Arati puvvuu paatoli- Banana Flower & Lentil Curry

Ingredients

1 small cup Pacchi senagapappu/chanadal
1 small cup kandhi pappu/toordal
5to 6 Endumirapakayalu/red chilly
1/2 tsp jeelakarra/jeera
1/2 tsp heeng/inguva
salt to taste
1/4 cup oil
1 medium size banana flower

Preparation
Soak dals for 2 hours
Peel banana flower and remove buds
From each bud remove the transparent petals and thick headed strings and throw them away
Peel the banana flower as shown in picture
Cut all the flower buds in to small pieces.
Chop the remaining flower in to small pieces
In a bowl put these chopped pieces and add turmeric powder and water
Grind soaked dals , redchillis, jeera, heeng and salt without adding water.
Sqeeze water from flower and pressure cook them for 4 whistles.
Heat oil in a pan and if you want add popu/tadka
Add grinded batter and stir
When the batter is half cooked add cooked flower and stir.
Fry them until it becomes dry

This curry goes with white rice, ghee and ullipaya pulusu.
Banana flower is good for health.It helps in getting rid of kidney stones.

This dish is bit tedious to prepare but the taste is well worth the effort. I suggest you to cook this atleast once a month as it's good for health.

బజ్జీ- Bajji- Fritters

Serves: Three. Preparation time: 40 minutes


Ingredients:

1 cup Bengal gram flour (Bésan, Senagapindi)    
1/4 cup Rice flour (Chával ká átá, Beeyappindi)
1/2 Tsp Garam masala powder
1 Tsp Red Chilli powder or to taste
1 level Tsp Salt or to taste
1/2 Tsp Tsp Cumin seeds (Jheera, Jilakara)
1/2 Tsp Turmeric (Haldi, Pasupu)
2 pinches Asafoetida (Heeng, Inguva)

1 heaped cup vegetables (eg; Potato, Plantain, Ridge gourd)
1/2 cup water
Oil to fry

Method:
1. Wash, peel and thinly slice the vegetable into rounds. Set aside.  
2. Place a cauldron of oil on heat so that it is ready by the time we prepare our Bajji batter/dough.

3. In a bowl, sift together all the flours and spices, make sure that they are evenly mixed.  

4. Add a little over 1/2 cup of water to the bowl, mix well making sure to break up any lumps. You may need to add a little bit more of water to get the right consistency. It should be thinner than Idli batter but slightly thicker than Dosa batter. (This benchmark has already been explained in Idli, also refer to step 6. for further explanation on batter consistency). 
5. The oil must be hot enough to fry. Drop a grain sized amount of dough/batter into the oil to test, if it sinks to the bottom and then rises up foaming, oil is hot enough. 
6. Dip each vegetable round into the batter, the batter covers the vegetable and coats it evenly but is thick enough not to drain away completely, it slowly drips off the vegetable. Drop this coated vegetable round into the oil. Repeat this step until the surface of the oil is full of frying Bajjis. 

7. While the Bajjis are frying, line a plate with blotting paper. Stir the Bajjis to turn them around for even frying. 
8. When the Bajjis are golden brown (around 7 minutes but depends on oil temperature and also what vegetable/how thick the rounds are), pick them out with a slotted ladle and transfer onto the plate lined with blotting paper.  
Serve hot with Tomato ketchup or any chutney. Bajjis are great on their own too. 


Variations:
Bajjis can be made from a variety of vegetables. Potato, Plantain, Ridge gourd, Onions, Capsicum, Chillies (if not hot), Eggplants, Zucchini (Courgette, Summer Squash), Cauliflower.
Optional: You may add half a teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste into the batter/dough.
Professional cooks add a pinch of baking soda, it makes the bajjis come out fluffy. However, they soak up more oil and end up with a higher dose of sodium.

Culture & Health:
Called 'Pakoda' by some, 'Bajji' by others, they say a perfect rainy day activity is to sip hot tea or coffee with piping hot pakodas.
I love the taste of soggy leftover Bajjis on the day after they're made, the vegetable flavour permeates into the fried soggy batter. Others like refried Bajjis, leftover soggy Bajjis come out extra crisp when fried again on the next day.
Bhajji-pav is a favourite street-side food sold by cart-vendors in Mumbai. It consists of a potato bajji jammed between a bun, with green chutney, tamarind chutney and other spices.
I don't want to defame/slander the reputation of such a yummy preparation by starting on its health angle. Let me just say, chickpea flour is a good source of protein, while the vegetable provides vitamins & minerals ;-) :-P
On a serious note, we all know that fried foods do all the bad things possible to our system. The vegetable loses most of its vitamin load in the frying process. This preparation is not recommended for regular consumption, it is not for the health conscious, it is not for those on any kind of dietary restrictions. It is full of oil (empty calories: a no no for diabetics. all that cholesterol: a no go zone for heart patients. all that fat: stresses our dear liver, a complete no entry for those with a problem liver/kidneys) and sodium (so much salt/soda, a no no for high blood pressure candidates, gout candidates, arthritic personalities, those on dialysis... I believe most diseases are exacerbated by sodium intake, so we need to watch out!).
And Baba Ramdevji says besan is very bad for health, so don't even feel good about the protein. :-)

Trivia:
If there is one thing that I remember my mother cooking regularly, it's pakodas and bajjis!!
Warning: This food is highly addictive and difficult to resist. ;-)

Idli Chutney

Serves: Four persons. Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup Peanuts
1/4 cup Split Bengal gram (Chana dal, Senaga pappu)
1/2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp Salt or to taste
2 Dry Red Chillies or to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp split black gram (Urad dal, Minappappu)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 pinches Asafoetida
3 Curry leaves (Kadipatta, Karuvepaku)
1 tsp oil

Method:
1. Break the Dry Red Chillies into pieces and dry roast them until they turn red-brown and give off an aroma, around 2 minutes on a low flame. Set aside. 
2. Dry roast peanuts until they are browned and give off an aroma, around 2 minutes on a low flame. You may use a drop of oil. Set aside. 

3. Dry roast the Senaga pappu until it turns light golden brown and gives off an aroma, around 1 minute on a low flame. Set aside.
4. When the ingredients from steps 1. to 3. cool down, grind them in the mixer with salt and water (around 1 cup) to make a smooth paste. Transfer the chutney into a bowl and mix in the tamarind paste. It may look runny initially, but the peanuts/bengal gram soak & absorb the water thereby improving its consistency.
5. Heat oil in a small saucepan or flame proof ladle. Add Minappappu. When it browns, add Heeng, Mustard seeds and Curry leaves. Turn off the heat. Pour this tempering over the chutney and stir it in. 

Variations:
Use more tamarind paste if you like sour tones. Some recipes include desiccated coconut powder or fresh grated coconut. You may also add green chillies during the grinding process. Yet others include garlic, though it is really not traditional.


Culture & Tradition:
This chutney is traditionally served with Idli or Dosa. 


Trivia:
This recipe courtesy Manju pinni.

ఉల్లిపాయ పులుసు / Vullipaaya Pulusu/ Onion Stew

Ingredients
2 big onions/ vullipayalu
1/2 tsp chilly powder(adjust as per taste)
salt to taste
1tbsp oil
1 big marble size tamarind/ chinthapandu

Popu/ Thadka Ingrdients
Cumin seeds
Mustard seeds


Preparation

Soak tamarind. Chop onions into small cubes.
Heat oil and add thadka ingredients.
Add onions and fry them until light brown
Squeeze tamarind and add this juice to the onions
Now, add salt and chilly powder boil them
In a bowl take chana flour, add water and make a paste and add this paste to pulusu.
Let it boil for 2 more minutes.

This will go with rice along with kandi pachadi and sandigapindi.

సున్నుండలు/ Sunnundalu/ Black gram sweet balls

Ingredients

Urad dal – 2 cups
Jaggery – 1 1/2 cup (Grated)
Ghee – 1/2 cup
Cardamom -2 (optional)

Preparation
Roast the urad dal in a low heat till golden brown. Stir continuously, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Let it cool.
Now, take the roasted urad dal and grind it to a smooth powder using a mixer or a food processor. Add the grated jaggery and grind it again. If you want to add cardamom powder, you can add it now.
Melt the ghee and keep it aside.
Take the ground mixture in a bowl, add ghee until you get a consistency where you can mould them in the form of laddoo.


Variations : We can use Sugar instead of jaggery. It tastes good either ways, but I like it with jaggery.

This is a very simple sweet and doesn't take much time to prepare.

వంకాయ- అల్లం పచ్చిమిరపకాయ: Vankáya Allam Pacchimirapakáya- Aubergine with Ginger & Green Chilli

Serves: Two. Preparation time: 30 minutes. 

Ingredients:

7 small round aubergines (Eggplant/Brinjal, Baingan, Vankáya)
4 Green chillies
1 inch Ginger (Adrak, Allam)
1 tsp split Chickpeas (Chana dal, Senagapappu)

1 tsp split black gram (Urad dal, Minappappu)

1 tsp Mustard Seeds (Rai, Avalu)

1/2 tsp Turmeric (Haldi, Pasupu)
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (Heeng, Inguva)
3 Curry leaves (Kadipatta, Karuvepáku)
1 tsp Tamarind paste
1/2 tsp Salt (or to taste)
4 stems Cilantro (Kotimeer)
1 tbsp oil

Method:
1. Chop green chillies and ginger, pound into a paste using a mortar & pestle (or a mixer), set aside.
2. Quarter aubergines and set aside. (You may use any other variety if small round ones are not available, chop into 2" pieces.) 
3. Heat oil to medium hot. Add Minappappu & Senagapappu. When they brown, add Mustard seeds, Asafoetida, Turmeric. When mustard seeds splutter, add the Ginger-green chilli paste and curry leaves. Let the paste fry for a minute.
4. Mix in the aubergines and salt. Cover and cook. You may add 2 tsps of water if needed (Aubergines generally go soft very easily and do not need water).
5. Uncover and stir every 4 minutes. Cook until the flesh turns moist with a translucent hue and the skin discolours (greenish grey/brown black), around 10 to 15 minutes. 
6. Add tamarind paste when almost done. 
7. Garnish with chopped Cilantro after it is done.  
    Serve with fresh hot rice. Pairs very well with Chapati.

Precautions/Variations:
1. Chopped aubergines turn dark brown/black due to oxidation. Hence, chop them just before you begin heating the oil. Alternatively, immerse them in salt water to prevent oxidation.
2. Some recipes do not use Tamarind paste.  
3. Some recipes instruct to add the ginger-green chilli paste right at the end before turning off the heat. 
4. Green chillies may be adjusted according to taste. Use less if they are fiery, use more if mild. 
5. Manual pounding with a mortar-pestle lends a unique texture to the ginger-green chilli paste. If using an electric mixer/grinder, you may need to add a few drops of water. 
6. The traditional recipe demands lot of oil. However, a healthier version can be made by first roasting/microwaving the aubergines and then frying with less oil. My raw aubergines are brownish as they are pre-roasted. 
7. This same recipe can be replicated with Cluster beans (Guar, Goru chikkudu kaaya) & Jaggery instead of Aubergines. 


Refer to Manju pinni's Vankáya Mudda Koora recipe for an alternate version. 


Culture & Health: 
Aubergine, Brinjal, Eggplant- Solanum melongen-  is native to India and hence extensively used in Indian cuisine. India is the world's largest producer after China. Its flesh absorbs oil & spice so beautifully that every cook loves to experiment with aubergine. 
Eggplant helps to block the formation of free radicals and is a rich source of folic acid & potassium. Unfortunately, those are the only good lines on dear aubergine. 
Aubergines are richer in Nicotine than any other edible plant. They are rich in Histamines and commonly lead to allergic reactions upon consumption (almost 10 % of the Indian population was allergic according to a study). They are classified as a 'Visham' (Poison) in Ayurveda & Yoga/Pranayama, a food full of negative energy, to be avoided like meat/garlic/onion! Homeopaths advise against consumption of aubergine when on homeopathic medication. 
Jains do not consume Aubergine as it is full of seeds, a seed is a capsule of potential life, hence consumption is against Jaina dharma's Ahimsa principle. 


Trivia:
For all aubergine lovers, I am so sorry, why are most yummy things bad for health? I tasted aubergine last week after over 7 long years, and my my, I think I love it! 
This is another Chivukula favourite. Krishna's favourite, Sudhakar uncle's favourite, Anji uncle's favourite, who else is in love with this yummy Visham? 
This is my mom-in-law (Indira aunty)'s recipe. Kameshwari didi says that whenever Indira aunty made this at home, it was usually clubbed with Menthi Majjiga or Majjiga pulusu as all these recipes use ginger-green chilli paste. 

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!