Beerakaya Pachadi ( Ridge Gourd chutney )

" Beerakaya Chutney " is a simple recipe, easy to prepare and very delicious to taste. We usually take care in selecting the right Ridge Gourd before we purchase them. For this recipe, any kind of Ridge Gourds are good, even if they are not tender. No need to go for tender Ridge Gourds here. But taste the pieces for any bitterness before you cook them.

For this recipe, we need the following ingredients.
Ingredients:
Ridge Gourd pieces ( Beerakaya Mukkalu ) - 2 cups
Green Chillies ( Pachi mirchi ) - 4
Tamarind ( Chintha pandu ) - small goose berry size
Black gram ( Minapapappu ) - 1tsp
Cumin seeds ( Jeelakarra ) - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds ( Aavaalu ) - 1/2 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Turmeric ( Pasupu ) - a pinch
Coriander leaves ( Kothimeera ) - to garnish
Curry leaves ( Karivepaaku ) - few
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 3 tsp

Method:
Take a pan, heat 2 tsp of oil in it. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.

Now add hing, chopped green chillies,curry leaves, tamarind, turmeric and ridge gourd pieces.

Add required amount of salt, close them with a lid and allow them to cook until they are tender. Now add chopped coriander and stir for 2 mins and switch off the stove. Allow the pieces to cool and then grind them. We can grind to it a crispy level, not very smooth, it should have crunchy pieces of Ridge Gourd. This gives the chutney, a very good taste.

Now take a pan, heat one spoon of oil in it, add the black gram and fry it till golden and add the black gram to the chutney just before you serve ! This gives a crunchy effect to the chutney which brings extra flavours to it ! Ridge Gourd chutney is thus prepared and ready to serve. This recipe serves 3 - 4 people. This goes well with hot rice. We can also serve this chutney with pulkas, chapathis and rotis.

Tips:

No need to peel off the Ridge Gourds as the peel itself gives a nice effect to the chutney and more over, the peel has good amounts of fiber which is very healthy.

Health info:

Ridge Gourd is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Zinc, Thiamin, Iron etc.. This vegetable is beneficiary in losing weight and maintaining good health.

Mamidikaya Pappu ( Mango Dal )

" Mamidikaya Pappu " is a popular Andhra Dish. This recipe is made with sour raw mangoes and dal. Following are the ingredients required to make this recipe.

Ingredients:
Sour raw mango pieces ( Mamidikaya mukkalu ) - 2 cups
Pigeon peas ( Kandi pappu / Toor Dal ) - 2/3 cup
Green chillies ( Pachi mirchi ) - 4
Mustard Seeds ( Aavaalu ) - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds ( Jeelakarra ) - 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chillies ( Yendu Mirapa )- 2
Curry Leaves ( Karivepaaku ) - few
Coriander leaves ( Kothimeera ) - to garnish
Oil - 2 tsp
Hing ( Inguva ) - a pinch
Turmeric ( Pasupu ) - 1/8 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
This recipe can be prepared with Moong dal( Green gram ) or Toor dal ( Pigeon peas ). Here I have used pigeon peas. Firs of all, take a pan and dry roast the pigeon peas. No oil is used here. I usually prefer dry roasting the dal before making any recipe with Pigeon peas. It tastes more good when compared with the one made with raw pigeon peas.

Peel off the raw Mango. Cut it into one inch pieces removing the seed from it. Now cook the pigeon peas, green chillies and mango pieces in a pressure cooker until they are soft and well cooked. Now take a pan and heat some oil in it. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, hing and allow them to fry well.

Add curry leaves. When they splutter, add the cooked pigeon peas, mango pieces to the dish. Add the required amount of salt and turmeric powder. Allow to cook for 5 minutes keeping the lid closed over the pan. Now switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves. Thats it ! " Mamidikaya Pappu " can be served with hot rice and ghee. If this recipe is accompanied with papads or " vadiyalu ", it tastes even more good. This recipe serves 3 people.

Tips:

Check the taste of the Mango before making this recipe. Sour mangoes taste good when compared to sweet ones.

Health Info:

This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin B6, and a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Dosakaya Pachadi Baddalu

" Dosakaya Pachadi Baddalu " is a traditional Andhra chutney made with Cucumber. This is a very simple recipe and can be prepared very quickly.



For this recipe, we need the following ingredients.

Ingredients:
Cucumber chopped ( Dosakaya mukkalu ) - 1 1/2 cups
Mustard Seeds ( Aavaalu ) - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds ( Jeelakarra ) - 1/2 tsp
Dry Red Chillies ( Yendu mirapa kaayalu ) - 3
Tamarind ( Chinthapandu ) - 1 inch piece
Turmeric powder ( Pasupu ) - 1/8th tsp
Curry leaves ( Karivepaaku ) - few
Hing ( Inguva ) - a pinch
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - as per taste

Method:
First of all we need to take care in selecting the right cucumber. Some cucumbers are bitter in taste. Check the taste for any bitterness before making any dish. Peel it off, remove the seeds and chop the cucumber into very fine pieces and keep it aside.

Now take a pan, heat some oil in it. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, dry red chillies, tamarind. When these are fried well, add curry leaves and allow them to splutter. Now allow these spices to get cooled. Now grind all of them in to fine powder in a mixie jar.

Now take 1/4 th cup of the chopped cucumber pieces into the same jar which has the spice powder. Add the required amount of salt and turmeric. Make it into a fine paste. If necessary, add 2 - 3 tsps of water to it. Now add this paste into the remaining cucumber pieces and mix them thoroughly. Dosakaya Pachadi baddalu is ready to serve ! This goes well with hot rice and sesame oil. This recipe serves 3 - 4 people.

Tips:

Try to select a raw cucumber for this recipe. Raw cucumber tastes even more compared to ripen cucumber.You can add tamarind paste to the pieces according to your taste instead of frying the tamarind directly in the oil.

Health info:

This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin A, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium.

Tamalapaaku Bajji

Today I made a rare snack item which is called " Tamalapaaku Bajji ". The betel leaves are a bit hot in taste, the snack is really tasty and crispy hot.

Ingredients:
Betel leaves ( Tamalapaakulu ) - 5
Gram flour ( Senagapindi ) - 1/2 cup
Rice flour ( Vari pindi ) - 1/4 th cup
Red chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
Ginger ( allam ) - 1 inch piece
Salt - as per taste
Oil - for frying

Method:
Wash the betel leaves and keep them aside.

Now take a bowl, mix up the gram flour, rice flour, salt and chilly powder. Take the ginger, crush it and add the paste to the gram flour mixture.

Now make a smooth batter by adding required water.

It should not be too watery and at the same time it should not be hard. It should be in a consistency inorder to coat the leaves with the batter.

Take a pan, heat it on a medium flame and pour the required amount of oil in it. When once the oil is hot enough to fry the leaves, take each leaf, dip it in the batter and allow it to leave the extra batter leaving into the bowl and then put it in the hot oil. Turn it to the other side when one side is fried well. Take out the leaf when both sides turn golden crispy. According to the size of the pan, fry one of two leaves only at a time. Thats it ! Tamalapaaku bajji is ready. It can served as it is.. like a snack ! It can also be served with green chutney if desired.

Health info:

Betel leaves are known to cure Obstructed urination, Nervous Weakness, Headaches, Respiratory disorders, Constipation, Sore throat etc. This leaf is very helpful in Digestion.

Tomato Chikkudukaya Kura ( Tomato and Beans Curry )

Tomato and Beans curry can be prepared with any kind of beans. Beans are of many varieties such as String beans, Broad beans, Garbanzo beans, Black eyed beans, Kidney beans, Lima beans etc.. Here in my recipe, I am using String Beans.

Following are the ingredients required to make this dish.

Ingredients:

String Bean pieces ( Chikkudu ) - 2 cups

Tomatoes ( Medium Size ) - 3

Bengal gram ( Senagapappu ) - 2 tsp

Split Black gram ( Minapappu ) - 2 tsp

Mustard Seeds ( Aavaalu ) - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Seeds ( Jeelakarra ) - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida ( Hing or Inguva ) - pinch

Curry Leaves ( Karivepaku ) - few

Dry Red Chillies ( Yendu mirapa ) - 2

Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 3tsp

Salt - as per taste

Coriander leaves - few to garnish

Method:

Wash the string beans and tomatoes thoroughly. Finely chop the tomatoes and make string beans to about half an inch pieces.

Now take a pan, heat oil in it and put the bengal gram, split black gram and fry them for 2 mins. Now add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilly pieces,hing and allow them to splutter.

Now add curry leaves and stir for few seconds and add the beans. Stir the beans on a medium flame and close the lid. Allow it to cook for about 10 mins, so that the beans are half cooked. Try not to burn the beans. Now add the chopped tomatoes and salt, close the lid and allow it to cook until the tomatoes are all well cooked. The tomatoes should come to a state of mashing consistency. Now add the chilly powder and few spoons of water if required, stir well and cook on a low flame for 5 mins. This curry should not be dry. Now switch off the stove and garnish it with coriander leaves. This curry can be served with Hot rice, Rotis, Nans, Chapathis and Pulkas also. This recipe serves 2 to 3 people.

Tips:

If the tomatoes are not sour enough, we can add enough amchur powder or tamarind paste to the curry.

Health Info:

String Beans are high in dietary fiber, rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Tomatoes are low in Sodium and very low in Saturated Fat and cholesterol.It is also a good source of Vitamin E , Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium and Manganese.

Thotakura Kura ( Amaranthus Curry )

Thotakura Kura is very simple to prepare, very light to digest and is very rich in nutrients. Today, let me share this simple recipe.

To make this recipe, we need the following ingredients.

Ingredients:
Amaranthus leaves ( Thotakura ) - 1 bunch
Bengal gram ( Senagapappu ) - 1 tsp
Split black gram ( Minapappu ) - 1tsp
Mustard Seeds ( Aavaalu ) - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds ( Jeelakarra ) - 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chillies ( Yendu Mirapa ) - 2 to 3
Curry Leaves ( Karivepaaku ) - few
Oil - 2tspSalt - as per taste




Method:
Wash the Amaranthus leaves thoroughly and drain the water using a seive. Now chop the leaves finely and keep them aside.


Take a pan, put it on a medium flame, pour some oil in it. When the oil is hot, fry the bengal gram, black gram and after a minute, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilly pieces and curry leaves.

Once the curry leaves splutter, add the amaranthus leaves and cook them on a low flame until they are tender.We need that curry should not have any water and try to dry out the existing water if any. Now add some salt and stir it for 2 mins and switch off the stove.
Thotakura Kura is ready to serve ! This goes very well with hot rice and ghee. This curry tastes even more delicious if accompanied by ' Challa mirapakayalu ' or ' Vadiyaalu' . This recipe serves 2 - 3 people.

Tips:

Try not to put the lid on the pan while cooking. This keeps the curry dry with a good green colour. Always use less salt when cooking Amaranthus as the leaves themselves have high Sodium.

Health Info:

This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper and Manganese. Try to use the stems also as they are very rich in dietary fiber.

Vankaya Kothimeera Kaaram Kura ( Brinjal Coriander curry )

Today I thought of making something without any spices but absolutely delicious and then suddenly came into my mind.. " Vankaya Kothimeera Kaaram Kura " . This is very easy to prepare and tastes very good.

For this curry we need the following ingredients.

Ingredients:
Brinjals sliced ( Vankaya mukkalu ) - 4 cups
Coriander leaves ( Kothimeera ) - 1 bunch
Green chillies ( Pachimirchi ) - 4 to 5
Tamarind ( chinthapandu ) - gooseberry size
Salt - as per required

Method:

We have to choose tender brinjals to make a very good curry. The one which shines good is a tender brinjal. We can also assume that if the seeds of the brinjals are brown, its not tender. So try to use tender brinjals. Just cut the brinjals into 2 inch pieces and keep them aside.

Now take a pan, heat it on medium flame and put 2 tsps of oil and let it hot. Now add the brinjal pieces, stir them and close with a lid. These brinjals get soft in about 10 mins. Meanwhile lets prepare the paste for this curry.Take a bowl with warm water and soak the tamarind for few mins. Take out the pulp from the tamarind and the paste should be thin and around 3 -4 tsp. Now wash the Coriander leaves thoroughly and chop them, add the green chillies, salt, tamarind paste and grind it to make a smooth paste.

Now add half of the curry paste to the brinjal pieces and allow it to cook for another 5 mins. Add the remaining paste and stir the curry for few seconds and switch of the stove. The aroma of the curry indicates that the curry is all done ! The curry goes well with hot rice and even with rotis. This recipe serves 4 people.

Tips:

Choose only violet brinjals for this recipe. Cut the Brinjals into a salt water bowl to avoid decolourisation.

Health info:

Coriander leaves are very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. This is also a good source of Thiamin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. It enhances digestive system and avoids urinary bladder infections. Brinjal is rich in water and fiber and is a very good source of Potassium.

Mukkala Pulusu

" Mukkala Pulusu " is a very famous South Indian Dish which has hot and sweet flavours. We can find this dish in almost all Andhra Hotels and Marriages.

For this Mukkala Pulusu, we need vegetables like Pumpkin, Bottle Gourd, Drumsticks, Lady Fingers, Brinjals, Sweet Potatoes etc. For the current version, I am using few of them.

Ingredients:
Bottle Gourd Pieces ( Aanapakaya mukkalu ) - 1 Cup
Sweet Potato ( Chilakada dumpa ) - 1 ( medium size )
Brinjal ( Vankaya ) - 1
Green Chillies ( Pachimirchi ) - 3 to 5
Tamarind ( Chinthapandu ) - Lemon Size
Mustard Seeds ( Aavaalu ) - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds ( Jeelakarra ) - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds ( Menthulu ) - 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chillies ( Yendu mirapa ) - 2
Asafoetida ( Hing or Inguva ) - a pinch
Turmeric ( Pasupu )- a pinch
Gram Flour ( Senaga Pindi ) - 2 tsp
Rice Flour ( Vari Pindi ) - 1 tsp
Jaggery ( Bellam ) - 3/4th tsp
Curry Leaves ( Karivepaaku ) - few
Cilantro leaves ( Kothimeera ) - few
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Water - 3 - 4 cups

Method:
Cut all the desired vegetables into bite size pieces. Split the green chillies also. Take all these vegetables and chillies with 2 cups of water and half boil them.

This may take 10 mins of time. Mean while soak the tamarind in hot water and extract pulp from it. Filter the pulp using a seive and take the juice and keep it aside. Once the vegetables are half cooked, pour the tamarind juice and add salt, jaggery, turmeric and boil this until the vegetables are completely cooked. Add the remaining water also. Now we have to make seasoning for this Pulusu.

Take a seperate pan, heat it, put some oil and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, hing, red chillies. When they are fried, add curry leaves also and allow them to splutter. Now add this seasoning to the Pulusu and immediately cover with a lid. We want all the flavours of seasoning to get induced into the Dish. Let it cook for another 2 mins. Meanwhile, take the gramflour and rice flour and mix both of them together with some water to make a smooth paste. Now add this paste to the dish and allow to boil for another 2 mins. Switch of the stove and garnish with some coriander leaves. Mukkala Pulusu is all ready ! It goes well with hot rice.
This serves 3 - 4 people.

Tip:

If the recipe is too watery, add some more gramflour+rice flour paste to it and cook well.

Health Info:

Tamarind and Turmeric are antiseptics. Gargles with tamarind water is recommended for a sore throat. Being highly acidic, it gives a cooling effct to our body in summers. It is believed to boost metabolism.Using vegetables with high fiber enhances digestive system.

Bendakaya Kaaram Petti Kura ( Lady Finger Curry )

Today.. here I am showing a delicious South Indian variety with Lady Fingers. This recipe is simple, healthy and easy to prepare. For this recipe we need the following ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Lady Fingers chopped (Bendakaya mukkalu) - 3 cups.
• Peanuts ( Verusenaga pappu ) - 3 tsp
• Bengal gram ( Senaga pappu ) - 3tsp
• Split Black gram ( Minapappu ) - 2 tsp
• Sesame seeds ( Nuvvu pappu ) - 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds ( Dhaniyalu ) - 1tsp
• Cumin seeds ( Jeelakarra ) - 1/2 tsp
• Dry Red Chillies ( Yendu Mirapakayalu ) - 4
• Curry Leaves ( Karivepaaku ) - few
• Amchur - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 3 tsp
• Salt - as per taste

Method:
To begin with, wash the lady fingers and cut them into small pieces.

Take a pan and heat the pan with oil. Once the oil is hot, put the lady finger pieces and saute them for almost 15 mins on medium flame or until they become soft and tender. Stir the lady finger pieces for every 3 mins so that they dont get burnt.

Mean while heat another pan and put some oil in it and fry the Bengal gram, Black gram, Peanuts, Coriander seeds, Sesame seeds, Cumin seeds and Red chillies.

Let them turn light brown colour and allow them to cool. Once the lady finger pieces are soft, add salt, curry powder ( we made now ) , amchur and mix all of them and cook for about 3 minutes with a lid covered. Thats it ! This curry goes well with hot rice and ghee. It serves 3 - 4 people.

Tips:
Do not cover the pan with a lid while cooking lady fingers. After the curry powder is added, we can use a lid. We can also add few drops of butter milk to avoid mushy ness in the vegetable while cooking.

Health Info:
This vegetable is rich in Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folic acid, Vitamin 6, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Manganese, Niacin, Iron, Zinc and Copper, Protein and High in Dietary Fiber. This vegetable also helps in losing weight and maintaining optimum health. This is especially good for pregnants and diabetics.