Stuffed Jalapenos

Ingredients:

Jalapenos - 6

Potato (large) - 1, boiled and mashed

Onion (small) - 1, finely chopped

Red chilly powder - 1/4 tbsp

Ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Roasted bengal gram - 1/4 cup

Red chillies - 2, small

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and pat dry all the jalapenos. Now slit them length wise, open wide, scrap all the seeds with backside of spoon. Keep them aside until used.
2. Take a small kadai, add cumin seeds, red chillies and roasted bengal gram and dry roast them for 1-2 minutes. Once they cool down, blend them with little salt to get fine powder. Add 1-2 tbsp of oil in to powdered mixture and mix well.
3. In the same pan, heat oil, add chopped onion and saute them for 1 minute. Add mashed potato, red chilly powder, ground black pepper, salt and mix well. Switch off the flame, add lemon juice and stir well.
4. Now take each jalapeno, stuff half of it with roasted bengal gram mixture (lower layer) and fill the other half with potato mixture (upper layer).
5. Take a wide kadai, heat 1 tbsp of oil, place all the stuffed jalapenos one by one and roast them under medium flame until the bottom layer slightly changes its color. Serve hot with rice as a side dish.

TIP: You can also stuff only one stuffing in each jalapeno like roasted bengal gram flour alone in one and potato mixture alone in other. Alternately instead of frying in pan, you can also bake these at 400 F in oven.

Chikkudukaya Tomato Koora (Indian broad beans cooked with tomato)

Ingredients:

Chikkudukayalu (Indian broad beans) - 200 gm

Tomatoes (large) - 2

Onions (large) - 2

Green chillies - 2-3

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves - few, finely chopped

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and trim the tips of broad beans. Chop them and set aside. Similarly chop onions finely and tomatoes in to medium chunks.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add slit green chillies, curry leaves, finely chopped onions and saute until they are tender.
3. Add chopped broad beans and cook for few minutes.
4. Add tomato chunks and cook along with broad beans by covering the lid. Continue cooking with occasional stirring until the broad beans are well cooked along with tomatoes. 
5. Add turmeric, red chilly powder and stir well. Finally adjust salt and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

TIP: Naturally tomatoes have lot of water in them. So usually the moisture in tomatoes is sufficient to cook broad beans. But sometimes the gravy may turn dry and do not support better cooking. So add little water if required. You can also temper this curry with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, bengal gram and urad dal.

Vankaya Allam Koora (Eggplant cooked with ginger)

Ingredients:

Brinjals/Egg plants - 200 gm

Ginger - 1 to 1 1/2 inch (finely grated)

Green chillies - 2-3

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Salt - as per taste

Coriander leaves - to garnish

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Bengal gram - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and chop eggplants in to medium chunks. Place them in water until used.
2. Take a kadai, heat 1 tbsp of oil, add chopped green chillies, chopped egg plant and cook them.
3. After few minutes, add finely grated ginger, turmeric and stir well. Continue cooking until the egg plant turns soft.
4. Adjust salt and temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, bengal gram, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves. Finally garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot. 

TIP: This curry will have a special flavor because of ginger. Ginger is a great combination with eggplant. Alternately you can also prepare this dish by adding a coarse paste of ginger and green chillies instead of adding chopped green chillies and grated ginger seperately.

Oats Upma

Ingredients:

Oats - 1 cup

Onion (medium), finely chopped - 1

Green beans, finely chopped - 1/4 cup

Carrot, finely chopped - 1/4 cup

Green peas - hand full

Green chillies, finely chopped - 2

Ginger, finely chopped - 1 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Coriander leaves, finely chopped - to garnish

Water - 1/2 cup

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 1 strand

Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and fry them.
2. Add finely chopped green chillies, ginger, onion, green beans, carrot, green beans and saute them until they are tender.
3. Add water and salt. When water is boiling, add oats and cook for 2-3 minutes under medium flame by closing the lid.
4. Finally garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with lemon juice.

TIP: It is advisable to have all oats recipes as soon as possible. Enjoy them hot or they will turn dry.

Vegetable Biryani/Layered Veg Biryani/Veg Dum Biryani

Ingredients:
For making rice:
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - one inch piece
Cloves - 2-3
Star Anise - 1
Cardamom - 2
Marati moggu - 1
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - as per taste

For making gravy:
Mixed vegetables - 2 cups (I used cauliflower, carrots, potato, green beans, mushrooms)
Paneer cubes - 1/4 cup (optional)

Green peas -  hand full

Onion (large) - 2

Green chilli paste - 1 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Shahijeera - 1/4 tbsp

Whole garam masala paste - 1 tbsp (I prepared this by blending cloves,anise,big cardamom and marati moggu)

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1/4tbsp

Turmeric - pinch
Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Salt - as per taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

For layering:
Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 3 tbsp
Mint leaves, finely chopped - 3 tbsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashews - 12
Fried onions - 1/4 cup
Saffron milk - 3 tbsp (Take few strands of saffron and mix in warm milk)

Procedure:

1. Take wide cooking vessel, cook basmati rice by adding plenty of water along with cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, marati moggu, star anise, salt and oil. Do not over cook. Once the rice is 80% cooked, drain all the excess water and set aside until used.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil/ghee, add cashews and fry them until they turn to golden brown. Transfer them in to a bowl and add paneer cubes in the same pan. Fry them under medium flame until their edges are colored. Transfer them in to another bowl and keep aside.
3. In the same pan, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, shahijeera and fry them. Add finely chopped onion, ginger garlic paste, green chilly paste and saute them until the raw smell is disappeared.
4. Meanwhile half boil all the mixed vegetables (like cauliflower, potato, carrot, green beans) except mushrooms and keep aside.
5. Now add whole garam masala paste (prepared by blending cloves,anise,big cardamom and marati moggu) and stir well.
6. Take a small mixing bowl, add yogurt, red chilly powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala and stir well to get a smooth lump free mixture.
7. Transfer this yogurt mixture to the sauted onions, add half boiled vegetables, chopped mushrooms, green peas and continue cooking under medium flame by closing the lid (add little water if required).
8. Once the vegetables are almost cooked (not fully cooked), adjust salt and switch off the flame.
9. Here comes the fun part i.e; layering. Preheat the oven at 300 F. Take a wide oven proof vessel, add a layer of rice followed by vegetable gravy, paneer cubes, cashews, fried onions, chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves. 
10. Continue the same process until all the rice and gravy are completely used. Be sure that the final layer or the top layer should be rice.
11. Finally add 1 tbsp of ghee and sprinkle saffron milk all over the rice. Now wrap the bowl with aluminum foil tightly and transfer it in to the oven. Leave the wrapped bowl in oven for at least 20-25 minutes.
12. After some time, remove the bowl from oven and gently transfer biryani in to a serving plate from one side of the bowl. Serve hot with your favorite gravy or onion raita.

TIP: Alternately the layering can be done on stove top also. Continue the same process in a cooking vessel, cover it with aluminum foil. Cook at medium flame for 5 minutes followed by low flame for 10-15 minutes. If the cooking vessel is not thick, you may have chances of burning at the bottom. You can prevent this by placing a flat pan below your cooking vessel.

Jantikalu/Murukulu

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Urad dal flour - 1/2 cup+2 tbsp

Ajwain - 1/4 tbsp

Hing - pinch

Butter - 1-2 tbsp

Water - required

Salt - as per taste

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Add urad dal in a pan and fry under medium flame until they turn to golden brown color. Let them cool and blend to get fine flour. Sieve it to remove particles.
2. Take a mixing bowl, add rice flour, urad flour, ajwain, hing, salt, butter and mix well.
3. Take a wide cooking vessel, add sufficient water and heat it. When water is boiling, add all dry ingredients and mix well. Close the lid and keep aside for few minutes.
4. When the mixture turns warm, add little cold water if required and mix well to form a smooth dough without cracks.
5. Squeeze the dough on a greased plate by applying pressure in to required size jantikalu/murukulu.
6. When the oil is sufficiently hot, drop this in to oil and fry on both sides until they turn to golden yellow.
7. Store them in an air tight container once they reaches to room temperature.

Egg Bonda

Ingredients:

Eggs (boiled) - 4

Besan/Gram flour - 1/4 cup

Rice flour - 2 tbsp

Ajwain - pinch

Baking soda - pinch

Salt - as per taste

Water - required

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Cut each egg horizontally in to three slices and keep aside.
2. Take a wide mixing bowl, add gram flour, rice flour, ajwain, baking soda, salt, water and mix well to form a smooth and lump free batter.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. When oil is sufficiently hot, dip each egg slice in to batter and slowly drop in to oil. Fry them until they turn to golden yellow. Serve hot with tomato ketch-up or green chutney.

TIP: Unlike regular bajji batter, the batter prepared for egg bonda should be thick enough to coat egg slices evenly.

Rava Dosa

Ingredients:

Godhuma Rava (Sooji) - 1 cup

Rice flour - 1 cup

All purpose flour (maida) - 1/2 cup

Green chillies, finely chopped - 2-3 tbsp

Grated ginger - 2 tbsp

Cuury leaves, finely chopped - few

Ground black pepper - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Water - as required

Oil - to roast dosa

Procedure:

1. Take a mixing bowl, add sooji, rice flour, maida, grated ginger, chopped green chillies, chopped curry leaves, ground black pepper, salt, water and mix well to get a runny batter similar to butter milk.
2. Take a flat pan, spread half tbsp of oil all over and heat it. Now pour required batter all over the pan evenly. 
3. After one minute sprinkle some oil all over dosa and spread it evenly.
4. Roast it under medium flame for 1-2 minutes and turn it gently with the help of a flat ladle and serve hot with any chutney.

TIP: Dosa should be roasted only one side under medium flame for better taste. Add chopped onion to dosa for extra taste.

Halwa Boorelu

Ingredients:

Godhuma rava (Sooji/Semolina) - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Cashews - 2-3 tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tbsp

Water - 3 cups

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Oil - to deep fry

For making batter:

Besan flour - 1/2 cup

Rice flour - 1/2 cup

Salt - as per taste

Baking soda - pinch

Water - as required

Procedure:

1. Take a wide nonstick pan, add sooji and roast it under low to medium flame until it slightly changes its color. Now transfer this sooji in to a bowl and set aside.
2. In the same pan, heat 1 tbsp of ghee, add broken cashews and fry them until they turn to golden brown. Transfer them in to other container until used.
3. In the same pan, add water and heat it. When water is boiling, slowly add roasted sooji by continuous stirring without forming any lumps.
4. Once the sooji is cooked, add sugar, remaining ghee, fried cashews and mix well. Cook the mixture for few minutes.
5. Take a wide mixing bowl, add besan, rice flour, baking soda, salt, water and mix well to get a smooth batter (the batter should not be too loose).
6. When the halwa reaches to room temperature, take a small portion and make in to balls of desired size.
7. Meanwhile heat a kadai with oil. When oil is sufficiently hot, dip each halwa ball in to batter and drop them in oil. Fry them until they turn to nice golden yellow. 

TIP: The outer layer of this halwa boorelu can be altered according to your taste.