Spinach Stew

INGREDIENTS:

Spinach 1 bunch
Chana dal 1/2 cup
Tamarind a tsp(soaked in water)
Green chillis - 3
Jaggery  - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
water to boil 2 cups
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsps

For Seasoning:

Musterd seeds 1tsps
Cumin seeds 1tsps
Red chillis 3

Directions:

1. Wash and chop spinach.
2. Heat vessel add spinach and water.
3.Add chana dal and green chilli.
4.Add turmeric and salt and cook .
5.Take pure from soaked tamarind and add to the spinach when it is half cooked.
6.Add jaggary and chilli powder and cook them when it is done.
7. Heat oil in a pan add seasoning when it splitter add to the cooked spinach.

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Totakura Vadiyala Curry

Ingredients:

1 bunch Amaranth greens
1 medium Onion chopped
1 Tsp Mustard seeds
1 Tsp oil

For Vadiyalu:
1/2 cup split black gram
Ash gourd
Dry red chilli flakes to taste
1 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
2 pinches hing
oil to fry

Directions:

1. Wash black gram and soak for 3 hours. Drain away excess water and grind into a coarse/grainy tight paste/dough.
2. Cut the Ash gourd into smaller manageable chunks, carve out the white fleshy part of the vegetable and discard the tough peel.Chop the white flesh into small pieces.Set aside.
3. Add hing,Cumin,chillies and salt to the black gram dough and mix in thoroughly.
4. Place the cauldron of oil on heat for deep frying.Now drop small balls of dough in oil.Let them turn golden brown in color.Take them out and keep aside.
5. Remove leaves from Amaranth greens, discard the stems.Wash the leaves in cold running water, drain in a colander. Take a bunch of leaves, chop them lengthwise & breadthwise so that they are fine chopped.
6. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. When it is hot, add Mustard seeds. When they splutter, add chopped onion. When it  browns, add chopped Amaranth greens and salt. Cover and cook until they are soft, around 7 mins.You may add a tablespoon of water if needed.
7. Mix in the Vadiyalu into the cooked greens, cover and cook for 2 minutes.

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Muddha Pappu

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal
2 cups water
A pinch turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Directions:

• Clean toor dal well with water.
• Then pressure cook it up to 3 whistles by adding 2 cups of water.
• Afters the whistles are out turn of stove and keep it aside.
• Then add turmeric powder and salt and mash it well with a laddle.

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Green Chilli Chutney

Ingredients:

Green chillis - 10-12
Black gram dal/urad dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds(optional) - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Jaggery or sugar - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tsps
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Few curry leaves

Directions: 

• In a pan heat 2 tsps oil, add cumin seeds,after they are fried add the green chillis and fry for 3-4 mins and cool it aside.
• Add a tsp of oil add the urad dal and saute till the dal turns red and cool it aside.
• In a mixier,grind the fried green chili mixture, urad dal, jaggery, tamarind and salt to a paste. 
• Add bit water while grinding. 
• Heat oil in a pan,add the mustard and let them fry. 
• Add curry leaves and turn off heat. 
• Pour this seasoning over the chutney.  Serve with any tiffin like idli or dosa and rice.

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Onion Pakoda

Ingredients:

1 cup of finely sliced onions
1 cup Chickpea flour/Gram flour
1/4 cup Rice flour
Green chillies(finely sliced) - to taste
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
Curry leaves- 5 big leaves chopped fine
A pinch Cumin seeds
Hing to taste
1 big pinch of Turmeric powder
1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
Oil to fry

Directions:

• In a bowl, sift together the Gram flour, Rice flour, hing, turmeric and cumin seeds along with 2 tsps of oil. Knead well for even absorption of oil into flour mixture. Set aside.
• In another bowl, mix onions, green chillies, curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Wait for thirty seconds, salt makes water run out of the onions. Add red chilli powder. Just before you start preparing this bowl, place a wok of oil for heating.
• Then fold in the previous bowl's contents (the mixed flours) into this bowl and knead well. Add upto half a tsp of water if you feel the need.Our pakoda dough is done, the oil too should be medium hot by now. Drop a grain-sized amount of dough into the oil to test it, if it sinks & rises up foaming, our oil is ready.
• Drop small dollops of pakoda dough into the wok. Stir once in a while to fry evenly. When they are almost done, remove them onto a plate lined with blotting paper. They continue to cook & brown even after they're removed from the oil, hence they'll be perfectly done after they are out.
• Serve with tomato ketchup or any chutney of your choice.

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Pesarattu

Ingredients:

1 cup whole moong Dal
1 cup water
1 Onion
2 tsps Rice
1" ginger
3-4 green Chillies
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Soak moong dal and rice for about 8-10 hours in water.
2. Wash them and grind to make smooth paste by adding 1 cup of water along with the salt,chillies and ginger.
3. Heat non-stick pan on high flame and pour one ladle full of batter into the center of pan and spread it around in a circular fashion (from inside out) shaping the batter into a thin round.
4. Add finely chopped onions and sprinkle little oil on its sides and cook it for a minute.
5. Turn over and cook again for 1 more minute.
6. Serve hot with chutney.
   

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Methi Butter Milk

Ingredients

2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp chopped cilantro
salt to taste
For Seasoning:
1/2 tsp oil
A pinch of hing
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal & chana dal
A pinch turmeric powder
A pinch of methi powder
4-5 curry leaves
2 green chillis chopped
1″ ginger finely chopped

Directions:

1. Add chopped cilantro,little turmeric and salt to the buttermilk and keep aside.
2. Heat little oil in a pan on medium flame,do seasoning with above mentioned ingredients.When dals change color turn off stove and cool it down.
3. Then add this to above made buttermilk.
   Serve with plain rice.

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Semiya Upma

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Ingredients:

2 cups semiya, roast in a tsp of ghee for 4-5 mins till golden brown
1 finely sliced large onion

3 cups water
3-4 slit green chillis
1″ ginger finely chopped
1 tsp chopped cilantro (optional)
1/2 tsp oil
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal and chana dal
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
2. Add the urad,chana dal, cumin seeds and saute them till the dal turn slightly brown.
3. Add green chillis,curry leaves and ginger and saute for 2 mins.
4. Add the chopped onions and saute on medium heat for 4 mins.
5. add 3 cups of water and add salt. bring it to boil.
6. Now, reduce heat and add the semiya and mix it lightly and see that no lumps form and it combines well.
7. Cover with lid and stir occasionally till water evaporates & semiya is cooked.
8. Add tsp of ghee and garnish with coriander leaves.
9. Serve hot with chutney or pickle of your choice.

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Ravva Upma

Ingredients:
1 cup Upma rava (Sooji)

2.5 cups water

For Seasoning:

1 tsp Black gram seeds

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 chopped green chillies
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 medium sized onion(finely chopped)
Peanuts to taste
A pinch Turmeric powder
A Pinch hing
A few curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl heat oil and do seasoning with above mentioned ingredients.When the nuts change color add water.
2. Boil water,when water starts bubbling reduce flame and add sooji slowly by stirring without lumps.
3. Now allow it to cook completely on a low flame till the water is evoparated with a lid covered.
4. Serve hot.
   

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Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups boiled rice

2 large lemons

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

For Seasoning:

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsps oil

2 tsps Chana daal

2 tsps green gram dal

5 Dry Red Chillies

1/2 tsp hing

Few Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Sesame seeds

2 tsps Peanuts

Broken Cashwenuts

Fine chopped Green chillies to taste

Directions:

1. In a bowl take the cooled boiled rice and add turmeric powder,salt,sugar,lemon juice and mix well.keep it a side.
2. In a bowl heat oil,add dry red chillies(broken),mustard seeds,cumin seeds,channa dal,green gram dal,hing,curry leaves,green chillies,peanuts and cashew nuts.
3. Once all the nuts turn brown,add this seasoning to above mixed rice.
4. Adjust salt and lemon to taste.
   

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Menthi Pappu Curry

Ingredients:

Methi leaves - a bunch
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Tomato -
Green chillies(halved) - 2
Tamarind Extract - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

For Seasoning :

1 tsp of oil , mustard seeds, cumin and urad dal
Few curry leaves
Pinch of hing powder

Directions:

Cooking dal : In a pressure cooker, take toor dal, methi leaves, tomato, green chillies, and turmeric -one and half cups of water and pressure cook them till 3 whistles.When the valve pressure is all released, remove the lid, add tamarind, half teaspoon of salt and cook for 2 more minutes.

Seasoning : In a small pan heat one tsp oil, add the remaining seasoning ingredients.Saute till the seeds start crackling and add it to above cooked dal

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Garlic Rice

Ingredients:

2 cup cooked rice

2 tsps crashed garlic
2 green chillies chopped
2 tsps cashew-nuts

1 tsp almond
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsps ghee
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Take a heavy wok and heat ghee in it.
• Now add garlic and green chilies to it.
• Once garlic turns golden in color, add the dry fruits and roast for half a minute.
• Now add the cooked rice, sprinkle salt and pepper and mix well.
• Garnish the Garlic Rice with fresh cilantro and serve.

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Spicy Baingan

Ingredients:
 
Brinjal - 500 gms
Greed chillies slit - 2
Onions chopped - 2
Cashew nuts - 3 tsps
Red Chilli powder - 2 tsps
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste 
Dried Fenugreek - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 to 5 tsps
Cilantro leaves chopped
For Masala:
Fresh coconut chopped - 75 gms
Poppy seeds - 4 tsps
Green chilli - 1

Directions:

Chop onions and slit green chillies.

Masala for the brinjal curry : Take fresh coconut and chop into pieces.Slit one green chilli,add the coconut,poppy seeds and chilli and blend it to a smooth paste by adding little water. Remember the paste should not be runny.Keep this aside.
 
Now heat a tsp of oil in a pan and add the brinjal slices.Sprinkle some salt and turmeric and cook for just 5-10 mins until they turn tender.Keep them aside.
 
In the same pan heat the remaining oil.Add cashew buts and green chillies.Saute for a minute and then add in chopped onions.when they turn little soft add the ginger garlic paste and fry the raw smell goes off and the onions turn super soft.

Add in the poppy seed and coconut paste and mix well.Allow it to cook for 5 mins.Then add in all the spice powders including chilli powder,coriander powder,garam masala and some salt.Adjust little water and cook the paste till the raw smell goes off and oil starts oozing out.

This will take approximately 15 mins.When the spicy paste is cooked,add in Dried fenugreek leaves.

Finally add in the cooked brinjal and gently fold them well.Make sure not to stir is hardly as the brinjal may become mashy as it is already cooked.Cook it covered on low flame for 10 more mins and garnish with cilantro leaves.

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