Carrot Pickle

Carrots have the highest vitamin A content of all vegetables. They also contain antioxidants, which protect our immune system. Studies have shown that the carrots are helpful in protecting against cancer. They also supply us with useful amounts of fibre, vitamin C, and vitamin B.

Carrots can be cooked in many forms or eaten just like that. I guess it’s the most favorite vegetable among kids due to its sweet taste.

Here is a recipe of carrot pickle that tastes so good.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium Carrots
• Dry Red Chilies according to taste
• 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds (Dhaniyalu)
• ½ tsp Fenugreek Seeds (Menthulu)
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeelakarra)
• ½ tsp Mustards Seeds (Avalu)
• A small ball of Tamarind (Chintapandu)
• 1 tbsp Oil
• ½ tsp Asafetida
• Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the tamarind in a little water to soften. Peel the skin of the carrots and cut them into medium pieces as in the picture.

In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds, the coriander seeds and the fenugreek seeds. Finally add the red chilies. Fry till they change color and take them away from the pan. Then to the pan, add the chopped carrots along with the asafetida and fry till they become little cooked like in the picture.

Let them cool and grind all the ingredients into a smooth paste along with the soaked tamarind. Adjust salt and chilies according to taste. Serve with hot rice or dosas.

This is my contribution to “JFI: Carrots” hosted by The Cooker. JFI (Jihva For Ingredients) is originally started by Indira.

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Arati Kaya Podi (Powder with Plantains)

Green plantains are very hard and starchy; they have little banana flavor and no sweetness. They are low in Fat, sodium-free, source of fiber and potassium,Source of vitamin C & B6, Cholesterol-free.

I tried powder with plantain that goes with the rice, as I am a great fan of powders. This reminds me of my father who like this powder very much.

Ingredients:

• 2 Plantains
• ¼ cup Bengal Gram Dal (Senagapappu)
• ¼ cup Black Gram Dal (Minapapappu)
• ¼ cup Coriander Seeds (Dhaniyalu)
• 2 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeelakarra)
• Some Dry Red Chillies according to taste
• A pinch of Turmeric
• ½ tsp Asafetida (Inguva)
• Salt
• 1 tbsp Oil

Preparation:

First peel the skin of plantains and cut them into medium pieces as in the following picture.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Then add Bengal and Black grams and the coriander seeds and fry till they turn golden brown. Then take them away and place on a plate to cool. Later add the rest of the oil and fry the plantain pieces along with the red chilies and little turmeric and the asafetida. After the plantain pieces become little cooked take them away from the pan and let them cool.

Then dry grind them into a coarse powder. It tastes better if it is little coarse in texture. But first grind the dals and coriander seed mixture, because if we mix all the ingredients at once, the dals won’t get ground easily as they are little hard. Add the plantain pieces at the end. Now grind them all together by adding the red chilies and the salt.

Serve with hot rice and ghee.

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Tomato Rice

Tomato rice is the most favorite rice item in our house. It not only appears colorful, but tastes great too. It has the perfect blend of vegetables and spices.

Let’s check what we need to make this:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 5 or 6 tomatoes
• 4 or 5 green chilies
• 1 medium onion
• 1 potato
• A handful of green peas
• 2 tbsp oil

For Masala:

• Garlic and Ginger pieces or paste
• 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
• 4 or 5 cloves
• 2 or 3 Bay Leaves
• Some curry leaves
• Some cardamom seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric

O.K. Now we have everything. So let’s start making it.

Wash the basmati rice well and soak it in water for 30 minutes. Chop all the vegetables into small pieces. Gather all the spices. I use the whole spices without grinding them. I like it that way. We can also grind all of them into smooth paste. The amount of spices can be increased or decreased depending on one’s taste.

Heat oil in the pan and add all the spices. Fry them for a while, and then add the chopped vegetables. A spoon of tomato paste (available in cans) can also be to the vegetables to make them look more reddish. But that is just optional. When the vegetables become soft add the soaked basmati rice after draining all the water. Fry till the mixture becomes little dry.

Then transfer all the contents into a rice cooker, add salt and cook till done. Serve hot with plain yogurt or raita.

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Roasted Chana Chat | Putnaala Pappu Chat

Roasted Chana Chat | Putnaala Pappu Chat | Roasted Bengal Gram Chat

This is one of our favorite evening snacks. It is so easy to prepare and tastes great with all the spiciness. It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare.

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Biyyapu Rotti (Flat Bread with Rice Flour)

This rotti is so easy to prepare and tastes great too.

We need: 3 cups Rice Flour (బియ్యపు పిండి) 1 cup Semolina (Upma Rava) 1 medium Onion 4 or 5 Green Chilies or according to taste 1 tsp dry Red chili powder or according to taste 2 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 medium Tomato 2 tsp Butter Salt to taste Oil Preparation: Chop the onion, green chilies and tomato into tiny pieces.  Add these along with the cumin seeds, chili powder, butter and salt to the mixture of rice flour and semolina.  Combine all of them to make thick dough just like chapathi dough. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Take a small ball of the dough, put it on a heated pan and spread it into a big circle with the palm.  Be careful not to burn the hand. Put the flame in medium setting.  Pour little oil around it. Let it cook for a while. Then flip it over with a spatula. Add little oil again and let it cook. Repeat the above process with remaining dough.  Serve it with a dollop of ghee on top to enhance the taste.  This rotti can be eaten alone without any chutney, as it is already spicy with the green chilies and the chili powder.  This can be eaten as a snack or during dinnertime.Yummy!!

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Curry Leaves Pickle (Karivepaku Pachadi)

Curry leaves are used in Asian cuisine to enhance the curry dishes. Curry leaves are rich in dietary fiber. They also provide vitamin A, vitamin B, minerals and carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids and alkaloids. Consumption of curry leaves is said to helpful in the treatment of diabetes. It is also reported to have high antioxidant content.

Curry leaves can also be made into a pickle and eaten with rice. Here is my version of Karivepaku Pacchadi.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of fresh Curry Leaves
• 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 2 tbsp Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
• 2 tbsp Black Gram (Urad Dal)
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 5 or 6 dry Red Chilies or According to taste
• 2 tbsp Oil to fry
• A small ball of Tamarind
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash the curry leaves well and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves and fry till they become a little withered. Then take it away from the pan and let it cool.

Later add the remaining oil along with the coriander seeds, chana and urad dals to the pan and fry it till they become little brownish in color. Finally add the red chilies and fry for a while.

Then grind all the ingredients into a fine paste along with the tamarind and salt by adding a little water.

Serve with rice.

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Picture of the Week

Cherries

This picture was taken when we went to the Apple Hill, CA for picking Cherries. It was a wonderful experience.

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Masoor Dal (Red Lentils) with Multi-colored Peppers

The peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A. They also contain vitamin B6 and folic acid. Bell peppers are low in calories, have no fat and are sodium-free and cholesterol-free.

Apart from a high level of proteins, lentils also contain dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and minerals.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Masoor Dal
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Red bell pepper
• 1 Orange bell pepper
• 1 Yellow bell pepper
• 2 Tomatoes
• 2 or 3 Green Chilies or according to taste
• A pinch of Turmeric
• A pinch of Asafetida
• Salt to taste
• Some Coriander leaves for garnishing

For Seasoning:

• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds

Method:

Wash the Masoor Dal well and then pressure-cook until cooked. It can also be cooked on a stovetop with plenty of water, after soaking the dal for at least 30 minutes.

Cut all the peppers and the tomatoes into medium pieces. In a separate pan or bowl heat little oil and then add the mustard and the cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the peppers and tomatoes along with the asafetida, turmeric and cook them by adding some water.

When they become little soft add the cooked dal and salt. Let it cook on the medium flame for some time. The dal shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. Finally add Cilantro just before switching the flame off. Serve hot with rice or chapathis.

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Gutti Vankaya Koora (Stuffed Eggplant Curry)

This is one of my most favorite curries. Of course, my method of Gutti Vankaya Koora might be different the traditional method, but it also tastes good. Here is my version of Gutti Vankaya Koora.

Ingredients:

• 10 small Eggplants
• 1 cup of Kobbari Podi (Spicy coconut powder) for stuffing
• Salt to taste
• Oil to fry

Kobbari Podi

Method:

Wash the eggplants and pat them dry with a paper towel.



Then remove the stems and make two slits in all the eggplants just like in the picture below.



Later stuff them with the Kobbari Podi like this.

Eggplants lined up to be cooked

Then place all the eggplants in a pan, add some oil and sprinkle some salt on the top. Cover and let them cook till they become little softened. Keep turning them now and then so that all the sides get cooked. Remove the eggplants from heat when they are cooked. Serve with rice.

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Onion Pakoda

Hmm… hot pakodas on a rainy, cold day! What a great thought! So it became our snack for the evening. This is how I made them!

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Green Bell Pepper and Green Apple Mixed Pickle

Have you ever tried this combination? It’s really yummy. My hubby made this for lunch today. I hesitated to taste it in the beginning. But, after tasting it, I couldn’t stop from having it for one more time.

Ingredients:

• 1 Green Bell pepper
• 2 or 3 Tomatoes
• 1 Green Apple
• 3 or 4 Dry Red Chilies
• A pinch of Turmeric
• 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• A small amount of Tamarind
• A pinch of Asafetida
• 1 tsp oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the bell pepper, green apple and tomatoes into medium pieces.

Heat the oil in a pan, add and fry the dry red chilies and the coriander seeds for a while and keep them aside. Then add the above pieces fry for some time.

Finally add the asafetida and the turmeric. Let it cool down. Then grind all the ingredients into a fine paste adding salt.

Serve with rice.

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Chutney with Fried Garbanzo Beans (Uppu Senagalu)

Today I tried chutney with the uppu senagalu to go with the dosas. These are nothing but the fried Garbanzo Beans (Kala Chana), that are available in any Indian store. You can eat them just like that. They taste mostly like the putnala pappu (fried chana dal). These beans have skin on them. Before making them into chutney remove the skin, which is very easy to take off.

Fried Garbanzo Beans with skin

Fried Garbanzo Beans with skin removed

We need:

1 cup Fried Garbanzo beans
2 or 3 Green Chillies
A piece of Ginger
2 tsp desiccated Coconut
½ tsp Tamarind paste
½ tsp Cumin Seeds

Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil

Mustard Seeds

Cumin Seeds

Bengal and Black gram dals (Chana and Urad dal)

Curry Leaves

A pinch of Asafetida

Method:

Take off the skin on the Fried Garbanzo Beans. Add the ginger piece, green chillies, tamarind paste, desiccated coconut, cumin seeds and salt to these beans. Grind all of them together into a fine paste by adding little water. Then prepare the thalimpu to garnish the chutney. In the pan, heat little oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds, the two dals (chana and urad) fry until they become brownish and finally add the curry leaves and the asafetida. Garnish the chutney with this seasoning. It goes well with the dosas.

Dosas with Fried Garbanzo Beans Chutney and Kobbari Podi

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Chutney with green onions

Have you ever tried green onions? Green onions are an excellent source of vitamin A. Onions helps in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They also contain a substance that prevents the formation of blood clots.

I thought of making something different with green onions with a touch of traditional method. So I made chutney out of it and it tasted so good with rice.

Let’s go into the recipe.

We need:

A bunch of green onions
2 or 3 green chillies
1 tomato
½ tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds
1tbsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp each of Bengal gram (Pacchi Senaga Pappu) and Black gram (Minapa pappu)
1 small ball of tamarind
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste and a pinch of Asafetida

Preparation:

Chop green onions, green chillies and the tomato into pieces. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and both the dals and fry for a while. Then add the pieces of green onions, green chillies, tomato and the ball of the tamarind too. Fry till the mixture is cooked a little. Then add the hing and fry for a little while. Then taking it away from the stove, and let it cool for some time. After it was cooled down, grind into a not-so-thin or not-so-thick paste by adding little water and salt to taste. This chutney tastes better with hot rice and ghee.

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Tomatillo Chutney

Tomatillo is staple in Mexican food. It is referred to as "Mexican Tomato". It is rich in Vitamin C and fiber and low in calories.

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Kobbari Podi

Here is one more of my favorite powders. I call it multifunctional powder, because I can eat it with rice, use as a stuffing in the guttivankaya curry, use in different curries as the curry powder and also as the idly karam.

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Bengal Gram (పచ్చి సెనగపప్పు)
• ½ cup Dry or Fresh Desiccated Coconut
• Dry Red Chillies as per taste
• A pinch of Asafetida (ఇంగువ)
• Salt to taste

Method:

Dry roast or add little oil to fry all the daals. Add the cumin seeds and inguva at the end. Keep them aside to cool.

Dry roast the red chillies too. Then dry grind them adding salt. It doesn’t have to be very fine.

Adjust the spiciness according to taste. This is very easy to prepare and tastes great too.

You may also add some flakes of garlic to it while grinding. This powder goes well with rice.

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Kandi Podi

Mixed Lentils Powder

This is one of the many great tasting powders from Andhra. This is my most favorite item. When I was a kid, my mom used to make the not-so-spicy version of it for me. We used to call it as “Annamulo Podi”. But I came to know through some friends that, it was also known as Kandi Podi. It was so tasty that I can eat the entire rice with it.

Making of the Powder
What do we need?

• 1 cup Kandi Pappu (Yellow Lentil) (Toor dal)
• 1cup Pesara Pappu (Split green gram) (Moong dal)
• 1 cup Minapa Pappu (Split black gram) (Urad dal)
• 1-cup Pacchi Senaga Pappu (Bengal Gram) (Chana dal)
• A Pinch of Inguva (Asafoetida) (Hing)
• Salt to taste
• 6 red chilles
• 1 tsp cumin seeds

How to do it?

Dry roast all the daals. Little oil can be used to roast them, but I prefer them dry roasted. Keep them aside to cool.

Dry roast the red chillies too. Add the cumin seeds and inguva at the end.

Then dry grind them adding salt. It should be very fine powder. That’s it. The great tasting and great smelling powder is ready.

Eat it with hot rice and ghee.

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About Me

Here is a little introduction of me and my background and why I started this blog.

I grew up in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. I love the traditional Andhra food. I have enjoyed all the yummy food made by my mother. After getting married, I started cooking the food according to my tastes. So in that process of learning, I added some imagination to the traditional cooking and started experimenting with different food items. But luckily, they all have turned out good.

I wanted to share all my recipes and cooking ideas with everyone who enjoys food as much as I do. As a result, this food blog emerged. This is also a way to make new friends! I am enjoying each and every moment of blogging.

Initially, I named this blog as TELUGU RUCHI.COM with a blog title ESSENCE OF ANDHRA. But later after I bought the domain, I changed both blog name and title to TRENDY RELISH.

Hope you will encourage my little attempt to share recipes with your sweet comments and support!!

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