Aloo Onion Fry/Potato Onion Fry

Aloo/Potato can be boiled, baked, fried and roasted with or without peel. Potato onion fry is a simple and easy dish. This can be consumed with rice or roti. It is made with normal aloo also, but I made it with small size aloo. This is the season we get small size potatoes with which normally Kashmiri dum Aloo is made. Instead of frying them too much for Dum Aloo I would like to make this dish. It takes very less oil. Making it is very easy and simple.

Ingredients:

Potatoes/Aloo - 200 grms
Onion - 2 large
Salt - to taste
Red Chili Powder - 2 tbsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Oil - 2 to 4 tbsp

Procedure:

Boil the potatoes in the pressure cooker for three whistles.  Allow this cool. Remove the skin and keep it aside.
Grate onions (do not grind it in the mixer grinder, the texture changes). Add salt, red chili powder, garam amsala and coriander powder ( I normally add them).  Mix them well.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Add small amount of boiled potatoes. Stir fry till they turn little crispy. Do not fry all of them at once as they stick to one another. Repeat same till all the potatoes finished. Add all of them together and add grated onion masala to them and again fry for a while. Potato Onion Fry ready to serve. Serve it with hot piping rice or with soft rotis. 

Challa Mirapakayalu/Dahi Mirchi/Curd Chillies/Majjiga Mirapakayalu

Mirapakayalu/Chillies are part of Andhra cuisine. We get two varieties of them one is fresh green ones and the other is dried red ones. They not only use them in their daily cuisine but also love to have them in the form of Majjiga Mirapakayalu/Curd Chillies/Challa Mirapakayalu.  
They are the best accompaniment for Andhra style mudda pappu/Plain Dal. November to January is the season to have chillies to make curd chillies. We get two varieties of them one light green and the other a little dark. Darker chillies are a bit spicy and lighter ones less spicy. We should pick the chillies according to our taste. Making them is required a simple process of one week to ten days.

Ingredients:

Green chillies - 1/2 kg/500 grms
Sour Buttermilk - 500 ml
Salt - to taste

Procedure:

Wash green chilles thoroughly. Wipe and dry them for 2 hours.
Keeping the stalks and also ends intact slit them vertically with a safety pin. We can also use sharp edged tomato knife to cut them.  No need to remove the seeds. Be careful while cutting them. 

In a big vessel take buttermilk, add salt. Mix it well. Add the chillies.

Cover and marinate them for 2 days.Mix them once in a day. The buttermilk and chillies both change their texture and colour. 
After two days of soaking, squeeze them (keeping the buttermilk separately) with the hands and put them to dry under the sun till evening. 
In the evening drop them in the buttermilk. The chillies absorbs the buttermilk. Repeat the above process till the chillies absorbs the entire buttermilk. It may take 3 to 5 days or less than that.
Dry the chillies for some more days till they become as given in the picture below.

This process may take 5 to 7 days depending on the heat of the sun and the area to dry. 
We can store them for full year. 

Heat little oil to fry them. Fry them till they turn into light brown colour.
Serve the Challa Mirapakayalu with Andhra style mudda pappu.

Pachi Pulusu/Raw Rasam

Pachi Pulusu or raw rasam as the word goes is a unheated version of tamarind soup. This can be done in a jiffy as it does not need any cooking except for tempering and making masala.  Pachi Pulusu is a traditional Telangana recipe usually prepared during summers to beat the heat. 

Ingredients:

Tamarind Juice - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium
Salt - to taste
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds -2 tsp
Groundnut - 2 tsp
Roasted Bengal Gram - 2 tsp
Garlic - 5 to 7 cloves
Green Chillies - 2

For Seasonings: 

Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - fist full
Coriander Leaves - fist full
Red Chillies - 1

Procedure:

Dry roast coriander seeds, groundnut, roasted bengal gram and garlic. Keep it aside.  Heat a little oil and fry green chillies. Combine them with the above mixture and grind them into powder. As groundnut releases oil this will become like a paste.
Chop onions. Take thin tamarind juice Add salt, turmeric powder and the above grounded masala to it. Add chopped onions. 
Heat oil in a kadai add all the ingredients under 'For Seasoning'. Once they start spluttering add it to the pulusu.  Serve it with hot rice and plain dal. 

Indian Goose Berry in water/Uresina Usirikaya /Amla/Amalaki

Goose Berry or Indian Goose Berry is good for heart and health. October, November and December is the right season for getting good Goose Berries. After these three months we normally do not get them.So we keep them and store for the rest of the year. We pickle them, make dry goose berries by sun drying them. We prepare different varieties of dishes with them like dal, chutney, pickle and pulihora. We not only eat them, but also make oil with them and also use dried ones in head bath also.
Due to its anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant attributes, it protect the body against infection and improves the body's immune system. It contains rich fibers which improves the digestion system.
If I go on describing like this about the qualities of goose berry I may have to write one new page for it. Coming to this recipe, we need not cook anything just soak them in water and eat them.

Ingredients:

Indian Goose Berry - 15 to 20
Water - to fill them
Salt - to taste
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Procedure:

Preparing this dish requires no time. But to start eating them have patience to wait for a minimum of 12 to 24 hours time. Then they tastes juicy and also we get proper salty taste.  No need to use even a knife. 
 I do not how many of us know about this but it is very famous in our home. We buy separate small sized goose berries for this.  

Get small sized goose berries for this because eating them becomes easy and they take less time to soak. 

Take a jar or glass bottle put all the goose berries in it. Add water till all the berries float in it. Add required amount of salt and turmeric powder. Cover it with the lid. 

That's it, the goose berries in water are ready. Start relishing them only after 12 to 24 hours. We can store them for one week to 10 days. 

Menthikura Pappu/Methi Dal/Dal with Fenugreek Leaves

This is the season for getting fresh methi/fenugreek leaves. Fenugreek leaves have a kind taste of them selves and they have a little bit of bitter taste. That bitter taste is good health. We can make rotis, chutney and also we can use it in curries also. 
Coming to this dish... making it is very easy and tastes well with rice or with rotis. 

Ingredients:

Fenugreek Leaves -  3 cups
Toor Dal/Lentil - 2 cups
Onion - 1 Medium
Tomato - 1 Medium
Tamarind Pulp - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp

For Tadka/Tempering:

Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chillies - 2 
Curry Leaves - 5 to 7
Coriander Leaves - fist full

Procedure:

Cook toor dal in a pressure cooker for three whistles. Allow this to cool and mash it with a laddle.
Cut the fenugreek leaves wash it thoroughly. Slice the onion and tomato. Heat oil in a thick bottomed vessel or in a small pressure cooker (I normally use small size pressure cooker). Add all the ingredients under 'For Tadka/Tempering'. Once they start spluttering add onions and tomatoes. 
Fry them till the onions turn translucent. Add fenugreek leaves, fry till the aroma comes out. Put salt, turmeric powder. Add tamarind pulp and pressure cook for three whistles. Allow it to cool. Once cooled add cooked dal and add red chilli powder to it. Boil it for 5 minutes. That's all! tasty spicy methi dal ready to serve. Serve it with rice or rotis.

Palli Undalu/Peanut Laddu/Groundnut Laddu

Delicious, crunchy and nutty peanuts or groundnuts are rich source energy and contain health benefiting nutrients, minerals, anti-oxidants and vitamins are essential for optimum health. 
Any recipe with them is really very tasty.This laddu is no less tasty and also good for health.

Ingredients:

Groundnuts/Peanuts/Palli - 200 grms
Jaggery - 200 grms

Procedure:

Heat the wok. Dry roast peanuts. While roasting peanuts we need to be careful. First heat the wok and then only add peanuts. Keep the flame in simmer and using a spatula roast them till the aroma came out. Normally people may prefer to roast them in the oven but I prefer do it only on the stove so that we can fry them uniformly, instead of burning some of them. 
Spread them in a wide plate to cool down. Once they cooled remove the skin by rubbing them with a kitchen towel or we can do it with our palms also.
Cut jaggery and put it in a wide and thick bottomed vessel. Pour enough water to cover jaggery. Allow it to melt. Cool it for while and string through fine sieve to remove dust from it. Pour cleared jaggery syrup in a wide and thick bottomed vessel. Boil it to get soft ball consistency.
To check the consistency: Take little water in a bowl, add small amount of syrup. Roll it with fingers if it is formed into a small soft ball then consider it reached to required consistency. Immediately put off the stove and add the skinned peanuts to it. Mix it well and make laddus when it is enough warm to handle it. Apply a little water to the palm and make laddus. Crunchy and tasty peanut laddus ready to serve. Once they come to room temperature store them in an air tight container.

Vaangi Bath -- Baingan Rice -- Rice with Baingan

There is one poem in my mother tongue.  The meaning of the poem is like: Do not find A Vegetable like Eggplant...A lady like Seetha whose face is in lotus shape... A deity like Lord Shiva...and Do not find a king like Rama (Ravana, who is a king of Lanka, is the only enemy to Rama). So, brinjal is the king of all vegetables. It tastes very well with other vegetables and also with rice. 

vankaya vanti kurayu...

pankajamukhi seetha vanti bhamamaniyum...

shankaruni vanti daivamu....

lankadhipu vairi vanti raajun kalade'

వంకాయ వంటి కూరయు

పంకజముఖి సీతవంటి భామా మణియున్

శంకరుని వంటి దైవము

లంకాధిపు వైరి వంటి రాజును గలడే

There is one more interesting song about brinjal:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WeeVuiGaLk

Coming to the dish, it is a rice variety with brinjal and it has no onion and garlic. Making it is very easy, the only process is making the powder. We can make the powder well in advance also.
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins
Recipe Category: Rice 
Recipe Cuisine: Karnataka
Serves: 5 people

Ingredients:

• Rice - 2 Cups
• Baingan/Brinjal/Eggplant/Vankaya - 500 grms 
• Green Chillies - 3 to 5
• Oil -3 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

For Tadka/Tempering:

• Ground Nuts - 1 tbsp (optional)
• Chana Dal/Bengal Gram - 1 tbsp
• Urad Dal/Black Gram - 1 tbsp
• Rai/Mustard Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Jeera/ Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
• Red Chillies - 2 
• Curry Leaves - a fist full
• Hing/Asafoetida - 1 tsp

For Vaangibath masala:

• Dhaniya/Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Chana Dal/Bengal Gram - 1 tbsp
• Urad Dal/Black Gram - 1 tbsp
• Cinnamon - 2 to 4 inches sticks
• Cloves - 3 to 5
• Black Pepper Seeds - 5 to 7
• Red Chillies - 3 to 5
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Cut brinjal into cubes. 
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, Add all the ingredients under 'For Vaangibath masala'. 
3. Fry them in a low flame till the dals turn into light brown colour. Be careful do not burn. Allow it cool and grind it into a coarse powder. 
4. Add two cups of water and one cup of rice in a pressure cooker for three whistles.
5. Once the cooker cools down spread the rice in a wide plate to cool.
6. Again heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add the ingredients under 'For Tadka/Tempering'. Fry them and add them to the rice.
7. Again heat 1 tbsp oil and add the cut brinjal and slit green chillies to it. Add salt and turmeric powder. Cover them and cook.
8. Once brinjal cooked add them to the rice. 
9. Add the above made powder, i.e. vaangibath masala to the rice.
10. Mix it well with the spatula. Hot and spicy vaangi bath ready. Serve it with tomato soup or it can consumed as it is. 

Instant Tomato Pickle -- How to make Instant Tomato Pickle Recipe

Instant Tomato Pickle -- How to make Instant Tomato Pickle

November 01 2014

By Sailaja Angara

This is the season for tomatoes. We get juicy, and tasty tomatoes for lesser price in this season.  We can pickle this for year long period but pickling needs some sunlight and patience. But this pickle needs nothing of that sort. This I have learned from my aunt. She makes it regularly. It tastes fresh and also like pickle only. It can be stored for 10 to 15 days also. 

Ingredients:

• 500 grms Tomatoes
• 200 grms Oil
• 50 grms Tamarind 
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 200 grms or as per requirement Red Chilli Powder 
• 50 grms Fenugreek Powder

Procedure:

1. Wash tomatoes and wipe it a dry cloth. 
2. Cut them into small pieces. 
3. Heat 100 grms of  oil in a kadai, add tomato pieces to it. 
4. Add tamarind made into small pieces. 
5. Add turmeric powder and salt. 
6. Cover it and cook it for a while or for 5 to 10 minutes in the low flame. 
7. Then remove cover and cook till the moisture of the tomatoes goes off. Do not burn. Mix it in between. 
8. Allow this to cool for some time. 
9. Then add fenugreek powder and red chilli powder.
10. That's all the tomato pickle is ready to serve. 
11. Serve instant tomato pickle with hot piping rice or chapati or even with dosa.