Dahi bendi

Preparation time : 20 mins
Serves : 3

Ingredients :

Okra/Bhindi / Lady finger : 250 grams
Curry Leaves : Few
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds : 1 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds : 1 tsp
Red Chillie Powder : 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala : 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste : 1/2 tsp
Oil : 1 Tbsp
Yogurt/Dahi/ curd : 1/2 Cup
Green Chillies : 2 slit length wise
Gram Flour : 1 1/2 Tbsp
Asafoedtia : 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/4 tsp
Coriander Leaves : Few
Salt : to taste
Water : 1/2 Cup

Method:

To make dahi mixture:
In a bowl, add the yogurt, gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala and whisk all the ingredients well. Make sure there are no lumps of the gram flour.
Add water and whisk again.

Heat oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add the bhindi to it. Reduce the flame, cover the pan with a lid and let the bhindi cook.
Toss the bhindi periodically.
Once cooked, get the pan off the flame.

To make dahi kadi:
In a saucepan, heat oil.
Add the mustard seedscumin seeds and fenugreek seeds.
Once the fenugreek seeds change colour, add the ginger garlic paste, slit green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida and saute well. Add the yogurt mix and let the kadi boil for atleast 3-4 minutes.
Add the bhindi to the kadi, salt to taste, pinch of sugar and coriander leaves and stir well.
Pour the dahi bhindi in the serving bowl. Squeeze little lime juice and garnish with few coriander leaves.
The delicious dahi bhindi is ready to be served.

Enjoy your dish :)

Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Miriyala pulusu (or) Pepper stew

One day  i was talking to my friend and she said she is cooking this dish on that day, then i asked her for the recipe , and when i tried it , i just fell in love with this recipe. Its perfect for winter. Just make this once and you will have a cold or caugh free season :)

Preparation time : 30 mins
Serves : 6 to 7

Ingredients :

Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Urad dal : 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds : 1/4 tsp
Red chili : 3
Curry leaves : one spring
Garlic cloves : 6 big
Onion : one medium size
Tomatoes : 2
Salt : to taste
Chili powder : to taste
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Tamarind paste : 5 Tbsp
Water : 4 to 6 cups
Coriander leaves : Handful

To roast :
Pepper cons : 3 tsp
Coriander seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Chana dal : 1 tsp
Urad dal : 1 tsp

Method :

Dry roast the ingredients listed under 'to roast' .
Make it into a fine powder using mixie.
Keep this aside.
Cook tomatoes and grind them into paste .
(I just slit tomato and kept it in microwave for 2 mins or until soft)
Keep this aside .
Add Garlic and onion to mixie and whip it once.
Or rather you can even crush them once using motor and pestle . Keep it aside.

Now take a pan , heat it, add 2Tbsp of oil once hot, add urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, red chili one by one and let them crackle a bit.
Add crushed onions to it and fry till color changes to golden brown.
Now add the tomato puree, salt, turmeric powder and chili powder.
Fry nicely till oil oozes out .
Once oil comes out , add the roasted powder that we made earlier.
Fry everything till it becomes like mass.
Add Tamarind puree let it heat up.
Add water and Let it boil for 15 mins.
Garnish with Coriander leaves.
Your dish is ready to serve !!
Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!

Butter milk stew (or) Mujjiga pulusu

This is the recipe from my in laws house and i so love this dish ....

This tastes excellent , give it a try and i am sure you will love it too...

Preparation time : 20 mins
Serves : 3

Ingredients :

Sour Butter milk : 4 cups
Bottle gourd : 250 grams
Spinach or any other green leafy vegetable : 2 hands full
Chana dal : 3/4 cup
Coriander seeds : 2 Tbsp
Red chilis : 4 to 6
Salt : to taste
Urad dal vadi (or) chitti vadiyalu : 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Urad dal : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : few
Garlic cloves : 6
Turmeric powder : pinch
Coriander leaves chopped: 2 Tbsp

Method :

Soak chana dal, coriander seeds and red chili in water for around 4 hours.
Grind them into a nice paste with out adding any water.
Mix salt in it.
Keep some of this batter aside - around 1/4 cup
Keep a pan and add oil for deep frying ..
Once oil is hot , take small batter of chana dal and then put it in oil.
Let them fry in medium flame for 5 to 10 mins.
Take them out onto a paper towel.
Keep them aside.

Take a pan , heat it up, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, garlic cloves , turmeric powder and sauté them a bit .
Add cut bottle gourd, cover and cook for some time till they are done.
Add cut spinach let it cook a bit .
Now add butter milk.
Let it come to boil, once bubbling , add the paste of chana dal we kept aside while stirring it continuously.
(Adjust the consistency of stew to your desire, by adding water or by adding chana dal paste)
Add salt and chili powder to your taste.
Cook for 5 minutes.
Add wadi and punukulu.
Take it off the flame.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Your dish is ready to serve.

Most of the times i forget to keep the chanadal batter, so at that time i use some besan mixed with water.
Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Bottle gourd curry (or) Sorakaya moru kolumbu

Preparation time : 20 mins

Serves : 2 to 3

Ingredients :

Coconut oil : 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp

Red chili : 1  

Fenugreek seeds : 1/8 tsp

Hing : one generous pinch

Curry leaves : few

Bottle gourd : 1 1/2 cup (Cut lengthwise 2" pieces)

Salt : to taste 

Water : 1/2 cup

Curd : 1 cup

Coriander leaves : few

To grind :

Jeera : 1 tsp

Red chili : 1 or 2 

Soaked rice : 1Tbsp

Grated Coconut : 1/2 cup

Method :

Take a mixie and add jeera, red chili , soaked rice, grated coconut and grind it to a fine paste.

Keep this aside.

Take a pan, heat it , add coconut oil, add mustard seeds, red chili, fenugreek seeds, hing, curry leaves one by one while sauteing them a bit.

(Your house will smell so nice and coco nutty :))

Add bottle gourd pieces, salt and water . Cover and cook for 10 mins or till vegetable is cooked.

Mean while, mix the paste that we made with beaten curd.

Add this mixture to the pan.

Cook it on low flame for 5 mins or till one boil comes.

Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves. 

Serve it with hot rice .

You can also make this with other vegetables such as ladyfinger or Raw banana etc,.

Enjoy your dish :)

Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Ivy gourd pulusu

Preparation time : 30 mins
Serves : 2 or 3

Ingredients :

Ivy gourd : 1 cup
Onion : 1 medium sized
Tomato : 1 medium sized
Tamarind pulp : 2 Tbsp
Jaggery : 1/2 tsp
Rice flour : 1 Tbsp
Green chili : 1
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds : pinch
Hing : pinch
Garlic cloves : 5
Red chili powder : to taste
Salt : to taste
Curry leaves : One spring
Oil : 2 tsp

Methods :

Take a pan, add oil, when hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and saute them a bit.
Add hing, turmeric, curry leaves, garlic cloves, cubed onions, and slit green chili to it and fry until they are translucent.
Add slit ivy gourd and fry for a couple of minutes.
Now add little water, cover and cook until tamarind is 3/4 cooked.
Add chopped tomatoes and let it cook completely.
Add little more water if needed.
When ivy gourd is almost done, add tamarind paste, salt, jaggary, red chili powder and water.
Adjust the stew to the desired consistency.
Dilute the rice flour in little water and add it to the ivy gourd stew.
Mix and let it boil for about 5 to 8 minutes.
Turn off the flame.
Serve it hot with rice.
Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Green apple rasam

When my hubby went to play cricket , i also went with him.There was a big green apple tree over there , and they gave me 3 green apples. After coming home when i had them they are very very sour.

So i thought of cooking some thing with those, like how we use raw mangoes and this is the result of that thought.(I pickled some green apples )

This easy, simple and truly delicious rasam tastes fantastic with hot steamed rice .

Preparation time : 1/2 hour
Serves : 4 or 5

Ingredients :

Green apples : 2 (small)
Toor dal : 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Rasam powder : 1 tsp
Lemon juice  : 1 tsp (optional )
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Asafotida or hing : 1/4 tsp
Dry red chili's : 2
Curry leaves : 5
Coriander leaves chopped : 2 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Oil : 1 tsp

Method :

Peel and chop the green apples, keep aside half a cup of apple chunks and pressure cook the remaining apple chunks with toor dal and turmeric powder with enough water for 2 to 3 whistles.
Once they get well cooked, smash them nicely and keep them aside.

Take a pan , add oil , when hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilies and asafotida in order and let them fry a bit.
Add apple chunks and saute them for a while.
Now add the apple dal mixture, rasam powder, curry leaves and salt.
Add water as needed.
Once it starts  boiling add coriander leaves , lemon juice and take it off from the stove.

Yummy yummy sour rasam is ready to serve.
Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Arati puvvu pulusu (or) Banana flower stew

Preparation time : 30 mins
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

Banana flower : 1
Small onions : 16
Garlic whole : one
Tamarind : small lemon size ball
Green chili : 2
Sesame seeds : 3 to 4 tbsp
Turmeric powder : pinch
Salt : to taste
For seasoning :
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Urad dal : 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds : pinch
Red chili : 2
Green chili : 2
Curry leaves : one spring

Method :

Open banana flower and remove that thing white thing and long string from each one.

Grind them with salt and a tbsp of water.

Grind it in such a way that it is not too paste.

Wash it very well under running water till you see a color change in it.
Keep it aside.

Take a pan, heat it , add tsp of oil.
Add ingredients listed for seasoning one by one and saute them a bit.
Add onion and garlic.
Add little amount of tamarind juice, salt, turmeric powder.
Fry them once just for 2 to 3 mins.

In a pressure cooker take this one in a bowl and that ground washed banana flower in another bowl.
Pressure cook them for one whistle.
Take a bowl , add tamarind juice, add this onions thing and add squeezed cooked banana flower paste.
Let them boil.
Grind sesame seeds, green chili and salt to a fine paste.
Add this to the stew.
Let it cook for some time (10 to 15 mins).
Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you , do post your comments !!!

Beetroot rasam

Preparation time : 20 mins
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

Beetroot : 1
Tamarind pulp : 1/4 cup (or) to taste
jaggery : 2 pinches (or) to taste
Green chili : 1
Salt : to taste
Coriander leaves : few

For spice powder :
Fenugreek seeds or methi seeds : 1/4 tsp
Red chilis : 6
Coriander seeds : 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Coconut : 1 tbsp

For Seasoning :
Ghee : 2 tsp
Mustard seeds : 3/4 tsp
Red chili : 1
Garlic : 5 cloves
Hing or Asafotida : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : few

Method :


Dry roast ingredients listed for spice powder in that order by adding one by one to the pan.
Let them cool down and make a fine powder out of them.
Keep it aside.

Peel , chop and Pressure cook beetroot .
Let it cool down and make into a smooth paste, keep it aside.

Take a pan, heat it , add a tsp of oil, add slit green chili, then add tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt.
Let it cook till raw small of tamarind goes.
Now add beetroot paste and curry leaves.
Adjust consistency of rasam.
Add spice powder and let it boil for few mins.
Take another tadka pan, add tsp of oil, add ingredients listed for seasoning.
Saute it for 30 sec.
Add this seasoning to boiling rasam and immediately switch it off and cover it with a lid.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with white rice.
Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Paala kura pulusu (or) spinach stew

Preparation time : 30 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Spinach : one bunch (or) 1 or 1 1/2 cup of chopped spinach
Onion : 1 small
Garlic cloves : 6 or few
Tamarind juice : 1/4 cup
Salt : to taste
Turmeric : pinch
Green chili : 2 or few
Sesame seeds : 2 tsp
Rice flour  : 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander leaves : few
For seasoning :
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/ 4 tsp
Urad dal : 1/2 tsp

Method :

Take a pan , heat it , add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal, saute them for few seconds.
Add cubes of onion and then add garlic , turmeric powder.
Cook it till onions are cooked.
Add spinach, cover and cook till spinach is done.
Add tamarind pulp, let it boil for some time till it is cooked.
Grind together green chili's, rice flour and sesame seeds into paste.
Add paste to the cooked mixture and cook for few minutes.
Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Serve it hot with rice.
Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Dal water rasam

Serves : 2
Cooking time : 20 mins

Ingredients :

Water from cooked dal : 2 cups
Garlic : 1
Grated coconut : 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves : 1 spring
Salt to taste
Turmeric : pinch

For tempering :
urad dal : 1 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1tsp
Jeera : 1tsp
Curry leaves : 6
Green chili : 2

Method :

Heat a pan add 1tsp of oil.
Add ingredients listed for tampering.
Add crushed garlic saute once.
Add dal water and turmeric.
Then add salt and check for taste.
Add grated coconut.
Let it boil once.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve it with dal rice or simply with rice.

Raw rasam

This is the one which you can prepare in no time and it is tasty too ......

We call this as "Pacchi pulusu" in Telugu.

Preparation time : 5 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Onion : 1/2
Green chillis : 3
Sesame seeds : 3tbsp
Tamarind pulp : 5 tbsp
Water : 2 cups
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp
For tampering :
Urad dal : 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves : 1 spring
Red chili's : 2

Method :

Fire roast chili's -- you need to make a slit for chili's before roasting other wise they will explode, crush them.
Take a bowl add these crushed chili's and chopped onions, mix them with hand.
Add in tamarind juice , water , 1tsp of sugar , freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Everything is to taste , all ingredients listed are approximate measures.
Prepare tampering - Heat a pan , add 1tsp oil, add in ingredients listed for tampering , saute them little bit.
Add tampering  and dry roasted sesame seed powder into bowl mix it.
In my picture , some of my sesame seeds are not powdered well , so you can see whole seeds :)
Check for seasoning -- A must fallow step.
Serve it with dal rice or simply with rice.

Tomato Rasam

Serves : 2
Preparation time : 10 mins

Ingredients :

Ripe tomatoes : 2
Tamarind pulp : 2 tbsp or if using tamarind lemon size ball(or 4 pieces)
Water : 1 1/2 cup
salt : to taste
coriander powder : 1/2 tsp
cumin powder : 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder : 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves : 2 springs
Coconut : 2tsp (grated)

For tampering:
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Urad dal : 1/2 tsp
Jeera : 1/2 tsp
Green chillies : 2
Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
Hing : pinch

Method :
Take a bowl, put tomatoes,tamarind and half of coriander leaves in it.
Squeeze all together.
If you make rasam with squeezed tomatoes , then rasam tastes awesome.
Take a pan add 1tsp oil(don't add much 1tsp will be enough)
Add in the ingredients listed for tampering one by one.
Then add the squeezed mixture, water,salt,coriander powder,cumin powder and pepper powder.
Check for seasoning.
Let it come to boil.
Add coconut ,remaining coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
Serve with rice.

Drumsticks Rasam

This Rasam is one of our favourites.
This is a mild rasam goes well with rice and Toor dal.

Serves : 2
Preparation time : 20 - 30 mins

Ingredients :

Drumsticks : 3 cut into 2" pieces
Sesame seeds : 2 tsp
Coconut : 2 tsp
Green chillies : 2 or 3
Salt to taste
Rice flour : 2 tbsp approx.
Water : 2 cups
For tampering:
mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
urad dal : 1/2 tsp
Jeera : 1/2 tsp
Garlic : 5-10 cloves

Method :
Cook Drumsticks with salt and water.
Take a pan . Add 1 tsp of oil to it.
Add ingredients listed for tampering one by one.
Add the boiled drum sticks with that water.
Parallelly, Grind Sesame seeds,coconut,green chili and salt with some water to a fine paste.
Add this paste to the pan.
Let the entire thing comes to boil.
Check for taste now.
Mix that rice flour with some water and make a smooth paste (Pouring consistency) of it.
Now add this rice flour mixture to the pan slowly by mixing rasam.
Check for consistency ( not too thick , not too thin)
And boil it for 5 mins.
Serve it with cooked toor dal and white rice (or) just with plain rice.

Traditionally they will make this with the thick supernatant water from overcooked rice ( Called as ganji in Telugu ) instead of water and rice flour combination.

Coconut Pulusu

Serves : 2
Preparation time : 10 mins

Ingredients :

Grated Coconut : 5 to 6 tbsp
Garlic cloves: 6
Tamarind pulp : 1/4 cup
turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
water : 1 1/2 cup
Rice flour : 2 tbsp

For tampering :
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
urad dal : 1/2 tsp
jeera : 1/2 tsp
Green chili : 2

Method :

Heat pan,add 1 tsp oil, add ingredients listed for tampering.
add Garlic and saute, then add turmeric powder.
Add tamarind puree and water.
then add salt and check for seasoning.
Add grated coconut.Wait for it to boil.
Mix the rice flour with 4 tbsp of water and add it to pan slowly once the water comes to boil.
It is some what thick in consistency.
cook for 2 mins.

Serve it with rice.