Pickled goose berry / ooresina usiri kaaya

This pickled goose berry / ooresina usiri kaaya/ Neeru Nellikkai  is very easy to prepare and it tastes wonderful. I love this very much. I am sure that you too will love it  !! You can even have this with dal rice.

I always been excited from my childhood, that after eating gooseberry, if we drink water, the water tastes too sweet !! So why not try drinking water after eating goose berry . 

Aamla / goose berry is eaten raw or cooked into various dishes. In Andhra Pradesh, tender varieties are used to prepare dal, and amle ka muabbah, is a sweet dish indigenous to the northern part of India, where in the berries are soaked in sugar syrup for a long time till they are imparted the sweet flavour; it is traditionally consumed after meals.

Preparation time : 5 mins + one week

Ingredients :

Goose berry : 12
Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
Hing/ Asafotida : 1/4 tsp
Dried red chili : 6
Salt : as per taste
Water : 3 - 4 cups

Method :

Wash and dry goose berry's throughly.
Cut red chili into pieces.
Take a jar, add goose berry's, water, salt, turmeric, hing and red chili pieces.
Taste the water, it should be little more salty than you want, as goose berry pickles it absorbs that salt and chili and becomes sooooo tasty.

After one week you are ready to eat your pickled goose berry.
When ever you are taking an aamla you should use clean dry spoon, if you use wet spoon then it will spoil the water. (Dont use your hands to take it out, use a spoon)

My grand ma, After picking goose berry's, in the same water, she adds banana stem, in hot summer if you eat this pickled banana stem it tastes awesome.Even she adds raw mango to that water :) ....
(If you do it in that water , it will have sourness from goose berry's so tastes too good)
So i tried the same with Green apple and it tasted almost the same.

 

Enjoy your pickles....
Thank you , do post your comments !!!

Bread vada

Bread wada / bread vada is a deep fried dish. These vada's are made with bread, and if you serve someone they can not distinguish between original vada that we make with urad dal and this one until and unless you tell them that these are made with bread . These vada's are so easy to prepare in no time. If you have surprise guest then this tiffin / snack goes very well.

Preparation time : 20 mins
Makes : 10 - 12
Serves : 2 - 3

Ingredients :

Bread slices : 8 to 10
[You can use white bread or brown bread, when i prepared them i have brown bread at home :)]
Rice flour : 1/2 cup
Yogurt : 1/2 cup
Baking soda / cooking soda : pinch
Salt : to taste
Ginger : 1 " piece
Green chili's : 3 - 4
Coriander leaves : few springs
Onion : 1
Crushed roasted peanuts : 2 tbsp
Curry leaves : few

Method :

Take out the edges from the bread and cut each bread slice into small pieces (cubes).
Keep all bread pieces in a bowl.
Add rice flour and yogurt in it and mix it once.
Now add all the rest of the ingredients .... baking soda, salt, finely chopped ginger, finely chopped green chili, finely chopped onion, crushed peanuts, curry leaves, freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Mix all of them really good and make a nice dough.
Make small balls from that dough.

Keep oil for deep frying vada's.
Once oil is hot, wet your hands, take one ball at a time, place it in your palms, press it , make a hole in centre and drop them in hot oil.
Cook them till they are nice golden brown in colour.
Serve them hot.
Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you , do post your comments !!!

Chepala Pulusu / Fish stew / Fish Pulusu

"Andhra Chepala Pulusu" is a very famous dish and it tastes awesome. Andhra pradesh has its own characteristic cuisine considerably different from other cuisines. 

This is a finger licking dish made with fish and tamarind sauce, a traditional delicacy of Andhra pradesh. A variety of fish are used to make this pulusu..... for Indian curries/pulusu don't use Salmon fish. Use any other firm fishes like Koraameenu, bochu chepa, sheelavathi, pulsa kind.... 

This pulusu tastes real good when eaten on the next day , but if you couldn't resist yourself, eat it atleast 2 hours after you cook it. Yesterday my mother in law prepared this and it was really good, so i thought i will share that recipe.

Preparation time : 30 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Fish : 300 grms / one medium size fish
Onion : 1
Tomato : 2
Fish masala : 2 tsp
Masala Paste : 2 tsp
Chili powder : to taste
Salt : to taste
Turmeric : one pinch
Curry leaves : one spring
Tamarind : small gooseberry size (or) tamarind pulp : 1/2 cup
(It will depend on sourness of tamarind , so check it after you add)
Coriander leaves : few

For masala paste:

Cloves : 4

Cardamom : 2

Cinnamon : 2" piece

KhusKhus (or) Poppy seeds : 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds : 1 tbsp

Ginger : 2" piece

Garlic cloves : 2 big

Water : 1/2 cup

Method :

Soak the tamarind for some time, extract the juice and keep it aside.
Marinate fish with some of salt and chili powder for one hour.
Prepare masala paste by grinding the ingredients listed for masala paste and keep it aside.
(You can store execess masala paste for other curries)
Take a bowl , crush the tomatoes in it with hand, add some of salt and chili powder. Keep this aside for later use.

Now take a pan heat it, add 8 tbps of oil.
Once hot , add chopped onion.
Cook onions till they are translucent and they start turning to brown.
Now add the tomatoes, mix it once .
Cook for few minutes.

Add chili powder, one tsp of masala paste, fish masala, turmeric powder, salt and curry leaves.
Mix this well and cook it till oil oozes out.

Add tamarind paste and few coriander leaves.
Let it come to boil.
Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook the whole mixture till it oozes out oil again.

If you add fish for an uncooked tamarind sauce then your dish will end up with fish pieces that are too hard.
You should add fish pieces only after tamarind sauce is cooked.
Take fish piece one by one and slowly add it into the pan.

From now on you should not use spatula.
After adding all the fish, add the remaining tsp of masala paste.

Rotate the dish to mix, as you should not use spatula.
If you use any kind of spatula the fish will break and become mushy.

Cover and cook for 8 mins.
Add freshly chopped coriander leaves .

Enjoy your yummy yummy Chepala puslusu with hot rice :)
Thank you , do post your comments !!!

Mutton Kheema

Preparation time : 30 mins
Serves : 4

Ingredients :

Mutton kheema : 300 grms
Onion : 2
Green chili : 5
Chili powder :  to taste
Salt : to taste
Oil : 8 tbsp

For masala :

Cloves : 4

Cardamom : 2

Cinnamon : 2" piece

KhusKhus (or) Poppy seeds : 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds : 1 tbsp

Ginger : 2" piece

Garlic cloves : 2 big

Water : 1/2 cup

Method :

Make masala paste.

Take a blender add all ingredients listed for masala and blend it to a smooth paste by adding water slowly.

(Don't add entire water at once)

Wash kheema thoroughly .

Take a pan heat it , add oil to it.

Add very very finely chopped onions (minced onions) .

Let them turn to translucent.

Then add in slit green chili's , masala paste.

(See depending on spice level you want add masala paste, you can leave some paste and use it for some other curry)

Wait till oil oozes out.

Now add mutton to it.

Add salt and chili powder.

Fry till color changes ( 5 mins approx ).

Cover and cook for 20 mins stirring in between for every 5 mins.

Cook it uncovered for 5 to 10 mins.

Add chopped coriander and fried cashew nuts and Mix well.

Serve hot with Rice or Roti :)

Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!

Masala vada

Preparation time : 5 hrs + 15 mins
Makes : 10 approx..
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Chana dal : 1 cup
Onion : 1
Red chili : 3-4
Cinnamon stick : 2" piece
Green chili : 1-2
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Coriander leaves : few
Curry leaves : few
Salt : to taste

Method :

Soak chana dal for atleast 4 to 5 hours.
Take food processor, add cinnamon stick, red chili, and chana dal.
Do not add water.
Make a paste, actually it is not a paste, coarse powder of chana dal, you want that texture.
Add chopped onion, chopped green chili, cumin seeds, chopped coriander leaves, chopped curry leaves and salt.
Mix it good.
If your mixture is not binding then, add a little besan.

Make vada's by taking some amount of mixture and then press it in between your palms.
Deep fry them in oil till you get nice golden brown color.

Serve them hot or cold.

Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you, do post your comments !!!