Andhra Delight-Kandha-Bhacali Kura/Suran-Saag Curry

One of The most Authentic Andhra dish is "Kanda Bachalli Kura". This dish is supposed to be a very festive, special, curry prepared by Andhra people. It is more famous in and around the East and West Godavari areas of Andhra pradesh. More popular among the Brahmins. It has a unique taste which we don't get it any combination of our regular vegetables. Preparation takes a while but when you practice it, it turns out to be easy and can pat yourself to have become the Master cook.

If you are living in outside India and wondering, how to get the basic ingredients..It's very simple. Before we proceed into making of the dish, lets first catch up with what these ingredients are called in Stores. In English its "Yam", Hindi "Suran". Bachali is a green leafy vegetable, its called in English as "Ceylon Spinach" or "Indian Spinach".In Hindi its known as "Poi" Making this in U.S. was a cake walk for me as there was no huge cleaning process involved for Yam/Suran/Kanda. You can find it in the frozen vegetable section of the Indian Grocery stores.

The key taste for this dish is garnishing with Mustard powder and Fenugreek powder, which we traditionally in Telugu call it as "Ava petatam".

Ingredients
Kanda/Yam- 1/2 lb
Bachali/Indian spinach/Saag-1/2 lb
Green chilli and Ginger paste-2 tb.spoon
Tamarind Juice-3 tb. spoons
Red chilli powder-1/2 tb.spoon
Turmeric-1/2 tb. spoon
Garnish
Green chillies Red Chillies Channa dal Urad dal Mustard seeds Hing/Asofotedia

Final Touch: Mustard and Fenugreek powder
Method
1.) Steam Cook Yam in a pan or pressure cooker. Add salt for taste
2.) Add Saag/Indian spinach to the steam cooked pan.
3.) In a open skillet add 3 tb.spoons of oil, and add all the garnish ingredients (channa dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, hing) and Greenchilli Ginger paste.
4.) To this, add the steamed yam and Indian spinach, sprinkle salt, red chilli powder, green chillies, tamarind juice, turmeric.
5.) Let all of them cook for a few minutes.
6.) Once the curry is cooked, allow it to cool for a while. In the meanwhile, take 2 tbspoon of oil and in that add mustard and fenugreek powder (1 tb spoon each)
7.) Pour it on the top of the curry. Serve the curry after few hours. The trick is to allow the mustard and fenugreek paste to soak into the curry.

Time to Cook:20 mts Serves:4
Nutritional Value: Rich source of Vitamin A and Proteins

NOTE: Please change the quantities of Green chilli ginger paste and Mustard-Fenugreek powder as per your taste.

Mysore Bondas-Spongy,softy,tasty Snack

I have been too lazy to post any blogs as I was busy traveling. Excuse me for the delay.
To make up for the laziness and long absence, I'm sharing my personal favorite dish with all of you.Mysore Bonda is one dish that tops my favorite list of snacks. Strangely, it shows up in my brother's list too. Which is a very rare thing to happen.
My mother cooks it with great ease and expertise that it has become a family favorite.
The golden color, spongy texture and a delicious taste will make our mouth water.

The key trick to get the bondas spongy is to ferment it for atleast 4-5 hrs or add a pinch of baking soda.But, if soda is added it absorbs lot of oil. Needs very few ingredients to make these awesome, yummy bondas.

Ingredients

3 cups Maida
2 cups Yogurt (prefer Sour curd)
1 piece Ginger
5 Green Chillis
Coconut Pieces
Bunch of Cilantro

Oil to deep fry

Method

1.) Mix Maida with Sour curd. Careful, don't add water at all and mix it into a thick consistency.
Ferment the batter for minimum 4 hours.
2.) Grind Ginger, green chillies
3.) Mix Coconut pieces, cilantro and pinch of salt in the batter.
4.) Make small lumps of desired size and fry it in Oil.

Vada- A tasty Wholesome Healthy Snack

It's a typical winter day......raining outside, freezing cold, gloomy weather......no warm clothing, heaters giving you aid. Hunger and laziness play mischeif with your brain. All that will relieve you could be hot steaming vadas.
Well deep fry food tastes great, but often, after eating will leave us with a guilty feeling. So, the black eyed pea vadas will make us feel better as they have great nutriotional value and taste yummy.

Ingredients
2 Cups Soaked Black eyed pea
1 tb spoon Jeera
1 tb spoon Seasme seeds
1 cup Onions
1/2 cup Cilantro
3 Green Chillies
1/2 piece Ginger
1/2 tb spoon Red chilly powder
1/2 tb spoon dhaniya jeera powder
1/2 spoon Garam masala powder (optional)
Salt as per taste
1 cup Oil for deep frying

Method
1) Soak Black eyed pea over night and grind it coarsely with Ginger, green chilles.
2) Add onion, jeera, seasme seeds, salt, red chilly powder, dhaniya jeera powder, garam masala.
3) Make small rolls of the grinded black eyed peas and flatten them on your palm or a plastic sheet.
4) Heat Oil in a pan and deep fry them.

Your hot tasty vadas are ready to be savored!!!

Pudina Pachadi/Pudina leaves Chutney/Pudina/ Mint Leaves/Mint leaves chutney

Hmm..........the tingly smell drags you towards these aromatic leaves. Mint leaves can be used in various ways like to decorate food, drinks, rice, oils, beauty aids et al. These leaves can be named as Magic leaves or evergreen as Indians, Americans, Chinese all use it in their own ways. This simple herb grows easily with any climatic conditions and spreads the joy of its smell across the world alike.
On a hot tropical summer day, nothing can cool you down like Mint-leaves Water" Get back to the memory lane and recollect those Roadside wallahs..."aam admi ka drink", which was tasty, tangy, cold "Jaljeera." What a refreshing memory isn't it???
The one dish that draws my attention is Pudina Chutney (Mint Leaves chutney). The smell itself makes me feel hungry. Let's go into the process to make this tasty, tangy, aromatic chutney.

Ingredients:
2 stalks Mint Leaves
4 green chillies
1 red chilly
1 Small lump of Tamarind

3 spoons Urad Dal
3 spoons
Channa Dal
3 spoons Mustard Seeds
1/2 spoon Fenugreek/Methi seeds
Pinch of Hing
Salt as per taste
1/2 tb.spoon Turmeric

Method
1) Wash Mint leaves well and dry them on a cloth or paper
2) Once well dried, dry fry the leaves in a hot skillet
3) Empty the pan, Add 2 spoons oil and fry the urad dal, channa dal, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, red chillies, green chillies. Add turmeric, salt, tamarind too.
4) Fry the ingredients till light reddish color, an indication that all of the grains have roasted well.
5) Grind coarse the above ingredients and then add the Mint leaves to make it a fine paste.

Chutney is ready to be savored. Goes well with hot steaming rice. Tastes well with Dosas or Idlis too.

Rava Dosa/Instant Rava dosa/Bachelors dosa/Quick dosa/

If somebody randomly stopped you and asked you name your favorite tiffin – chances are that Dosa would make the top 5, 99% of time.Young and old gourmand Dosas with great relish. Be it a breakfast, snack or dinner, this filling dish is wholesome. If such a all time favorite food's recipe is easy and quickly handy it can appease our taste buds better and increases our appetite. Usually Dosa batter needs to ferment for 6-8 hours and needs prior preparation, but "Rava dosa" can be made instant. The garnishing ingredients used in this dish have abundant Nutrients that gives it a unique, rich flavor.

Health Facts:
Easy to digest
Less calories
Kid friendly
Doesn't require much Oil

Ingredient
2 Cups Sooji Rava/Upma Rava
2 cups Rice flour
2 cups Maida
Pinch of Baking soda ( Helps to raise the batter)
6 cups water
Salt as per taste

Garnishing
1/2 spoon coconut (powder or pieces)
1/2 table spoon
sesame seeds
cashew nuts (optional)
1 Carrot grated
3 green chillies
Small Ginger pieces
Cilantro

Method
1) Mix sooji, maida and rice flour with water or diluted butter milk.
2) Add salt, baking soda and all other garnishing ingredients.
3) Heat a griddle on the stove
4) On a well heated griddle pour the batter.
5) Batter should be poured from ends, not in the center as we do for regular dosa.

You can relish these hot dosas with any chutney or curry leaf powder.

Upma/Sooji Rava Upma/Bombai rava upma/Simple tiffin

As a kid, I detested this dish. In my years growing up, I had never liked eating this....but, as a Wife, I feel happy that my husband loves Upma. I don't think there is anything else in south Indian cooking, which is more easier and faster snack than Upma. Guess, in my dreamy half wake-up state also, I can make this dish in the most perfect way. When hungry, when sudden guests turn up, when there are no other vegetables or ingredients, this dish will be of great use. With bare minimum ingredients found in our refrigerator we can make this tasty, speedy dish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sooji Coarse Rava
• 3 cups water
• 2-3 green chilles
• tiny pieces of Ginger
• Few curry leaves Salt- as per taste
• Mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal- For Tadka/garnishing Cashews :Optional

Preparation

• In a skillet dry roast the sooji. Careful not to burn it. Tip: Rava should turn in to Golden Brown color.
• In the same pan, remove the rava, add some oil and add all the garnishing/tadka items.
• Once the garnishing turns a little golden color, add green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, cashews and salt.
• After this, add 3 cups of water and bring it to boil.
• Slowly, carefully, add the rava, careful not to form any lumps
• Simmer the stove and see that the Upma is completely cooked.

Tips to make this upma even more better

• Add diluted milk for better taste and greater look.
  
• Add butter milk to make it sour.
  
• If you are a vegetables lover and would like to make Upma a heavy and healthier snack add vegetables like carrot, peas, potato and others, as per your choice.
  

Chikudukaya curry/Chikudukaya Kura/ Broad Beans Curry/Indian Broad Beans Curry

Chikudukaya (Indian broad beans) is a Seasonal vegetable and easily grown in the Kitchen garden. It can be prepared in various combinations like Chikudukaya fry, tomato-chikudu and the most famous being the "Vankayi(eggplant)-Chikudukaya", its one of the best South Indian curries you can get to taste. I'm sure, everyone has tasted this dish at least more than once in their lifetime growing in India. Chikudukaya curry is rich in fibre and tastes great with Hot steaming rice. It is very simple and quick to prepare.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb-Chikudukaya/Beans
• 3-5 spoons Tamarind Juice
• One spoon Rice flour
• 1/2 tea spoon Tamarind
• 2 red chillies
  
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 spoon each :Mustard seeds, Urad dal, Channa dal, hing for garnishing

Method

1) Add salt and turmeric to the Beans and steam cook it.( Microwave or Pressure cooker)
2) Add 2 spoons of oil in a pan and add all the garnishing mentioned above, add 2 red chillies and sprinkle some hing (asofotedia).
3) Drain the steamed water and add the Beans to the garnishing.
4) Sprinkle some tamarind juice.
5) Simmer it for a while and add the rice flour.

The curry is ready to be savored!!!!!