Eggs kobbari vepudu (eggs in coconut seasoning)

Ingredients to make this dish:

6 boiled eggs (not very hard)
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 green chili, slit vertically
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 - 1 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons freshly grated coconut meat
1 tablespoon coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
For tadka/popu: 1 tablespoon cooking oil, 2 sprigs curry leaves, 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds (optional), 1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat oil on medium heat. When the oil is heated, add curry leaves, mustard seeds, jeera. When the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add onions, green chili, turmeric powder. Stirring occasionally, saute until the onions have softened and are light brown in color.
• Add salt and red chili powder, mix gently. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
• Add eggs, coconut, lower heat, cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add cilantro, mix gently, remove from heat.

Guthi Vankaaya (stuffed brinjal) in old-world way

Many a time, a great meal need not to include extensive list of ingredients or a complicated procedure. This is the recipe that my great-grand-aunt has always made. Two words to describe it...simply superb. Her everyday meals were made with very few ingredients and in a relaxed manner. After a day's work with farming activities, no time toiling around the stove fueled by wood. The meals she made were always full of flavor, thanks to fresher ingredients and simple cooking methods.


What you need to make this flavorful curry:

10-12 small eggplants (brinjals)
3-4 sprigs curry leaves
a handful of cilantro, chopped coarsely
masala Red chili powder (see below)
salt to taste
2-3 tablespoons cooking oil

Masala Red chili powder:
Usually, this powder would be made well in advance and then used daily in cooking.
2 tablespoons red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dhania seeds, dry roasted
1/8 teaspoon jeera seeds, dry roasted
1 small garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle, powder together all the ingredients. Dry it for few minutes (moisture comes from garlic) and blend it one more time.

How to make guthi vankaaya:

• Pick brijals without any bugs. Trim the ends. Place them in a heavy bottomed, wide skillet. Arrange them in a single layer and pour the oil on top. Cover with lid and saute on medium heat till the brinjals (eggplants) are cooked well on one side. This might take 5-7 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low, and turn each brnjal so that the other side can cook. Bring back the flame to medium-high, cover with lid and cook until the other side also coked well.
• Remove from stove, cool a little.
  Take out all the brinjals from the skillet. Puncture each brinjal in the middle without breaking it into pieces. Put 1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 teaspoon) masala red chili powder in the puncture. Close gently ( it would not close all the way...that's ok).
• Return the same skillet back to medium heat. Add curry leaves and cilantro, salt. Saute until curry leaves are fried well. Place the brinjals back in the skillet and saute gently. Lower the heat, cook for a minute and remove from heat.

Best way to enjoy this is, mash the brinjal and mix very well with rice. Adjust salt (usually this dish will have less salt as the brinjals are roasted full). You may add a teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter). Yum!

Eggneer Masala (Steamed egg cake masala)

Eggs are extraordinary food. Nutritious, healthy, tasty and versatile. Can be eaten for breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner. This recipe, taught by my Amma uses steamed eggs. I call these steamed egg cubes eggneer (like Paneer). Once you have the eggs steamed, the options are endless. The steamed eggs can be
-cut into cubes added to salads,
-deep-fried, like chicken, seasoned well with some salt and pepper or some spice mixture
-add to a curry
-used just like one would use Paneer

I made a simple masala with some onions, tomatoes cooked well to coat the eggneer cubes

What's needed to make this:

4 large chicken eggs
1/2 large onion, chopped very finely
1 green chili
1 large tomato, chopped very finely
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger-garlic paste
1-2 teaspoon good garam masala
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro (coriander)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
and tadka items: 1 tablespoon cooking oil, 1/2 teaspoon each of urad dahl, black mustard seeds and jeera (cumin seeds)

How to make it:

Beat eggs lightly with a pinch or two of salt. Pour the eggs into a dish that can be used in a pressure cooker or steamer. Cook until done.
If using pressure cooker, take 2 cups of water in pressure cooker and place the dish. Cover with lid and cook until you see steam coming out. Lower the heat and cook for two minutes. Cool for few minutes before opening the lid.

Remove the steamed eggs carefully from the dish onto a cutting board. Cut into bite sized cubes




Heat cooking oil in a wok. Add the tadka items one by one and curry leaves. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add turmeric powder. Add chopped onion, slit green chili. Saute for couple of minutes or until the onions turn light brown.
Add ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder. Saute for few seconds. Add chopped tomato, salt and red chili powder. Cook on low heat until tomatoes become paste-like. Adjust salt and add eggneer cubes.
Mix gently and cook for a minute or two. Add cilantro (coriander) and mix gently. Remove from heat.



This goes very well with steamed rice or roti or chapati.

Aloo Paratha and Paneer Burji Dinner

(Potato Stuffed Indian Flat-Bread with Crumbled Indian Cheese Curry)

Today, I wanted to have a hearty dinner...something that not only fills my stomach but also feeds my senses and spirituality. Yes, spirituality. Making Parathas is, for me, like meditation. Making this exquisite thing out of flour, water, potatoes is simply amazing. Making the dough and filling, rolling out the bread, and finally frying it on hot tava (griddle) is as calming as meditation.





Although the paraThas are good with just a pickle, I made an impromptu Paneer Burji.
The combination turned out very delicious.

Aloo ParaThas:

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Chapathi Flour (please see notes)
• 1 cup or more water
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups cooked potatoes, grated
• 1/2 Cup finely chopped onions
• 1 green chili, finely mined (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1/2 cup chapathi flour for rolling paraThas
• Cooking oil for shallow-frying

Prep Work:
Mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt with the onions and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare dough: Take the flour into a mixing bowl, add salt and mix well. Adding water slowly, knead into pliable dough. The dough should not be too stiff or sticking to fingers. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or lid and keep aside for 15-30 minutes.

Making the Filling
Squeeze onions well to take out excess water. Salt helps to extract this water out of onions.
Mix grated potatoes, onions, minced green chili, Garam Masala and salt to taste well.

Making ParaThas

• Knead the dough well and divide into 12-14 balls (medium lemon sized)
• Take one dough ball and roll it into 2-inch disc
  
• 
  Squeeze the edge of the disc and place a medium lemon sized ball of filling.
  
• 
  Fold the edge as shown here make a parcel.
  
• 
  Pinch the center where all the folds meet and tuck inside, flatten the parcel.
  
• 
  Dust the surface well with flour and roll out into 4-5 inch disc.
  
• 
  Heat tava (or griddle) on medium high heat and dot it with a teaspoon of oil. Place the rolled out paraTha and fry for 1-2 minutes.
  
• 
  Dot the top of paraTha with little oil and flip the paraTha. Fry until done on that side too.
  

Remove from heat, repeat with all the dough balls.



Paneer Burji

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crumbled Paneer (please see notes)
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 green chilies, chopped coarsely
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 teaspoons Garam Masala powder
• 1/2 teaspoon each, black mustard seeds and cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 teaspoons cooking oil
• Salt to taste

How to make Paneer Burji:
-Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat
-Add cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry until the mustard seeds stop spluttering.
-Add red chili powder, Garam Masala, turmeric powder.
-Add onions, green chilies and little salt. Mix well.
-Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.
-Add tomatoes, cover and cook until tomatoes are cooked well and the curry started leaving oil on the top. Stir occasionally during this step.
-Add remaining Garam Masala and adjust salt. Mix well.
-Reduce the heat to lowest setting. Add the crumbled paneer immediately. Mix gently.
-Cook for a minute, remove from heat and serve.





Notes:
-I've used Golden Temple Chapathi flour.
-It took 1 cup and couple of tablespoons of water for 2 cups flour for making the dough.
-If making Paneer at home, no need to drain for 2-3 hours like here. Drain for 30 minutes until Paneer has solidified. Crumble and use in recipe.

Dosakaya Koora (Yellow cucumber curry - Guntur style)

This is one of those dishes that reminds me of Amma and my childhood memories. Memories of me and my siblings sitting on the veranda while Amma feeds us rice mixed with curry and ghee, mixed to perfection. We would gulp down morsel after morsel, without realizing how full we are. After all, the food came from Amma's hand...

What you need to make this koora:

1 large Dosakaya (Indian yellow cucumber)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped into 1/4" pieces
2 tomatoes (optional)
1- 1 1/2 cups fresh yogurt (absolutely NO non-fat, low-fat varieties. Plain, whole
milk yogurt)
Salt to taste
Red chili powder to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

For tadka or seasoning:
1 -2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tsp each, chana dal, urad dal, black mustard seeds, cumin seeds
1 or 2 dry red chilies, broken into 1" pieces
1 sprig curry leaves

Prep Work:

• Peel dosakaya just as you peel regular cucumber. Slice into half.
• Check the seeds and flesh for any bitter taste.
• If the flesh is bitter, discard the dosakaya. If not, Remove all the seeds. If the seeds have bitter taste, peel the membrane that connects the seeds, wash the flesh part thoroughly with water.
• Slice length-wise and chop into small bite sized pieces.

How to make:

• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil starts "dancing", add all tadka items. Saute until a nice aroma comes out and the mustard seeds stop spluttering.
• Add onion and green chili pieces and turmeric powder.
• Saute until the onions are soft and light brown in color, stirring occasionally.
• Add tomatoes and dosakaya pieces, salt and red chili powder. Reduce heat to medium. Mix well, cover and cook, until done, stirring now and then.
• Add yogurt, adjust salt (if needed), mix gently and cook without lid until you see the curry starts bubbling on top. Simmer on very low heat for 2 minutes, remove from heat.

Dosakaya or Indian yellow cucumbers are available at Indian groceries. This is not a regular vegetable that makes an appearance in the usual US grocery stores. See picture here. It is the pale yellow one next to tomatoes.)
Serving suggestion: Although this goes better with either rice or roti, it tastes best with warm steamed rice, melted ghee. Yum!!!

Kashmiri Dahi Baingan

(Eggplants in Kashmiri style yogurt sauce)

The ingredients and the deep frying part may make calorie-conscious people gasp with horror, but, it is not that bad. The eggplants do not absorb much oil if the oil is kept at right temperature. This dish is going to take your palette on a tantalizing journey! Enjoy!

adapted from recipe by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
~.~.~

What you need to make this curry:
4 medium sized long eggplants (Indian or Japanese variety)
4-5 cardamoms
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder
1 cup fresh yogurt
1/2 to 1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil plus for frying



Prep Work:
Wash eggplants, slit into quarters lengthwise. Place them in salted water.
Pound fennel seeds to a coarse powder.

Method:

• Heat 1/2 to 1 cup cooking oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
• Take few pieces of eggplant, dry them by blotting with kitchen towel. Fry for 2 minutes or until the pieces are light brown in color. Remove and place them on a paper towel.
• Repeat until all pieces of eggplant are done.
• In a deep skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp cooking oil, add cardamoms. Saute for 15-20 seconds. Carefully add yogurt, start stirring immediately. Add salt, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add fennel powder, ginger powder, red chili powder, mix well. Cook, stirring continuously for 3 minutes or until the yogurt breaks down.
• Add eggplant pieces, adjust salt, mix gently. Cook for another minute, remove from heat.

This tastes great with vegetable pulao or biryani or steamed basmati rice.

adapted from recipe by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
~.~.~

Chepala Vepudu - Fish fry - Andhra Style

This is a spicy fish curry, made by shallow frying fish pieces coated with spice mixture and topped with seasoned wilted onions.

This dish can be made with a variety of fish. But, somehow, salmon and tuna are not suited. Any cut of fish is also fine. Cook times can vary depending on the fish and cut. For example, tilapia may take a minute more than sea bass; thin fillets take less time than steaks. I made this with wild Pacific Dover Sole (which, is a flat fish) fillets.

Supper for my husband, DS, yesterday
~.~.~

What I used to make this dish:

2 lb Pacific Dover Sole fillets
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 medium onion, sliced
4-5 green chilies, slit vertically
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1-2 tbsp cooking oil + some for shallow frying the fish
Tadka items:a teaspoon each of chana daal, urad daal, mustard seeds, jeera/cumin seeds and a fistful of fresh curry leaves (yep! that many curry leaves needed. This is what gives this dish nice aroma.)

For spice mixture:
3/4 cup besan/chickpea/garbanzo flour
3-4 tbsp red chili powder
1 tsp dhania/coriander powder
1/2 tsp jeera/cumin powder
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp cooking oil

Prep work:

• Cut fish into bite sized or portion sized pieces. Sprinkle turmeric powder and a tablespoon of salt. Rub the fish pieces well. Leave for 5 minutes. Wash the fish pieces under cold water, squeeze gently, take into a mixing bowl.
  
• Add items listed under spice mixture, salt (keep in mind that the pieces had been rubbed with salt before) and gently coat the fish pieces, adding very little water. You may sieve the flour to achieve good application.
  
• Cover the mixing bowl, place it in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Method:

• Heat a table spoon oil in a skillet (use well-seasoned cast iron one for better taste) to medium heat. Add the marinated fish pieces on a single layer. Keep some space between the pieces. Cook on each side for a minute or until they are medium-brown color on both sides. Drain on a kitchen towel. If there are more pieces, shallow-fry them in batches. Once all done, go to next step.
  
• In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the tadka items one by one. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add onions, green chilies, garlic and little salt. Saute until the onions are wilted. Add a teaspoon of red chili powder, saute for 30 seconds.
• Return the fish pieces back into skillet, gently coat them with the wilted onions. Lower the heat to lowest setting, heat for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, squeeze lime juice before serving.

Serving suggestion: Can be served as appetizer or as a side dish with steamed rice and Andhra Pepper Rasam.

Supper for my husband, DS, yesterday
~.~.~

Guthivankaya (with Thai eggplants)

(Stuffed eggplants in poppy seed-peanut sauce)Ask a group of four people from Andhra how to make guthivankaya, you'll be bombarded with at least 25 recipes. Brinjal, the way eggplant is referred in India, is very dear to a person from Andhra. Since old times, at least one variety of brinjal dish would make appearance in small or large feasts. "Pappannam", playfully referred to wedding lunch/dinner, is incomplete without a brinjal dish. Such is importance of eggplant in Andhra.
It is a delight to know that this month's JFI vegetable is eggplant. JFI, started by Indira of Mahanandi, hosted by Sangeeta of Ghar ka Khana
This dish is made by my sister, LP, who is visiting me at present; and, is my entry for JFI-Eggplant.


What you need to make this dish:

8 Thai eggplants
3 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
1 medium tomato, chopped finely
2-4 green chilies, slit
Salt to taste
tadka items: 1tsp each of chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves from one sprig
Fresh cilantro, for garnishing

To be ground into paste:
1 fistful peanuts/groundnuts
4-6 dry red chilies
1 tsp coriander/dhania seeds
1/2 tsp cumin/jeera seeds
2 tbsp khuskhus/poppy seeds
1 + 1/2 tbsp raw tamarind or 1 tsp tamarind paste
2 cloves garlic
Salt to taste

Prep Work:
Soak Tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water for 10-15 minutes. Mash little bit before adding it to the blender.
Soak poppy seeds in 1/4 cup water for 10-15 minutes. Discard the water.
Dry roast peanuts. Remove skins if any. Keep aside.
Dry roast dhania seeds, jeera seeds, red chilies until done.
Take all items listed for the paste in a blender, blend to get a semi-smooth thick paste. Do not add too much water. Add only the amount required for the blender to move (this includes the tamarind water).

Method:

• Wash eggplants, cut into quarters without separating. Place the cut eggplants in a salted water bowl to keep them from discoloring.
• Take one eggplant out, squeeze well, stuff it with the paste made. Keep aside. Repeat this with rest of eggplants. Keep aside the remaining paste.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add eggplants, stir carefully to coat them with oil. Cover and cook until the eggplants are almost done, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the eggplants from the skillet, keep aside.
• In the same skillet, add remaining oil, heat it to medium heat. Add tadka items one by one. When the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add onions, green chilies, little salt (keep in mind that the paste has salt too). Saute until the onion is cooked to light-brown color.
• Add tomato pieces, cover and cook for 3 minutes or until done.
• Add the remaining paste and 1/4 cup water. Return the eggplants to skillet. Mix gently. Once the sauce starts simmering, reduce heat, simmer for 7-9 minutes or until the eggplants are completely done.
• Remove from heat, garnish with fresh cilantro, serve with steamed rice or roti.

Served with rice

Shopping Notes: Choose young Thai eggplants with thick stems. The ones with thin stems are old ones, which are bitter and have tough seeds, not suitable for this dish. The color of the stems should be dark green, not brown with fungus :-)

Menthi Pappu - from Rathanaalaseema ~ Rayalaseema

(Pigeons peas with fenugreek seeds)

There are numerous lentils/legumes preparations all over India. One preparation stands out in the lot is this Pappu. Most of the daals in Andhra are made with incorporating some sort of greens or vegetables. But, this one is made with fenugreek seeds (menthulu/methi seeds)! I learnt this recipe from my dear friend, Veena, who is also from Rayalaseema like my extended family. This is very much unknown to me before my marriage. It almost resembles in smell and taste with plain dal mixed with Avakaya. And, this is a spicy daal. The heat from red chilies balances bitterness of fenugreek seeds. Don't even think of taming the spiciness; making this less spicy will only result an unappetizing and bitter daal.

What you need to make this pappu:

1 cup toor daal (pigeon peas)
6-7 dried red chilies
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tamarind or 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp cooking oil

Prep work:
Pick and wash toor daal. Soak in water. Drain and keep aside.

Method:

1. In a skillet, heat cooking oil on medium heat. Add red chilies, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds. Once a nice aroma starts coming, add toor daal. Mix well.
2. Add 2-3 cups of water. Cook until daal is almost done. Add garlic cloves, simmer for 2-3 mins.
3. Add tamarind. Cook until daal is fully done and tamarind is soft.

or, you may do this in a pressure cooker: after step 1, add water, place garlic and tamarind on top of the water so that the tamarind wouldn't touch the daal. Close the lid and cook for 3 whistles or until the daal is cooked well.

4. Remove from heat, add salt and mash well. Serve with steamed rice or roti.

Pressure-cooked Menthi Pappu

Menthi pappu served with roti and brinjal curry.My contribution for RCI - Andhra Cuisine

Vankaya Perugu koora

(eggplant cooked in yogurt gravy-Guntur style)Brinjal (that is how eggplant is referred to in India) is the queen of hearts in Andhra. Almost every household makes several varieties of dishes with different varieties of brinjals. I have vivid memories of stealthily plucking the beautiful lavenderish eggplant flowers from my granddad's vegetable garden. From foliage to flowers to fruits (I mean veggies) this is a beautiful plant.
This dish is from rural Guntur district. Usually made with long variety brinjals. I've included Indian cucumber to add interest.

What you need to make this curry:

3-4 Indian or Japanese style eggplants
1/2 Indian cucumber
1 medium sized onion, sliced
2-3 green chilies, sliced
1 cup fresh yogurt
1 tbsp gram flour
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
Salt to taste
Tadka items:1-2 tbsp cooking oil, 1tsp each chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, jeera seeds, 1 sprig curry leaves

Prep Work
Quarter eggplants and cut into 1 inch pieces. Place the pieces in salt water (salt added to water). Peel Indian cucumber, check for bitterness. If bitter, you may still use the flesh after removing seeds and washing thoroughly, given the flesh is not bitter too. Slice, cut into small bite sized cubes.

Method:

• Drain eggplant pieces well, squeeze gently to remove some water. Add cucumber pieces, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, gram flour, yogurt, and 1/4th cup water. Mix well.
• In a skillet heat cooking oil and add tadka items one by one in the order given.
• When the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add onions, green chiles. Saute until onions are translucent.
• Add eggplant mixture. Mix well.
• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant pieces are cooked well (should not be mushy). Add little water if the curry is becoming too dry.

This curry taste good both with boiled rice and roti. Traditionally this is served with steaming rice with generous amount of ghee (clarified butter)

Bengaluru Mirapa - Senagapindi

(Bell Pepper Curry - Andhra Style)


This is a heavenly, fragrant curry that can be made with not so much effort. I make this variety of preparation whenever I crave for authentic Andhra fare, but short on time and energy. From prep work till serving this dish with a delicious meal takes only 30 minutes (Rachel Ray-ish).

RCI (Regional Cuisines of India), a brilliant event was started by Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine. I misses RCI-Tamil Cuisine, which I love. This time, its RCI-Andhra, my native cuisine, hosted by Latha. So, this month, its a parade of Andhra food. yay!


What you need to make this Curry:

2-3 medium green bell peppers
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 green chili, sliced
1/2 -3/4 cup gram flour or chick-pea flour (sengapindi)
1-2 tsp red chili powder
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)

Tadka/Seasoning Items:

3-4 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp each chana dal, urad dal
1 tsp each mustard seeds, cumin seeds
1-2 sprigs curry leaves
one or two pinches hing powder

Prep Work:
-Wash the bell peppers, core them, and dice them into small bite sized pieces. The core with stem should be discarded; the core with seeds can be used.
-Roast jeera seeds until they leave nice aroma. Cool, keep aside.
-If using flour from puffed chickpeas, no need to roast the flour.
-If using raw flour, roast on a low flame until it leaves nice aroma.
-Pound flour, cumin seeds, garlic cloves together to a breadcrumbs like consistency. Add little water to make thick paste of pouring consistency

Method:

• Heat a skillet , add oil. When the oil starts 'dancing', add tadka items in the order they are given.
• Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add onions, green chili. Saute for 1-2 minutes or until the onions become translucent.
• Add bell pepper pieces, salt, mix well; cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, occasionally mixing.
• Salt will make the bell peppers cook faster. Once cooked soft, but not mushy, add the flour mixture. Mix well by turning gently. Cook until the flour mixture is thickened and a light brown crust is formed. Do not turn a lot during this time.
• Serve with steamed rice and rasam

From Guntur - Kakarakaaya Bellam Vepudu- RCI- Andhra Cuisine

(Bitter gourd with jaggery)
'Vepudu' on Telugu is a dry curry, vegetables or meat are cooked until the water content is evaporated. The end result is a semi-crispy vegetables or meat packed with flavor.
Bitter gourd is one vegetable that needs some skill to make a tasty dish out of it. One small mistake or neglect would result a very unappetizing preparation. The preparation of a good bitter-gourd dish starts with selecting right gourds. Choose gourds which are not too young (no flavor) or too bulky and old (hard to cook, bitterness is too harsh).
There are numerous ways that karela can be prepared; but, this one is close to my heart, as it blends most of the 6 tastes (Salt, Pungency, Bitterness, Sweet, Astringent, Sourness)

What you need to make this 'Vepudu':

6-7 medium sized bitter-gourds (karelas)
1/4 medium onion, sliced
2 green chilies, chopped
1-2 tbsp jaggery
2 tbsp turmeric powder (I'm not out of my mind :-) Please see under Prep Work)
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp red chili powder (depending on tolerance)
5 tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste
and tadka items: 1tsp each chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cimun seeds, two sprigs curry leaves

Prep Work:
-Quarter karelas, and slice into 1/4th inch thick pieces. Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder, rub well, keep aside for 30 minutes. As the salt and turmeric powder are absorbed, salt brings out the excess water in the karelas, turmeric powder, adds a fabulous flavor.
-Squeeze well either by hand or in a kitchen towel and then squeezing; either way, the pieces should look wilted by the end.
-Grind garlic cloves and red chili powder together.(Mortar and Pestle or a back of spoon work better than a food processor/blender)

Method:

• Heat oil in a wide skillet or wok. Add the tadka items in the order given.
• Add the karela pieces, mix well. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, turning occasionally. The karela pieces should be done half-way through.
• Add onion and green chilies. Mix well and cook for another 15 minutes or until the karela pieces are well-cooked, i.e., the pieces are soft to bite with a crispy outer layer, doesn't feel like a piece of mulch when you bite.
• Add chili powder mixture and jaggery. Mix well and cook for another minute or two.
• Serve with rice and mudda pappu (plain boiled toor dal/pigeon peas) with a spoon of ghee.


My contribution for RCI-Andhra Cuisine.

Baby Lima beans Curry

This is a quick to make curry, that is delicious with rice or any flat bread.

What you need to make this curry:

1 packet (around 1lb) frozen Baby Lima Beans
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 green chilies, sliced
2-3 medium sized tomatoes
½ -1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

For Tadka/Talimpu/seasoning:

2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp each, Chana dal, Urad dal (optional)
1 tsp each, mustard seeds, cumin seeds
1 sprig, curry leaves

Grind to paste:
1-inch ginger piece
2 cloves garlic

Prep Work:
Thaw frozen baby lima beans by leaving the packet in tap water for 30 minutes.
Peel ginger; make a coarse paste of ginger and garlic.

Method:

• In a saucepan, heat oil; add the tadka items in the order given, one by one. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add chopped onion, green chilies, and turmeric powder. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or, until the onions become translucent.
• Add tomatoes, lima beans, salt and red chili powder. Mix well and cook covered on medium heat until the tomatoes cooked well to a pulpy consistency.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, mix well. Adjust salt. Cook for another 3 minutes on low heat.
• This curry should not be very runny. If it is, cook uncovered for 5 min, stirring.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Note: If using store bought ginger-garlic paste, add it along with onions rather than at the end. Same applies for pre-made, refrigerated one.

Lentils and Kale Pappu (Andhra Style Preparation of Lentils and Kale)

Victor Hugo was right when he said, "Necessity is mother of invention".
We lived in a small city in US, few years back; it was very hard to find Desi greens. So, I started incorporating the fresh greens that we get in mainstream market into my Andhra cooking. That’s when this ‘pappu’ happened. My initial trials with regular ‘kandi pappu’ (toor daal or pigeon peas) were not that exciting. The strong flavor (smell) of Kale completely overpowered delicate flavored toor daal. My search for a legume that can absorb Kale’s flavor without sacrificing its own flavor came to an end when I made lentil-kale soup. Wonderful! Lentils compliment Kale very well. I moved ahead and made this pappu. Ever since, I stayed faithful to this combo and make it often. This became one of my comfort foods. Try it and let me know.


What you need to make this Kale Pappu:

2 cups brown lentils
1/2 medium sized onion
1-2 green chili (optional)
1/2 bunch Curly leaf Kale
3 cloves garlic
2 small segments of tamarind or ½-1 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2-1 tsp paprika or red chili powder
Salt to taste

For popu (tadka/seasoning):

1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tsp each, chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves
½ tsp hing or asafetida

Prep Work:

Wash lentils well and soak for one hour. Discard this water.
Dice onion, slice jalapeno.
Kale – Wash kale well, take the veins out carefully and chop finely (not too fine).
Pound garlic cloves slightly.
Tamarind – if using dried segments, soak for 30 minutes, mash well and take pulp out.

Method:

• In a saucepan, boil lentils in 4-5 cups of water, occasionally mixing.
• When the lentils are halfway done, add onion, green chilies. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until onions become soft.
• Add kale. Cover and cook on a low flame for 6-7 minutes or until kale is cooked well (meaning, kale can retain its shape, not mushy), and the lentils are well cooked.
• Add garlic cloves and tamarind. Make sure that lentils are well cooked.
  

  Or, in a pressure cooker, add lentils, water, onions, green chilies, kale, garlic cloves, and tamarind. Make sure the tamarind is not touching lentils; otherwise, lentils won’t be well done. Cook until 2-3 whistles depending on the cooker you are using.

• Add salt, turmeric, paprika or red chili powder. Mash well to form a coarse paste. Please do fancy with the ideas of using blender or mashing it into a homogeneous paste.
• Now, move to popu step. In a small sauté-pan, heat cooking oil, add all popu items one by one in the order mentioned. When the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add this popu to the mashed mixture. Mix well and return the pappu to low flame and cook for 2 mins.Serve with roti or boiled white or brown rice.

 

 

Left: Pappu without tadka, before mashing. Right: Lentils and Kale Pappu
My Contribution to JFI-Green Leafy Vegetables

Brussels Sprouts with Coconut and Ginger

People are clearly divided when it comes to this tiny cabbage lookalike. Either they hate it or love it. This cutie has won less hearts not because it lacks beauty but has a strong uncompromising odor. Before you draw to a conclusion and jump onto the bandwagon, let's do the reality check. Yes, Brussels sprouts emit a strong sulfurous smell; only if its overcooked. Why blame this humble (ahem!) veggie.
Although this is a winter veggie, I found this fresh in the market and since its cold this weekend, thought I would prepare it as I usually make it, with coconut and ginger.
In Andhra another "smelly" vegetable, cabbage is cooked this way. The peppery taste of ginger and delicate essence of coconut balances the robust flavor of these little cabbages.

To make this Iguru (dry curry), you need:

10 - 12 Brussels Sprouts
1/2 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 green chili, chopped (optional)
1 -2 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste

For popu (tadka or seasoning)

1 tsp each chana dal, urad dal, black mustard seeds (rai), jeera
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder

To be ground into paste:

1 inch ginger
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1-2 green chilies

Note: Using water to make the paste will spoil the taste and brings out notorious odor of Brussels Sprouts. If can not grind without water, chop finely and add to the curry 2 minutes before finishing.

Method:

• Halve Brussels Sprouts and chop (not too finely)
• In a sautepan, heat cooking oil, add tadka items one by one in the order given.
• Once the mustard stops spluttering, add onion and chopped green chili. Saute until the onion becomes translucent.
• Add chopped Brussels Sprouts, salt. Stir well.
• Saute until the the Sprouts are almost done.
• Add the ground paste. Stir well, cover and cook for 1 minute on very low setting of stove. (if the sprouts are soft to bite and little crunchy, they are done). Care should be taken not to overcook.
• Serve with rice or rotis

This dish can be made as Upvaas dish by eliminating onion.

My Contribution to JFI-WBB: Green Leafy Vegetables