Dondakaya Vepudu-1 (Tindora Fry)

Ingredients:

Dondakayalu (Tindora) - 250 gm

Green chillies (finely chopped) - 2-3

Red chillies - 2

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Peanuts - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - 5-6

Freshly grated coconut - 3-4 tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Wash, trim both the ends and chop all the tindora vertically in to four pieces and set aside.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add chopped tindora and deep fry until their surface turn shrinked. Drain all out of oil and set aside.
3. Take a wide pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and heat it. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter. 
4. Add urad dal, peanuts, chopped green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and fry them.
5. Add deep fried tindora slits and mix well. Sprinkle some turmeric, salt, freshly grated coconut and stir well.
6. Finally garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve it with hot rice.

Hungarian Pepper Fritters

Ingredients:

Hungarian peppers - 4

Gram flour (Besan) - 1 cup

Baking soda - large pinch

Salt - as per taste

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and chop Hungarian peppers vertically in to two equal half's. Deseed and you can cut each half in to two pieces horizontally. 
2. Take a wide mixing bowl, add besan, salt, baking soda and mix well. Now add water little by little and stir well to get a smooth batter without any lumps. The batter should be in right consistency (not too thick or thin). 
3. Take a kadai, add oil and heat it. Now dip each piece of Hungarian pepper in to the batter and drop one by one in to oil. 
4. Deep fry until they turn to golden yellow. Serve hot with your favorite chutney.

Tomato Thokku (Tomato Pickle)

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (large) - 5

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 tbsp

Hing - pinch

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Sambhar powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
Jaggery - 1/2 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 1-2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, chop tomatoes finely and set aside.
2. Take a wide pan, heat oil, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add hing and fry well.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and saute them with covered lid.
4. Saute under medium flame until the gravy thickens by stirring occasionally.
5. Add red chilly powder, sambhar powder, jaggery, salt and mix well. 
6. Once the oil starts oozing out switch off the flame and cool it. Transfer in to clean, dry air tight container and store.

Poornam Boorelu / Poornalu

Ingredients:

To prepare stuffing:

Chana dal (Senagapappu) - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1 cup 

Elachi powder - 1/4 tbsp

To prepare batter:

Urad dal - 1/2 cup

Rice - 1 cup

Salt - as per taste

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak urad dal and rice for at least 6-8 hours and similarly soak chana dal for atleast 4 hours and keep aside.
2. After soaking, thoroughly wash, urad dal, rice and blend them to get a smooth batter. Adjust salt and keep it aside for at least for 6 hours to get fermented.
3. Wash soaked chana dal and boil it with plenty of water. Once the dal is well cooked, switch off the flame and drain all the excess water.
4. Now mash the boiled dal, add crushed jaggery and heat the mixture under low flame. Continue stirring, until jaggery completely dissolves. At this point, suddenly the mixture turns runny. Don't get panic, sprinkle elachi powder and continue stirring with ladle.
5. After some time, the mixture thickens and starts leaving the vessel. Switch off the flame and cool the mixture until it reaches to room temperature.
6. Take a small portion of stuffing and make in to desired size balls and set aside.
7. Take a wide kadai, add oil and heat oil. Now dip each ball in to prepared batter and drop one by one slowly in to oil. Fry them until they turn to nice golden yellow. 

Capsicum Rice / Capsicum Masala Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Capsicum chunks - 1 cup (I used green, yellow and orange)

Onion (large) - 1 (chopped lengthwise)

Whole garam masala (cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, cloves & bay leaf) - 1/2 tbsp

Cashews - 1 tbsp

Fennel seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

To prepare spice powder:

Bengal gram - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp 

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Groundnuts - 2 tbsp

Red chillies - 3

Curry leaves - 3-4

Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Cook basmati rice and spread as a layer on a wide plate (to get grainy texture).
2. Take a kadai, dry roast all the ingredients mentioned under spice powder except garam masala  and blend together to get slightly coarse powder. Now add garam masala and blend one more time to get a uniform mixture.
3. In the same kadai, heat oil, add fennel seeds, whole garam masala, cashews and fry until a nice aroma comes out.
4. Add finely chopped onion and saute until they are transparent. Then drop all the capsicum chunks and cook until they are slightly tender. 
5. Now add the ground spice powder, adjust salt and stir well. Finally add cooked rice and mix well until until all the grains are well coated with spicy capsicum mixture.

TIP: Do not over cook capsicum, it should retain its crispness for better taste. Similarly do not add excess whole garam masala, just add a little of each ingredient to enhance the flavor of rice.

Bangaladumpa Koora (Potato Curry)

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 2-3

Onion - 1 (chopped length wise)

Green chillies - 3-4

Red chillies - 2

Crushed garlic pods - 2

Finely chopped ginger - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Chana dal - 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Curry leaves - 5-6

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp (adjust according to taste)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and boil until they are cooked. Once they cool and reaches to room temperature, mash them and set aside.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add crushed garlic pods, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves and fry them.
3. Add finely chopped green chillies, ginger and stir well.
4. Add finely chopped onion and saute them until they are transparent.
5. Finally add mashed potato, adjust salt and stir well. Sprinkle some lemon juice and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Chocolate Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients:

Strawberries - 1/2 cup

Chocolate Ice cream - 1 large scoop

Milk - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1-2 tbsp (adjust according to taste)

Ice cubes - few

Procedure:

1. Blend roughly chopped strawberries, chocolate ice cream, milk and sugar together to form a smooth mixture.
2. Finally add some ice and serve chill.

Pineapple Kesari

Ingredients:

Sooji (Godhuma rava) - 1/2 cup

Pine apple chunks - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Water - 1 1/2 cup

Elachi powder - pinch

Yellow Food color - 2 drops (optional)

Cashews - 10

Raisins - 6

Ghee - 1-2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Take a frying pan, heat 1/2 tbsp ghee, add cashews and raisins one by one until they turn to golden brown. Remove them in to a bowl and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add sooji and roast until it slightly alters its color or until nice aroma comes out. Transfer roasted sooji in to another bowl and set aside.
3. Take a wide pan, add water and heat it. When water is boiling, add pineapple chunks and let them boil for few minutes (add food color at this stage if required).
4. Add roasted rava slowly in to boiling water and stir well without forming any lumps.
5. One the rava is cooked, add sugar, elachi powder and cook for few more minutes until the desired consistency is attained.
6. Finally add roasted cashews, raisins, remaining ghee and stir well.

Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

Bananas - 2

Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 2-3 tbsp (adjust according to taste)

Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Ice cubes - few (optional)

Grated chocolate - to garnish

Procedure:

1. Blend roughly chopped bananas, yogurt, milk and sugar together to get a smooth mixture without any lumps.
2. Then add water, vanilla essence and run the mixer one more time.
3. Now transfer the mixture in to a glass, add ice and garnish with finely grated chocolate. 

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

Mushrooms - 200 gm

Capsicum - 1

Tomato (medium) - 2

Onion (large) - 1

Shredded coconut - 3 tbsp

Cashews - 10

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tbsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4tbsp

Turmeric - pinch

Salt - as per taste

Water - sufficient

Finely chopped coriander leaves - to garnish

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash thoroughly and chop mushrooms in to quarters and set aside. Similarly wash and chop capsicum in to medium size chunks.
2. Now take a kadai, heat oil, add chopped capsicum and fry them. Then, add chopped mushrooms and continue stirring for few minutes. After sometime, transfer these in to a bowl and keep aside.
3. Meanwhile blend onion, cashews(retain few of them to garnish) and coconut together to get a fine paste. Similarly blend tomatoes separately to get fine puree. 
4. Take a kadai, heat oil, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add blended cashew-onion-coconut paste and fry for few minutes until the raw smell disappears. 
5. Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric and mix well. After sometime, add tomato puree and cook until the oil oozes out (it might take 12-15 minutes).
6. Then add cooked capsicum, mushroom and sprinkle some water. Saute them under medium flame for few minutes by adding red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, salt and stir well for 2-3 minutes.
7. Finally garnish with finely chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or roti.

Pineapple Juice

Ingredients:

Pineapple cubes - 2 cups

Orange - 2

Salt - small pinch (optional)

Sugar - 2-3 tbsp (adjust according to taste)

Water - 1 cup

Procedure:

1. Grind pineapple cubes with sugar, salt and water until a smooth mixture is obtained.
2. Squeeze orange juice and run the mixer one more time.
3. Now filter the juice using a strainer and refrigerate for some time. Serve chill...

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.