Tomato upma recipe ,How to make Tomato Rava Upma

Upma is a popular breakfast in maharashtra and south India

upma and poha are two breakfast dishes i make when i am in a hurry as they are quick to prepare with easily available ingredients.

I prepare it with the standard upma seasoning redolent with the fresh flavor of curry leaves and green chillis, and tomatoes being the main star ingredient.

 the reason being i like a  recipes made with tomatoes. the tang from the tomatoes uplifts the overall flavor in this upma which is tangy and  spicy.

i have not added any veggie except tomato but you may add carrots,green peas,beans,corns etc in addition to tomato to enhance nutrition value


 tomato upma is best served hot drizzled with a bit of ghee on top.

For variation i have added 1/4 tsp red chilli powder ,in case you are not using red chilli powder you can increase green/red chilli to 3 or 4 .also you can try adding 1 tbsp sambhar powder , bisi bele bath masala powder or vangi bath powder in this tomato upma.




Ingredients
•1 cups semolina (rava-medium size),
 •2 1/2 to 3 cups water,
 •2 chopped tomato
 •1 onion chopped
 •2 red/green chilies, 1  teaspoon(s) ginger chopped
 •1/4 cup soaked and shelled peanuts or broken cashewnuts,
 •2 tsp sugar,
 •salt to taste,¼  tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder (can also add vangi bath powder or bisi bele bath powder)
 •2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) /oil,
 •2 tsp mustard seeds + 2 tsp split black gram (udid dal)+1 tbsp bengal gram (chana dal)
 •1/2 teaspoon asafoetida,
 •10-12 curry leaves,
 •coconut and coriander leaves for garnishing.

Method:

1.Put 1 tsp ghee in a pan. Roast rava over medium heat till the color changes to golden brown and it gives out nice aroma. (for 10 to 15 minutes)
 2.Keep water to boil in a pan
 3.Heat ghee/oil in a pan.add hing. Add urad dal,bengal gram, mustard. As the dal turns reddish, alternatively, when the mustard seeds crackle, add asafoetida, chilies, curry leaves,chopped ginger and peanuts or cashewnuts. Fry for some time. Add tomato & chopped onion, & saute for 2 minutes.next add rawa & mix it well. Add salt and sugar and keep stirring
 4.When the water comes to a boil, add water slowly  mixing after each addition, to keep from forming lumps.. Remove the lumps, if any
 5.Now cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 tsp ghee and again sprinkle some water over the uppama to make it soft. Cover for a minute.squeeze 1 tspn lemon juice.
 6.Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. drizzle 1 tsp ghee on each bowl and serve hot with mango or chili pickle.



Tips and Variations:

1)corn kernals,green peas, chopped carrots, can be added for a different taste.
2)The proportion mentioned here is for medium size semolina. You may use coarse semolina. Then, for 2 cups of semolina, use 4 to 5 cups of water. For fine rava, reduce the amount of water to 3 cups.
3)Drizzle a little bit of ghee on top before serving.
4)Try garnishing with 'shev/sev' (fried noodles).
5)Ghee is very important to impart flavor to this dish. A combination of oil and ghee/butter can also be used.

Amla Rice,Nellikai Sadam,Usirikaya pulihora,Gooseberry Rice Recipe

Amla / Awla / Gooseberry is a super fruit and it has numerous health benefits.

Amla(known as 'usirikaya' in telugu and 'nellikai' in tamil and kannada) is rich in vitamin C and is very essential to include it in our diet frequently.



 One should eat amla daily as it is well known for its health benefits and is proved to be the best immune boosters. It is high in vitamin C and a great source of antioxidants.








It helps to control diabetes, heart diseases and protects us from cancer. Due to its high anti-oxidants, it slows down ageing.



This amla rice recipe is  called as usirikaya pulihora in telugu.....I made it simple just like lemon rice.

Ingredients
Cooked Rice - 1 and 1/4 cups
Amla - 1/2 cup heaped grated
To temper
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a small sprig
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 3/4 tsp
Chana Dal - 2 tsp
8-10 Cashew nuts,broken
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Red Chillies - 2
green chillies - 1
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - a small pinch

Method :
1.Wash and soak the rice for 10 to 15 minutes with 2 cups of water.Prepare the rice either in pressure cooker or rice cooker.spread it with a tsp of oil.Cool the rice completely.
2.Wash amla, grate it using a grater,Discard the seeds...Set aside.Heat oil in a pan - add the items under 'to temper' table, let mustard seeds splutter.
3.Fry till dals turn golden brown then add grated amla and saute for 2-3mins.
4.Add cooked rice to the amla seasoning and mix gently.
5.Serve hot with papad or any curry of your choice.
















Tips
Use amla as per sourness of amla. Some amla are very sour and may make the rice very sour.
You can use leftover rice too to make variety rice.If you are using hot rice,make it well in advance fluff and spread it with oil and keep aside.
If you wish you can even add onion for extra crunch.
Adjust the number of green chillies in the recipe accordingly.I prefer to make this rice spicy and tangy.

Hyderabadi khatti Dal ,Khatti Dal Hyderabad style

Mention of hyderabad makes me nostalgic , today another recipe from hyderabadi cuisine that is hyderabadi khatti dal

this khatti dal is a popular lentil recipe made from split pigeon peas or arhar dal or toor dal
the word ‘khatti‘ translates to ‘sour’ in english. so the exact translation of ‘khatti dal‘ will be ‘sour lentils’.

Hyderabadi Khatti Dal is kind of like a lentil soup with a slight tangy flavor due to the addition of tamarind concentrate

this khatti dal goes well with basmati rice, jeera rice, chappati or rotis.

Ingredients

1 Cup Tuvar dal (Yellow lentils)/Masoor Dal (Red Lentils)
1 Tomato (finely chopped)
½ inch  Ginger
2 garlic crushed
1 tbsp Red chilli powder
pinch Turmeric powder

other ingredients
1 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
2-4 green chillies finely chopped
Raw Tamarind juice (imli ka khata)/Lemon juice
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt – to taste

For seasoning (Baghar)
4 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Black mustard seeds
6-8 Garlic Cloves smashed
2 Dried Red chilliies 
6-8 Curry Leaves
pinch hing


For Garnish

Coriander leaves (finely chopped )

Method :

1. In a pressure cooker add tuvar dal  tomato,ginger, garlic paste red chilli powder & turmeric powder.Let pressure cook for about 8-9 whistles until the lentil is tender(paste).mash the dal with a madani, wooden spoon or hand blender till smooth.

2.Then in a large saucepan at medium heat ,add the lentil paste,imli ka khata,coriander powder, green chilli,salt to taste, curry leaves along with salt.stir in the ¾ or 1 cup water .

3. keep the dal on a low flame and simmer for 8-10 minutes till the raw aroma of the tamarind goes away and the all the flavors have blended well and the dal has reached a medium consistency.cover and keep the cooked dal aside.

4.heat oil in a small frying pan. crackle the cumin seeds first.then add the garlic and fry for 4-5 seconds. add the dry red chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida.fry till the red chilies change their color and the curry leaves become crisp.pour this tempering and stir.cover and keep aside the khatti dal for 5-6 minutes for the flavors to mingle.

5 Garnish with coriander and serve with basmati rice

Green Peas Mint Masala Gravy,Pudina Matar Masala,Fresh peas mint curry,

Fresh Green Peas / Matar are abundantly available in the winter season . I had prepared lots of recipes using fresh peas like dry curries,tikkis,parathas and various gravies using green peas.

This fresh peas  minty gravy was in my to do list since a long time
In Kannada this Pudina Peas gravy  is called 'Hasi Batani Kaalu Gojju' where 'Hasi Batani Kaalu' stands for 'Fresh Peas' and 'Gojju' is typically a South Indian style 'Gravy'.

This green peas mint gravy is really refreshing and a very delicious gravy.This is a typical south Indian gravy which is really delicious and is well balanced with the sweet fresh peas spiced up in the aromatic mint gravy


Recipe source :chef and her kitchen. I have followed exact recipe with few minor changes in the original recipe
I strongly recommend you to try this with fresh green peas atleast once

Ingredients:
1.5 cups fresh shelled Green Peas
1 cup loosely packed fresh Mint leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed  fresh Coriander leaves
1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut
7-8 Green chillies(adjust the quantity)
half inch ginger , 2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp Fried gram ( i didnt use it)
Lemon  juice squeezed of a half lemon
1/2" Cinnamon
2-3 Cloves
a sprig of Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste


Method:

1. Grind mint leaves with coriander leaves,grated coconut,fried gram,cinamom,cloves ,ginger ,garlic and  green chillies to a smooth paste.Open the mixer jar and keep otherwise you will loose the green color if it is closed for long.
2 Microwave the fresh green peas for 3-4 mins with a pinch of sugar.This will make sure the peas retain their green color through out the cooking process.Drain and keep them aside.
3 Heat oil in the kadai and crackle mustard seeds and add hing let them splutter.Add curry leaves and boiled and drained fresh green peas and fry for 2-3 minutes.
4 Add ground mint masala and fry the masala for 5-6 mins until the oil leaves the edges and the raw smell disappears.
5 Add 1 cup of water and salt to it and mix well and let it simmer for another 5 mins. cover it with lid slightly so that the gravy does not splutter outside.Do not cover the kadai/pan completely with the lid otherwise you will loose the lovely green color of the gravy.Switch off the flame and add lemon juice to it and mix well.
6 Serve it hot with triangular Chapati or even Jeera rice.

Rava Vermicelli Upma

Upma is a popular maharashtrian breakfast dish Upma is usually made with Semolina (called Rava or Suji in India).

A huge number of variations of Upma are made with whole or refined ground wheat and rice of varied grain size, vermicelli, Durum wheat semolina or pearl sago. A wide range of vegetables may be added, and may be garnished with a variety of beans (raw or sprouted), cashew and peanuts.
For a variation called masala upma, sambar masala or garam masala is added along with red chilli powder, instead of green chillies.

todays recipe is made with combination of rava and vermicelli and i have used greenpeas to increase nutritional value. you can add any veggies like tomato , carrots ,beans etc


Ingredients
• half cups semolina (rava-medium size) + half cup vermicelli
•2 1/2 to 3 cups water,
•1 chopped tomato
•1 onion chopped + 1/4 cup green peas
•3-4 red/green chilies,
•1/4 cup soaked and shelled peanuts or broken cashewnuts,
•2 tsp sugar,
•salt to taste,
•2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) /oil,
•2 tsp mustard seeds or 2 tsp split black gram (udid dal),
•1/2 teaspoon asafoetida,
•10-12 curry leaves,
•coconut and coriander leaves plus lemon juice for garnishing.


Method
1.Put 1 tsp ghee in a pan. Roast rava over medium heat till the color changes to golden brown and it gives out nice aroma. (for 10 to 15 minutes)
 2.Keep water to boil in a pan
 3.Heat ghee/oil in a pan.add hing. Add udid dal or mustard. As the dal turns reddish, alternatively, when the mustard seeds crackle, add asafoetida, chilies, curry leaves and peanuts or cashewnuts. Fry for some time. Add tomato & chopped onion, & saute for 2 minutes.next add rawa and semolina & mix it well. Add salt and sugar and keep stirring
 4.When the water comes to a boil, add water slowly  mixing after each addition, to keep from forming lumps.. Remove the lumps, if any
 5.Now cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 tsp ghee and again sprinkle some water over the uppama to make it soft. Cover for a minute.squeeze 1 tspn lemon juice.
 6.Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot with mango or chili pickle.

Tips and Variations:


1)Chopped onions, green peas, chopped carrots, tomatoes can be added for a different taste. If you add tomatoes, you may skip the yogurt.
2)The proportion mentioned here is for medium size semolina. You may use coarse semolina. Then, for 2 cups of semolina, use 4 to 5 cups of water. For fine rava, reduce the amount of water to 3 cups.
3)Drizzle a little bit of ghee on top before serving.
4)Try garnishing with 'shev/sev' (fried noodles).

Poha idli recipe ,Soft fluffy Aval Idli

being an idli dosa fan ,I keep on searching for variation in Idli recipes or dosa recipes
todays recipe is poha idli which i referred from Tarla Dalal website .

Flattened rice (also called beaten rice) is a dehusked rice which is flattened into flat light dry flakes.poha  is known by various names

 It is known by a variety of names: Pauaa/Paunva (પૌંઆ) in Gujarati, "Poya" in Rajasthani, Chuda in Oriya, Atukulu in Telugu (Atukulu), Aval in Tamil(அவல்) and Malayalam(അവൽ), Chiura in parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, Chira in Bengali (চিঁড়া) and Assamese, Chiura (चिउरा) in Maithili, Nepali, Bhojpuri and Chhattisgarhi, Poha[1] or Pauwa in Hindi, Baji in Newari, Pohe in Marathi, Phovu in Konkani, Avalakki (ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ) in Kannada

Super soft idlis made with a combination of broken and beaten rice, the Poha Idli is also relatively convenient to make compared to the traditional idli because idli rawa is used instead of whole idli rice. This helps you make the batter quicker and also ensures a perfect consistency, without having to worry about how coarse the rice has to be ground. Remember to grind the poha-rice mix and the soaked urad separately, to get perfect idlis. Enjoy hot and fresh with your favourite chutney and sambhar.





Ingredients
1 cup rice semolina (idli rawa)
1/4 cup beaten rice (poha)
1/4 cup urad dal (split black lentils)
 salt to taste
 oil for greasing
 

Method
 1.Clean, wash and soak the idli rava and beaten rice in water for at least 2 hours.
2.Clean, wash the urad dal thoroughly and soak it in water for at least 2 hours.
3.Drain the idli rava and rice, combine together and blend in a mixer to a smooth batter.
4.Darin and blend the urad dal separately to a smooth paste using a little water.
5.Combine the two batters, add salt and mix well. Cover and keep aside to ferment for 6 to 8 hours.
6.Put spoonfuls of the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 10 to 12 minutes.
7.Repeat with the remaining batter to make more idlis.
8.Serve hot WITH SAMBHAR OR CHUTNEY

Pyaaz pakoda,Onion pakora south style,how to make andhra style onion pakora

Pyaz pakoda ,yet another any time favourite recipe of mine.

But this is slightly different in taste than our marathi kanda bhaji or khekda bhaji even though it uses onions..

  

Onion Pakoda is a deep fried batter snack made of gram flour (besan), other spices and onions. Unlike the potato bajji or the banana chilli bajji, the batter for the onion pakoda is different.



It is more of a south ,specially andhra style pyaaz pakoda.

The addition of green chilies ( no red chilli powder) , ginger julienes , Jeera, curry leaves and cashew nuts make it different than  our khekda bhaji.
also read the process carefully as some oil is added to dry besan flour along with some soda which gives it a crumbly texture.

Also green chilli should be cut length wise ,dont cut it round.

i had tasted this bhajiya in a restaurant in bangalore while watching cricket matches.

I am so glad that i found this recipe on  vah re vah chef sanjay thumas video.
definitely a must try recipe ,so if you are a bhajiya lover like me than go for it


Ingredients
curry leaves  2 sprigs ( about 10-15 leaves)
oil  To Fry
salt   To Taste
Ginger finely sliced  1 inch Piece
big Onion  1 Cup
Green chillies  3-4 Numbers
baking pdr  1/2 Teaspoons
oil or butter  2 Tablespoons
Rice Flour  1/4 Cup
Gram Flour Besan  1 Cup
jeera   - 1 tsp
cashewnuts  - 10 pieces ( soak in water for ten minutes before adding to batter)




Method:

1.Take a bowl add very thin sliced onions, green chillies, ginger sliced, curry leaves, if you want to add cashewnuts soke in water for 10min and then add it to the onions, add salt and mix well.





2.In another bowl add besan, rice flour, salt, jeera, baking powder, 2 tbsp oil and mix it nicely with your fingers.



 3.Now add the onion mixture. Mix well if need sprinkle water and mix well again so that besan sticks to onion mixture .




4.Heat oil ,reduce flame to medium and throw spoonful of bhajiya with a spoon in hot oil , deep fry till it is golden brown.

Idli Upma Recipe,Easy South Idli upma with Leftover idlis

DONT KNOW WHAT TO TO WITH LEFTOVER IDLIS ?

Answer is : "IDLI UPMA"




Idli upma is a very simple and delicious dish made with leftover idlis.This is a very common breakfast dish in South India, which can be prepared in no time.
It is really interesting to see how a simple boring idli turns into this colorful upma...

You can prepare this upma even if your idlis are hard.This upma is so delicious that you will find yourself making extra idlis just to prepare this upma.

Ingredients 

Crumbled idli - 2 cups
Onion -1 cup finely chopped
Tomato chopped- 1 small
Finely chopped carrot -2 tblsp
Green chilli -3 finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Idli Podi - 1 1/2 tsp (optional but highly recommended)
Salt as required

Seasoning /Tadka

Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Mustard -1 tsp
Bengal gram (Chana dal) - 3/4 tsp
Urad dal(urad dal) - 3/4 tsp
Red chillies -2
Hing - generous pinch
Curry leaves - few




Method:

1.Crumble the idlis  coarsely with your fingers or you can use the mixie for better results.Cut the idlis into 2-3 pieces and put it in the mixie and pulse it for a few seconds.

2.Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add bengal gram, urad dal, red chillies, hing and curry leaves.

3.When dal turns golden brown, add finely chopped onions, green chillies,Carrots,tomatoes, ginger, turmeric powder, salt needed and saute till onions turns transparent.Then add the crumbled idli, idli podi and mix well.Check for salt.

4.Garnish with coriander leaves .It tastes good by itself but if you prefer you can have it with coconut chutney

Tips

Refrigerating the idlis gives beautiful crumble of the idlies. More you refrigerate, easy to crumble. 
 Do not prepare this upma with hot idlis.The idlis have to be cold, so that it will get crumbled nicely.
You can add a tsp of coconut with onions which gives a nice flavour.
can add veggies of your choice to above recipe

Gummadikaya pulusu recipe,Andhra Pumpkin curry,Bhopla,kaddu rassa bhaji

Another Andhra special recipe today - Gummadikaya pulusu recipe  .if you are a regular visitor you must be aware of my love for hyderabad and andhra food



Now for all people wondering what is this ,gummadikaya means pumpkin in english,kaddu in hindi and bhopla in marathi and stew .

Pulusu is a simple sweet, sour stew of andhra. pulusu made using gummadikaya is gummadikaya pulusu. It is served with rice and makes a comfort meal .

pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health.

 

Pulusu is made mostly with vegetables like potato, drumstick, pumpkin, ladyfinger, yam, bottle gourd and ridge gourd.Some folks use rice flour, methi powder or coriander powder to make the pulusu slightly thick.

This is a No garlic, no garam masala recipe .Yummy is a word which i use to describe it - A perfect healthy balance of sweet,sour and spicy



Ingredients
1 cup of cubed pumpkin pieces
2 green chili sliced
2 red chilli broken into pieces
1 medium chopped onions
1 sprig curry leaves
pinch of mustard
pinch of cumin / jeeera
pinch of fenugreek seeds / menthulu
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
tamarind juice as needed ( about 2-3 tbsp)
2 tsp red chili powder(adjust as per your taste)
1 tsp coriander cumin powder
grated jaggery as needed (1.5 to 2 tbsp)
salt to taste
coriander fistful chopped
Oil 2 tbsp

Method

1.soak tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes, squeeze and extract the thick juice.remove skin of pumpkin and cut into 1 inch cubes ,chop onion and slice green chillies
2.Heat the oil in a deep skillet on medium heat and add channa dal, urad dal, red chilli and fry , add cumin and mustard seeds once the dals starts turning into golden brown and allow them to crackle, add hing and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Now add green chillies, curry leaves, ginger, and sauté for couple of minutes
3.Add onions and sprinkle salt and fry till they turn slightly pink, needs no browning of onions
4.Add the pumpkin pieces, fry on high for 2 mins.
5.Add red chili powder, turmeric and fry for a min.now cover and cook on low flame till pumpkin is slightly cooked
6.Add jaggery and  tamarind juice, mix, cover and cook on a low flame for 3 mins. this enhances the taste of the pumpkin pieces.
7.Add 1 tbsp rice flour mixed with 1/4 cup of water enough to cover the pumpkin pieces , add coriander cumin powder.
8.Cover and cook till pumpkin is fully done. cooking on a very low flame makes the pulusu tasty.
9.switch off the heat and add coriander .This goes really well with rice, ghee

Vankaya Gasagasalu kura recipe, how to make Andhra Brinjal poppy seeds curry

Another finger smacking delicious brinjal curry from ANDHRA Cuisine namely vankaya gasagasalu kura.

vankaya is brinjal in english or vanga in marathi and baingan in hindi.

gasagasalu means poppy seeds in english and khas khas in hindi or marathi.

This curry comes from andhra and as you all know andhra is famous for its spicy curries, this is one among them



An exotic Andhra-style rich celebration dish with smooth, warm and rich flavors. No onions or tomatoes .The main ingredient being poppy seeds which lend the dish its body and a subtle sweet flavor.

This curry has a base of poppy seeds for it thickness and creaminess. I loved the taste of sweet, spicy and sour all in one. Loved it. This pairs beautifully well with rice or hot rotis. As you bite into the eggplant, you can savor layers of roasted sweet, tangy and spicy flavors.

I had tasted this couple of times during my stay in hyderabad in most of the hotels. thought of replicating at home and end result was yummy.




So after andhra style brinjal fry (vankaya vepudu) and  stuffed brinjal ( gutti vankaya kura) ,next one is Vankaya Gasagasalu kura recipe.

Vankaya gasagasala Kura is a quick version of gutti vankaya curry which does not need much of preparation. Only poppy seeds need to be ground to a smooth paste and that’s it, you can have this wonderful tasting curry




certainly a memorable vegetarian delight that will completely sweep you of your feet.
Choose fresh, small and young or tender brinjals that do not have seeds in them. Large eggplants will not yield a good taste to this curry.


Ingredients:

1/4 kg purple brinjals, wash and slice
2 1/2 tbsps oil (you can add another 1/2 tbsp if required)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp red chilli pwd + 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
pinch of roasted cumin pwd
3 tbsps khus khus/gasagasalu/poppy seeds,
1 1/2 tbsps jaggery or sugar (adjust)
lemon sized tamarind, extract pulp
salt to taste

Method:

1 Add a tbsp of oil in a cooking vessel, add the eggplant slices and roast them till brown on both sides. Remove and keep aside.
2 Dry roast poppy seeds and fenugreek seeds in a pan till it turns golden, add them in blender along with chilli, coriander, turmeric and cumin powder. Add some water and make it into a smooth puree.
3.In the same vessel, add the remaining oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds and as they splutter, add the cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2-3 mts.
4 Now add in the ground masala and cook them for couple of mins. Add in tamarind pulp, some water, salt and jaggery. Mix well and bring it to boil.

5 Add in fried brinjal, cook it on low heat for 10 mins till the brinjal is cooked and curry is done and becomes thick.Keep checking in between and stir fry to ensure it does not stick to the pan. . It could take approx 10 to 15 mts to turn into a thick gravy. Turn off heat.
6 Serve with rice or roti.


Tips
This Gravy goes well with Hot Rice,Mild Pulao's, chapathi and Roti's.
Choose fresh, small and young or tender brinjals that do not have seeds in them
Cook till brinjals are soft and comes in the form of gravy consistency

Cashew pulao recipe ,Kaju pulao Andhra Style

A Quick, Delicious, Yummy easy to prepare dish packed with proteins from cashews with a minty flavor.

 

cashew pulao is a classic rice dish that is served in Andhra Pradesh during  weddings and other ceremonies. It is usually accompanied by a spicy kurma




generally  veggies are not added to this pulao .serve this pulao with chicken korma, veg korma ,baghara baingan ,dal makhani ,Paneer butter masala or any spicy gravy

Ingredients
1 cup aged basmati or any otherlong grain rice (I used india gate rice)
1/4 cup of cashews ( washed and soaked for 10 mins)
1 tbsp raisins (optional)
1 ¾ cups water (or thin coconut milk)
1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
Fistful of mint leaves chopped
2 to 3 tbsp. Ghee or oil (use ghee only if serving hot)
1 green chili slit

whole spices
1 to 2 strands of mace
½ medium sized nutmeg (optional)
3 inch cinnamon sticks
6 to 8 cloves
4 to 6 green cardamom
½ tsp shahi jeera (shahjeera )
few pepper corn
1 bay leaf
1 star anise

Method:

1.Soak basmati rice for atleast 30 mins.Roast Cashew pieces and raisins to golden brown in a table spoon of Ghee or butter and keep aside.
2.Heat a small pressure cooker/kadhai with oil, temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ in order. After adding jeera, do not let it burn.
3. Add green chili, mint and ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears from ginger garlic paste.Add rice ,mix well
4. Pour 1 ¾ cups water and salt. Bring water to a boil.allow to cook on a medium flame till very little water is left in the cooker. It will be almost half cooked.
5. Mix well, reduce the flame and close the cooker lid, simmer the stove (lower the flame) and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes.
6 fluff rice with a fork mix roasted cashew and raisins gently.Garnish with coriander leaves/mint leaves and serve.
 6.Add rice mix well and

Tips:
Soaking the rice for long time ensures using less water while cooking, yet give soft rice grains.
Adjust the water quantity according to the quality of your rice, the pressure cooker you use and the flame you keep for cooking.

Corn Vada | Mokkajonna Vadalu | Mokkajonna Garelu

Vow Vow Vow !!!! these were the words which I uttered after tasting these addictive yummylicious corn vada aka Mokkajonna garelu in telugu




ANDHRA RECIPE again today. Corn vada (Mokkajonna Vadalu) is a popular snack item in Andhra pradesh, it is even served as a breakfast at few households

tasted them during my hyderabad stay and got the recipe from my andhraite friend. just try this recipe,mark my words you will thank me for introducing you to such a tasty cuisine

Use aged corns instead of tender and young corns as the tender corns turn to a paste when ground and will not add texture to the vada.



I have used chana dal as a binding agent but one can use even the besan flour and rice flour for the binding.

I have prepared it on the lines of masala vada but is made with major portion of corn.
you can even make these vadas with the hole like how we do for medu vada

Final verdict -  sweetness from the corn , freshness from the mint coriander ,spice from green chillies, crunchy onion bits made the vadas taste delicious.




Ingredients:

1 big Corn or 2 cups Corn Kernels
1/3 cup Chana dal
1 Onion,finely chopped
3-4 Green Chillies
1 inch Ginger,chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves.chopped
2 tbsp Mint leaves, chopped
a sprig of Curry leaves,roughly torn
Salt to taste



Method
1.Soak Chana dal for an hour and keep it ready.remove the corn kernels from corn cob.Reserve 1/4 cup kernels aside.

2.Grind soaked chana dal, green chillies,salt and ginger once until it is mixed.do not make fine paste.now add kernels of corn(reserve 1/4 cup corn for later use) and grind to a very coarse paste.Keep it in the refrigerator for half an hour.

3.Add finely chopped onions, coriander leaves, mint leaves, curry leaves, reserved corn kernels and mix well.•Heat oil in a deep kadai over medium flame.



4.Grease a plastic sheet or zip lock cover . keep a bowl of water handy to dip in your fingers in between.

5 .wet your fingers by Dipping in water and take a small lemon sized ball of the mixture and pat it on the greased cover and slowly remove the patty(vada) from the paper and drop into the oil carefully.Repeat the process and fry 3-4 vadas at a time.



6 Deep fry those vadas over medium flame until they turn golden brown and drain them on the kitchen tissue paper.

7 Serve them hot with tomato sauce or ginger chutney or mint chutney.





Tips
You can even put a hole in the vada like how we do for medu wada.
can add besan flour and rice flour instead of chana dal in the recipe.In that case add the flours to the corn mixture along with onions, just before frying.
Add onions just before frying as it will leave water and make the batter thin.If the batter becomes thin add a tbsp of rice flour to the batter and mix well
can add 1 tsp saunf while grinding the vadas for extra flavor
in absence of fresh corn cob (makyacha kanis) then use frozen corn/sweet corn for making them.Increase the quantity of green chillies if you are using sweet corn.