Minapa Sunnundalu (Urad Dal Laddus)

This is a famous Andhra delicacy made with pure ghee. These are very easy to prepare and taste superbly delicious. Urad Dal is considered to give strength to the backbone.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Black Gram (Minappappu) (Urad Dal)
• ½ cup Sugar
• ¼ cup Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• A few cardamom seeds/powder (Optional)

Preparation:

Dry roast urad dal on a med-low flame until it turns golden brown in color. Then transfer to a plate and allow it to cool down.

Later grind the dal into a fine powder, add cardamom seeds if using and keep aside.

Also powder sugar finely and mix with powdered dal.

Melt ghee and pour this hot ghee on top of the urad dal mixture. Mix well with hand (yes, you can handle it) until ghee mixes well with the dal mixture.

Don’t let the mixture stand for a long time as it tends to dry soon. Take small portions of the mixture and shape into balls.

Arrange them on a plate to dry for some time and enjoy the tastiness of these aromatic laddus.

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Gutti Dondakaya Koora (Stuffed Ivy Gourd) (Dry Curry)

I guess most of us like dondakaya/Ivy gourd/tindora. I previously blogged about a chutney recipe made with this veggie. This is a dry kind of curry stuffed with home-made Curry Powder (Koora Podi). This is the simplest curry with limited ingredients and can be done within a short period of time.

It can also be stuffed with onion masala (onions and chili powder ground together). It equally tastes good. There is also gravy kind of curry made with ivy gourd. I shall blog about it in future.

Ingredients:

• Ivy Gourds (As many as you want) (I took 12 which served 2)
• Curry Powder as needed for stuffing (Click on the Curry Powder to read the recipe for it) (I always make curry powder ahead and store in an airtight bottle for use with curries)
• Oil – 1 or 2 tbsp or as needed for the curry
• Salt

Preparation:

Wash and remove the edges of ivy gourd. Then make slits lengthwise just like in the picture. Stuff them with curry powder and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and place these stuffed ivy gourds. Sprinkle some salt on top. As curry powder already contains salt be careful when sprinkling the extra salt. Or else the curry would become too salty.

Cover and leave the curry on med-low flame for some time until the ivy gourds change color and appear to be cooked. Stir them in between.

When you feel that they are cooked well, turn off the flame and transfer the curry to a serving bowl.

Enjoy this delicious stuffed ivy gourd curry with steaming hot rice.

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Yummy Fruit Medley (Fruit Juice)

This is really yummy juice made out of a lovely combination of different fruits. It came out so good and delicious.

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Mung Bean Sprouts Pappu

Mung Bean sprouts are rich in protein and vitamins C and B complex. I added these to the regular pappu to make it healthier. It tasted so delicious too.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pigeon Peas (Kandi Pappu, Toor Daal)
• ¼ cup chopped Mung Bean Sprouts
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 to 3 Green Chilies
• 1 tsp dry Coconut powder
• A small piece of Ginger
• Few Curry Leaves
• Few Cilantro Leaves
• 1 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• A pinch of Asafetida (Inguva, Hing)
• A pinch of Turmeric
• Salt

Mung Bean Sprouts (Picture Courtesy: Chinesefood.about.com)

Preparation:

Wash and pressure cook toor daal for 3 whistles (until cooked).

Meanwhile, grind ginger + green chilies + coconut powder into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan/bowl and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds + ginger paste + tomatoes + curry leaves + asafetida + turmeric and sauté well for some time.

Then add chopped bean sprouts and pour little water and allow the sprouts to cook for some time and become soft.

Later add cooked daal and mix well. Add salt as required. Keep it on low flame until bubbles are formed on top, mix well and turn off the flame. Finally add chopped cilantro and mix well.

Enjoy this yummy and healthy pappu with rice or chapathis.

Yummy!!

On a Different Note:

Check out my daughter’s blog where she blogged about 2 beautiful Mother’s Day Poems that she has written for the Mother’s Day.

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Miriyaala Kashaayam (Spicy Pepper drink) for Cough

This year the spring season has been worst for us. I like spring for the beautiful weather, but don't like it for the allergies it brings. DH has got allergies like itchy eyes and dry cough. The cough shows its power especially during nighttime so that ruining the sleep. I always think that home remedies are the best methods to control these little but irritating ailments. What do you think?

Today I am going to post about a good old remedy for cough that works like magic though many people don’t like it for the strong/pungent taste. But it worked for DH very well. He says it feels so good after drinking it. If you take this 2-3 times a day (just ¼ cup is fine) the cough will subside to a large extent.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Water
• ½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
• ½ tsp Coriander-Cumin Powder
• 1 ½ tsp Sugar
• A few fresh Basil Leaves (Optional) (I didn’t add these as I don’t have them on hand) (But it will be good if you add them)

Preparation:

Pour water in a small bowl. Add pepper powder + coriander-cumin powder + sugar + basil leaves and mix well with a spoon.

Bring this water to a boil and turn off the flame. Filter to remove extra pulp and pour into a cup or a glass.

Try to drink it when it is still hot as it is good for the throat. If you can’t handle too much hotness just let it become little cold (but not too cold) and drink.

This is the best home remedy for coughs. There are some other types of good kashaayams too which are equally good. I will try to blog about them in future!

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Cabbage-Moong Dal Patoli

This recipe has been taking rest in my drafts. I don’t know why I left it there. Anyways, it woke up from its sleep now and ready to be posted. This is another yummy way to eat patoli which can be prepared using different combinations of veggies.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded Cabbage
• 1 cup Moong Dal (Pesara Pappu)
• 5 or 6 small Green Chilies
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• Some Cilantro leaves
• A small piece of Ginger
• 1 to 2 tbsp Oil
• Salt as required

Method:

Soak the moong dal for 2 hours and grind into a fine paste by adding very little water along with the green chilies, cumin seeds, ginger, salt and cilantro leaves.

In a non-stick pan, heat the oil and add the moong dal paste. Fry well and leave it for some time on a medium flame with a lid on top. Keep stirring it now and then.

Meanwhile, pressure-cook the shredded cabbage or boil it on stovetop or in microwave until cooked. Add the turmeric powder to this, mix well and keep aside.

When the moong dal paste looses its raw taste, add the cooked cabbage and mix well. Leave it for some time covered. The aroma of this curry when being cooked is so good. Keep stirring the curry now and then so that no lumps will be formed.

After some time turn off the flame when the curry appears cooked. Serve with hot rice. This curry is also the best combination when eaten with Pacchi Pulusu.

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Pappu Vadalu (Lentil Fritters) (Not Deep-fried)

Low Fat Lentil Fritters - Yummy!

This is just like any other vadas, but in this we use all the lentils in equal proportions. We usually make these during festivals and mostly deep-fry them. But I made these in appam pan to reduce the oil intake. They tasted equally delicious like the deep-fried ones.

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Dondakaaya Pachadi (Ivy Gourd Chutney)

Dondakaaya/Tindora/Ivy Gourd/Gentlemen’s Toes/Kovai is a tropical vine grown for its small edible fruits. They may be eaten immature and green, or mature and deep red. The young shoots and leaves may also be eaten as greens. These are extensively used in Indian cooking.

I usually prepare a simple stir fry or stuffed curry or pachadi with these veggies. It’s a family favorite. Today I am posting a recipe for Dondakaaya Pachadi on a reader’s request. This is a very simple way to prepare pachadi and it equally tastes so delicious with rice.

Ingredients:

• Chopped Ivy Gourd – 1 cup
• Green Chilies – 5 or 6 or as required
• Tamarind – a small ball sized
• Garlic Flakes – 2 or 3 (Optional) (I didn’t use these)
• Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in some water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. After a minute add ivy gourd pieces + green chilies + garlic (if using) and sauté well until the ivy gourd appears slightly cooked. No need to cook ivy gourd until soft, half cooking is fine. Turn the flame off and transfer the contents to a plate to cool.

Meanwhile extract juice from the soaked tamarind and keep aside.

Later add all the contents to a blender jar and grind into a smooth paste by adding tamarind water little by little. Don’t add all the tamarind water at once as the pachadi might become too watery. Add enough tamarind water to grind the pachadi into a thick paste. Adjust salt.

Enjoy this yummy and mouth-watering chutney with steaming hot rice and a dollop of ghee. YUM!!

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