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.

Carrot Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Carrot (medium) - 2

Onion - 1 (chopped length wise)

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cinnamon - half inch

Cloves - 3-4

Green chillies - 2

Cashews - 5-6

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Garam Masala - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Lemon juice - 2 tbsp (optional)

Chopped coriander - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, cook basmati rice with 2 cups of water, and cool it by spreading on a plate (to retain grainy texture).
2. Wash, clean, peel and grate carrots and set aside.
3. Take a kadai, heat oil, let cumin seeds splutter. Add cinnamon, cloves, green chillies, cashews and fry them for 1 minute.
4. Add chopped onion and fry until they are transparent. 
5. Now add finely grated carrot and fry for 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle some turmeric, red chilly powder, garam masala, salt and mix well.
6. Now turn flame to very low, add cooked rice, lemon juice and mix well. Finally garnish with finely chopped coriander and and close the lid for 1 minute.
7. After one minute, switch off the flame, mix well and serve hot with your favorite raita.

TIP: Do not fry grated carrot for more than 5 minutes. Over frying turns grated carrot too much tender.

Vankaya Tomato Koora (Eggplant Tomato Curry)

Ingredients:

Eggplants/Brinjals - 250 gm

Tomatoes (medium) - 2

Onions (large) - 2

Green chillies - 2

Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 - 1 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp (optional)

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Groundnuts - 1 tbsp

Sesame seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and chop eggplants and tomatoes in to small chunks and set aside.
2. Take a small pan, add groundnuts, sesame seeds and dry roast them. Let them cool for few minutes and blend them to form a fine powder.
3. Take a kadai, heat oil, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add chopped green chillies and fry them for one more minute.
4. Add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste and saute until they are transparent. 
5. Add chopped eggplants and saute them until they are half cooked. Then add chopped tomatoes and cook for few more minutes with closed lid.
6. Sprinkle some coriander powder, red chilly powder, salt and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Finally add groundnut-sesame seeds powder and mix well. Switch off the flame immediately and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Mysore Bajji (Mysore Bonda)

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (maida) - 1 cup

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Curd - 1/3 cup

Baking soda - pinch

Chopped green chillies - 2 tbsp

Onion (finely chopped) - 1 small

Chopped curry leaves - 1 tbsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Water - as required 

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Take a kadai, add oil and heat it until desired temperature is attained.
2. Meanwhile, take a wide mixing bowl, add maida, rice flour, chopped green chillies, onion, curry leaves, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, salt, baking soda, curd and mix well (add little water if required) to form a thick batter.
3. Now drop small portion of batter little by little in to oil and deep fry them under medium flame until desired color is attained.
4. Serve hot with your favorite chutney.

TIP: Sour curd adds special flavor to the dish. After mixing all the ingredients, let the batter stand for 15-20 minutes before adding to oil  to get much more soft and fluffy bonda.

Double Ka Meeta

Ingredients:

Bread - half a loaf

Sugar - 1/2 cup (adjust according to your taste)

Milk - 3/4 cup

Water - 3/4 cup

Elachi powder - 1/2 tbsp

Cashews - 10-12

Pistachos - 5-6

Almonds - 5-6

Raisins - 8-10

Dates - 4

Ghee - 2-3 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Cut each bread slice in to four triangles and roast both the sides on a flat pan by applying some ghee. Continue the process until they reach nice golden brown.
2. Meanwhile chop cashews, almonds, pistachios, dates and fry them in 1 tbsp of ghee along with raisins and set aside.
3. Take a wide cooking vessel, add 1/3 cup of sugar in 3/4 cup of water and boil to form a sugar syrup (Be sure that the syrup should be in very thin consistency and not thick). Sprinkle some elachi powder and switch off the flame.
4. In another vessel, add milk, remaining sugar and boil until they turn thick.
5. Now dip each roasted bread piece in to sugar syrup and place all of them side by side in a flat tray.
6. Add all the roasted dry fruits and raisins on the syrup coated bread.
7. Finally add boiled milk all over the bread and wait  for 4-5 minutes until it absorbs and turn juicy. Serve it warm or chill. 

Kakarakaya Vepudu (Bitter Gourd Stir Fry)

Ingredients:

Kakarakayalu (Bitter Gourds) - 300gm

Crushed garlic pods - 3-4

Ground nuts/Peanuts - 2-3 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Green chillies - 2

Red chillies - 3

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Shredded/Grated coconut - 2-3 tbsp

Jaggery - 1 tbsp (optional)

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean, deseed and chop bitter gourds in to very small pieces. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric all over and keep aside. After 2-3 minutes, squeeze all the excess water from them.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add urad dal, crushed garlic pods, chopped green chillies, red chillies, ground nuts and fry them for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add chopped bitter gourd pieces and continue cooking them in medium flame with occasional stirring.
4. Once the bitter gourd pieces start altering their color or when they turn tender, add shredded coconut and continue frying for some time.
5. Sprinkle some red chilly powder, adjust salt and mix well.
6. When the bitter gourd pieces are completely cooked and just before you switch off the flame, add jaggery and stir well so that it melts completely. Serve hot with white rice.

TIP: In order to make the recipe much more yummy, add some chopped onion before adding bitter gourd pieces. Since onion has natural sweetness, it will decline the bitter taste of kakarakaya.

Dosakaya Pachadi (Yellow Cucumber Chutney)

Ingredients:

Dosakaya (medium) - 1

Garlic pods - 3-4

Green chillies - 4-5

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Tamarind -gooseberry size

Salt - as per taste

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Red chillies - 1-2

Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and peel off the outer layer of yellow cucumber, deseed  and chop them.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add crushed garlic pods, green chillies, cumin seeds, chopped cucumber and saute them for just 2-3 minutes.
3. Cool the ingredients and blend them with tamarind and salt to form a coarse paste.
4. Finally season the chutney with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves and finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

TIP: You can directly blend cucumber without cooking them.

Kalakand

Ingredients:

Paneer - 350 gm

Sweetened Condensed Milk - 250 gm

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tbsp

Pistachios - few

Procedure:

1. Crumble paneer to get a grainy texture. If you want to blend in a mixer, just run it for 5 seconds (Be sure that the texture should be grainy and not smooth paste).
2. Take a wide cooking vessel, add crumbled paneer, sweetened condensed milk and stir well.
3. Continue stirring under medium flame until the contents in the vessel thickens.
4. Sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well. Once the mixture turns thick and start leaving the vessel, transfer the contents in to a greased cake tin or plate.
5. Cool it for few minutes or until it hardens and cut in to pieces. Finally garnish with chopped pistachios and serve.

Bendakaya Vepudu (Okra Stir Fry)

Ingredients:

Okra - 250 gm

Green chillies - 3

Red chillies - 2

Ground nuts/Peanuts - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Curry leaflets - 1 leaflet

Turmeric - pinch

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and remove both ends of okra. Now finely chop them as shown in the image above and set aside.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, peanuts and fry them.
3. After 1-2 minutes, add chopped green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and stir well.
4. Now add finely chopped okra and fry with occasional stirring.
5. After frying for some time, add turmeric, salt and mix well.
6. Continue stirring until okra are completely cooked.  

TIP: Okra should be fried without covering with lid. Covered cooking for long time makes the fry sticky and too soft.

Rava Kesari / Godhuma Rava Halwa (Sooji Halwa)

Ingredients:

Godhuma rava (Sooji/Semolina) - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Cashews - 15-20

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Elachi powder - 1/4 tbsp

Water - 3 cups

Procedure:

1. Take a pan, heat ghee, add rava and fry for 2-3 minutes or until it turns light brown color. Transfer rava in to a bowl and keep aside.
2. In the same pan, heat ghee, add cashews and fry until they turn golden brown.
3. Now take a wide cooking vessel, add heat water. When water is boiling, add rava and cook for 2 minutes with closed lid.
4. Once the rava is cooked, add sugar, food color and mix well. Then add elachi powder, 1 tbsp ghee and stir well.
5. Transfer the contents in to a greased plate and cool it for few minutes. Finally cut in to pieces of desired shape and garnish with roasted cashews.

Carrot Kobbari Vepudu (Carrot Coconut Stir Fry)

Ingredients:

Carrot - 250 gm

Fresh grated coconut - 3-4 tbsp

Green chillies - 3

Red chillies- 2

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Bengal gram - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Salt - as per taste

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and peel off the carrots. Chop them in to cubes, par-boil and set aside.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter.
3. Add bengal gram, urad dal, green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and fry them. 
4. Now drop all the par-boiled carrot cubes and fry them for few minutes,
5. Sprinkle some turmeric, salt and mix well.
6. Once the carrot cubes are almost cooked, add freshly grated coconut and stir well. Wait for 1-2 minutes and switch off the flame.

Cabbage Vepudu (Cabbage 65)

Ingredients:

Chopped cabbage - 2 cups

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp

Rice flour - 3-4 tbsp

Corn flour - 1-2 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1/4 tbsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Chopped curry leaves - 2-3 tbsp

Red food color - pinch

Salt - as per taste

Water - sufficient

Oil - required

Procedure:

1. Take a wide cooking vessel, add water and heat it. When water is boiling, add chopped cabbage and cook them for 2-3 minutes (be sure that the cabbage should not turn soft, it should be crisp).
2. Now drain all the cabbage from water in to a mixing bowl, add ginger garlic paste, rice flour, corn flour, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilly powder, food color, salt and mix well (sprinkle some water if required).
3. Combine all the contents so that the chopped cabbage will be coated with batter.
4. Take a wide kadai, heat oil until right temperature is attained.
5. Now drop the batter in oil as small fritters and fry them in oil until they turn to nice golden red. Its a great side dish for sambhar and rasam.

TIP: The batter should be tight enough. If more water is added, it becomes loose and cabbage will not be coated properly with batter.