Vegetable Raita

Ingredients:

All vegetables fine chopped:
1 small onion
1 small tomato
1 green chilli
1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli powder (it is mild & adds an appetizing colour)
1 teaspoon dried pudina leaves (can use chopped fresh pudina leaves too)
Some chopped cilantro
1 big bowl of yogurt beaten smooth
Salt to taste

Method:
Combine all ingredients (not salt) and let it stay. Mix in salt just before serving. (Salt draws water out of the vegetables & makes the raita runny, unappealing to the eye, so add salt just before serving). You can also add any other salad vegetables that you like: cucumber, some grated carrot, fine chopped bell pepper, romaine lettuce, feel free to experiment ;-)

This preparation goes well with pulaos and vegetable rices. I made this as an accompaniment for Bagara Rice. 

టమోట పెరుగుపచ్చడి: Tamata perugu pacchadi- Tomato in yogurt gravy

INGREDIENTS:

1.Tomatoes..................2

2.Yogurt...........................1 and 1/2 cup.

3.Red Chilly..................2

4.Green Chilly..................3

5.Mustard.........................1 t sp.

6.Cumin seeds...................1 t sp.

7.Asafoetida.......................1/4 t sp.

8.Sugar................................1 t sp.

9.Oil.....................................2 t sp.

10.Curry leaves, Cilantro

METHOD:

1.Cut tomato into pieces. and, Cook till it becomes soft. If it is more watery let it cook some more to evaporate the water. Take it out, cool it. 

2.Take yogurt in a bowl, can use it as it is, or beat it nicely to smoothness.

3.Keep the pan on heat put oil, when it is hot add seasoning items, when they flutter add to the yogurt. mix well.

4.Now add the cooled, cooked tomato with yogurt. Add suger. Mix well enough, that tomato blends with curd.

5.Cut and add cilantro to the chutney.

6.This is goes well with rice as well as with roti.

డాంగరు పచ్చడి: Dongaru pacchadi: Split black gram with yogurt

Serving for -2 persons

INGREDIENTS:

Minapappu/ black gram dal ----1/2 cup
Kaaram/ Red chilly powder------11/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Perugu/yogurt ------------------3/4 cup
Cilantro--------some
Curry leaves-----some
Lemon juice------1 to 11/2 tsp

SEASONING:

Aavaalu/mustard seeds---1/2 tsp
Cumin seeda/ Jeelakarra--1/2 tsp
Split black gram dal/minapappu--1tbsp
Asafitodia/heeng/inguva-------1/2 tsp


METHOD:

1.Lightly roast dal and let it cool.
2.Grind very nice powder.
3.Take yogurt add salt and chilly powder and mix well.
4.Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds
5. When it splitters add cumin seeds, dal and fry till brown, then add heeng and curry leaves.
6.Add lemon juice and mix well.
7.Garnish with cilantro and serve.


This item is goes well with hot rice and roti.

మజ్జిగ పులుసు: Majjiga Pulusu- Buttermilk soup stew with vegetables

INGREDIENTS:

1. Yogurt.....................2 cups

2. Bottle Gourd..............................1/2 piece

3. Drumstic........................................2

4. Salt.........................................as required

5. Turmeric.....................................1/4 t sp.

6. Red Chilly......................................1

7. Few Curry leaves...........................few.

8. Cilantro.......................................for garnishing.

FOR MASALA :

1. Bengal Gram Dal.................................2 t sp.

2. Rice Grains............................................1 t sp.

3. Coriander Seeds....................................1 t sp.

4. Cumin Seeds...........................................1 t sp.

5. Mustard Seeds.........................................2 t s

6. Red Chilly..................................................2 or 3

7. Fresh Coconut.............................................3 tbl sp.

8. Green chilly...............................................4 or 5.

9. Garlic...........................................................3 cloves.

10. Ginger piece.

METHOD: 

1. Cut veg. into medium size pieces. cut drumstics into 3'' long.

2. Cook them with little salt. keep aside.

3. Soak 1 to 6 all masala items in minimum water for one hr.

4. Take yogurt in a big vessel, put 2 cups of water and make butter milk using beater. See the consistency not too thin nor too thick. After masala added and coked it gets thick any way. you must keep this in mind. So you can do according your liking.

5. Grind the soaked items adding 7 to 10 items also. It should be very smooth.

6. Now mix this ground paste into the butter milk. Again churn it nicely.There must not be any lumps.

7. Keeping it on medium heat, Boil it slowly, stirring continuously in the beginning. Other wise it gets curdled. later you must do in intervals because it suddenly comes up, and over flows. that should be taken care of. Add salt as per taste.

8. Now add veg. which was cooked and kept ready.

9. Bring one or two Boils. take out off the stove, because Curd should not be heated long.

10. For seasoning, keep small pan, put 1 t sp. ghee. when it is hot add cut red chilly pieces also 

curry leaves. Pour this hot one in the ready Majjiga Pulusu.

Note: When we use Garlic , no need of putting Asafoetida in the seasoning.

ఆవడలు/పెరుగు వడలు: Aavadalu/Perugu Vadalu- Fried black gram donuts soaked in yogurt

INGREDIENTS:

1.Black gram dal..................1 cup.

2.Yogurt....................1 cup.

3.Oil......................................for deep fry.

4.Mustard seeds....................1 t sp.

5.Red chilly............................2

6.Green chilly..........................3.

7.Ginger....................................1"

8.Sugar......................................1 tsp.

9.Salt..........................................as per taste.

10Turmeric................................1/4 sp.

11.Curry leaves/cilantro or both.

METHOD:

1.Soak black gram dal for 2 to 3 hrs. only. For vadas it should not be soaked over night, as in dosas.Do not throw away all the soaked water. keep some.

2.Using the soaked water, grind dal into a smooth paste. adding little of that, at a time. The ready batter must be thick and fine.

3.Make the paste of ginger,green chilly.

4.Add ginger, chilly  paste, to curd in a bowl. put salt, turmeric, sugar, mix well.

5.Keeping the small pan on stove, put 1 tbl sp oil (if available little ghee also). Heat it. put red chilly cut in small pieces, then mustard, aseofotida, lastly curry leaves. When it flutters add to the curd. keep aside covered. now we have to prepare vadas.

6.In a bigger pan put oil for deep frying. Oil should be hot. 

7.Keep a vessel ready with cold water.

8.Take thick plastic sheet. may be 6''/6'' size. wet this on top side, also wet your hand with water, take batter little, a size of big lemon, press it on the sheet, again dipping hand in the water, press it lightly.Making a hole in the center is optional. Olden days this is done on banana leaf. 

suppose one feels confident, can do it with hands only. Instead of plastic sheet use only hands. 

Wet your left hand palm with water, dip your right hand in water, take the batter keep it on wet left palm. now press it lightly. you can make a hole with right finger in the center. when this is ready, slowly drop it in the oil. You can put 3 or 4 at a time, depending on the size of the pan. with out getting burn, turn it. The colour should be red. 

9.Keep another bowl of water ready. taking few at a time put them in water. take out immediately and squeeze out water, keeping between both the palms. Now put these vadas in the ready yogurt. Dip them nicely and arrange in another serving plate.

10. Make all in the same way. They are tasty and soft.

11.Nearly 20 perugu vadalu will come.

ఉండల మజ్జిగ పులుసు: Undala majjiga pulusu- Lentil balls in butter-milk stew

INGREDIENTS:

Serving for 4 persons(8 balls)

For Balls/vundalu:
1/3 cup chana dal/bengalgram dal/senaagapappu
1/3 cup toor dal/kandi pappu
3 to 5 red chillies/yendu mirapakayalu
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp jeera/jeelakarra/cuminseeds
1/2 tsp asafitodia/heeng/inguva

For gravy
1 ltr Butter milk/majjiga
Salt to taste

For paste:
11/2 tbs senagapappu/chanadal/bengalgram dal
1/2 tsp jeelakarra/jeera/cuminseeds
1/2 tsp avalu/mustard seeds/raayi
6 green chillies/pacchi mirpakayalu
1 inch long ginger/allam/
2 tbs coconut powder/kobbari turumu (fresh or dry coconut)

SEASONING:
1tsp oil/nune
1/2 tsp Avalu/mustard deeds
1/2 tsp jeelakarra/jeera/cumin seeds


METHOD:
1. Soak dals for balls and soak gravy items separately for one hour.
2. Grind soaked dalls, red chillies ,salt,jeera and heeng together and make dough.
(with out adding water)and make medium sized balls and keep aside.
3.Now grind all ingredients to make smooth paste for gravy.
4.Take thick bottom vessel add 1ltr butter milk and mix with paste.
5.Add salt and turmeric and let it boil.
6. When it comes to boil drop one ball in it.
7. After a minute add another and continue like that for all the balls.
8.Boil them for 5 minutes.
9. Heat oil in a small pan and add seasoning when it splutters add to the pulusu.
and serve.


This goes with rice. First, take one ball and smash it and mix with rice then
add gravy to it and mix well and eat.

పొట్లకాయ పెరుగు పచ్చడి: Potlakaya perugu pacchadi- Sautéed snake gourd in yogurt gravy

Ingredients:

2 to 3 Snake gourds (Potlakayalu) (small)

2 cups Yogurt (Perugu)
2 green chillys (Pachimirapakayalu)
salt to taste
cilantro for garnishing


For tempering/Tiragamata:
1tbsp minapappu
1/2 tsp Avaalu/mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera
1tbsp oil

Preparation
Chop snake gourd into small pieces
Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan and add chopped pieces and cook until it becomes soft. Let it cool.
Take curd and add salt, chopped chillys and cooked gourd.
Now, add thadaka and garnish with cilanthro.

This item goes with rice and roti.

సొరకాయ మజ్జిగ పులుసు: Sorakaaya majjiga pulusu- Bottle gourd yogurt gravy

Ingredients
2 cups bottle gourd(sorakaya/kaddu) diced into pieces
1 cup Yogurt
2 cups water
1 tbsp chana dal/senaga pappu
t tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1 tbsp fresh kobbari/grated coconut
2 chillies
1 inch ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
cilantro

Tadka/Seasoning/Thiragamatha
1 tsp mustard seeds/aavalu
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
pinch of hing/inguva
curry leaves/karivepaku
1 tsp oil

Preparation/ Thayarucheyatam
1. Soak chana dal for 1 hour and grind them along with ginger,grated coconut,green chillies by adding liitle amount of water to make a fine paste.
2. Add 1 cup water and boil the bottle gourd pieces.
3. Mix 1 cup of water to 1 cup of yogurt and beat well.
4. Add the ground paste,turmeric ,boiled bottlegourd pieces to majjiga/buttermilk and mix well.
5. Transfer buttermilk mixture into a deep pan and cook on low flame. Add salt and mix well.
6. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds,once they splutter add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves and remove from fire and pour into the majjiga pulusu
7. Garnish with cilantro

Variations: Instead of bottle gourd/sorakaaya you can use pumpkin/gummadikaaya or drumstick/munakkayaa or seema vankaaya.

వంకాయ పెరుగు పచ్చడి: Vankaya perugu pachadi- Egg plant with yogurt

Preparation time:15mins
serves 2 people

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups yogurt/curd/perugu
1 big eggplant/pedda vankaaya
2 green chillys/pachimirapakayalu
1/2 inch ginger piece/allam mukka
1 tsp oil
some cilantro/kothimera

Thiragamatha/Tadka/seasoning
1tsp uraddal/minapapu
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/avalu
1/4tsp cumin seeds/jeelakarra
pinch hing/inguva
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Wash and peel the eggplant
2. Microwave for 5 to 8 mins till it is cooked
3. Grate the ginger,finely chop the green chillies or make paste of ginger chilly
4. Add chilly, ginger, salt to yogurt and mix well.
5. Add eggplant to yogurt mixture and stir well .
6. Heat oil and put all sesonings and add it to the yogurt mixture.
7. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

This goes with white rice, roti and parata.

మెంతి మజ్జిగ / Menthi majjiga

Preperation time: 10 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 cups buttermilk
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
salt

For talimpu / tadka:

1/2 tbsp oil
pinch of hing / inguva
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp″ jeera
1 tbsp urad & chana dal
1/3 tsp″ turmeric
pinch of menthi podi / methi powder
4-5 curry leaves
2 green chillis chopped
1″ ginger finely chopped


Method

Add chopped coriander, little turmeric and salt to the buttermilk and keep aside.
Heat little oil in a pan on medium flame, add mustard seeds, jeera and dals. Once they crackle, add chopped ginger, green chillies , curry leaves and turmeric. After a min, add hing, methi powder and remove from fire&add it to the buttermilk..
Serve with plain rice or with dal.


Note: You can replace jeera with vaamu/ ajwain. Also, can add crushed methi seeds if you dont have methi powder.
Majjiga pulusu needs more time for preparation and so I prefer menthi majjiga in most cases. Its equally yummy!