Pudina Chutney (Mint Chutney for Idli & Dosa)

Ingredients:

Mint leaves - 1 cup (tightly packed)

Tomato (medium) - 1

Shredded Coconut - 3-4 tbsp

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Crushed garlic pods - 2

Red chillies - 3 (adjust according to taste)

Tamarind pulp - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Take a kadai, heat oil, add chana dal, crushed garlic pods, red chillies and fry them until they slightly alter their color.
2. Add chopped tomato and saute it for few minutes or until it turns tender. Add washed mint leaves and give a nice stir for not more than one minute. Let them cool for few minutes.
3. Now blend all the ingredients together with shredded coconut, tamarind pulp and salt.
4. Finally season it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Add little water to obtain desired consistency.

TIP: Do not cook mint leaves for long time. Overcooking may disturb the natural flavor of mint leaves and sometimes may turn bitter.

Boondi Laddu

Ingredients:

Besan flour (Senagapindi) - 1 cup

Water (for besan flour) - slightly more than 1/2 cup (approx 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)

Sugar - 1cup

Water - 1/3 cup

Elachi powder - one large pinch

Baking soda - pinch

Yellow food color (optional) - 1 drop

Cashews - 10-12

Raisins - 8-10

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Take a wide kadai, heat oil to deep fry boondi. Meanwhile take a wide mixing bowl, sieve besan and baking soda together. Now add slightly more than half cup of water and mix well to get a smooth batter without any lumps. Add a drop of food color if required. Remember that the quantity of water of water purely depends on the nature of the besan flour. So adjust accordingly. You can test the batter consistency by dipping the other side of spoon in to batter and add a single drop in to oil. If the drop turns round without any tail formation, then the consistency is perfect. If you notice tail formation, then the batter is dilute and you can add one more tbsp of besan.
2. On the other flame, take a deep cooking vessel, add sugar, water and stir well. Boil sugar syrup until one thread consistency is obtained. Sprinkle some elachi powder and let the syrup stay warm.
3. Take another small pan, fry cashews and raisins one after one in ghee and set aside.
4. Now take a wide perforated ladle on top of the oil and add some batter on it. Let the boondi fell in to oil. Fry them until they are almost cooked.
5. Repeat the process in batches until all the batter gets used.
6. Now transfer the boondi in to sugar syrup, add fried cashews, raisins and stir well.
7. When the mixture is warm, take required portion of syrup soaked boondi and make as ladoos. Do not use wet hands to make ladoos. Store this in an air tight container to stay fresh.

TIP: After making each batch of boondi, clean the perforated ladle on both the sides. This prevents uneven shape and tail formation of boondi.

Gobi Rice/Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Cauliflower florets - 1 cup

Onion (medium) - 2

Tomato (large) - 1

Cardamom - 2

Cloves - 3

Garlic pods - 4-5

Fennel seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Finely chopped coriander - 3 tbsp

Lemon juice - to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Boil rice and set aside. Wash, clean and transfer cauliflower florets in to plenty of hot water and let them boil for 1-2 minutes.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add crushed cardamom, cloves, garlic pods, chopped onion and saute them until they are tender.
3. Let them cool for few minutes and blend all the fried ingredients along with chopped tomato, coriander leaves to get a fine paste.
4. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai, add cauliflower florets, sprinkle some salt, red chilly powder and saute them under medium flame until they turn tender. Transfer these florets in to a bowl and set aside.
5. In the same pan, add ground paste and fry until the raw smell is disappeared. Once the paste turns thick add fried cauliflower florets and stir well. Adjust salt and spice level by adding some red chilly powder if required.
6. Add boiled rice and mix well with cauliflower gravy. Finally squeeze some lemon juice and serve hot with your favorite gravy or raita. 

Aratikaya Vepudu-2 (Raw Plantain Fry)

Ingredients:

Aratikayalu (Raw Plantains) - 2

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and peel off the outer layer of plantains and chop them in to slightly thick slices. Sprinkle some turmeric, 1/2 tbsp red chilly powder, salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add marinated plantain slices and saute them under medium flame with closed lid for 2-3 minutes.
3. After few minutes, slowly flip all the slices to the other side and continue cooking until they are tender.
4. Finally sprinkle remaining red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and adjust salt. Tastes great with sambhar or rasam.

Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Kheer)

Ingredients:

Semiya (Vermicelli) - 1/3 cup

Milk - 1 1/4 cup

Sugar - 5 tbsp

Elachi powder - one large pinch

Cashews - 8-10

Raisins - 6-7

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Take a pan, heat 1/2 tbsp ghee, add cashews and raisins one after one and fry them until they turn to golden brown.
2. In the same pan, add remaining ghee and roast vermicelli until they slightly alter their color.
3. Take a wide cooking vessel, add milk and heat it. When milk starts boiling add vermicelli and cook until it turns soft.
4. When the vermicelli is almost done, add sugar, elachi powder and stir well. Finally garnish with roasted cashews, raisins and serve hot.

TIP: Adjust the sugar level according to your taste.

Senagala Talimpu (Spiced Brown Chick Peas)

Ingredients:

Senagalu (Brown Chick Peas) - 1 cup

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Lemon - half

Freshly grated coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak brown chick peas overnight. Boil them in a pressure cooker with salt. Drain all the excess water from boiled chick peas and set aside.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and fry them for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add boiled chick peas and fry them in the seasoning for two more minutes.
4. Sprinkle some red chilly powder, salt and mix well. Finally garnish with finely chopped onion and lemon juice.

TIP: You can also add freshly grated coconut and mix well for a different taste.

Chekkara Pongali

Ingredients:

Rice - 1/2 cup

Moong dal (Pesarapappu) - 3 tbsp

Jaggery / Sugar - 1/2 cup 

Milk - 1/4 cup

Elachi powder - large pinch

Cashews - 10-12

Raisins - 8-10

Water - 2 cups + 3 tbsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Dry roast moong dal for 1-2 minutes under low flame and set aside. Similarly add one tbsp ghee and roast cashews and raisins until they turn to golden brown.
2. Boil moong dal and rice together with 2 cups water and set aside. Once it reaches to room temperature mash it by adding milk and set aside.
3. Meanwhile take a cooking vessel, add jaggery/sugar, 3 tbsp of water and heat under low flame until thin syrup is formed. Sprinkle some elachi powder and mix well.
4. Transfer jaggery syrup in to mashed rice and stir well. Finally add ghee, roasted cashews, raisins and mix well until the mixture comes together.

TIP: Adjust jaggery/sugar according to your taste. The color of the dessert depends on the color of the jaggery used. Here I used very light color jaggery.

Aratikaya Pulusu/Kodiguddu Aratikaya Pulusu (Raw Plantains & Eggs cooked in tamarind gravy)

Ingredients:

Aratikaya (Raw Plantain) - 1 large
Eggs - 2, boiled

Onions (medium size) - 2

Tamarind - lemon size

Green chillies - 2-3

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste
Jaggery - 1/4 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 3 tbsp
Water - 1 1/2 cup (adjust according to desired consistency)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Boil eggs, peel off the shell and make 2-3 small slits on each egg.
2. Wash, peel and chop raw plantains in to one and half inch pieces and keep them in water until used. Similarly soak tamarind in luke warm water and set aside.
3. Take a wide cooking vessel, heat oil, add chopped green chillies, curry leaves and fry them for 1 minute.
4. Add chopped onions and saute until they are transparent. 
5. Add chopped raw plantain and fry them with sauted onions for few minutes.
6. Transfer water in to cooking vessel and let them boil. Now add squeezed tamarind juice and continue cooking.
7. Add red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric and stir well. Continue cooking until the plantains are well cooked.
8. Finally adjust salt, add jaggery and mix well. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with white rice and relish.... 

Beetroot Koora (Beetroot Curry)

Ingredients:

Beet root - 250 gm

Carrot (medium size) - 2

Chana dal - 4 tbsp (soaked in water at-least for 30 minutes)

Green chillies - 4

Garlic pods - 2-3

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and pee off the outer layer of beetroot, carrot and grate them.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter.
3. Add urad dal, chopped green chillies, crushed garlic pods and fry until they slightly alter their color.
4. Add grated beetroot, carrot and stir well for 2-3 minutes. Add soaked chana dal and continue cooking for few more minutes.
5. Sprinkle some turmeric, red chilly powder, salt and mix well. Finally add shredded coconut and stir well. Serve hot with plain rice.

Broccoli 65

Ingredients:

Broccoli (medium size) - 1

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp

Besan flour - 1 tbsp

Corn flour - 1 tbsp

Rice flour - 1 tbsp

All purpose flour (maida) - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Red chilly powder - 1/4 tbsp

Black pepper - 1/3 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Take a plenty of water in cooking vessel and heat it. When water is boiling add all the broccoli florets and cook for 2-3 minutes. Do not over cook, the florets should be crisp and should be only half cooked.
2. Now drain all the excess water and transfer the florets in to a colander. Wait for few minutes or until they reaches to room temperature.
3. Take a mixing bowl, add besan flour, corn flour, rice flour, maida, turmeric, red chilly powder, black pepper, salt. ginger garlic paste and mix well. Sprinkle some water to get thick batter consistency.
4. Now add the half boiled broccoli florets in to the batter and mix well until all the florets are evenly coated.
5. Take a kadai, heat oil until it is sufficiently hot. Drop all the florets in to oil as batches and fry them until they turn to golden brown.

TIP: Do not prepare the batter too thick or runny. Thick batter may disturb the natural taste of broccoli. 

Coconut Laddu

Ingredients:

Desiccated Coconut - 1 cup

Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup

Chopped cashews - 2 tbsp

Elachi powder - pinch

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Take a small pan, heat 1/2 tbsp ghee, chopped cashews and fry them until they turn to golden brown.
2. Take a wide kadai, in a low flame, mix sweetened condensed milk, desiccated coconut, fried cashews, elachi powder and ghee.
3. Once all the ingredients come together and form a dough consistency (it might take 2-3 minutes), switch off the flame and cool it for few minutes.
4. Take a small portion of mixture and make as laddus.

TIP: Do not heat for long time. Excess heating may char or alter the color of mixture. 

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

Raw Rice - 1 cup

Green chillies - 6-8

Lemons - 3

Grated ginger - 1 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Bengal gram - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 4-5

Ground nuts - 3-4 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash and cook rice with double the quantity of water and set aside.
2. Take a small pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter.
3. Add bengal gram, urad dal, chopped green chillies, ginger, ground nuts, red chillies, curry leaves and fry them for 2-3 minutes. Add turmeric and stir well.
4. Add this seasoning to rice, adjust salt, squeeze lemon juice all over and mix well.

Bisi Bele Bath

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Toor Dal - 1/2 cup

Mixed vegetables - 1 1/2 cup (any vegetables of your choice) I used carrot, beans, potato, okra, tomato, green peas

Onion (medium) - 1, chopped length wise

Sambar Powder - 1 tbsp

Tamarind pulp - 3 tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Salt - as per taste

Water - 3+1+1 cups

Oil - 2 tbsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

To prepare spice powder:

Chana dal - 2 tbsp

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 3-4

Dry coconut powder - 2 tbsp

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 tbsp

Hing - pinch

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and boil rice with 3 cups of water and set aside (Normally we cook 1 cup rice with 2 cups of water. But in this recipe the rice should be over cooked).
2. Similarly cook toor dal separately with 1 cup of water and a pinch of turmeric. 
3. Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add fenugreek seeds, hing and stir well for 1 minute.
4. Add chopped onion and saute until they are transparent. Add mixed vegetables and saute them until they are 80 percent cooked.
5. Add tamarind juice, salt and let them boil for for few minutes. Mean while, take a small pan, heat oil, add chana dal, coriander seeds, red chillies and fry them. Let them cool for few minutes and blend together with dry coconut powder to get a slightly coarse powder.
6. Add this spice powder and sambar powder to the cooked vegetables and mix well. 
7. Take a pressure cooker, add cooked rice, mashed toor dal, spicy vegetable mixture, 1 cup of water and stir well. Close it and cook under very low flame for 10-15 minutes without placing the whistle or weight. 
8. Finally add some ghee and mix well. Serve hot with papad or vadiyalu. 

Bobbarlu Vadalu (Masala Vada)

Ingredients:

Bobbarlu/Alasandalu (Cow Peas) - 1cup

Bengal gram/Chana dal - 1/4 cup (soak it for at least 30 minutes)

Onion (finely chopped) - 1

Green chillies (finely chopped) - 2-3

Ginger (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp

Cloves - 4-5

Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Salt - as per taste

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and soak cow peas for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).
2. Drain all the water and grind them with cloves in to a coarse paste by adding little water. Be sure that you do not add too much of water. The batter should be thick and convenient to make vadas.
3. Heat oil in a wide kadai. Wait until the oil is sufficiently hot.
4. Meanwhile add soaked chana dal, chopped onion, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt to the prepared batter and mix well.
5. Take a small portion of mixture and press it on a plastic paper to form medium sized discs.
6. Now slowly drop the prepared vadas in to oil one by one and deep fry in medium flame until they turn to golden brown.

Mushroom Pulao

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Mushrooms - 200 gm

Chopped tomato (small) - 1

Onion (lengthwise chopped) - 1

Green peas - 1/4 cup

Green chillies - 2-3

Ginger - half inch

Garlic pods - 2

Coriander leaves - 3 tbsp

Mint leaves - 2 tbsp

Cinnamon - one inch

Cloves - 4-5

Bay leaf - 1

Star Anise - 1

Marathi Moggu - 1

Nutmeg - half

Mace - 1

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cashews - 5-6

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tbsp

Yogurt - 2 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Lemon - 1 (optional)

Water - 1 3/4 cups

Procedure:

1. Heat ghee and oil together, add all spices, cumin seeds, cashews and fry for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add finely chopped onions and saute until they are transparent. Meanwhile blend green chillies, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and mint leaves together to form a coarse paste.
3. Add the prepared paste to the fried onions and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Once they are tender, add turmeric, red chilly powder, garam masala and stir well. 
5. Add yogurt and stir well. Add chopped mushrooms, green peas and mix well.
6. Now add water and adjust the salt level. When water is boiling, add rice and cook.
7. Once the rice is completely done, sprinkle some lemon juice all over and mix well. Serve hot with mixed vegetable raita and enjoy!!!

Egg-less Strawberry Cup Cakes

Ingredients:

For strawberry sauce:

Strawberries - 2 lbs

Sugar - 4 tbsp

Corn flour - 1 tbsp

For cup cakes:

Strawberry sauce - prepared from the ingredients listed above

All purpose flour (maida) - 1 1/2 cup

Butter - 1/2 cup

Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Honey - 3 tbsp

Baking powder - 1/4 tbsp

Baking soda - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - pinch

Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

Preparation of Strawberry Sauce:

1. Wash, clean and blend strawberries along with sugar to form a smooth puree.  
2. Take a small cup of water, add cornflour and stir well without forming any lumps.
3. Transfer strawberry puree in to sauce pan and boil for few minutes. After 5-6 minutes, add cornflour mixture and continue stirring until it thickens. 
4. Once the sauce turn thick, switch off the flame and cool it to room temperature.

Preparation of Cup Cakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
2. Take a wide mixing bowl, sieve maida, baking powder, baking soda and salt together (for uniform mixing).
3. Take another wide bowl, add butter (at room temperature) and whisk it until it turn fluffy.
4. Add sweetened condensed milk and continue stirring the mixture. 
5. Continue beating the mixture by adding strawberry sauce followed by milk, vanilla essence and honey.
6. Now add the flour mixture little by little in to the sweetened strawberry mixture and stir well to form a smooth batter.
7. Now take a muffin pan, divide the batter evenly among prepared  cups so that each is two-third full. 
8. Start baking at 350 degree F for 18-20 minutes or until the inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

Capsicum Sweet Corn Rice

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Capsicum (large) - 1

Sweet Corn - 1/3 cup

Onion (large) - 1

Green chillies - 2

Finely chopped garlic - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Garam Masala - pinch

Cashews - 5-6

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Cook rice and spread it on a plate until it cools and grains are separated.
2. Take a kadai, add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, green chillies, cashews and fry them for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add onion(chopped length wise) and saute until they are transparent. 
4. Add chopped capsicum and continue cooking for few minutes or until they are half cooked.
5. Now add sweet corn and fry for few minutes.
6. Sprinkle some turmeric, salt, garam masala and mix well. 
7. Finally add boiled rice, mix well and saute under very low flame for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame, stir well and serve hot.

TIP: Do not over cook capsicum, it should be crisp enough. Similarly, do not add too much garam masala, just add a pinch for flavor. Excess masala disturbs the natural taste of capsicum and sweet corn.

Verusenagapappu Undalu (Peanut Laddu)

Ingredients:

Peanuts - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Water - 30 ml

Procedure:

1. Dry roast the peanuts until they slightly alter their color. Cool them, peel of the skin by rubbing between palms.
2. Take a kadai, add jaggery, water (15 ml) and heat them until a thick syrup is formed. The syrup should be in a consistency such that when a drop of it is placed in a bowl of water, it should retain its shape without spreading in water.
3. Continue the same process to prepare sugar syrup in a separate kadai.
4. Now add sugar syrup in to jaggery syrup and stir well.
5. Finally add roasted peanuts in to the syrup and mix well. Transfer the contents immediately in to a greased plate and level it with a spatula if you want to cut it in to pieces or you can wait for few minutes until it is warm and make as laddu of desired size. 

TIP: Jaggery alone can be used to prepare the syrup, but the laddu turns hard. The combination of sugar and jaggery gives brittleness and adds taste to the laddu.