Sabudaana Khichdi- Sauteed Sago pearls

(Above: Prepared in the Gujrati style)

Serves 3 as a light meal. Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 rice cooker cups Sabudaana, called Saggubiyyam in Telugu (Sago pearls)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp green chillies chopped fine

Additional ingredients: 

Marathi style:
2 rice cooker cups roasted peanut powder (roast peanuts & then powder them)
Red chilli powder to taste 

Gujrati style:
1 small onion chopped fine
1 tsp Jheera seeds

Method: 
Soak Sabudaana pearls overnight, the pearl should collapse into a soft crumbly paste when pressed. Soaking time depends on the quality/size of the pearls: 6 hours, or even 3 hours is okay for some beads.

Dry roast the peanuts (you can add a drop of oil), let cool and powder into coarse granules. 
The sago pearls swell & increase in volume, we need nearly an equal volume of peanut powder.

Marathi style: 
Heat ghee in a cauldron. Add green chillies. 
As they fry, drain the Sabudaana pearls in a colander. 

Mix in the peanut powder and red chilli powder, the peanut powder coats the Sabudaana pearls. Also add salt.

When the green chillies brown, add in the peanut coated Sabudaana pearls. Stir well & cover. Cook until the Sabudaana pearls turn translucent. Cook longer if you want the pearls fried. (5 to 10 minutes)

Gujrati style: 
Heat ghee/oil in a cauldron. Add jheera, when it splutters, add the green chillies, onion & salt. 

When they brown, add the drained Sabudaana pearls. Stir, cover & cook until the pearls turn translucent. 

Trivia:
I learnt the Marathi recipe from my mother-in-law, having spent years in northern Andhra Pradesh (should I call it northern Telangana now?) on the border with Maharashtra, my mother-in-law is familiar with Marathi cuisine and has incorporated several of their dishes into her cooking over the years. She cooked it when she was visiting Summu in Jersey City, Summu's papa had a great time eating his mother's yumyum food while I assisted & clicked pics! 
I have seen the Gujrati style made by some Gujrati aunties I know, they used oil instead of Ghee though.
Both styles have their own unique flavours, I make according to my mood. 
Sabudaana is just starch, the addition of peanut powder makes it a better balanced meal by adding protein. I also like adding more vegetables (green peas, potato, bell peppers). Do try to cook this in Ghee, Ghee lends an amazing flavour to this dish and I am a ghee addict :-)
I never knew Sabudaana could turn out so delicious, I absolutely loathed it as a child, as I only knew watery gummy Sabudaana gruel, a yucky preparation eaten with yogurt when one got the runs LOL!!
Then I discovered this yumyum Khichdi, which reminds one of the flavour of saggubiyyam vadiyalu!
This is a quick, delicious snack which can be had for breakfast or a light dinner. 

గోధుమ- బియ్యప్పిండి దోస: Goduma-Beyappindi dosa- Wheat & rice flour crêpes

Preparation time: 20 minutes. Serves: Upto 8 small dosas. 

Ingredients:
1 rice cooker cup- Whole wheat flour
1/4 rice cooker cup- Rice flour
1 Tbsp- Semolina (Soojia rava)
1/2 Tbsp- Chickpea flour
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp- Yogurt
2.5 rice cooker cup- Water

Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients, make sure to break up any lumps and let the batter stand for 10 minutes.

The batter should be of pouring consistency (explained further in step 3), add more water if it is too thick.

2. Place the pan on heat and smear oil. To test the heat, pour a drop of batter onto the pan, if it sizzles, the pan is hot enough to pour dosa.

3. Mix the batter thoroughly and scoop into a ladle. Pour it onto the pan.

The batter sizzles upon touching the hot pan and flows/spreads out on its own into a circle. If the batter doesn't flow quickly but sits in a lump, it means it is too thick, add more water until flowing consistency is achieved.
4. Let the dosa cook until it is done. The surface of the dosa initially looks moist/wet/translucent, but turns solid & changes colour when it is done.
5. Carefully insert a spatula/turner under the dosa from its corners, to pry it off the pan. Also check if the underside looks browned. If the dosa is too fragile/breaking up/lumping up, it needs more time to cook.


6. When one side is totally cooked/browned, turn over the other side and let it cook.






Serve hot with any pacchadi or podi.

Suggestions:


Traditional cooks comfortably pour dosa onto a pan and then pour drops of oil onto its corners. My dosa gets stuck at the centre when I used this method. Hence, I invented this alternate technique of first smearing oil over the pan, and then pouring the dosa over the oil. This way, my dosa doesn't stick at the centre. You can settle on whichever method suits you best!

Variations:
1. This is a mix & match dosa. You can adjust the proportions of wheat flour/rice flour/semolina flour to taste. If the ratio of semolina flour-rice flour increased, this same recipe converts into Rava dosa recipe.
2. You can add vegetables into the batter. I added a blended tomato, onion and green chillies, and garnished with cilantro. (Make sure to adjust the water since blended vegetables add moisture to the batter). This makes the dosa more nutritious, tastier and appetizing to look  at. Alternatively, you can add fine chopped tomatoes & onions instead of blending.
3. If you want to make the dosa spicy, you may add whole cumin seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric or asafoetida as per taste.
4. If the dosa seems to continually break up for no reason:
- the pan might not be hot enough.
- you might be attempting to turn over the dosa while it is still uncooked.
- you may increase the amount of chickpea flour since it is a binding agent. However, it won't be necessary as wheat flour too has a binding nature.
5. If you add less water to the batter whereby it doesn't flow as smoothly, the dosa comes out thick like an Utappam.

Culture & Health:
Dosa is a standard breakfast/snack item in Andhra cuisine. This dosa has the added advantage of being very easy to prepare, needs little prior preparation, a kind of 'instant' dosa. Wheat flour/rice flour & vegetables provide a balanced diet. It can be made with very few drops of oil for the health conscious. Moreover, the batter flows easily into a circle & doesn't need practice/technique to spread unlike the minappindi dosa.

Trivia:
Wheat flour dosa is my peddamma's recipe, she makes it plain with a tiny bit of rice flour and salt, it is awesome in its simplicity!

రవ ఇడ్లి/ Rava Idli/ Steamed Semolina cakes

(Makes 8 to 10 idlies)

INGREDIENTS:

Rava/sooji/semolina------1 cup (rice cooker measure)
Fresh curd/perugu/yogurt---1and 3/4 cup
Water----------------------1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Cashews ------------- 6
Cooking soda----------1/4 tsp



Seasoning:

Avalu/mustard seeds---------1/2 tsp
Bengalgram dal/sengapappu--1tbs
Split black gramdal------------1/2tbs
Curry leaves------------------few
Red chillies -------------------1 or 2 (cut in to pieces)
Oil----------------------------1 tbs.

METHOD:

1.Heat oil in a pan and add seasonings.
2.When it is done add curry leaves and rava.
3.Fry rava lightly and let it cool.
4.Take curd add rava, salt, water and cooking soda mix well(you can add more water until you get idli batter consistency) and keep aside for 10 minutes.
5.Grease idli moulds pour batter and steam for 10 minutes
6.Rava idli is ready to eat.

You can store fried rava mixture. You can add yogurt and water to the mixture when ever you want to make idlies.
Eat with chutney or chutney powder.

Variations: You can add grated carrots and tomato slices in it.

Ravva Dosa / Samolina Pan Cake

INGREDIENTS:

Ravva / Sujji / Semolina............1 cup.

Rice Flour.....................................1/2 cup.

Plain Flour / Maida.....................2 tbl sp.

Onion..............................................1

Green Chilly...................................4 or 5

Water...............................................4 cups.

Cilantro.

Salt.

Oil.

METHOD:

1.Mix ravva/semolina, plain flour and rice flour together with water. Keep aside for 1/2 hr.

2.Cut Onion into small pieces. Also cut green chilly and cilantro. Mix all tree together.

3.Now after the batter is soaked 20 minutes to 1/2 hr, add salt, mix well.

4.Keep frying pan on flame, heat it and smear with 2 t sp of oil. The pan must be oily and hot to get the dosas to be prepared easily.

5.Mix the batter well, and let the semolina settle at the bottom. Taking only from the top liquid form of the batter, using the ladle start pouring from out wards to in wards, making into form a round dosa. Do not spread it as we do for other dosas, where we pour batter in the center and spread it out wards.

6.Now sprinkle few of cut onion,chilly, cilantro on dasa. Let it cook and become little brown and crispy. You can check it lifting it from sides. Do not turn. Take out from fire into a plate.

7.As you are making these dosas, the liquid starts finishing. So, then you must add more water as per requirement and mix well. Now again taking the top liquid only prepare dosas again. If needed add little salt too.

8.Eat it hot with any chutney you like. They are simple to make. and no advanced preparation required.

9.This batter makes 10 to 12 dosas. Some times more, depending on the size you make.

దిబ్బ రొట్టె: Dibba Rotte- Black gram pancake

INGREDIENTS:
Black gram/minapappu-----1 cup
Idly rava/cream of rice------2 cups(if grinded in mixer or in wet grinder add 3 cups)
Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Soak dal in water for about 2 hours.
2. Grind dal by adding water to make smooth batter.(like idly batter)
3. Wash rava and squeeze and add it to the batter.
4. Add salt and mix well.
5. Take a deep pan add oil and heat it.
6. Pour batter of two to three big serving spoons in pan and cover with lid and cook on low flame.
7. Poke with fork and check if it is done
8. When it is done eat with any chutney.
9. On one side it will be brown and crispy and on another side it tastes like idly.

Note: No need to ferment and thickness of the roti is about 2".

టమేట దోస/ ఉతప్పం: Tomato dosa/utappam- Tomato crepe

INGREDIENTS:

1.Rice flour.....................1 and 1/2 cup.

2.Tomato.........................1 big size.

3.Ginger...........................1" piece.

4.Green Chilly..................5 to 6. depending the pungency.

5.Garlic Cloves.................3 or 4

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

7.Salt for taste

8.Cilantro.

METHOD:

1.Cut tomato, ginger, chilly, garlic into pieces.

2.Put all above items, salt and rice flour in to a mixer. with little water grind it into soft batter. 

3.If required add some more water. Remove any small pieces left with help of a sieve. The batter must be fine. Keep this batter for 15 mts aside. Add cut cilantro to the batter.

4.Take dosa pan heat well. Taking one full ladle of batter put it on the pan, spread it evenly.Put oil around the dosa. Let it cook on medium flame. Turn it cook the other side.

5.Eat it  hot with coconut chutney.

6.Can make green dosas using spinach, mint or carrots instead of tomato.

ఆవిరి కుడుము: Aaviri Kudumu- Steamed black gram pancake

INGREDIENTS;

Split black gram dal/minapappu-- 1 cup
Salt to taste
water to grind------1/2 cup


Method: 1


1.Soak dal for two hours.
2. Grind it in to smooth batter by adding water.
3. Take idly moulds grease it and pour batter and cook.
4. Steam them for 10 minutes.
5. Eat them hot with ghee.

Method : 2 (Traditional Procedure- Used in olden days)

1. Take 1 cup of water in a vessel.
2. Tie a clean cloth on the mouth of the vessel and close the mouth tightly.
(as shown in the picture)
3. Pour some batter in cloth.
4. Steam them for 10 minutes
5. When it is done eat with ghee.

You can make these Kudumulu immediately after grinding the blackgram dal. No need to ferment the batter.


Aaviri kudumu(steamed pancake) are easily digestible and also easy to prepare.This food is given to gain strength.

ఉప్పుడు పిండి/ Uppudu Pindi

INGREDIENTS:

Rice 1 Cup

Salt to taste

Split yellow Mung bean/Split green gram dal/pesarapappu----1/4 cup

Curry leaves------few

Mustard seeds--------1tsp

Jeera/cumin seeds----1tsp

Minapappu/split black gram dal--1tbs

Red chillies/yendumirapakayalu--2

Oil---------2tbs

Water--------3 cups

METHOD:

1. Grind Rice to a coarse powder( just like Rava)

2.Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, when it splutters add minapappu.

3.Then add jeera, red chilly and curry leaves.
4.Add 3 cups of water , salt and boil it.
5.Wash pesarapappu and add to the boilling water.
6.After 5minutes add rava and stir.
7.Cover with lid and cook it on low flame.
8.Stir occasionally.
9. when rava become smooth paste remove from the fire.
10. Eat hot with chutneys.
This is a easy and heavy tiffin item. Enjoy with all chutneys, pacchadis and pickles.

అటుకుల పులిహోర / Atukula Pulihora/ Flattened Rice with Tamarind Extract

Ingredients:

Atukulu/ Poha/ Beaten Rice/ Flat rice - 2 cups
Tamarind/Chinta pandu - small lime size ball
Turmeric/ pasupu - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Broken Red Chilies - 3 to 4
Urad Dal/ Split black gram - 2 tsp
Chana Dal - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Peanuts - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp


Method:
Soak tamarind in 3/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes and extract thick juice. Discard the tamarind.
Now soak Poha in tamarind extract for 5 to 10 minutes or until it absorbs all the liquid and the flakes become soft, fluffy and separate.
Meanwhile heat oil in a wide pan. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing, Peanuts, red chillies, urad dal, turmeric powder. When mustard seeds crackle, add poha. Sprinkle salt.
Gently toss everything together without mashing Poha.
Fry for 2-3 minutes and serve hot.

Trivia : I learnt this from my Mom-in-law.

ఆలూ బొండా: Alu bonda- Fried potato balls

INGREDIENTS:

1.Potaoes..................................2 big ones.

2.Onion......................................1

3.Carrot......................................1.

4.French Beans...........................3 or 4

5.Green Peas...............................2 tbl sp.

6.Cali Flower.............................few pieces if desired.

7.Green Chilly...............................5 or 6

8.Lemon juice................................2 tbl sp.

9.Pea Nuts /Cashew nuts(both)..2 tbl sp.

10.Cilantro.....................................

11.Salt.............................................as per taste.

12.Oil..............................................for deep frying.

13.Besan (Bengal gram flour).....less than a cup.

14.Bengal gram dal

15.Black gram dal

16.Mustard seeds

17.Cumin seeds.

18.Asefoetido..............................pinch 1/4 sp.

19.Red chilly...............................2.

Water..............................................for mixing the flour.

METHOD:

1.Sieve the flour to be clean and with out any lumps.

2. put enough water to make a semi solid batter. mix it nicely with hand. It should be smooth and fine. keep a side.

3.Boil potato and peel. cut into pieces. keep a side. cut all other vegetables into small.

4.Keep a pan, put little oil, Break the red chilly, put it in the oil. next put all the seasoning items as required. and the nuts. 

5. Stir, and do not burn them. when they flutter, add the cut veg. mix them well.

6.When the veg. are nearly cooked add  already boiled potato pieces. again stir well. do not over cook. it will be tasty if they are little crunchy. also when we put them in hot oil they will cook again any way. take out from fire. add lemon juice. mix well. lemon never should added in very hot condition when o the stove.

7.When it gets cool, add the finely cut cilantro. make into balls of your choice.

8.Keep a frying pan on stove pour oil, heat it. should be hot.

9. Now dip veg. ball in to the besan batter, drop slowly into the oil. depending on the size and the oil poured in the pan, you can put 4 or 5 at a time. fry them. they should not be dark colour.

10.Fry all in the same way.

11. The tasty Bondas are ready to eat hot, with chutney.

12. It makes 14 to 15 pieces.

Fried Idli with vegetables

Serves: Two persons. Preparation time: 15 minutes. 

Ingredients:
18 small Idlis (refer to Idli recipe)
Ghee/oil to roast the Idlis
Cilantro
1 Tsp Salt

For tempering:
1 Tbp Oil
1 Tsp Mustard seeds
1 Tsp Jheera Seeds
1 Tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 Tsp Turmeric
1 pinch Asafoetida
1 pinch Fenugreek powder
5 curry leaves

Chopped vegetables:

Green bell pepper/Capsicum
Carrot

Green chilli

Onion

 Potato
Soft ripe Tomato

Fistful  of green peas

Method:

1. Quarter the idlis and set aside. 

2. Place the oil on medium heat in a saucepan. When it is hot, add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add all the tempering ingredients and the vegetables (but not the tomatoes). 

Mix well, cover and let it cook until the vegetables are done. It takes around 10 minutes, you can further roast them uncovered for longer if you like them crisp. You can add the salt right at the beginning, since salt draws moisture out of the vegetables & makes them crisp. However, if you want your vegetables steamed soft, add salt later. When the vegetables are almost done, add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the mixture looks slightly soupy. You may add some water/tomato juice if the tomatoes aren't juicy enough.

Meanwhile,

3. In a skillet, pour a few drops of oil/ghee, arrange the quartered idlis on the surface of the skillet and let them roast until you see the bottoms turning brown. Pour ghee generously if you like a fried effect. The idlis can be turned over to roast the other side too, however, I like one side done crisp, and the other side left undone. Transfer the browned quarters onto blotting paper and set aside. Fry/roast the next batch. 

When the vegetables are ready and the idlis are done, 

4. Add the idli quarters into the vegetables and mix in thoroughly. The soft side of the idlis absorbs the oil/soup of the vegetables while the roasted side stays crisp. Some of the idli quarters crumble during the mixing process. Cover & cook for a few minutes so the idlis soak up the soup/spice . Garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot. Goes well on its own and also with yogurt. 

Suggestions/Variations:

1. Fried Idli: Some people like to deep fry the idli quarters and serve them with chat masala. 

2. Idli Upma: Idli quarters/mashed Idlis are used instead of upma rava, and the item is prepared as per Rava upma recipe. 

3. You can follow your heart for this recipe, add whatever spice you like, add/omit vegetables as you wish, experiment with sweet corn, carrots, beans, include peanuts, bengal gram, etc.

Culture & Health:

This is a very mix & match dish usually prepared with leftover idlis. If you have very few leftover idlis, the addition of vegetables adds volume to the dish along with a varied taste. It can also be prepared with freshly prepared cooled idlis (hot idlis get mashed easily when handled).

Idli is a good source of protein & carbohydrate, the addition of vegetable makes it a complete balanced diet.

Trivia:

Whenever I have lots of Idli batter and I am bored of plain idli, I find this a very easy quick fix which is simply awesome to taste, with the added health benefits!!

ఉల్లి అట్టు/ ఉతప్పం: Ulli attu/Utappam: Sour Onion pancake

Serving: 6 atlu





INGREDIENTS:

Black gram dal 1/4 cup
Rice 1 cup
Salt to taste
Onions 2 big
Green chillies 8 to 10
Chilly powder 1/2 tsp
Oil enough to roast
Curry leaves few

METHOD:

1.soak dal and rice separately for over night.
2. Next day morning grind separately to make smooth batter.
3.Keep aside for fermentation.
4.Cut onions into small pieces.
5.Cut green chillies and curry leaves in to small pieces.
6.Add onions, green chillies, salt and curry leaves to the batter.
7.Mix well.
8.Heat flat pan grease with oil, then pour batter and spread thick round.
9.Add oil around the dosa and keep lid on it.
10. cook in medium flame.
11.when it is cooked turn it and cook other side for some more time.
12.when it is done serve hot.

It can be made with left over idly or dosa batter.
The batter must be sour.

PULLA BONGARALU:

INGREDIENTS:

Urad dal................1 cup
Idli rava..................1 cup
Green chillis......... 6 to 8
Salt..........................to taste
Chana dal..............2 tbsp
Onion......................1 big size
Curry leaves..........few
Oil............................ little.(if you want to deep fry required more oil)

METHOD:
1.Soak urad dal for 2 hours
2.Clean and soak idly rava separately.
3.Grind soaked urad dal adding little by little water until it becomes
smooth batter.
4. Squeeze out rava from water and add to the batter keep aside for over night.
5.Next day chop onion and green chillies into small pieces.
6. Soak chana dal 1hour before making pulla bongaralu.
7..Add all above ingredients to batter and mix well.
8. Grease molds and fill with batter and cook them on low flame.
9. After little while turn around.
10. Pock with fork to check them.
11 If batter is not touching the fork , then it is ready .
12. Crispy pulla bongaralu ready to eat.

It is a snack item.