చక్కర పొంగలి: Chakkara Pongali- Sweet Pongal/pudding

Sankranthi special

INGREDIENTS:

Rice---------1 cup
Jaggary/brown sugar/bellam--1 1/4 cup or(as per taste)
Pesarapappu/green gram dal---1/4 cup
Senagapappu/bengalgram dal-----1/2 tbs(optional)
Milk--------4 cups
Cardamom/elaachi-----1/2 tsp (powdered)
Cashews/jeedipappu-----few
Ghee/neyyi-------1tbs

METHOD:

1.Lightly roast dals.
2.Mix it with rice and add milk and pressure cook.
3.Take thick bottem vessel melt jaggary and add cooked rice.
4.Mix it well and cook for 5 minutes.
5.In a different pan heat ghee, add cashews fry them till
light golden brown.
5.Add cardamom powder and cashews to the pongal.

This is my way of making pongal. If you don't like
adding bengalgram dal. Make with out that.

బూంది లడ్డు/ Boondi Laddu/ Chickpea Flour Sweet

Ingredients

Senagapindi/chick peas flour/besan --1 cup
Sugar-----------1 cup
Cashew nuts----1 tbs
Almonds----------1 tbs
Cordamam--------1/2tsp (powdered)
Raisens/endu draaksha/kismiss-----1tbs
Yellow color---------Pinch (optional)
Edible camphor crushed----pinch
Oil to deep fry

Method:

Sift the flour and add water, color to it. The batter should be of dosa batter consistency ( not too watery).Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.

In a vessel add 1 cup of water to the sugar and on medium heat and keep stirring it until you get single string consistency. You can check the consistency by taking a drop of syrup and pressing that in between your fingers. If you see a string then consider it as done.

Deep fry Cashews, Almonds and Raisins separately and keep them aside.

Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan.


Hold the steel skimming ladle above the hot oil and pour a small amount of batter on it. When the drops of batter fall into the oil they should bubble up immediately. Let them cook for 6-8 seconds. Take them into a paper towel to drain the oil.

To see if the boondis are perfectly cooked for laddus, press one in between your fingers. It should get squeezed in, instead of cracking and breaking into pieces.Make sure boondi doesn't turn into brown color.

If the temperature of the oil reduces the boondis will stick together. The boondis should cook and come up separately.

Now add boondi, Cashews, raisins, baadam and edible camphor to the syrup and mix them well. Boondis will absorb the syrup and then you can start making laddus.

This is my pinni's recipe I learnt from her.
Boondi Laddus are usually made during festivals.
There is a saying that there is no marriages is conducted
with out having boondhi laddu.

ఉప్పుపొంగలి: Uppu pongali- Salty Mung bean & rice pudding

Serving 2 persons

INGREDIENTS:

Rice----------1 cup(rice cooker cup)
Dehusked split Mung beans/Split green gram/ Pesarapappu/ Dhuli Moong dal-1/4 cup
Ginger/ allam--------1" piece
Green chilly/ Pachi mirapa kaayalu --2

Seasoning:

Black gram dal/ Urad dal/ Minapappu-1tbs
Black pepper corns/ Miriyalu-----1tbs
Cumin seeds/Jeelakarra/ Jeera----1tsp
Mustard seeds/ Aavalu----------1tsp
Cashew nuts/ Jeedi pappu--------10 pieces
Ghee---------------------2tbs

METHOD:

1. Light roast dal .
2. Cut green chillies length wise
3. Peel and cut ginger in to small pieces.
4. Wash rice, mix roasted dal and pressure cook them for 3 whistles.
5. When the pressure releases add salt.
6. Heat ghee in a small pan and add mustard seeds.
7. When it splutters add one after one all ingredients.
8. Finally add ginger pieces,chilly and turn off the fire.
9. Add the seasoning to the cooked pongal.
10. Mix well and serve hot.

This is a very tasty break fast item, also a special festive dish.
This is a special item made during navaratri and dhanurmasa.

చలిమిడి: Chalimidi- Traditional Rice Sweet

ANDHRA SPECIAL SWEET

INGREDIENTS:

Rice ---1 cup
Jaggery----1 cup( grated)
Coconut pieces ---- 1/2 cup (cut in small cubes)
Ghee-------1 tbs
Elachi/cardamom powder -----1 tsp


METHOD :

1. Soak the rice in water for one hour.
2. Drain the water and spread them on a cloth and dry.
3. Do not dry too much.
4.Grind finely and sieve to get very nice flour.
5.Cut the coconut in to small pieces and fry them in little
ghee until turns light brown.
6.Add little water to jaggery and make very thick syrup.
7.Test for syrup take a little syrup and drop in water.
If you can make fa ball out of that from water, that is right paakam.
8.Turn off the heat and add rice flour little by little.
9.while mixing thoroughly to avoid lumps.
10.then add coconut pieces , elachi powder and ghee and mix well.
11.Cover with lid.
12.When it is cool, make balls and store in a dry container.

variations: If you want you can make with sugar instead of Jaggary.

This traditional sweet dish is mandatory in the following occasions:

While seeing off the bride after wedding.
Offered to the pregnant woman at baby shower.
Offered to the young mother while leaving for her husband's home.

ఉండ్రాళ్ళు: Undrallu- Steamed Rice & Bengal gram balls

VINAYAKACHAVITHI SPECIAL

Ingredients:

Rice Ravva..................1 cup
Water..........................2 cups
Chana Dal..................1tbsp
Cumin Seeds.............2 tsp.
Black pepper seeds.......2 tsp.
Salt.................................for taste

Method:

1.Wash 1 and 1/2 cups of rice nicely.
2.Dry the rice on a cloth in the shade.
3.Make powder in the mixer.
4.Sieve that coarsely flour into a plate. u get ravva in the siever, fine flour into the plate.
5.Now measure this ravva as required.
6.Take 2 cups of water also chenna dal and boil.
7.when it is boiling, put cumin seeds,salt, pepper. then pour this 1 cup ravva in it. and stir it continuously.when it is getting to come together as a ball, switch off the stove.and cover with a lid.
8.When it is cool, make into medium size balls.
9. Now these balls have to be steamed. It can be done either by using the pressure cooker or keeping these balls in a covered container placing it in a bigger heavy bottomed vessel with water,which we call it as double boiling.this steaming should be done for 1/2 an hr.and then put off the stove.Let it cool.
10. Take out these from cooker and they are ready now for offering to God Ganesha and eat it with Tamarind Chutney.

మొదకలు: Modakalu- Steamed rice balls stuffed with coconut-jaggery

VINAYAKACHAVITHI SPECIAL

INGREDIENTS

Rice flour.....................1 cup
coconut grated............1 cup
Jaggery........................1 cup
water............................1 cup
oil.................................2 tsp for smearing

Method...

1.Take heavy bottom vessel put one cup water, boil it.then switch off.
2. Immediately add the rice flour. mix very well.
3.Add one tsp oil, the dough should be nicely mixed and not touch to the sides of the vessel.
4.make into small equal portions.
5.Take the grated coconut, put in the a vessel add jaggery cook till it is ready to make balls. remove from the stove.
6.Take the one portion of the dough press it on a platform keep the jaggery ball on it make in to an onion shape modakam.
7. Make all the balls in the same way.
8. Keep the cooker on the stove.using the idli plates grease with oil .keep all the modakams in the plate. close the lid,do not use weight. steam it for 10 mints.
9. when you remove them from the cooker after cooling, the modakams are ready.


These are liked by Lord Ganesha. so usally these are prepared on Ganesh Chathurthi.

ఉగాది పచ్చడి: Ugadi pacchadi- Ugadi (Telugu New Year) sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1.1/4 cup Neem Flowers
2.1/2 cup Thick Tamarind Pulp
3.1/4 cup Raw Mango Pieces
4.Three Green Chillies sliced very thin
5. Salt to taste
6. Jaggery Powder to taste

METHOD:

Soak the tamarind in little water.take out the pulp.
Cut the the raw mango into very small pieces.
also cut the green chillies into small pieces.
make jaggery into powder.
now mix the all 6 ingredients into a bowl.this becomes like chutney. u should not make into very liquid type.
taste it for all the six ruchis , the 6 tases of sweet/sour/salty/bitter/spicy/astringent
this is a very good for health. specially when the seasons are changing from winter to a hot summer,
children tend to get the diseases like, chicken pox, measeles etc. this helps to fight it,
it also works to improve resistance and in killing worms/germs in the stomach

It is rich in C-Vitamin and Calories

This is eaten early in the morning of Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, to remind us that life is full of ups and downs and we should learn to enjoy all the various Rasas, emotions that come our way. Just as we learn to enjoy the taste of this pachchadi!