Pacha Pulusu ( no cooking rasam)

This hot summer, try this light and cool rasam.

Serves 4

Ingredients :

1 cup finely chopped Onions

2 cup tamrind juice

1/2 cup water

2 tbps chopped Cilantro

2 tsp Jaggery

8 green chillies finely chopped

salt to taste

Method:

1.In a 1 quart bowl crush greenchill , onions with salt .

2.Add cilantro and tamrind juice.

3.Add water and Jaggery to adjust tanginess to your taste.

4.Serve cool with hot rice and ghee.

Note :

You can sever this rasam as a soup as well.

For more flavour you can add tempering.

Idli / Steamed rice cakes

Idli the steamed wonder! Idli Sambar with vada is a breakfast that I can eat everyday without getting bored.

Idli making is generally a 2 day process, so lets get started...

Idli recipe

3 cups idli rice

1 cup urad dal /black gram

1 tbps methi seeds / fenugeek

1/2 tsp dry yest (optional)

1/2 tsp baking powder(optional)

salt to taste

Method:

For Batter:

1. Soak urad dal and idli rice in separate container overnight or for about 8 hrs.

2. Grind the rice to a coarse texture and set aside.

3. Grind urad dal separately till a shiny sheen appears on the surface.

4. Mix the ground rice , urad dal and salt.

5. You can add yeast to you batter so as to help ferment faster. It is completely optional.

6. Close the lid and store the batter in a warm area.

7. Let the batter ferment for about 8 to 10 hours.

8. If the batter is well fermented your batter will be almost double.

Steaming idis:(this is the easy part )

1. Add baking powder to the batter and mix well.

2.Coat the idli plates with very little oil.This will make it easier for you to remove steamed idlies later.

3. Add idli batter into each depressing about 3/4 of the depressing. (If your idli batter is well fermented it will puff up to double the volume).

4. Steam the idlis for about 15 minutes.

5. Once the steam has escaped open the steamer/cooker lid. Remove the plates and let it cool for a minute.

6. With a spoon scoop out idlies by loosening the edges 1st.

7. Add a drop of ghee if you like and serve hot with sambar or chutney.

Note:

1. Make sure you do not add excess water, or the batter will become runny.If you place a drop of batter it must retain the shape.

2.You can soak about 3 cups of rice rava / cream of rice instaed of soaking and grinding rice.

3. Fermenting idli batter in winter might take more than 10 hours.

4. I generally add yeast during summers so as to skip adding baking soda altogether.

Sambar for idli

This tangy Sambar completes the idli. Idli can be eaten with various chutneys and podis but I don't feel satisfied until there is sambar with it. I prepare this sambar specially for idli and vada, but it tastes good with rice as well. I end up eating more sambar than idli, the combi is simply the best. Some people like to immerse the idli in sambar like I do, but others prefer it in a cup, either way it is yummy! So what are we waiting for?

Sambar Recipe:

1 cup Thoor dal / split pigeon pea

1 cup Tamrind juice

1 small Onion chopped lengthwise (optional)

1 pound small Onions / pearl onions

5 juicy Tomatoes finely chopped.

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Jeera / Cumin

1/2 cup chopped Cilantro

1/4 tsp crushed Jaggery

1 pinch Hing.

1 sprig Curry leaves

Salt to taste.

For grinding:

1 tsp Ghee /clarified butter

2 tbps Oil

1 inch Cinnamon

8 Cloves

2 Marati moggu

1/2 tsp Urad dal/split black gram

1/2 tsp Channa dal

1/3 cup grated Coconut.

2 tsp Curry powder/Rasam powder

Method:

1. Pressure cook thoor dal and turmeric with adequate water.Let it whistle for atleast 3 times.

2. Let it cool. Once cool mash the dal .

3. Heat Ghee in a pan and roast Cinnamon,Cloves and marati moggu, till cloves swell.

4. Add urad dal and channa dal and fry till crisp and golden brown.

5. Grind the fried mixture along with coconut , curry powder and water to a fine paste.

6. In a deep sauce pan, heat oil add mustard seeds, cumin, hing and curry leaves.

7. Once the curry leaves are crisp , add onions.

8. Fry onions till they are translucent and then add tomato.

9. Fry tomatoes for about a minute.

10. Add the mashed dal and tamrind water.

11. Add crushed Jaggery and stir.

12. Add the ground masala and boil for 3 to 4 minutes.

13. Add salt and garnish with cilantro.

14. Serve hot with hot idli , vada or rice.

Note:

If you prefer spicy Sambar add extra Rasam powder.

If your rasam powder is not very spicy you can add about 1/4 tsp chilli powder to 1 tsp rasam powder to make it more spicy.

Chakku Dosa

Chakku dosa tastes best with Onion Chutney or Yaragaddala Mirumu ! Traditionally this dosa mixture is milled with washed rice and channa dal in mills.This is a instant version of the same.Try this unique south Indian dosa today.

Ingredients:

1 cup cream of rice

1/4 cup Gram flour /Besan

1 cup sour curd

1 cup butter milk (optional)

salt to taste

For seasoning

1 tbsp oil

1 pinch Asofoetida

1 sprig curry leaves (optional)

1 tsp channa dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 to 3 red chillies broken into 1/2

Method:

1. Mix cream of rice , gram flour, salt and curd.Soak the mixture for at least 4 hours.If the mixture is very thick add water.

2.In a small pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, Asfoetida, curry leaves , channa dal and red chillies.Fry till crisp.

3.Add the seasoning to the batter just before making dosa.

4.Add buttermilk or water to the dosa batter to bring it to a flowy consistency.

5.Make dosa on a tawa.

6.Add few drops of oil over the edges of the tawa.

7.Cover the tawa with a lid and heat it on medium flame.

8.When the edges turn red and crispy flip it over and heat it for about a minute.

9.Serve hot with ghee and Onion chutney.

Note:

Make dosa on a Concave tawa / Appam tawa.Pour the batter on the edge of the Tawa , so that the batter flows towards the center.Add additional batter if required to make the dosa complete.

Palak Papu \Spinach Lentil curry

One of the mild but rich in nutrients dal.Try this easy dal.

Ingredients:

1 cup Thoor Dal

1 cup chopped Spinach \Palak

5 or 6 Green chillies slit

5 to 6 Garlic cloves slit

1 pinch turmeric

Salt to taste

For seasoning

1 tsp oil

1 pinch Asofoetida

1 sprig curry leaves (optional)

1 tsp channa dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin

2 to 3 red chillies broken into 1/2

Method:

1.Pressure cook toor dal, turmeric, green chillies, garlic and chopped spinach with sufficient water.

2.In a small pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, Asfoetida, curry leaves, cumin, channa dal, and red chillies.Fry till crisp.

3. Add salt and seasoning to the dal and stir.

4.Serve hot with cooked rice or roti.

Note:

Let the pressure cooker whistle for an extra whistle than usual to get a well done and soft dal.

Serve palak papu along with raw chopped onions and fried sour chillies.

Noone Vankaya / Stuffed eggplant gravy

Noone Vankaya or Nuna Vankaya or stuffed eggplant is the gravy version of its cousin Gutti Vankaya .It tasts best with Jowar rotti or Jaloda rotti .It always reminds me to Kamath yatriniva's jolada rotti!At home we love to combine Noone vankaya with rava rotti or rice.Try this yummy stuffed eggplant today!

Noone Vankaya or Nuna Vankaya recipe:

3 tbsp oil

1 sprig curry leaves

1 pound small brinjals / eggplant

1 medium onion , sliced lengthwise.

1/4 cup tamarind juice

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp crushed Jaggery

1 tbps chopped cilantro

For stuffing

1 tsp oil

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2 tsp Coriander seeds

3 tbps sesame seeds
3 tbps Groundnuts

3 tbps grated Coconut

8 Red Chillies
4 cloves of Garlic
salt to taste.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and roast cumin, coriander ,groundnuts, seasame seeds and red chillies.

2. Transfer it to a cool plate\bowl and let it cool.

3. Grind the roasted mixture along with coconut, garlic to a fine powder. Do not add water.The mixture should be dry.

4. Transfer the mixture to a cup.

5. Slit the eggplants into 4 , from the round end to about 3/4 the way up so as to retain the stalk.

6. Stuff the powder in between the eggplant and gently press.

7. In a pressure cooker heat oil and add mustard seeds and curry leaves.

8. Fry onions till they are 1/2 done.

9. Add Stuffed eggplants and fry them till they start turning golden brown. Make sure you roll around the eggplant so that it cooks evenly.

10. Add the remaining or left over stuffing powder (if you have any).

11. Add tamarind juice and cook for about for 3 minutes.

12. Add about 1 cup water and close the cooker lid.

13. Wait for 1 whistle and switch off the stove.

14. Once the cooker cools down and the steam has escaped, remove the lid , add jaggery and stir.

15. Garnish with cilantro.

16. Serve hot with rice or chapati or any rotti .

Note:

1.You can use coriander and cumin powder in place of Coriander and cumin seeds.

2.Make sure you don't of lot of water content before you pressure cook or your eggplants might end up mashy.

Peanut Chutney / Kallekaya chutney

I will bet that peanut lovers are in for a treat. If you are a peanut lover wether it is a raw/fried peanuts or peanutbutter, Kallekaya chutney is going to be on top of your list next time you think of chutney! This is my hubby's favorite side for Idlis, dosas and chapathi. At home we prepare slightly different from this recipe , this one is inspired from Andhra Pradesh (Vijayawada). Since the discovery of this recipe we have liked no other! Try this nutty chutney today.

Kallekaya chutney recipe:

1 cup peanuts

1 tbps tamrind juice

3 green chillies

1/2 tsp oil

salt

For seasoning

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp jeera / cumin seeds

1 pinch Hing

Method

1 . Heat oil in a pan and add peanuts. Roast the peanuts for couple of minutes or till the peanuts are slightly brown.

2. Transfer the peanuts to a cup and let it cool.

3. Grind peanuts, salt, tamarind juice and green chillies.

4. In a small pan heat oil and add mustard seeds , hing and cumin seeds till they sputter.

5. Serve with Idli , dosa or chapathi.

Note:

If the chutney is little sour for your taste add very little Jaggery to adjust to your taste.

Mixed Veg curry (South Indian Style)

Sometimes, we have a bit of every vegetable. The best way to finish them all is to make a mixed vegetable curry. For this you need

Ingredients needed

1 carrot sliced into thin pieces

1/3rd cup beans cut lengthwise

1 potato chopped into cubes

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup chopped cauliflower

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Hind

turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp chilly powder

1 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1) Fry mustard seeds in oil and add beans to it. Cook it for 10 mts or until beans gets almost half cooked.

2) Now add potato, carrot, cauliflower and peas.

3) Add turmeric powder, hing, chilly powder and salt. Stir well.

4) Cook it well and serve it with dal or any gravy along with plain rice.

Goddu Rasam

Rasam - the South Indian soup often made with tamarind water is one of the comfort food which can be eaten along with plain rice or enjoyed as soup.You will find many varieties of Rasam. Goddu Rasam is one of the easiest recipes to make. This also does not require dal water. For this you need

Ingredients

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

Small Lemon Size Tamarind

Hing/ asafoetida

Salt to taste

3 green chillies cut lengthwise

2 red chillies broken

1 tbsp oil for frying

6-8 Curry leaves

Chopped coriander leaves

Method

1) Soak tamarind it hot water. Let it cool a bit. Squeeze the pulp and drain all the juice in a container. Add some more water to the pulp and extract some more tamarind juice. Keep it aside.

2) Take a frying pan with 1 tbsp oil.

3) Add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Then add green chillies sliced lengthwise, red chillies broken into halves, curry leaves and hing.

4) Add the tamarind juice to it. Add some salt.

5) Keep it for boil. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Once it is boiling, add 1/3 cup water and simmer it. Heat it up well.

6) Once it heats up but not boiling, remove from the stove and season it with chopped coriander leaves.