Pappu Chekkalu - Indian savory

Pappu Chekkalu /Pappu Billalu are the famous  South Indian savory . Even though it is a traditional one ,it has a plenty of combinations and variations in its preparation . This is one of those variations ,simple to prepare and mouth watering savory . These are perfect munchables and loved by all ages. We in Andhra , use to make these for our festivals and used to distribute with our dear ones.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour : 1 cup
• Green chillies : 6-7
• Onion : 1
• Jeera : 1 tblspn
• Chana Dal : 2 tblspn
• Curry Leaves : few
• Coriander leaves : few
• Salt : as per taste
• Butter : 3 tblspn
• Oil : for deep frying 

Procedure :

1. Grind onion , chillies , 1/2 tblspn jeera into a coarse paste using a mixer/blender.
2. Soak chana dal in water for 15-20 mins.
3. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl along with onion chilli paste and soaked chana dal except oil.
4. Add water little by little to the mixture to form a soft dough .The dough should be soft enough that when presses with hands to make a chekka it should not break at the edges .
5. Take a plastic sheet , apply a drop of oil to it , pick a small lemon sized ball from the dough  ,place on the oil sheet and make a 2" round circle using your fingers .
6. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel , once the oil is heated  , test the oil with dropping a pinch of dough into it. When the oil started bubbling , peel the chekkalu from the plastic sheet , and drop it slowly into the oil. You can add 5-6 for one time for a medium sized vessel.
7. On a medium flame , keep turning them to both sides once a while till they turn golden brown.
8. Once they turned desired color , remove them from the vessel using a slotted laddle and place them onto an oil absorbent paper.
9. Repeat the same till the dough completes.Cool them and store in a air-tight container.

Photoreel:

Linking this to
Vegeterian food & me
Gayathri's Festival Special Event

Vangi Bhath - Flavoured Brinjal Rice

Here I am again with king of vegetables.. A traditional, yet a yummy and an aromatic dish. Vangi Bhath ( Egg plant/Brinjal rice ) is a popular south Indian rice item made using brinjals and a special spice powder. The  flavor of the freshly grounded powder with cooked brinjals gives a rich aroma that once you start eating you can't stop with one serving. I have added fried potato pieces to enrich the taste.

Ingredients:

Making powder :

• Chana Dal : 2 tblspn
• Dhania : 1 tblspn
• Urad dal : 1 tblspn
• Coriander Seeds : 1 tblspn
• Cumin Seeds : 1 tspn
• Cashew : 3
• Red Dry Chillies : 4
• Dry coconut : 1 tblspn
• Sesame seeds : 1 tblspn
• Cloves : 2
• Cinnammon : 1" stick
• Oil : 1 tspn

1. Heat a pan , dry roast sesame seeds until it releases a nice aroma and keep it aside. 
2. Heat oil and roast all other ingredients except coconut until they turned to golden brown color.Turn off the stove add coconut ,give a quick stir and let it cool.
3. Grind all the ingredients including sesame seeds .

Making of  Vangi Bhath :

 Ingredients:

• Brinjals : 3 
• Rice : 3 cups
• Potato : 1
• Onions : 2
• Mustard :  1 tblspn
• Cumin seeds : 1 tblspn
• Urad dal : 1 tblspn
• Asefoetida : a pinch
• Turmeric : a pinch
• lemon : 1/2
• Coriander leaves : few

Procedure:

1. Cut the brinjals , into long strips , add them to the water mixed with salt and turmeric.
2. Also cut the potato into long strips and deep fry in oil until they become crisp and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan , add mustard , cumin and allow them to splutter. Add a pinch of asefoetida ,urad dal , Cashews , turmeric and fry till they turn to nice color.
4. Add onions and brinjals , sufficient salt and saute them until they become soft.It takes around 10-15 mins .
5. Add the grounded powder , mix well ,close the lid and let it cook for 1 more minute.
6. Add rice , mix well until each grain is coated to the mixture. Adjust salt , simmer the stove , close the lid and cook for 2 more minutes as the flavor coats to the rice properly.
7. Turn off the stove , add lemon juice , mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.

Variation : Instead of lemon juice, you can add tamarind pulp along with brinjals while cooking.

Uggani

Uggani also called Borugula upma is a very easy and quick to prepare breakfast recipe which also tastes good .This is a special breakfast of Andhra and some times, a snack too. Hot hot Mirchi Bajji is a good combination with this . Try it .. :)

Ingredients:

• Borugulu (Puffed rice) : 5 cups
• Onion : 1 big
• Tomato : 1 small
• Green chillies : 3-4
• Mustard : 2 tspn
• Cumin : 2 tspns
• Ground nuts : 1/4 cup
• Urad dal : 1 tblspn
• Curry leaves : few
• Salt : as required
• Turmeric : a pinch
• Asefoetida : a pinch
• Lemon : 1 medium
• Oil : 2 tblspn 
• Senagala Podi : 3 tblspn

Procedure :

1.  Soak Borugulu in enough water for 15 mins and squeeze all the water from it .Keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan , add mustard ,cumin , asefoetida and let them splutter.
3. Add urad dal , green chillies , ground nuts .curry leaves and fry 2 mins.
4. Add onions , a pinch salt to it. Saute them until the onions turn brown color.
5. Add tomatoes , cook for two more minutes.
6. Then add the soaked puffed rice and mix well . Finally add senagala podi (roasted gram powder - recipe given below ) , mix well and turn  off the stove.
7. Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.

Preparing Senagala podi :
Ingredients:

• Senagalu (Roasted gram) :1 cup
• Salt : as per taste
• Dry coconut powder : 1/2 cup
• Red chillies : 3-4
• Garlic pods: 4  

Procedure:

Grind all the ingredients to a fine powder and store it in a air tight container.

Beetroot Rava Laddo

Most of  the kids , including me :) when I was kid  do not like eating beetroot . Amma used to try diffrent varieties with this colourful vegetable like talimpu , juice , halwa , paratha . Now most of them are my favourites . This is one , very colorful and easy recipe.  Kids will definitely love eating this, and may ask for more even :)  . Here is the delicious one before you .Prepare and enjoy its delightful taste

  
Ingredients :

• Beetroot : 1 cup ( grate and squeeze the water from it) 
• Dates : 1/2 cup (chopped)
• Honey : 2 tblspn
• Rava (sooji ) : 1 tblspn
• Sugar : 1 tblspn
• Cashews :1/2 tblspn (chopped)
• Ghee : 2 tblspn

Procedure :

1. Heat 1 tblspn of ghee in a pan. Fry cashews  and rava till the raw smell goes n cashews turn golden brown.
2.  Heat the remaining ghee in a pan and saute the  beetroot till the raw smell goes on a low-medium flame.
3. Add the chopped dates , fried rava , fried cashews , sugar , honey , give a quick stir and turn off the stove.
4. Allow it to cool , and make laddus. Garnish with fried cashewnuts.

Sending this to

Ravens Cook Eat Delicious - Picnic Desserts Event

Geetha's Sun Moon & Potatoes

Oats Banana Smoothie

 Wanna have a healthy, yet tasty smoothie... Here it is for you.. Oats Banana smoothie.. No introduction is needed for Oats or Banana.. So, lets get into recipe straight.. :) This smoothie is the one blended with Oats , Bananas , curd n milk which is little different from the regular milkshakes .Best choice  for the summer who doesn't like taking oats, curd or milk directly.

Ingredients:

• Oats : 4 tblspn
• Raw bananas : 2 (chopped)
• Curd : 1 cup
• Milk : 1 cup
• lemon juice : 1 tspn
• Honey : 3 tblspn
• Straw berry jam : 1 tblspn
• Ice cubes : 6 (crushed)

Procedure:

1. Blend oats , bananas pieces , milk ,curd ,lemon juice  and honey in a Juicer/mixer/blender.
2. Pour this in a glass , add strawberry jam and ice cubes before serving.

Nada karasu / Ribbon Muruku - Andhra Savoury (my 50th post)

       Ribbon Muruku is a traditional Andhra savoury mainly prepared at the time of festivals. With changing times,  people started doing this as regular snacks. I still remember Amma makes these in bulk and pack it for me and my friends when i used to stay at hostel in my college days. Of course, we used to complete everything in one day.. ha ha ha . Since am living away from the country, Amma cannot send me all those.. I had to prepared it this time :)  .. 

Ingredients:

• Roasted gram : 1 cup
• Rice flour : 3 cups
• Salt : nas per taste
• Chilli powder : as per taste
• Sesame seeds : 2 tblspn
• Oil : for deep frying
• Ghee : 2 tblspn

Muruku Press

Procedure:

1. Grind roasted gram using a mixer or blender to make a fine powder. Sieve the powder and keep aside.
2. For 1 cup of sieved powder , add 3 cups of rice flour .
3. Add sufficient salt  , chilli powder , sesame seeds , hot ghee and combine them well.
4. Add water in small amounts to make a soft dough.  The dough should be soft so that when pressed from the "muruku press", it should  come out smoothly.
5. Take the "muruku press" , add the ribbon muruku plate to it. Fill the dough in it upto 1/2  of the press.
6. Heat oil in a kadai /heavy bottomed vessel .Once the oil is heated , reduce the flame to medium and press the "muruku press" in circular motion to form layers of dough in kadai until the dough in the press is finished.
7. The oil starts bubbling .Fry it on a medium flame until the color changes to golden brown.
8. Once the muruku turns its color , then turn over the mukuru to the other side carefully. Let it fry on the other side also till it changes to golden brown color. Remember to fry on a medium flame only.
9. Now remove it from the oil and place on a tissue paper to obsorb the excess oil.
10. Repeat the same with the remaining dough . Let the muruku cool down and store it in a air -tight container to maintain the crispiness and freshness for a longer time.

 Photoreel:

You can also find this in the following events :

Gayathri's Festival Food & Event
Rasya's vegeterian Food & Me

Bombay Chutney

This is a simple and authentic chutney made from the times of granny's..This is very simple and easy to prepare. There are two ways of doing this.Using curd and with out curd . Adding veggies like potatoes , carrots , peas with out curd tastes good with dosa and poori's and the one with curd and onions goes well with roti or chapati..

Ingredients:

• chikpea flour /Besan  : 2 tblspn
• Curd / butter milk : 1 cup
• Onion : 1
• Tomato : 1/2
• Green chilli : 2-3
• Lemon : 1/2
• Curry leaves : few
• mustard seeds: 1 tspn
• Cumin seeds : 1 tspn
• Urad dal : 1 tblspn
• Oil : 1 tblspn
• Coriander leaves : few 

Procedure:

1.  Heat oil in a pan , add mustard , cumin seeds and let them splutter.
2. Add urad dal , a pinch of asefoetida , onions , salt , green chillies and saute till they become soft.
3. Add tomatoes , curry leaves and saute for 2 more mins . The tomato should become little soft.
4. Mix chickpea flour with curd properly removing  lumps and add to the sauted onions.
5. Now the curry starts becoming thick . After it becomes little thick , turn off the stove and add lemon juice and mix well.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon .
7. Serve hot with chapati :)

Babycorn fried rice

I like to make simple and quick stuff for my husband's lunch box due to morning rush. Everything has to finish it in 15 mins. I keep trying many  variations using different kinds of vegetables . This is one of those simple and quick recipe, which turned out to a  delicious one.

 Ingredients:

• Baby corn : 10
• Onion : 2 (cut lenth-wise)
• Peas : 1/2 cup (boiled)
• Rice : 2 cups (boiled)
• Oil : 1 1/2 tblspn
• Garam masala : 1/2 tblspn
• Salt : as required
• Ginger garlic paste : 1tspn
• Coriander leaves : 1 tblspn (chopped)

Procedure:

1. Cut baby corn length-wise and boil adding a pinch of salt. keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan , add ginger -garlic paste . Fry till the color lightly changed.
3.  Add onions , a pinch of salt and fry till the onions become soft.
4. Add boiled baby corn and fry till the baby corn become little brown on a medium-high flame.Keep stirring in a while as the onions do not stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Reduce the flame , add peas and mix well . Add garam masala . Mix well and add rice.
6. Mix throughly as each grain is evenly coated with  the masala . Fry for 2 mins till the rice started sizzling.Add chopped coriander and turn of the stove.
7. Serve hot with curd and potato chips..