Podumu / Pappula Podi / Putnala Pappu Podi / Senaga Pappu Podi

INGREDIENTS:

1. Senaga Pappu / Dalia Split - 2 cups
2. Red chillies - 12 nos
3. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
4. Salt
5. Garlic Cloves - 2 (Optional)

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a mixer jar and add senaga pappu, red chillies, cumin seeds and salt.  You can also add garlic cloves if you want. Make a fine powder of it. Then taste the podi to check for salt and chillies. 

2. You can store this podi for 2-3 months. Serve this podumu with hot rice and ghee. You can also use this podumu in preparation of many curries.

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Sambar

INGREDIENTS:

1. Tomato - 1 (Large)
2. Onion - 1 (Medium)
3. Potato - 1 (Large)
4. Carrot - 1 (Large)
5. Toor Dal - 2 cups
6. Tamarind - 1/2 cup 
7. Seasoning ( Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal) - each 1/4 tbsp
8. Hing - 1/4 tbsp
9. Shakti Sambar powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Oil - 2 tbsp

PROCEDURE:

1. Take toor dal and wash it 3 times with water. Then take a pressure cooker and add the washed toor dal and 2 cups of water. (1 cup toor dal = 2 cups water). Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Remove the cooker lid after all the pressure is out. Then mash the dal with spoon and keep it a side.

2. Take tamarind in a microwave safe bowl and add 1 cup water and little bit salt. Heat it in microwave for 2 mins. Then take the bowl out and keep it a side for 5 mins and let it cool. When it is cold enough mash it with your hand and take the tamarind juice out of that pulp. (if you need add some more water)

3. Now take a deep pan and add 2 tbsp oil and heat it. When the oil is hot enough add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and hing. Fry them till urad dal turns golden brown. Then add chopped onions and fry them for 1 min.

4. Then add the tamarind juice, 6 cups of water, chopped tomato, potato, carrot, salt and mix them well and bring them to boil. Then to it add the mashed toor dal and sambar powder. Taste the sambar now to check for salt and sambar powder. Then add chopped cilantro and simmer for 10-12 mins.

5. Turn off the heat and serve the sambar with hot white rice. 

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Kobbari Perugu Pachadi / Coconut Curd Chutney / Coconut Yogurt Chutney

INGREDIENTS:

1. Fresh Coconut - 1 cup (Shredded)
2. Green chillies - 3 nos
3. Ginger - 1 tbsp ( Finely chopped)
4. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
5. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp
6. Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil - 3 tbsp

PROCEDURE:

1. The main ingredient for this coconut chutney is grated coconut. Even though you can use frozen grated coconut for this, using freshly prepared coconut gives a better taste. So if you have a coconut break it and cut it to small pieces. Add theses pieces into a mixer jar and grind them till you get a fine texture. Make sure you cut them into small pieces as big pieces won't grind well.

2. Then finely chop the ginger and keep it aside. Also chop the green chillies into thin round pieces. If you cut them into big pieces chutney might become too spicy.

3. Take curd into a bowl and  add a little bit of salt. Add a little bit of water to make it like a paste. If by mistake you have added more water just add some more curd and make sure the final consistency is like a paste. Taste the curd to see whether salt is enough. Now to the curd add the grated coconut, finely chopped ginger and green chillies and mix the curd well.

4. Now take oil in a pan add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and saute them till mustard seeds starts spluttering. Adding more oil gives it a better taste. Add the seasoning to the curd and mix it nicely. Serve this chutney with rice.

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Goru Chikkudu Kaya Koora / Cluster Bean Curry / Guvar Bean Curry / Goru Chikkudu Bellam Koora

INGREDIENTS:

1. Goru Chikkudu kaya / Guvar beans - 2 cups (Chopped)
2. Jaggery - 1/4 th cup
3. Dalia Split - 1/2 cup
4. Red Chillies - 3
5. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 th tbsp
6. Cumin Seeds - 1/4 th tbsp
7. Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil - 1 tbsp

PROCEDURE:

1. Trim the edges and chop the beans into small pieces. Take a mixer jar and add dalia split, red chillies and little salt and make a fine powder of it. Now keep the powder a side.

2. Rinse beans with water and add enough amount of water. Ensure all the beans are totally immersed. Boil them on above medium heat for 12-15 mins till they become soft.

3. Then turn off the heat and drain all the water. Keep them a side and let the beans cool. Take a pan add 1 tbsp oil and heat it. When the oil is hot enough add mustard seed, cumin seeds and urad dal and saute them for 1 min. 

4. Then add the boiled beans and cook them for 1-2 mins till all the water in beans evaporates. Then add the mashed jaggery to it and cook till the jaggery melts. Then add the prepared dalia split, red chillies powder and mix it nicely. Taste the curry to and add salt if required.

5. Turn off the heat and serve the goru chikkudu kaya koora with hot rice.

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Perugu Aavada / Perugu Garellu / Dahi Vada / Perugu Vada

INGREDIENTS:

1. Yogurt / Curd - 1 Litre
2. Urad dal - 1 cup
3. Green Chillies - 3
4. Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tbsp
5. Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tbsp
6. Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
7. Turmeric powder - pinch
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for frying

PROCEDURE:

1. Take urad dal in a bowl and wash it 3-4 times. Then soak urad dal in water for at least 6 hrs. Then grind the urad dal in mixer or grinder by adding adequate amount of water and salt. The consistency of the batter should not be too thick or too thin. If the consistency of the batter is too thick, the dumplings will not cook properly when fried in oil. If the consistency of the batter is too thin, they absorb a lot of oil while frying. The batter should drop easily from hand if the consistency is correct.

2. Take green chillies and chop them into fine pieces. Keep them a side. Now in a large bowl take curd/ yogurt add salt and little bit water. Mix the curd and keep it a side. Take small frying pan add 1 tbsp oil and heat it. When oil is hot enough add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, turmeric powder and green chillies. Fry them for 1 min and add it to the curd and mix well. Then add chopped cilantro and mix all of them nicely.

3. Take fresh water in a bowl add pinch of salt and keep it a side. Take a deep frying pan add oil and heat it. Add little amount of batter in the oil if the batter comes to top, the oil is hot enough to start frying. Then take batter and add small portions into the hot oil. Fry them by stirring with a ladle occasionally till they are golden brown in color.

4. Remove the aavada from oil and drop into the salt water that is kept a side. Keep the aavada in water for 2-3 secs. Then remove it from water and drop it into the prepared curd. Let the aavada soak in buttermilk for few minutes. At the time of serving take 2-3 vada in a serving bowl and sprinkle boondhi.

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Vegetable Puloa / Vegetable Puloa in Pressure Cooker

INGREDIENTS:

1. Basmati rice - 2 cups
2. Potatoes - 1 Large
3. Carrots - 3/4 th cup
4. Peas - 1/2 cup (Fresh or Frozen)
5. Beans - 1/2 cup (Fresh or Frozen)
6. Onions - 1 Small
7. Green Chillies - 2 nos
8. Cilantro
9. Garam Masala Powder - 2 tbsps
10. Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsps
11. Oil - 6 tbsps
12. Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp

     Garam Masala:

1. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
2. Cinnamon stick - 4 inch
3. Cardamom - 2 nos
4. Cloves - 2 nos
5. Bay leaves - 2 (Medium Sized)

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash the basmati rice and soak them in 3 cups water (1:1.5 ration) and keep a side. And also chop all the vegetables into small pieces and keep them a side. Now take a non-stick pan and add oil. When the oil is hot enough add all the ingredients under garam masala and fry them for 1 min.

2. Now add chopped onions and little bit salt and fry for 1 min. Salt brings the moisture out of onions and helps to cook faster. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 1 min. Then add garam masala powder, salt and mix it well.

3. Then add all the chopped vegetables, cilantro and mix them nicely. Finally add the soaked rice without water and cook for just 1 min. Now turn off the stove and transfer into pressure cooker. Taste the water to check for salt and garam masala powder. Pressure cook for 3 whistles and turn off the heat.
Open the cooker when all the pressure is gone.

4. In a small pan add 2 tbsp oil and fry the cashew nuts till they turn into golden brown color. Garnish Vegetable puloa with fried cashews (Optional). Serve hot with perugu chutney or toasted bread.

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Ghee from Unsalted Butter / Ghee / Neyyi

INGREDIENTS: 

1. Unsalted Butter - 1 LB
2. Cumin seeds - 10 no
3. Salt - urad dal size (quantity)

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a pan add the unsalted butter cube and let it melt on medium heat. When the butter melts you will see white solids begin to rise on to top. 

2. When all white solids disappear and the liquid becomes transparent reduce the heat to low and let it simmer. Blow some air and see if the liquid has become light brown in color. Then turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the stove immediately. If the ghee gets heat at this stage it will turn to dark color and gets burnt smell. Then add cumin seeds to get nice aroma from your ghee. And also add salt to the ghee. 

3. Let it cool. When it is cooled transfer it into glass jar and you can store it for 2-3 months. Pour slowly to avoid the transfer of solid particles called as godavari that are settled at the bottom of pan. 

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Rasmalai / Rasmalai Easy Recipe / Rasmalai From Rasgulla Tin

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rasamalai - 12 Nos (1 Tin)
2. Milk - 1 Litre
3. Sugar - 1 tbsp
4. Almonds sliced - 2 tbsp 

PROCEDURE:

1. Take milk in  a non stick or heavy bottom pan and boil the milk for 30-40 mins on medium heat. Keep stirring now and then. When the milk volume reduces to 3/4 th turn off the heat and add sugar. At this point you can add saffron (optional).

2. Take water in a bowl and keep a side. Then take the rasmalai tin and open the rasmalai tin  carefully. You can also use ragulla instead of rasmalai. 

3. Now take one rasmalai and squeeze the sugar syrup from it, don't squeeze the rasmalai hardly that will make the rasmalai break, just squeeze them gently to remove excess sugar syrup. Now place the squeezed rasmalai in water for 1-2 secs and again squeeze rasmalai gently to remove water. This process of dipping rasmalai again in water helps to remove sugar syrup completely from rasmalai. If sugar syrup remains in rasmalai it gives rasgulla taste rather than rasmalai.

4. Then add it to the hot milk. Repeat the process for all rasmalai in the tin. Let the rasmalai get soaked. After cool down, add sliced almonds on the top and refrigerate and serve cold.

Note: You can get this rasmalai from any indian store.

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Potato Koorma

INGREDIENTS:

1. Potatoes - 2 (Large)
2. Onion - 1 (Small)
3. Green Chillies - 2
4. Gingergarlic paste - 1 tbsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp
6. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
7. Milk - 1 1/2 cup
8. Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
9. Seasoning seeds (Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal) - 1/4 tbsp each
10. Salt to taste
11. Oil - 1 tbsp

PROCEDURE:

1. Peel and wash potatoes and chop into grape sized cubes and keep them a side. And also chop onions into small pieces. Now take a mixer jar and add cashews in it and make a fine powder and keep that cashew nut powder a side.

2. Take a pan add 1 tbsp of oil, when it is hot enough add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and saute till mustard seeds starts spluttering. Then add chopped green chillies and fry for a min.Then add onions, turmeric powder and little salt and fry for 2-3 mins. Salt bring moisture out of onions and helps to cook faster. 

3. Then add ginger-garlic paste and mix well and cook for another 1 min. Then add chopped potatoes and little salt and cover and cook on medium heat for 7-8 mins till potatoes becomes soft and well cooked. 

4.Then remove the lid and add red chilli powder and salt. Mix them all nicely. Now add milk and mix them well and cook till milk reaches boiling point. 

5. When the milk reaches its boiling point add cashew nut powder. Cook the curry till it becomes little thick or reaches your desired consistency.

3. Serve this potato koorma with chapati/ roti or biryani.

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Capsicum Curry / Green Pepper Curry

INGREDIENTS:

1. Capsicum - 2 (Medium)
2. Coconut - 1/4 cup (Shredded)
3. Dalia split - 1/4 cup
4. Red chillies - 3 no
5. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
6. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp
7. Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil - 1 tbsp

PROCEDURE:

1. In a mixer jar take dalia split, red chillies and salt and make a fine powder. Now keep the powder a side. Then wash and chop the capsicum into small pieces and keep them a side. 

2. Take a non-stick pan and add 1 tbsp of oil, when the oil is hot enough add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and saute them for 1 min. Then add chopped capsicum, little bit salt. Adding salt brings the moisture out and helps to cook faster. Cover and cook the capsicum on medium heat for 7-8 mins till capsicum becomes soft and well cooked. Then remove the lid and add shredded coconut and fry for another 1-2 mins. Then add the dalia split and red chilli powder that you have prepared before and mix them nicely. Cook for another 1-2 mins and turn off the heat. 

3. Serve this capsicum curry with hot rice.

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