కంది పొడి: Kandi podi- Pigeon peas powder

Preparation time : 20 mins

Ingredients

1 cup Toordaal/kandhipappu
1/2 cup chanadal/ pachishenagapappu
1/4 cup uraddal/ menapappu
1/4 cup moongdal/pesarapappu
salt to taste
chilly powder
hing/inguva
cumin seeds/jeelakarra

Preparation
Dry roast all the above dal ingredients.
Grind them adding hing and cumin seeds and make coarse powder.
Add salt, chilly powder and mix well.

This podi tastes great with rice, combination of mango pickle(avakaya) or Raw tamarind chutney (chinthakaaya pachhadi) and ghee.

కొబ్బరి లౌజు/లడ్డు: Kobbari lousu/laddu- Coconut Sweet

Preparation time : 20 mins
Makes 6-8 laddus

Ingredients:

2 Cups Fresh grated Coconut
1.5 cups Jaggery(adjust as per sweet levels)
3 Elachi/cardamom (Optional)

Method:

1 In a thick bottomed pan add grated coconut, jaggery and little water(about 1tsp. of water)
2 Keep on medium flame and keep stirring, until the whole jaggery converts into liquid.
4 Then it comes together to a single mass consistency(should be very sticky)it takes approx.15-20min to get that sticky consistency. Now add elachi powder.
5 Let it cool for a while , then make round balls(laddus) and serve.


This is one simple and delicious sweet.

గుమ్మడికాయ పులుసు: Gummadikaaya pulusu- Pumpkin stew

Preparation time : 25 mins
(Serves 2)

Ingredients
yellow pumpkin(pandu gummadi)
big marble size tamarind
pinch of fenu greek powder
salt to taste
1/4tsp turmeric
1 tbsp jaggery
1/4tsp chilli powder
1 tsp rice flour

popu/thiragamatha
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/ Aavalu
1tsp urad dall/minapappu
pinch Hing/inguva

Preparation

1 Peel, clean, remove the seeds from pumpkin and chop it into medium size cubes.
2 Add 2 cups of water,turmeric, salt, pumpkin cubes and cook for 5 minutes.
3 Now add tamarind puree, jaggery, chilly powder, pinch of fenu greek powder.
4 Cook until pumpkin becomes tender.
5 Mix rice flour with water & add and cook for 2 more minutes
6 Heat oil in a pan and add popu ingredients.
7 Add popu to the stew, garnish with cilantro and serve

This tastes great with rice and muddapappu.

పూరి కూర: Puri with potato curry

Puri(s)
Preparation time: 40 min
Makes around 20-25 puris

Ingredients:

2 cups atta (wholewheat) flour
1 tsp of oil
pinch of salt
warm water
Oil for frying



Method:

Take a wide bowl and mix together atta flour, a tsp oil and pinch of salt.
Slowly pour warm water to make a smooth stiff dough. It should be a slightly firm dough.
Let it sit covered for 5-10 minutes.
Divide dough into small lemon-sized balls and roll them out into circular shapes, slightly thicker than rotis and smaller(in diameter) than rotis.




Meanwhile, heat enough oil for frying the puris.
Slowly slide the rolled out puris into the hot oil and press gently with the spatula in the center of the puri so that it puffs up and turns golden brown.
Flip the puri to cook the other side for 15-20 seconds till it turns golden brown.
Drain the puris ensuring all the oil has been drained along the sides of the cooking vessel.
Remove onto a absorbent kitchen towel. Tastes great when served hot.

Note: If Puris dont puff up it means the oil is either too hot or not hot enough. Sometimes, it can be because of the thickness of the puris rolled. Puris should be thicker.

Puri kura is my all time favorite :)


Potato curry
Preparation time: 30 min
Serves 2




Ingredients:
2 potatoes(medium sized), finely sliced
2 onions(medium sized), finely sliced
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tbsp besan/senaga pindi/chick pea flour
salt to taste
1 1/2 tbsps oil

For seasoning/popu/tadka:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp minappa pappu/urad dal
1 tsp channa dal/senaga pappu
2-3 green chillis chopped
1″ inch ginger finely minced
5-6 curry leaves(optional)



Method:

Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add urad dal and channa dal and fry till they turn red. Add fresh curry leaves, green chillis and ginger and saute for a few secs.
Add the sliced onions and potatoes and saute on medium heat for a minute.
Add enough water(around 2 cups), salt, turmeric and place the lid and cook till potatoes are cooked. Stir occasionally and add water if needed.
Add besan to 2 tbsp of water without any lumps and add this mixture to the boiled potatoes and mix well. Adjust water according to the consistency you like.
Simmer till the rawness of besan disappears, about 5-6 mins and the curry slightly thickens.
Serve with puris.

Note: You can also add boiled, peeled potatoes to the fried onions after the tadka / talimpu and add little water & follow the rest of the procedure.
It is more tasty if the quantity of onions is more than the potatoes.

Aava pettina aratikaaya kura/ఆవ పెట్టిన అరటి కాయ కూర

Preparation time : 30 mins
(Serves 3)


Ingredients

2 raw plantains (arati kaayalu)
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (aavalu)
2-3 green chillies
big marble sized tamarind
1/2 tsp jaggery
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
For Popu
1 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
4 curry leaves
pinch of hing


Method
1 Peel the plantains and slice them into small cubes
2 Add salt and turmeric, boil the sliced plantain cubes
3 Grind aavalu and green chillies
3 Heat oil in a pan and add the popu ingredients
4 Now add aavalu-green chillies paste, tamarind, 1/2 tsp jaggery and the boiled plantain cubes to the popu
5 stir well and cook for 2 more mins
6 Serve it with rice and Sambhar or dal.


Varaiation : Instead of mustard seeds(aavalu) you can add ginger.

తోట కూర కంది పప్పు- Tota kura kandi pappu- Amaranth greens with split pigeon peas

Preparation time : ౩౦ mins
(Serves 2)



Ingredients
1 bunch of fresh thota kura
1 cup toor dal(kandi pappu)
1 medium sized onion(vullipaaya)
2-3 green chillies
1 big marble sized tamarind(chintapandu)
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste

Popu/Seasoning/thiragamaatha/tadka :

1 tsp of oil
mustard seeds (aavalu)
cumin seeds (jeela karra))
urad dal (minapappu)
Few curry leaves (karivepaaku)
Pinch of hing powder (inguva)

Method

1 Wash and chop the leaves.
2 Cut the chillies, onions in lengthwise.
3 Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook toor dal, leaves,onions and chillies till whistles.
4 After the valve pressure is released add salt,tamarind paste and cook for 2-3 mins.

Popu: Heat oil in a pan, add the remaining popu or tadka ingredients. Saute till the seeds start crackling.
Add popu to the cooked dal, stir well and cover. Tastes great with rice and chapati.


Variations : We can also add tomatoes to this preparation. If you like it little spicy then add red chilly powder as per your taste.

రవ లడ్డు: Rava laddu- Sweet semolina balls

Preparation time : 15 mins
Makes around 10 medium sized laddus.
Ingredients

2 cups Rava/ Sooji
2 cups Sugar/ panchadara
5 Elachi/ Elakkayalu
10 cashews/ jeedipappu
2 tbsp Ghee / Neyyi
4-5 tbsp Milk / paalu
How to prepare / Thayarucheyatam

1. Heat ghee in a pan.
2. Add cashews first and then add sooji fry them till light brown.
3. After frying remove from the fire.
4. Add sugar and elachi powder to rava and mix well.
5. Add warm milk to the mixture and mix well.
6. Now make round balls as per desired size.
7. Keep aside for 10 mins and serve.