add Ginger garlic paste and Green chili paste and fry them.
  • Add carrots and peas. Fry till carrots are cooked.
  • Now add turmeric powder, salt and all other masala powders and mix well.
  • Add mashed potatoes and mix well.
  • Add coriander leaves on the top and gently mix again. Aloo bhaji is ready.
  • Allow this mixture to cool. Make small round balls and keep it aside.

For Bread Bonda:
  • Heat oil in a pan. 
  • Take a slice of bread and dip it in water for few seconds to soften. Take the bread out of the water and gently press the bread so the excess water comes out. 
  • Put Aloo bjahi ball in the bread and cover it nicely.
  • Now fry bread bonda in oil until it becomes golden brown.
  • You can serve this with tomato ketchup or tamarind chutney.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Doodh Peda - Microwave Approach



Ingredients
2 cups - Instant Dry Milk (Milk Powder - rice cooker cups)
1 can - 14oz - Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 stick 4oz - Unsalted Butter
Elaichi Powder

Decoration:
Almonds or cashews or pistachios or raisins
Paper cookie cups (smallest size)

Procedure: 
  • In a deep microwave safe dish, melt the butter.
  • Add Milk Powder, condensed milk and mix well.
  • Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes, stir well after every minute. Put elaichi powder after 2 minutess of heating. 
  • After 3 minutes of heating, mix well again and leave aside for the mixture to cool down enough to handle. Do not allow it to cool down for a long time, as it will get hard.
  • Once the mixture cools down, grease your hands and make balls.
  • Gently press the balls and flatten them to shape (round and flat).
  • After the pedas are prepared, put some coarsely powdered pistachios in the cookie cups and then put the pedas on top, at the end top it with sliced pieces of almonds (or other nuts or raisins).
Note: 
  • Use gloves to hold the glass dish.
  • Make sure to use a deep glass dish, as the mixture will splutter inside a bit.
  • You can also add a bit of saffron while mixing all ingredients beforehand, this will make it a bit darker / orange color peda's.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Unde Huli / Undyacha Sambar

Ingredients:

For Dal Rounds/Balls:
1/2 Cup - Chana Dal
1/2 Cup - Toor Dal
6 - Red Chillies
2 Stems - Karvepak
Hing
1/4th cup - Fresh shredded Coconut (add more per your taste)
Salt
Water

For Masala:
2 teaspoons - Dhaniya
1 teaspoon - Jeera
6 - Redchillies (adjust per your taste)
2 teaspoon - Oil
Hing
Fresh coconut

Other Ingredients:
Lemon size - Tamarind
Lemon size - Jaggery/Gul [Optional]
Salt

For Tadka:
1 - Red Chilli
1 Stem - Karvepk
Mustard Seeds

Procedure:

For Dal Rounds:
  1. Soak chana dal, toor dal and red chillies for 2 hour (Preferably over night).
  2. Drain the water (you can use this water while making Sambar).
  3. With very little water grind chana dal, toor dal and chillies coarsely.
  4. Mix other ingredients mentioned in 'Dal Rounds' section and make small balls.
  5. Steam them in a idli cooker or any vessel. 
 







For Masala:
  1. Except coconut, fry rest of the ingredients mentioned in 'Masala section' in oil.
  2. Grind the above fried ingredients along with coconut and keep it aside.
For Sambar:
  1. Bring Tamarind juice to boil.
  2. Drop steam cooked Dal balls in boiled tamarind juice.
  3. Add the above prepared masala, salt, Gul [optional], water and boil it.
  4. Add tadka with the ingredients mentioned in 'Tadka section' at the end.
  5. Undyacha Sambar is ready to serve with rice.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Pudina Pulao

Ingredients:
3/4th Cup - Pudina
1 Cup - Kottimeera
6 - Green Chillies
2 Cups - Basmati Rice
1 - Chopped Onion
1/2 teaspoon - Ginger Garlic Paste
2 tablespoon - Ghee/oil
1/2 teaspoon - Jeera
2 inch - Cinnamon Stick
4 - Lavang/Cloves
2 - Bay Leaves
1/2 cup - Green Peas (boiled and ready to use green peas)
2 teaspoon - Lemon Juice
Salt

Procedure:
  1. Cook rice separately.
  2. Grind Pudina, Kottimeera, Green Chillies and keep the paste aside.
  3. Heat ghee/oil in a pan and add jeera, cinnamon stick, lavang and bay leaves.
  4. Add ginger garlic paste and later add onions and saute them.
  5. Add the above pudina, kottimeera, chilli paste and mix well.
  6. When the oil separates, add the green peas and mix again.
  7. Take the cooked rice in a vessel, add the above prepared mixture, salt, lemon juice and mix them.
  8. Pudina Rice is ready to serve. You can server this with Raita.

Goddu Pitla


Ingredients:

For Goddu Pitla:
Tamarind
Salt
Vegetables
  -Yam (Suran/Kanda Gadda)
  - Gawar Beans (Mattikayalu) - 1/2 cup
  - Karli (Bitter Guard) - 1 karli cut in 1/4th inch size
Note: We can either use all the above vegetables for this dish or use single vegetable in more quantity.

For Masala:
Chanadal - 2 tsp
Uraddal - 1 1/2 tsp
Whole Black Pepper - 1tsp
Red Chillies - 6
Karvepak - 5-6 stems
Oil

For Tadka/Poopu:
Oil
Mustard Seeds
Karvepak
Hing
turmeric

Procedure:

Masala Preparation:
  1. Heat oil in a pan.
  2. Add all the masala ingredients except karvepak and fry them till they turn golden brown.
  3. Take them out in a plate and put the karvepak in the pan and fry it for few seconds.
  4. Grind all the masala ingredients.
  5. Add water for grinding if required.

Goddu Pitla Preparation:
  1. Pressure cook or boil the vegetables (Yam or Gawar beans). 
  2. Optional: Deep fry karli in oil and keep it aside.
  3. Take a vessel and add few tea spoons of oil for tadka.
  4. Add mustard seeds, once they start spluttering add hing, karvepak and turmeric.
  5. Add tamarind water to tadka.
  6. Once tamarind water starts to boil: add above prepared Masala, vegetables and salt. Mix well
  7. Let it boil well.
  8. Goddu Pitla is now ready to serve.
  9. It goes well with plain cooked toor dal (utta pappu), ghee and rice or could be served with plain rice and sesame oil (Idayam oil).
This recipe is almost same as Pitla, except that Dal is not added in this dish.

Kadhi - Majjiga Pulusu

Ingredients:
3 cups - Curd
1 cup - water
Turmeric
Vegetables - White Pumpkin or Bhendi or Tomato
Salt

For Kadhi Masala:
1 tablespoon - Dhaniya
1 tablespoon - Jeera
1/4th cup - Fresh Grated Coconut
8 count - Green Chillies
2 teaspoon - Grated Ginger
1/4th cup - Chana Dal [Soaked for 30 minutes]

For Tadka/Popu:
Oil
Mustard Seeds
Karvepak
Red Chillies - 2

Procedure:
1. Kadhi could be make with any of the above vegetables listed. If making kadhi with:
  • White pumpkin: Cut pumpkin in big chunks and boil the pumpkin pieces separately.
  • Bhendi: Cut bhendi iFry the cut bhendi in oil separately.
  • Tomato: Fry the cut tomatos in oil separately. 
2. Grind all the above ingredients mentioned in the Kadhi Masala section.
3. Mix/Beat water and curd in a cooking vessel, add the Kadhi Masala paste, boil/fried vegetables, turmeric and salt.
4. Bring it to a boil and simmer, on a slow fire cook for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. Switch off the stove and add tadka with tadka ingredients mentioned above.
6. Kadhi is now ready to serve.