Chamadumpa Vepudu | Taro Root Fry | Arbi Fry | Seppankizhangu Fry

When I was a little girl we use to grow Taro root in our back yard. To my knowledge we never brought this veggie from market for many years.

Though this fry consumes more oil than any others still it's worth having once in a while.

Ingredients

1/2 lb Taro Root

Oil (Enough to deep fry)

Salt 

Chili powder  

1. Boil Taro root in a vessel or you can just pressure cook them for 1 whistle. Let them cool down for a while.

2. Remove the skin or upper layer and cut them as thinas shown in the figure. 

3. Heat pan with oil filled till half of the pan. Once the oil is hot add the sliced veggie and deep fry them .

4. Once they start turning to brown color take them in to a vessel.

5.Add salt and chili powder to the fried root and mix them well.

* Serve with Rice and a spoon of ghee.

 

Badusha

Festivals are always filled with Spirituality,fun & tasty food. For the food part I tried making some Badusha & Muruku's for Darsara/Navratri. 

I have to mention that this is one of my hubby's favorite.

Ingredients 

For Badusha

2 Cups maida ( All Purpose flour)

1/2 Tsp baking Soda 

1/2 cup yogurt (Curd)

Salt 

1/2 Cup melted butter/dalda 

Oil (Enough for deep frying )

Sugar Syrup 

2 Cups Sugar 

1 Cup Water 

Elachi 

1. Take a bowl and mix the Badusha ingredients except the oil. Mix it to a nice ball. ( In process of making dough add more curd rather than water.). Allow it to rest for 30mins. 

2. Now place a vessel on stove and add sugar and water to the vessel. Allow the sugar to melt. Now reduce heat and allow the syrup to boil till it comes to a string consistency. Add elachi to it and keep it aside.

3. Take the dough and divide it to small balls. Make a ball and press with your thump in the middle as shown in the above picture. 

4. Heat a pan with oil (for frying the dough). Fry the balls in batches till they turn nice brown color. Remove them and place them on a tissue paper to remove excessive oil.

5. Add the fried balls to sugar syrup and let them soak for 3-4 mins. 

6. Remove them and place them in a container. 

Muruku 

I have already posted the recipe for "  Jantikalu or Muruku ". Sharing a pic for the recipe which I made this year. As I have mentioned I didn't have the muruku maker so used plastic bag to make it. 

 

Curries

South IndianCurry

- Bean Carrot Palya 

- Aloo Fry | Potato Fry | Bangaladumpa Vepudu

- Panasa Kaaya Koora | Jackfruit Curry | Chakka Curry

- Vankaya Kura | Eggplant/Brinjal Curry

- Chamadumpa Vepudu | Seppankizhangu Fry | Taro Root Fry | Arbi Sabji

- Scrambled Tofu Curry

- Carrot Cabbage Poriyal | Carrot Cabbage Stir Fry

- Donkaya Karam Pettina Kura | Stuffed Tindora Curry | Tindora Sabji

- Gutti Vankaya Koora kaaram Petti | Stuffed Brinjal Curry | Baingan sabji

- Bangaladumpa Gasagasala Kura | Potato in Poppy seed gravy | Aloo ki Sabji

- Bangaladumpa Kura | Simple Potato Curry

- Egg & Green Bean Curry

- Pala Pindimiriyam | Mixed Veggie Curry with Milk

- Kanda Bachali Kura | Suran/Yam Malabar Spinach Curry

- Gorichikkudu Kura | Cluster Beans Curry | Guar Ki Sabji

- Chamadumpa Vepudu | Taro Root Fry | Arbi Fry | Seppankizhangu Fry

- Panasa Pottu Koora / Jackfruit Curry | Chakka Curry

- Fried Brussels Sprouts Curry

- Aviyal/Avial

- Dondakaya Koora | Tindora Curry

North Indian Curries

- Bhindi Sorsori

- Shorshe Dharosh

- Goan Egg Drop Curry

- Soya Chunk Curry | Meal Maker Curry | Soya Bean Subzi

- Aloo Tamatar ka Jhol

- Chana Madra - A Himachal Pradesh Special

- Soya Thongba - A Manipuri Dish

- Rajma Masala Curry | Rajma ki Sabzi

- Paneer Masala Curry

- Ghugni

- Baingan Bharta

- Nawabi Paneer

- Soya Kheema Muttur Curry

- Vegetarian Nadan Chicken Curry

- Paneer Mutter Sabji | Paneer Peas Curry

- Poached Egg Curry | Shakshouka | Anda Curry

- Kodigudda Kura | Anda Sabji | Egg in Tomato Coconut Gravy

- Gobi Carrot Kurma

- Bendakaya Masala Kura | Bhindi Masala | Okra Masala

- Red Kidney Beans & Black-Eyed Peas | Rajma Sabji

- Soya Chunks Curry | Meal Maker Curry

- Creamy Tofu Curry

- Bangaladumpa Masala Kura | Aloo Masala Sabji

Eggless Strawberry Walnut Cupcakes (A berry nut affair)

Now a days I'm very much obsessed with baking.Believe me watching too many food channels will effect a lot :-). So with all those inspiration I came up with this cupcakes.

I need to say that those strawberries & walnuts were never my favorite.But the combo came out very tempting. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup Self Rising Flour

1 Cup Whole Milk

1/2 Cup melted Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Tbs Baking Powder 

1/2 Tbs Salt 

1 Cup Diced Strawberries

1/2 cup Walnuts 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees for 10mins  to 15mins. 

2. Grind strawberries to a paste and set aside.

3. Take a bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt , milk , strawberry puree, walnuts and butter. Mix well with a whisker.

3.Take cupcake sheets and set them in the pan. Divide batter evenly and add extra walnuts on top of the batter.

4. Now transfer the pan to oven and set at 350 degrees. Bake them for 30 mins. 

5. Once done take cupcakes out and cool them.( You can refrigerate for 10mins if you are in a hurry).  

It was a yummy bite.

Bendakaya Masala Kura | Bhindi Masala | Okra Masala

" A lazy lady was googling  for a side dish with no interest in cooking for dinner.Suddenly she came across a yummy dish in one of the blogs that inspired her to cook."

I have to agree that the picture was the inspiration to think about this dish and ended up cooking it. 

Ingredients

2 cups Bhindi / Okra (cut in equal size)

1 cup chopped onion

1 tbs Ginger Garlic Paste 

2 tbs oil 

Masala

1 tbs Garam Masala Powder 

1/2 cup Onions 

1/2 cup Tomatoes 

2 tbs Peanuts

1 tbs coriander cumin powder

1/2 tbs Chili powder

Salt 

1. Heat pan with oil add onions and fry them till they are soft. Then add Ginger Garlic paste to it and fry for 2 mins.Then add bhindi and fry them well.

2. Mean while grind all masala ingredients to a smooth and keep them aside. 

3. Now add masala paste to pan and allow it to cook with a closed lid for 15 mins. Garnish with cilantro. 

* Serve with Chapati, Roti & Naan.

Red Kidney Beans & Black-Eyed Peas | Rajma Sabji

 

Ingredients

1 Cup boiled black-eyed peas

1 Cup boiled red kidney beans

1 Cup chopped onions

1 Cup sliced tomatoes 

2 Tbs oil

Chili powder

Salt

Masala 

1 Tbs Ginger Garlic paste 

1 Tbs Corriander seeds 

1 Tbs Cumin seeds 

1 inch Cinnamon

2 Tbs Coconut Powder

1.Soak beans overnight and pressure cook them.

2.Heat pan with oil and add onions and fry them till they are soft. Now add ginger garlic paste to it and fry a little.Add tomatoes to the pan and cook them for a while.

3.Meanwhile dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peanuts, cinnamon and grind them with coconut powder to a smooth paste. 

4.Add boiled beans, masala paste, chilli powder & salt to the pan along with little water.To make gravy thick smash few beans and add them to the pan and cook with closed lid for 10 mins. 

* Serve with Roti's.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

My First Cake Bake

This time for my dear hubby's b'day I planned ahead and tried making a cake at home.It came out yummy.Adding few pics of them for a visual treat .

 

 

Panasa Pottu Koora / Jackfruit Curry | Chakka Curry

This is a one special dish for me. Guess why? My dear hubby is not a good food explorer.He prefers only the most common dishes which are made regularly. But this is one dish to my surprise he liked it in first taste and he asked to make it again. :-)
Coming to the dish this is a very famous dish in coastal Andhra Pradesh. The process of making this dish includes a tedious process to get the "Pottu or Shredder "of this fruit. To make my life easier I have used food processor to make the fine shredder of it.Though we say "JackFruit " while using for the curry we use a raw one.This is also an a reference of my Grand Mom's recipe who is a master in cooking.

Ingredients
2 Cups of raw jackfruit pieces
1/2 Tsp. turmeric
1 Tsp. oil
Salt for taste
3 Tbs. mustard seeds
For Seasoning
2 Tbs of sesame oil
1 Tsp. mustard
1 Tsp. channa dal
1 Tsp. urad dal
1/2 Tsp. sugar
2 Red chili's
5 Curry leaves
Pinch of hing
1/2 Cup of tamarind extract ( Adjust acc.. to your taste)

Add the jack fruit pieces, oil and turmeric in a food processor and grind it to a fine powder like shown in the image.

Now boil the shredder for 10mins. Drain the shredder and squeeze all the water out of it and allow it to cool for some time.

Now take a pan add the oil and once the oil is hot add Mustard, Channa, Urad , Red chili's and allow them to fry till they change brown. Now add hing and curry leaves to the pan. Later add the tamarind juice salt and sugar to it. Allow the juice to cook till the water evaporates.Now add the pulp and allow it to cook well with seasoning for 5 mins.

Meanwhile grind mustard seeds with little water. Add a little oil to paste & keep aside. Now switch off heat & mix the mustard paste to curry. Cover the curry & allow it to stay for at-least 30mins before you serve.

Note : 

1. Adding mustard while the pan is on heat makes the curry kinda bitter. 

Bendakaya Pulusu | Okra Pulusu

Ingredients

Okra - 6
Onion - 1 Cup
Tomato - 2
1/2 cup Tamarind pulp
1 Tbs Ginger Garlic paste
Red chilli powder
Sugar
Salt

Seasoning 

 
1 Tbs - Mustard
1 Tbs - Jeera
2 Red chilli's
2 Tbs oil


1. Heat a pan with oil and add Jeera, Mustard and red chilli's to it. Once they started jumping around now add onions and fry them a bit.
2. Add Ginger Garlic paste to onions and allow them to fry till the onions have turned transparent. Now add chopped tomato and Sliced okra to them and close it with a lid.
3. Once okra is cooked add Red chilli powder salt and tamarind pulp.
4. Add a cup of water to make it a nice thick liquid and added a spoon of Sugar to balance the taste.
5. Allow it to boil for 10 mins and the Pulusu is ready.

* Serve with Rice.

Soya Chunks Curry | Meal Maker Curry

After a long break I am once again back with a bang ( Hope so !).. All these days I have missed my blogging a lot but I compensated that with my vacation in India which was more tempting to me.So here comes my new recipe.. Hope you all will njoy it :)



Ingredients
Meal Maker - 1 Cup
Medium Size Onion - 1
Tomatoes - 2
Masala:
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tbs
Peanuts - 3 Tbs
Elachi - 2
Cloves -2
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Dhaniya - 1 Tbs
Oil - 2 Tbs
Red chili powder ( Adjust acc.) 
Salt for Taste

How to make ????
1. Boil some water and add Meal Maker to it. Leave it for 15 mins. Once the meal maker is soft squeeze all the water and cut them into small pieces.
2. Dry roast Peanut, Elachi , Cloves, Cinnamon, and Dhaniya. Grind them using little water so that it comes out as a smooth paste.
3. Now grind tomatoes and keep the liquid aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan then add Ginger Garlic & Onions to it. Fry them well. Add tomato paste and Meal Maker to the pan and cook them for 2 mins.
5. Now add the Masala paste, Red chilli powder & Salt to it. Cook them for 15 mins and the curry is ready to serve.

* This one goes well with Chapati, Puri and Rice too. Garnish it with cilantro if you like.

Ariselu/Arisa | Adhirasam | Kajaya

Ariselu!!! My immediate feeling would be oh that is one hectic job. But they came out so yummy all my pain has vanished once I tasted them.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 glass (standard measurement)

Jaggary - 1/2 glass
Coconut grated - 2 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Water - 1/2 glass
Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Oil for deep frying.

Method to prepare:
I had big pieces of jaggary, so grated and added water just enough to cover them. Cooked on high and remove the scum. Then added the cardamom powder. Once it starts boiling, add the grated coconut. You will see lot of bubbles coming out.

At this stage, add the Rice flour slowly and stir it together well. You will know when the consistency is correct, so till then you got to keep adding the flour, but I used up the entire glass of flour.

The beauty of this dough is, you can store and use whenever you want. If it becomes too hard, just add about 2 tsp of water along with 2 tsp of sugar. Get it to boil, while you keep stirring it. The mix should become soft again. When you handle it, it should come together as a soft dough. Divide it to equal balls.

Heat a kadai with oil to deep fry these. In a greased plastic sheet, pat them down to equal sized discs. Press down the sesame seeds over the top. Once the oil is hot, gently drop these into them. Fry on both sides. Since the sesame seeds are just pressed over the top, they will get into the oil. If you want to avoid this, try adding to the dough.

Once they are golden brown, remove and drain them on a kitchen towel.They will be soft when you remove them, will become crunchy once they are cooled.

The regular ones are normally soft and oily, but these were crunchy and no oil at all!

Note: 
1.Store them in a air tight container & can store them for more them one week.
2.You can replace jaggary with sugar, but jaggary will always taste the better.

Khasta Kachori / Moong Dal Kachori

ICC Challenge ~ January

Ingredients

For the Dough

All purpose flour / Maida - 1 cup

Oil/ Ghee - 1/4 cup ,
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Water for kneading

Method

Mix the flour and salt, Add the oil/ghee and mix till you get a bread crumbs texture.Slowly add water and make a soft dough. Knead well for about 8 minutes.Cover and keep aside to rest for atleast half hour.

Filling of Khasta Kachori - Moong Dal Kachori

Split Moong Dal (yellow) - 1/2 cup

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Coriander Leaves - 1/2 a bunch
Green Chilli - 1 tsp
Sauf / Fennel seeds powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method
 
1. Wask and Soak dal in water for atleast 1 hour. You can go upto 4 hours not more.
2. Drain the water well.
3. Grind the dal to a coarsely. (Will resemble Idli Rawa)
4. Heat oil in a pan.
5. Add the hing and cumin seeds.
6. Once the seeds splutter add the coriander leaves.
7. Add the dal.
8. Lower the heat and keep stirring for 5 minutes till the dal stops sticking to the pan.
9. Cook for another 10 minutes on low till the dal turns slightly brown.
10. Add all the masalas.
11. Cook for few minutes till the aroma of the spices hit you.
12. Add Salt.
13. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

Pesarapappu Halwa | Moong Dal Halwa

Ingredients:

Split (Yellow) Moong dhal - 1 cup

Ghee - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1 Tbs 
Milk - 1/2 cup (Instead of water for the sugar, this gives the khoya added taste)
Few cashews/ raisins roasted in ghee for garnish.

Method to Prepare:
1. Soak 1 cup moong dal overnight. Next morning, grind to a paste.
2. Heat a heavy Kadai, take initially only 1/2 of the ghee and heat it.
3. Add the dhal and stir continuously, not allowing lumps to form. This part is very tricky as the dhal cooks really fast, irrespective of the ghee.
4. Keep the heat at the lowest and keep stirring even after the dhal becomes thick.
5. Add the rest of the ghee intermittently and cook the dhal until aromatic and the ghee starts oozing out.
6. Meanwhile mix the sugar with water/ milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Add this slowly to the cooking dhal.
7. Keep the fir low at all times and break lumps if formed while adding the sugar and water/ milk mix.
8. Cook until the ghee surfaces.
9. Ganish with cashews and raisins

Rice Dishes & Sides

Rice Dishes

• Tomato Rice
• Vegetable Pulao
• Bulgar Pilaf
• Arroz Con Verduras
• Pulagam
• Gopalkala
• Jadoh {Khasi Pulao}
• Pulihora | Puliyodhara | Chitranna | Tamarind Rice
• Nimmakaya Pulihora | Lemon Rice
• Bisi Bele Bath
• Mexican Tomato Rice
• Tomato Drumstick Rice
• Vangi Bath | Brinjal Rice

With Quinoa

• Fried Pineapple Quinoa
• Kattu Pongal with Quinoa | Khara Pongal with Keenwah | Quinoa Ven Pongal
• Kashmiri Pulao

Rice Sides

• Mooli Raita
• Tomato Onion Raita
• Biryani Chammanthi | Green Coconut Chutney