Plantain chips

Hi friends..

I made plantain chips today..becoz everyday my husband asks some snacks once he returned from work ..now a days i am not making much..but he is always eating chips which are brought from the stores.Today i decided to make some quick snack replacing his store brought chips :) so i found this recipe from other blogger friend.After seeing her blog n seeing her recipe pics..i couldn't stand without making any of her recipes.Atlast i have decided to make these quick chips.

You can deep fry these chips or you can also bake in oven @ 350 F about 25 to 30 min untill chips becomes light golden brown,in between turn once.Next time i will try baking..

I sliced these chips using food processor..It just takes 2 min for slicing!!

You can check her recipe here..Plantain Chips @ http://www.tastypalettes.com/2007/05/plantain-chips.html ..sorry my links are not working..

I am sending this to SWC-Meals on Wheels event hosting by lakshmi

Tomoto with taro root curry

This is another way to use taro root other than stew and fry.This tastes to good with rice or chapathis.


Ingredients:

Tomotoes-5
taro root/chamadumpa-4
green chilli-1 (slit)
onion-1 (medium size) finely chopped
seasoning/talimpu ingredients
turmeric powder-1/4 th tsp
salt to taste
red chilli powder-1/4th -1/2 tsp
garam masala powder-1/4th -1/2 tsp
cilantro for garnishing
Oil

Preparation:

1.First wash taro root and peel the outer layer and cut into cubes (or) boil taro root for abt 15 to 20 min and then remove the skin and cut the boiled taro into medium size cubes.

2.Take a pan ,heat enough oil,Shallow/deep fry the taro root pieces under medium heat and keep that fried taro root pieces on a paper towel in a seperate bowl.

3.In the same pan ,keep only 2 tsp of oil and remove remaining oil.Add seasong ingredients and fry for a minute and then add onions and fry till onions become transparent.In the mean time cut tomotoes finely.

4.Add tomotoes ,turmeric powder,salt and mix well ,fry till tomotoes cooked completely.Now Add fried taro root pieces and mix well and let it cook for few more min.

5.Atlast add garam masala powder and mix well.Add cilantro for garnishing.

Varsha Vipins and Priya passed me this award..i am honoured to recieve this award from you friends..Thanks varsha n priya!!

I am sending this recipe to Sanghi's tasty bites,'Tomato Event'

I am dedicating this recipe to my friend sunanda..becoz i dont know this vesion of using taro root before..i have learnt this recipe from her..so i am dedicating this to my friend sunanda...Thank alot sunanda!!

Sorry friends links are not working..i am editing all these through html mode..i dont know why still the links are not working..

My Specials for Ugadi ..

Today we are celebrating Ugadi(yuga-means era or year+adi-means start/new) ,the Telugu New Year Day, which is the first festival of our Telugu calendar and it is a special festival for all Indians especially for Andhra,Maharastra,karnataka people.Our Andhra festival is known by different names in different states of India like “Gudi Padwa” in Maharastra and “Ugadi” in Andhra Pradesh and "yugadi" in Karnataka.It invites the dawn of Vasanth Rutu (Spring Season),which is considered the first season of the year (Chaitra Maasam) .

This day is considered very auspicious to start new ventures.It is generally held that Brahma created the world on this day. Also Lord Vishnu is said to incarnate himself, as Matsya. Brahma is the chief deity worshipped this day. On Ugadi the predictions are made for the New Year among abt our health,politics,buisness etc. With the coming of Ugadi, mango season is in full swing with fresh green mangoes .People also decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves which signifies prosperity and general well-being and draw colorful floral designs in front of the houses. The women prepares special dishes to mark the occasion.I have taken all these info from net.

Ugadi pachadi/pickle:significant tradition of Ugadi is beginning the new year with the preparation of savoring a unique flavored pachadi (chutney),this pachadi is a kind of a drink with all flavours explains the essense of our beautiful life.This drink is the mix of sweetness,sournes,bitterness,spicyness,pungent and last saltyness(shadhruchulu/ six tastes).This chutney is a symbolic reminder of the myriad facets of life both joy and sorrow and prepares one to face both good and bad in the year to come or in a sense prepares us for the year ahead. We should take both happyness and sorrow equally in our life and take it as in the part of life and should enjoy every part of it..... ofcourse telling is easy..but its very hard to follow ..i knew it..:)

Ugadi Pachadi is a special preparation prepared in every Andhra home on Telugu New Year’s day.Its made with fresh tamarind,jaggery(bellam),fresh mangoes and neem flowers (vepa poota).One can add coconut and bananas n other fruits also.The sweetness of jaggery,the sourness of tamarind,the bitterness of neemflower and the pungent flavor of the green mango skin,spice of the chilli powder ,and lastly salt form the shadhruchulu or six tastes of the ugadi chutney.

I made today the special pachadi,mango pulihora with the use of raw mango along with other special foods Poornam/sweet balls and moong dal vada.

Ugaadi pachadi/Ugadi pickle:

Ingredients:

raw fresh mango (cut into small pieces along with skin)-1 cup
margosa flowers (neem tree flowers)-1 tbsp
grated jaggery-1/4th cup
tamarind -small lemon size
red chilli powder-1/4 th tsp
salt to taste

Preparation:

1.Wash the tamarind and soak it in water for abt 10 min and squueze the juice from it.

2.Mix all the above ingredients to tamarind juice to form sauce like appearence.Add little water if required.

3.You can also add small pieces of ripe banana,pomogranite seeds,grapes,oranges along with the above ingredients.But i dont like them to add.

Today i dont have neem buds/flowers..so i have addded bitter gourd pieces.

Elders will say that,Ugadi Pachadi is a healthy where the Neem flowers , new tamarind, jaggery and fresh raw mangoes contain nutrients that cleanse our body and it prevents any illness.
Mango pulihora:

Ingredients:

rice(raw)-1 cup
grated green mango -1 to 2 cups(It may vary with the sourness of the mango)
green chillies - 4 pieces( slit lengthwise)
peanuts -1/4th cup
chana dal-1 tsp
urud dal-1 tsp
cumin seeds-1/2-1tsp
mustard seeds-1/2-1 tsp
curry leaves-10
dried red chilli-4
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
oil-3 tsp

Preparation:

1.Peel the skin of mango and grate the mango using grater. usually for 1 cup of rice it takes 1/2 cup of tangy grated mango..sometimes the mango may not be that sour..so adjust the grated mango to your taste depends on sourness of mango.

2.Cook the rice seperately in electric cooker or outside.The rice should be dry and grains should be seperate n it shouldn't be mushy.

3.Take a pan, heat oil in it. Add all seasoning ingredients along with peanuts and fry all ingredients until light golden brown color.(first add cuminseeds,urud dal,chana dal,green chillies,peanuts,dry red chillies and curry leaves) and switch off the stove.

4.Take hot cooked rice in a big bowl,add some curry leaves to this hot rice..so that it smells good then add grated mango to hot rice ,and cover the grated mango with hot rice.Once the rice is cooled little bit,take little oil in your hand and mix turmeric to oil in your hand and add that to your rice and keep it aside.Becoz of adding this grated mango and turmeric to hot rice,the raw taste of mango and turmeric will be gone.

5.Once the rice is cooled,and all the above fried ingredients to it and add salt to it and mix well.

6.serve hot.This is very easy to prepare and tastes very good.

Sweet Balls (Poornam) Recipe:

Ingredients :

rice - 1/2 kg
white lentils/black gram dhal/urud dal - 1/4 kg
chana dal/bengal gram dhal - 150 gms
jaggery - 150 gms
cardamom - 10
salt - 1 tsp
oil for deep frying

Preparation:

1.First soak the rice and black gram dhal for five to six hours or one day before you want to make.

2.Wash and soak chana dal in water and Boil the chana dhal in water in pressure cooker and keep it for 4 to 5 whistles.

3.Grind the rice and black gram dhal like a paste and add salt to it and take the batter into a seperate bowl.

4.Mash the boiled chana dal/bengal gram dhal and add jaggery and elaichi(powder the seeds ) and cook it till dry. Dont add water here ,we have to cook till all the water in the mixture is evoparated and when you think the mixture is too thick ,then you can able to make the balls with it,switch off the stove.

5.After cooling the above dal mixture,divide the dal mixture into even sized portions.Shape each portion like a ball (size as you like,usually lemon size balls).

6.Take the oil in frying pan once the oil is heated enough,take the dal ball and dip it in the batter and take that covered batter ball and slide it into the oil,fry the covered dal ball till light golden brown color.

Moong dal Vada/pesara garelu recipe is already there in my prev posts..

Today most of the dishes ..my husband helped me..especially he made mango pulihora..without applying turmeric all over the rice ..anyway taste is good:)

Once again..I wish you and your family a very happy & prosperous Ugadi friends ...

Taro root stew/chamadumpa pulusu with chips

People use Taro roots all over the east and south asia,so you can find them in south asian,chinese,korean groceries.Taro is also known as Yam in most parts of the asia , so dont confuse it with the american yam,which is often mistaken as sweet potato.Taro is an intresting tuber,which has mild distinctive taste and mimics as a starchy potato.This root is most well known as the ingredient of the hawaiian dish poi or mashed taro root.

Taro root,It's hairy outer coating looks like coconut.The hairy outer layer is always removed with caution since skin irritation can arise by the juice secreted by the taro root.Taro root is toxic in it's raw form,so cook it before eating. These tubers take on a nut like flavor when cooked.Select the taro root that are straight,firm with no wrinkling.

My husband loves all kind of stews/pulusulu...sometimes i feel angry..becoz he will eat anything with sour taste to be dominant along with more salt and spicy.I used to make these kind of stews atleast twice a week.But now a days i am not doing these much..somehow i skipped it :)

After many days,i did this stew/pulusu today..it tastes too good with any fry.I am posting all the pics at the same place becoz today something is happened to my blog,i am unable to edit my content:(

Ingredients for pulusu:

Taro roots/arbi/chamadumpa-6 (medium size)
green chilli-2 split
salt to taste
red chilli powder-1/4 th tsp
turmeric powder-1/8 th tsp
tamarind-lemon size
ginger-garlic paste-1/2 tsp-optional
garam masala-1 tsp-optional
onions-1big finely chopped
cumin seeds-1 tsp
oil-2 tsp, sugar-1tsp
cilantro for garnishing

Preparation:

1.Wash the tamarind and soak the tamarind in water.Boil the taro root in pressure cooker similar to potatoes .In the mean time,take a deep pan, heat oil ,add cumin seeds and fry for a min and then add green chilli and chopped onions and fry it till the onion becomes transparent.

2.Squeeze the tamarind with water,pour that tamarind juice into the pan.Add water if required,the consistency of the stew/pulusu should be thin at the starting.Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder and salt to it and mix well.

3.Reduce the heat to medium and keep the lid on the pan and continue to cook for abt 15-20 min or till the stew/pulusu beccomes little thick.

4.After boiling the taro root in pressure cooker (i mean after 2 or 3 whistles),remove the taro root from the cooker and keep it under cold water and remove the skin of taro root similar to the potato( peel the skin with hand after cooking).After Peeling, cut the taro into medium/big size pieces/rounds.

5.Add these cooked taro root pieces to the stew and let it boil for few more min.Add sugar at the end and mix well.Atlast, add cilantro leaves.

6.This is good to eat with rice along wiht some fried chips.

I made chamadumpa fry/chips along with this stew today.I had already written the recipe for this fry/chips.Check my prev posts becoz i am not able to copy and paste that link here today..some problem today in my blog ( I have used type 1 in my recipe for making this chamadumpa fry).

Hot and Sour soup

This soup is really hot..my husband likes it!!This is one of the famous soup other than tomoto soup.This soup is really good for cold.This recipe serves for two to three people.

Ingredients:

water-4cups( cup means 100 ml quantity)
chillisauce-1 1/2 tsp
soya sauce-1 1/2 tsp

black pepper-1 tsp

Grated ginger-1 tsp
cabbage-1/4 th cup shredded
corn-1/4 th cup
carrot-1/8 th cup shredded
peas-1/8th cup
sugar-1/2 tsp
Lemon juice-1 tsp

salt to taste
tomotosauce-2 tsp or tomoto-1/2 medim finely chopped/grinded
corn flour/corn starch-21/2 tsp
Green onions for garnishing optional
Preparation:

1.First take a bowl and heat 4 cups of water in it.After 2 min ,add chili sauce,soya sauce,black pepper,salt,sugar,tomoto sauce and mix well. Later add grated ginger to it.

2.once the above mixture comes to boil,add all the finely choped/shredded veggies into it along with corn and peas.

3.Continue to heat the soup for couple of min till all the veggies are cooked and then mix cornflour in very small amt of water and add that mixture to soup for thickening.Add lemon juice to it and mix well.

4.continue to stir the mixture/soup till you feel the right consistency for soup and garnish the soup with green onions and serve hot.

Note:you can add your veggies whatever you like to soup..and reduce the spices quantity ,if you are used to less spice.

kulcha or Naan ???

kulcha is basically a punjabi recipe,baked flat bread made with all-purpose flour(Maida).kulcha can be plain or stuffed ,both tastes too good.This is good to eat with chana masala(chole),paneer butter masala any non veg/veg gravy curries.

Actually i thought of making kulcha from many days..i searched in the internet..and took the recipe (fusioned it from many sites )and prepared it but finally this has turned out ..... i don't know what to call..but i am describing this as kulcha only :)

I dont know the exact difference betweeen naan and kulcha except one(kulchass can be stuffed with any vegetables like paratha's but not naan's)

This is my first time making , reviving my college days.During my college days i used to eat naans and kulchaas on every weekend.We had lot of dhabas near by my college,and usually we don't have dinner on every sunday,they will just give evening snacks on that day.We people every weekend ,used to go to dhabas and eat these along with non veg curries.I am a big fan of kulcha....Finally i did it today but end up in a confusion what it is finally turned out :)

Suggest me any changes that i have to make for the preparatin of kulcha and naan and tell me the difference b/w naan and kulchaa friends.. ,so that i will make next time with your changes without any fusion confusion!!

Ingredients:

Maida (All Purpose Flour)- 3 Cups

Salt- 1 tsp

Baking Powder- 1 tsp

Dry yeast- 1 tsp

Warm water- 1/4 Cup

curd/ Yogurt - 4 tsp

Sugar- 1 tsp

oil-few tsp

Ghee - 1/8th cup

Milk /water to make dough

Maida for dusting and rolling dough

Preparation:

1.Mix dry yeast in luke warm water and keep it aside for 5 to 10 min or till foam comes on top of water.

2. sift Maida and add salt, sugar,and baking powder to this flour.

3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add dissolved dry yeast with water , Yogurt ,oil and knead it.

4. Mix evenely with your hand and if needed add water/milk to make soft dough. Knead the dough for 5to 10 minutes.

5. Gather the dough to form a ball. Lightly apply oil on the ball. Cover with damp kitchen towel or a plastic film wrap. Let it rest about 2 -4 hours at room temperature.

6.After the rest time,Knead the dough for about five minutes. Divide dough in to 8 equal small balls. One dough ball will make one Kulcha.

7. Preheat oven to 450º F.

8. Lightly dust the rolling surface with Maida. Put a Dough ball. Flatten the dough with hand. Roll the dough out to form a round, or oval shape about the 1/4 inch thickness.

9. Brush the Kulcha with Ghee. Put the Kulcha on a greased Baking sheet. Bake about 3 to 5 minutes.

10.Instead of using oven you can also use flat pan .I have used flat pan for frying the kulcha.Heat the pan and put kulcha on it,when you see bubbles on it turn the other side apply ghee on it.fry it till golden spots observed on both the sides of the kulcha.

11.Serve kulcha with chana masala/chole.

plain Dosa/Rice pancake

I guess everyone knows this ..but still i am posting becoz i just want to include some basic recipes too in my blog :)

I will post Instant/different types of dosa's in my future postings!!

Ingredients:

Rice-3 cups
Uruddal/black gram -1 cup
salt

oil

Preparation:

1.wash and soak both dal and rice seperately .soak it 6 to 8 hrs before you want to make.

2.Grind seperately both dal and rice using little water.Mix both grinded rice and dal mixture.Add salt to the batter atlast and keep it outside for atleast 12 hrs,so ferementation occurs and dosa tastes more after fermentation.

3.take tawa,heat it and add one tsp of oil ,pour the batter on to the tawa and spread it and fry it on both sides till golden brown.

4.Enjoy dosa with peanut chutney/any chtney!!

I am sending this to Announcing: My Legume Love Affair: Ninth Helping(MLLA9) hosting by Laurie Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska and the creator of MLLA is Susan The Well-Seasoned Cook

vegetable cutlet with bambino samiya

These cutlets are very tasty and we can eat this as a snack.Vegetable cutlet can be made in different varieties,this is one of those varities.If you want you can also add other veggies like cabbage,beans etc.

Ingredients:

Bambino samiya packet-150 gms
breadpowder-3 cups
potatoes-2
all purpose flour/maida-1 cup
carrot-2
frozen peas-1/2 cup
cilantro-1 bunch
mint leaves
lemon-1
oil
turmeric powder
salt to taste
red chlilli powder

Preparation:

1.cut all the vegetables ,and cook all the vegetables using pressure cooker and take cooked veggies(drain water if required) into a bowl and add salt ,chilli powder,turmeric powder,lemon juice, and mix well.

2.chop finely both cilantro and mint.Add cilantro,mint to the above mixture.

3.Mix all purpose flour with water and make it thin batter and keep it aside.pour bread powder onto a plate and keep it aside.

4.Boil water in a large bowl,put samiya in the boiling water and let it cook for few min and then drain the water from samiya and add this drained samiya to the veggie mixture.

5.Using this veggie mixture with samiyaa,make vadas and keep it aside.

6.Take any flat pan,heat it , and pour 1 tsp oil on it.Now take above vadas and dip the whole vada in the maida batter and remove the vada from the batter and slide the vada in the bread powder till both sides of the vada covered with bread powder.

7.put that vada/cutlet in the pan and fry both the sides of cutlet till golden brown.

8.on a single pan, you can put 6 to 8 cutlets depending on the size and fry it.Serve these cutlets with any chutney/chilli-garlic sauce.

I am sending this to Announcing Cooking for Kids Event- Potato hosting by Deepa Hari

Note:check this for easy/handy making bread powder/bread crumbs:How to Make Breadcrumbs: Tips : bonappetit.com

Cabbage pakoda

Cabbage pakoda is a very good appetizer/snack.I had already written this recipe but i haven't included the pic yet.Now i am updating with pic and posting it again friends!!

Ingredients:

chopped cabbage 3 cups
Besan powder 1 cup
rice flour 1/4 cup
chopped onions sleekely and long length 2 cups
chopped green chilles 10
chopped coriander and curry leaves(optional)
water necessary
salt to taste
oil

Preparation:

1. First take a large bowl and mix all the above ingredients except water and oil .

2.Be careful while adding water,add very less amt of water( Add required water )inorder to make the batter tight but not loose ..

3.Take a pan and put on medium heat and once the moisture is gone in the pan add oil for frying till 1/2 to 3/4 th of the pan.

4.once the oil gets heated ..take a spoon and drop the batter in the form of a small dough (size of tea spoon) into the oil till the pan is filled with pakodas.

5.once bubbling around the pakoda is stopped turn the pakoda onto other side and do the same and make sure that every pakoda is fried.

6.Remove fried pakodas from the pan and place it on a paper towel.

7.Serve hot cabbage pakodas to your guests/loved ones.

Note:If the batter is tight , pakoda takes less oil for frying and it will be crispy too!!

Mushroom curry and awards

This curry made similar to the chicken curry.This tastes like chicken too!!The only addition is methi leaves during tadaka/talimpu becoz my mother told me that it will taste more with addition of methi leaves.You can add fenugreek/methi leaves in tadaka in any curry ,it tastes too god.Fenugreek leaves are very good for health check Fenugreek (methi) for health and beauty.Once you studied these benifits i am sure you will definetely use fenugreek in your daily curries.The curry will be good with either rice or chapathi's.

Ingredients:

Mushrooms-300 gm
onion-1 big(finely chopped)
tomoto -1 big(finely chopped)
ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp
turmeric powder-1/4 th tsp
red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
methi leaves-1 bunch
salt to taste
curry leaves
cumin seeds-1 tsp
curd-3 tsp
oil-3 tsp
garam masala- 1/2 tsp
cilantro for garnishing

Preparation:

1.First wash the mushrooms and cut into two or 4 pieces.

2.Marinate the mushrooms by mixing with salt and turmeric powder,ginger-garlic paste and redchilli powder.If you want you can also add curd and mix well and keep it aside for 15 min.

3.Heat the pan,put oil,when heated add cuminseeds,curry leaves and saute for a min and then add onions fry untill onions beecomes trasnsluscent .Later add methi leaves and saute for a min and then add tomoto and fry for few more min.

4.Add marinated mushroom to it and keep a lid on the pan and cook it untill mushrooms are cooked properly.

5.Atlast add garam masala powder and cilantro mix well,and sreve .

Here is my awards..Vibaas Vibaas passed me the circle of friends award..Thanks alot dear..I am happy to be in your friends circle :))

Priya Priya Sriram passed me this cute friends awrds with love ..I am fortunate to have a friend like you..Thank you dear!!

This award sent along with these words:"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement (? big word, lol). Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I would like to pass these onto the following 8 friends:

Smitha, Pooja, Mahimaa's kitchen, Varunavi, Ann , Madhu's cooking gallery, Suma Rajesh, Ranjani...some of you might already got these awrds..plz come and take your awards friends!!

Chepala pulusu/fish curry

This is a traditional andhra tangy recipe made of onions and tamarind.This tastes more if you left this curry for one day and eat it on next day.Most of the telugu non-veg people will have fish or chicken or mutton on sundays.

Enjoy this andhra fish curry/chepala pulusu with rice.. I hope everyone knows about health benifits of fish..take fish atleat once in a week :)

Ingredients:

Fish- 500g cut into medium size pieces
Tamarind -lemon size (squueze the pulp from it)
ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 spoon
Coriander powder-2 tsp-optional
Red chili powder-1 tsp
Garam Masala-1 tsp
Onion-1 big- finely chopped
Tomato- 1 finely chopped-optional
Green chilli-2(slitted)
Cuminseeds/jeera- 1 tsp (optional)
curry leaves-1spring
Oil -4 tsp
Coriander leaves-1 bunch

Preparation:

1.Wash all the fish pieces thoroughly with salt and turmeric powder.Marinate it with a pinch of turmeric, chilli powder,and salt and ginger-garlic paste and keep it aside for 15-30 min.

2.Heat oil in a large bottomed vessel.Add cumin and curry leaves.Once they are fried,add onions and green chillies,Saute them till onions becomes trasnsluscent add ginger-garlic paste and fry it for a couple of minutes.

3.Add fish pieces to it and fry for 7 to 8 min and then add the tamarind pulp or paste.(Add water if required).Add salt and red chilli powder, if required.But remember one thing dont mix the curry with the spoon just move the pan in such a way that all the pieces have mixed well.Cook till the fish pieces become soft and well cooked on medium flame.

4.Finally add garam masala and coriander leaves , mix well.Enjoy with rice/roti/parathas.

Pumpkin curry

You can also call this as Pumpkin Masala.Pumpkins are part of the same plant family that includes squash and cucumbers and can be found in an array of shapes and sizes. Make use of the seeds from your pumpkin by roasting them for a snack.I love pumpkin especially if i do this kind of masala!! I hope everyone likes this..

Health benifits of pumpkin:

1.Pumpkin is really low in calorie . The perfect vegetable for persons who watch their weight.

2.Vitamin C and potassium are also an added health benefit, as well as fiber. The bright orange flesh of pumpkin is loaded with bta-carotene.This vitamin is an important antioxidant that helps us fight free radicals.( which have great anti-cancer properties.)

3.Pumpkin seeds can also be eaten dried.They are actually very healthy and are used in the treatment of many illnesses .Pumpkin seeds are high in protein, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper and essential fatty acids.

4.Pumpkinseed oil contains good fats, which have been linked to healthier skin, an increase in energy, and improved mental function. Be sure to roast your seeds at 300 degrees or less to protect the inherent good fats.

Ingredients:

Onion -1 big( chopped finely/grinded)

Ginger-garlic paste-1

turmeric powder-¼ tsp

tomatoes-2(finely chopped/grinded puree)

green chilli-1 split

garam masala-1 tsp

Salt to taste

red chilli powder-1/4 th tbs

chopped fresh coriander for garnishing

pumpkins-1/4 th piece of medium sizeed pumpkin

oil-4 tsp

Preparation:

1.First peel the pumpkin skin,cut pumpkin into medium sized cubes.Grind onions and tomotoes seperately.Usually if we buy the pumpkin in indian groceries they won't have seeds.

2.Heat the oil in a pan and, when heated, add the onion paste .Once the onion paste is fried add tomoto puree and fry for 5 min and then add ginger- garlic paste and fry until very lightly golden.(if you want you can also put all seasoning ingredients)

3.Lower the heat and add the turmeric, green chilli and saute for a min.Add a splash of water to prevent the mixture becoming too dry.Stir well and add the garam masala, salt, red chilli powder too.

4.Once the mixture has become shiny and the oil has begun to separate (add splashes of water if necessary), add the pumpkin pieces and stir well to coat thoroughly with the mixture.

5.Turn up the heat and stir-fry for about five minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, reduce to a medium heat, cover and cook gently for 10-15 minutes until the pumpkin pieces are soft.Don't cook over time,it will become mushy.Just check and see ,if at all if you feel pieces are not cooked add little water and cook for few more min.

6.Carefully stir occasionally to check it is not sticking to the bottom.Turn the heat off and Garnish with chopped coriander.

7.Serve and enjoy with your rice or chapathi's.

Radish fry with moong dal

Radish fry with moong dal is very tasty and you can serve this as a side dish.Radishes are delicious as taste in salads or even by themselves. After reading this, you may have found a new reason to consider adding radishes to your diet.

Health Benefits of Radishes :

1.Radishes are rich in ascorbic acid,folic acid and potassium. They are a good source of VitaminB6, riboflavin,magnesium,copper and calcium.

2.Ideal for dieters:radishes are very low in calories,they are also very low in fat.

3.High in Vitamin C

4.Regulates Digestion.

5.It prevents cancer due to the high amount of antioxidants that they contain.

Ingredients:

Radish/Mullangi-1/2 kg

Moong dal-1/8 kg

green chilli-4

dry red chilli-4

oil-6 tsp

shredded coocnut-2 tsp

curry leaves

garlic-4 pods

sugar-1 tsp

salt to taste

turmeric powder

Coriander leaves for garnishing-optional,seasoning ingredients(talimpu)

Procedure:

1.Soak moong dal in water abt 1/2 hr.In the mean time Wash the radish/mullangi thoroughly and peel it if you feel they are dirty.Grate the radish using grater and take this grated radish into a bowl.

2.Grind green chilies in to a corase paste and keep it aside.

3.Once the dal is soaked ,add this dal to the grated radish and add salt and turmeric powder too and keep it aside for half an hour.I have added very less turmeric powder but you can add more so that the dish looks colorful.

4.Take a pan,heat oil and add al tadaka/talimpu/seasonig ingredients and fry for a 2 min and then squeeze the water from grated radish and put that dry mixture into the pan.

5.Fry it on low flame and dont forget to put the lid on pan.Once the whole mixture is cooked,At last add shredded coconut and green chilli paste and fry for 2 min then switch off the stove.

6.Garnish with coriander leaves.This you can eat with either chapathi or rice.

Bottle gourd patties/sorakaya appalu

Bottle gourd patties are one of the tastiest Andhra snack/breakfast!!Before my marriage my mother used to make these patties,i like these patties very much .This is one of my favourite sanck ,but i ate these patties approximately 3 to 4 yrs back.This is my first time making after my marriage and reviving my memories.For this snack,I got compliments from my husband too :)

I am sure everyone likes to eat these patties!!

Bottle Gourd is very beneficial for health, especially for heart, and you can have a glass full of its juice if you are on a weight loss program too.

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd/ Sorakaya - 1 big
green chilies - 8 (3 tbsp paste ) or more depending on your taste
ginger-half inch piece
curry leaves-2 springs
chana dal-4 tsp- optional
Sesame seeds/ nuvvulu - 2 tbsp optional
peanuts-5 tsp -optional
Rice flour-required according to the moisture contained in the bottle gourd
Oil for deep frying
mint and coriander leaves-1 bunch of each

Preparation:

1.Wash the green chilies(remove stems) and ginger ( and peel the skin of ginger) , put it in the blender , make a coarse paste.

2.wash the bottle gourd and Grate the gourd, no need to peel the skin. To the grated gourd add green chili-ginger paste, salt, curry leaves ,coriander leaves ,now mix well.

3.To this mixture add rice flour as much as the mixture takes until you are able to make nice dough out of it, do not add any water . The amount of rice flour adding to the grated mixture depends on the moisture in the bottle gourd.The mixture sholdn't be too hard or too loose.

4.Once the dough is made,taste it and if you want add more chili paste or salt .Make small ball (the size of a golf ball), apply some oil to one side of a ziploc bag. Now using your fingers press it into a nice even round shape or you can use a poori press using two ziploc bags on each side of the press.

5.Take a deep pan and heat enough oil, slowly take the appam from the cover and slide it in the oil fry it until the edges are little brown.

6.If you are health concious ,just fry it like chapathi on the flat pan. Enjoy the patties!!

This is my entry to the WYF : Cuisine event at Simple Indian Food.

Note:1. you can eat these patties without any chutney or with any chutney.In both the ways it tastes too good!!

2.You can make this appam soft or crispy depending on your taste. To make soft ones, dough should not be too hard and do not fry it for too long. And vice versa for the crispy ones.

3.If you feel the gourd contains more moisture ,just remove some water (after grating) out of it otherwise you have to add more rice flour and it will take more time to fry all patties and you may feel tired and sometimes the quantity of flour is more than the quantity of grated gourd and it may not taste that good.

Masala vada

Masala vada made of urud dal.This tastes very good and you can eat this as a breakfast/snack.

Health benifits of Urad daal :They look like slightly dusty, black beads. Black gram is popular in the Indian Continent.These black beans with a white center are sold as urad in many Indian groceries. As halved beans, they are called urad dal. Urad dal is available unhusked with its black seedcoat and husked.A one-cup of urad dal serving contains 189 calories, 13 grams of protein, 12 grams of fiber (about half a day's worth) and one gram of fat. They're very popular and are eaten throughout India, from Kashmir to Tamilnadu in the south. Most popular South Indian dishes contain urad, e.g., Idli, Dosa, Utappam, Vada etc.

Ingredients :

Urud dal-2 cups

green chilies-6

Onion-1 big

Curry leaves

Cilantro/coriander leaves-1 bunch
Mint leaves -optional
ginger -small piece(grated)
Oil for frying

jeera/cuminseeds-2 tsp

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.Soak urad dal for 2 hours in water. Drain the water and grind smoothly without adding water.If required, add very less mount of water.

2.Grind ginger and green chillies,chopped onions,cumin seeds,add that mixture to batter.Add salt, curry leaves, chopped cilantro to the batter.

3.Take small amount of batter (golf ball size), make a ball first , keep it on a plastic sheet(ziplock cover) then make it flat and make a hole in the middle. It will look like a small sized donut.

4.Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the vada , flip it on the other side until it becomes golden brown on both the sides.

5.Serve with mint chutney, or you can also put these vadas in curd and soak it for an hour and eat this as a snack/breakfast.

I am sending this snack item to the 'Lentils Mela' event hosting by Ashwini .