Sweet Boondi & Seasoned Black-eyed peas

Sweet Boondi

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 - 1/2 cup

Elachi powder - one large pinch

Baking soda - pinch

Yellow food color (optional) - 1 drop

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 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. 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.
4. Repeat the process in batches until all the batter gets used.
5. Now transfer the boondi in to sugar syrup and stir well.

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

Seasoned Black-eyed peas

Ingredients:

Alasandalu (Black-eyed Peas) - 1 cup
Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Green chillies - 2

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 1 leaflet

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Freshly grated coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak black-eyed peas overnight. Boil them in a pressure cooker with salt. Drain all the excess water from boiled peas and set aside.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil, add urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and fry them for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add boiled peas and fry them in the seasoning for two more minutes.
4. Sprinkle some red chilly powder, salt and mix well. Finally garnish with freshly grated coconut and serve.

Bread Upma

Ingredients:

Bread slices - 6

Onion (medium) - 1

Green chillies - 2-3

Finely chopped ginger - 1 tbsp

Finely chopped garlic - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Cashews - 1 tbsp

Finely chopped coriander leaves - to garnish

Lemon juice - 1-2 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Water - required

Oil - as required

Procedure:

1. Cut bread slices in to small cubes and set aside. Take a pan, heat ghee, add bread cubes and fry them.
2. Once they slightly change their color, transfer them in to a bowl and set aside. 
3. In the same pan, heat oil, add urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter.
4. Add chopped cashews, green chillies, ginger, garlic and stir well.
5. Add finely chopped onion and saute until they are transparent. Now add 1/2 cup water, salt and let them boil.
6. Add fried bread cubes in to boiling water and  stir well. If you feel that the upma is dry, sprinkle some water and mix gently.
7. Finally garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot by adding lemon juice.

TIP: You can also add chopped tomato in this recipe. After adding fried bread cubes, mix gently with ladle and do not apply pressure.

Instant Oats Uthappam

Ingredients:
Oats - 1 cup
Semolina (Godhuma rava) - 2-3 tbsp
Yogurt - 1 cup
Water - required
Salt - as per taste
Oil - sufficient
For topping:
Onion (finely chopped) - 1 large
Carrot (finely grated) - 1 large
Green chillies - 2-3
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 2-3 tbsp
Curry leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Slightly roast and blend oats in to fine powder.
2. Add semolina, salt, yogurt and mix well (add required water to get consistency exactly like normal uthappam batter).
3. Take a medium sized mixing bowl, add all the ingredients specified under toppings and mix well.
4. Heat a nonstick pan, add required batter in the middle of pan and spread across (it should be slightly thicker than dosa).
5. Now cover the surface of uthappam with desired toppings. Gently press the toppings with ladle, so that they do not separate easily. Add oil all over and cover it with lid.
6. After sometime, slowly flip utappam to other side and roast it for one more minute. Serve immediately with your favorite chutney. 

TIP: In order to get better uthappam, they should be roasted in medium flame only. You can use toppings of your choice. Semolina adds crispness to uthappam.

Masala Puri / Dahi Masala Puri

Ingredients:

Pani Puris - 5-6

Dried green peas - 1 cup

Green chillies - 2-3

Cumin powder - 1/4 tbsp

Chaat masala - 1/4 tbsp + pinch

Onion (finely chopped) - 1 small

Tomato (finely chopped) - 1 small

Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp

Yogurt / Curd - 2 tbsp

Green chutney - 1 tbsp

Sweet chutney - 1 tbsp

Sev - to garnish

Salt - as per taste

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak dried green peas overnight. Boil soaked green peas in a pressure cooker until you hear 1 whistle. Mean while take yogurt in a small mixing bowl, add salt and mix well until it turns smooth and creamy.
2. Take a quarter portion of boiled green peas and set aside. Blend remaining with green chillies, salt, cumin powder and chat masala to get a smooth paste (add little water to get desired consistency).
3. Take a small bowl, add crumbled pani puris followed by 3-4 tbsp of blended peas mixture and 2-3 tbsp of boiled green peas.
4. Add finely chopped onion, tomato, coriander leaves followed by green chutney and sweet chutney.
5. Add yogurt and sprinkle some salt and chat masala. Finally garnish with sev and serve immediately.

Sweet Chutney / Meetha Chutney

Ingredients:

Dates - 1/2 cup

Raisins - 1/4 cup

Tamarind juice - 1/3 cup

Jaggery - 1/4 cup

Fennel seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Procedure:

1. Soak dates and raisins together for 2-3 hours in warm water.
2. After 2 hours blend them with fennel seeds to get fine paste. Transfer this paste in to a kadai, add tamarind juice, jaggery and stir well.
3. Once the mixture starts thickening, add red chilly powder, cumin powder, garam masala, salt and mix well. Cool down the mixture and store it in a dry air tight container. Store it in refrigerator. It stays fresh for one month.

Green Chutney for Chaat Recipes

Ingredients:

Mint leaves - 1 cup

Coriander leaves - 1 cup

Green chillies - 6-7

Onion (small) - 1

Lemon juice - 2-3 tbsp

Sugar - 1/2 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Water - required

Procedure:

1. Blend mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies and chopped onion together to get a smooth paste with sufficient powder.
2. Now add lemon juice, sugar, salt and mix well.

Karapoosa / Sanna Karapoosa / Sev

Ingredients:

Senagapindi (Besan flour) - 2 cups

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Warm oil / butter - 2 tbsp

Vaamu (Ajwain) - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Water - sufficient

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a kadai.
2. Take a wide mixing bowl, add besan, turmeric, salt, ajwain, warm oil and mix well.
3. Now pour water little by little and mix to form a dough similar to that you make for preparing chapati or roti.
4. When the oil is sufficiently hot, take a jali/muruku press/jantikala gottam, place a blade with very small holes (for sanna karapoosa) or with little bigger holes (for karapoosa) and add small portion of dough in to it.
5. Slowly press the dough in to oil all over the kadai, until it turn to nice bright yellow color. Be sure that the entire frying process has to be done in medium flame only. 
6. Once the sev is fried, transfer it in to a plate with tissue paper using a slotted ladle. Do not transfer immediately in to air tight container. Wait until it reaches to room temperature.

TIP: If you are using blade with very small holes, it is better to skip adding ajwain because it blocks the passage and the dough do not come out easily. 

Egg Fry/Egg Bhurji - Mumbai Style

Ingredients:

Eggs - 3

Onions (medium) - 2

Tomato - 1

Capsicum finely chopped - 1/4 cup

Green chillies - 3

Finely chopped ginger - 1 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Garam Masala - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - to garnish

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Beat eggs thoroughly in a wide bowl and set aside.
2. Take a non-stick pan, heat oil, add finely chopped green chillies, ginger and onions. Fry them until they are transparent.
3. Now add chopped capsicum tomato and stir well for few minutes. Once they turn tender, add scrambled egg mixture and stir continuously.
4. Continue frying until the scrambled egg turns to small lumps. Sprinkle some red chilly powder, salt,  garam masala and stir well. 
5. Finally garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice, roti or bread.

Kudumulu

Ingredients:

Rice rava* - 2 cups

Chana dal (soaked & drained) - 1/4 cup

Water - 4 cups

Salt - as per taste

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak chana dal for 30 minutes. Drain all the water and set aside.
2. Take a pressure cooker, heat ghee and add soaked chana dal. Fry it for few minutes until nice aroma comes out.
3. Now add water in to pressure cooker, and boil it with fried chana dal.
4. Add washed rice rava, salt and close the lid. Pressure cook until you hear one whistle.
5. After few minutes, when all the pressure escapes, open the lid and stir well with a ladle. Cool the mixture until it turns warm. Now take a small portion of cooked rava and make in to balls of required size. 
6. Finally steam cook all the balls under medium flame for 15-20 minutes (upon steam cooking, the balls slightly bulges). Serve them with ginger chutney.

TIP: Add freshly shredded coconut to make this recipe much more yummy. 

* Preparation of Rice rava:

Wash and soak rice for at least 2 hours. After 2 hours, drain all the excess water and spread on a clean cloth. Dry them under direct sunlight until all the moisture is lost (even the cloth should become dry). Now transfer the dried rice in to a blender and grind in to coarse powder like semolina. Sieve this coarse powder, until the fine powder gets separated. This can be used as rice flour and the coarse mixture left over on the sieve can be used as rice rava.

Chocolate Marble Cake

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (maida) - 1 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Butter - 1/2 cup

Eggs - 2

Milk - 1/4 cup

Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp

Salt - pinch

Baking powder - 1/2 tbsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven at 200 degree F.
2. Take a wide mixing bowl and sieve all purpose flour, baking powder and salt together.
3. Take another mixing bowl, add butter, sugar and stir thoroughly to get a smooth mixture.
4. Add eggs and beat continuously to get uniform mixture. Add milk, vanilla essence and stir continuously for few more minutes.
5. Now take some portion of dough, add cocoa powder and mix thoroughly.
6. Take a loaf tin, grease it with butter, add alternately the plain dough and cocoa dough. Pat the loaf tin, so that the batter settles uniformly. Now take a knife and swirl it twice or thrice in the dough.
7. Bake it in the oven at 200 degree F for 30 minutes or until the inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

Besan Ladoo

Ingredients:

Besan flour (Senagapindi) - 1 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Cashews - 10-12 (optional)

Cardamom powder - large pinch

Procedure:

1. Take a wide kadai, heat ghee, add chopped cashews and fry them until they turn to golden brown. Drain all the cashews from ghee and set aside.
2. Now add besan flour and fry in remaining ghee until it turn to golden yellow with nice aroma.
3. Take a wide cooking vessel, add sugar, very little water and mix well to get syrup with thin consistency. Sprinkle some cardamom powder and mix well.
4. Switch off the flame, add fried besan, chopped cashews and mix well. Cool the besan mixture until it turns warm. Now take a small portion of mixture and make in to small balls of required size.

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.