Andhra Green Tomato pickle

Ingredients:
Green Tomatoes -7 medium size chopped
Garlic cloves -6 chopped
Salt to taste
Red chilli pwd -2 to 3 tsp
Oil-5tbsp(preferably peanut or sesame)
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Preparation:
Dry roast fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds. cool the ingredients and grind them to fine powder in a dry, clean mixer.
Heat half of the oil in a wide pan. Add the chopped tomato, salt and chilli powder.
Mix it well and cover it with a lid. Cook it on medium heat for 20 mins until the tomato pieces will become soft. Now add methi, mustard seeds pwd, adjust the salt and cook it on low flame for 5 mins. Switch off the stove.
In a skillet add remaining oil. Add cumin seeds and garlic pieces. Once they turn brown color, turn off the stove. Once it cooled down add it to the tomato mixture.
With a dry spoon gently mix and take the pickle into a clean, dry glass jar. It will be fresh for 1-2 months. Keep it refrigerated.
It tastes great with all types of breakfast and simple rice also.

Simple Aloo Fry

Ingredients: Red /white potato -2
Green chili -3
Chili pwd-1/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander pwd -1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil-2 tsp
Preparation:

Wash the potatoes and peel them. Cut them into small size pieces and put them immediately in cool water.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add cumin seeds once they turn brown, add green chili, aloo pieces and turmeric. Cover it with a lid and slowly cook it on medium flame for 10-15 mins.

Now add chili pwd, salt and daniya pwd. Mix it well and fry it for 2 more mins.

Serve hot with sambhar and rice.

Andhra Beerakaya pappu/Turiya dal

Ingredients:
Ridge gourd-3 Peeled and chopped
Onion - 1small
Turmeric -1/2 tsp
Moong dal -1 cup
GG paste -1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil -3 tsp
Cumin, mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Chopped green chili -7
Coriander pwd- 1/2 tsp
Preparation:
Heat oil in pan. Add cumin, mustard seeds once mustard seeds crackling, add chopped onion and green chilis and cook it for 4-5 mins.
Now add turmeric and ginger garlic paste, fry it for a min.
Add moong dal, chopped ridge gourd pieces and mix it well.
After 5 mins ridge gourd pieces starts oozing out water. Now add 2 cups of water and cook it on medium flame for 15 mins.
Add salt and coriander pwd and cook it for 2 more mins.
Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. It goes well with rice or roti.

Atukula upma/Poha upma

Ingredients:
Poha -2 cups
Small onion- 1 chopped
Green chilis -4
Peanuts -2 tbsp
Channa Dal -1 tsp
Mustard seeds -1/4 tsp
Turmeric -1/2 tsp
Potato -1 small
Curry leaves -5
Salt to taste
Turmeric-1/2 tsp
Oil -2tsp
Chopped garlic cloves-2
lemon juice - 2tsp
Coriander leaves
Preparation:
Microwave the potato for 4-5 mins. Once it is cooled, peel the skin and chop into small size pieces.
Sprinkle 4tbsp of water on poha.
Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot add mustard seeds, channa dal and peanuts cook it for a min.
Add chopped onion, garlic, curry leaves, chopped potato,salt and turmeric. Cook it for 5 mins on medium flame.
Now add poha, lemon juice and mix it well.
Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Andhra Majjiga Charu/Butter Milk Rasam

Ingredients:
Yogurt/Curd- 2 cups
Medium Onion - 1 chopped
Fenugreek seeds -1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Mustard seeds -1tsp
Curry leaves - 5
Green Chilies -3
Red chilies -2
Salt -1/4 tsp
Turmeric -1/4 tsp
Oil -1 tsp
Coriander leaves -1/4 cup
water - 2cups
Preparation:
Blend the water and curd in a blender for 1 min. Add chopped onion and salt to beaten curd.
Heat oil in a pan add cumin, mustard, fenugreek seeds, red chilies, curry leaves, chopped green chili's, turmeric and cook it on low flame for 1-2 mins.
Add the popu/Tadka mix to the curd. Mix it well.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot or cold with rice.

Tomato Brinjal curry

Ingredients:
Tomato - 1 big
Brinjal- 8 small
Onion - small
Ginger garlic paste -1/2 tsp
Turmeric -1/2 tsp
Daniya pwd - 1/2 tsp
Cumin pwd-1/2 tsp
Green chili -5
Salt to taste
Oil - 2tsp
Coconut pwd - tsp
Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp
Preparation:
Cut each brinjal length wise into 4 pieces and place them in salted water for 5mins.
Heat oil in a kadai. Add cumin seeds and let them turn brown.
Now add chopped onion saute it for 3 mins. Add chopped green chili and turmeric fry it for a min.
Add the chopped tomato, ginger garlic paste and brinjal pieces and cook it on medium heat for 15 mins.
Now add coriander pwd and cumin pwd cook it on slow flame for 2 mins.
Switch off the stove. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice and pachi pulusu/Rasam.

Chamadumpa Fry/Arbi fry

Serves:4
Ingredients:
Arbi/Taro root- 4
Onion - 1 small
Cumin, mustard seeds -1 tsp
Red chili pwd - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala pwd -1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2tsp
Preparation: Boil arbi in pressure cooker for one whistle. Wait for arbi tool down and then peel the skin and dice them into cube sized pieces.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin, mustard seeds. Now add chopped onion and arbi pieces and fry it slowly for 10 mins. Add red chili pwd, garam masala pwd and cook it for 5 mins. You can serve this curry with rice, sambhar or any gravy curry.

Puri With Aloo Curry

Puri Recipe:
Serves :4
Ingredients:
Wheat flour : 3 cups
Sooji ravva - 1 tsp(for crispy puri)
Salt -1/2 tsp
Oil for deep frying
Preparation:
Prepare the puri dough with wheat flour, sooji, salt and water. Knead the dough well. Close it with a lid let it rest for 15-30 mins.
Heat oil for deep frying puri. Make small size round balls and roll it out into 6"round shaped puri's on flour dusted board. Once the oil is hot deep fry the puri's one at a time until golden brown. They will puff up like a balloon.
Serve hot with Aloo curry.
Aloo curry recipe
Ingredients:
Potato - 2 boiled and cubed.
Onion -2 big chopped
Ginger garlic paste -1 tsp
Turmeric - 1tsp
Green chili's- 6 silt lengh wise
Frozen Green peas - 1/4 cup
Besan -2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tsp
Cumin seeds -1 tsp
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Curry leaves- 4 to 5
Coriander leaves for garnish
Preparation:
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin, mustard seeds, Chopped onion and green chili and fry it for 4-5 mins.
Now add green peas, gg paste, turmeric and cook it for 2 mins. Now add cubed aloo pieces and 1 cup of water, cook it on low flame for 5 mins.
Mix the besan with 2 tbsp of water and add to the curry slowly cook it for 5mins.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with puri or roti.

Andhra Sarva Pindi

Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Rice flour- 3 cups
Onion - 1 small
Green chili's-5
Garlic cloves-4
Sesame seeds - 1tsp
Peanuts- 2tbsp
Channa Dal - 2tsp soaked for 15 mins.
Curry leaves -5
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup chopped
Oil -5 tsp
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Preparation:
Take chopped onion, garlic, cumin seeds, salt and green chili's grind it into coarse paste.
To the rice flour add sesame seeds, broken peanuts, Channa Dal, chopped curry leaves, coriander leaves, onion paste and mix it with water like chapati dough.
Divide the dough into 8 medium size round balls.
Apply oil to a non-stick pan thoroughly. Take the dough gently press directly on non-stick pan til you get 1/4" inch thickness. Make 6-7 small holes on the dough, pour 1/2 tsp of oil and sprinkle just little bit of water.


On medium heat with closed lid, cook the sarva pindi for 10 mins. By lifting up the bottom with a spatula you can see the sarva pindi changing color to golden brown. Switch of the flame and keep the pan closed for 5 mins.
You can serve sarva pindi hot as evening snack or break fast with a cup of curd.

Kakarakaya pulusu/Bitter Gourd in tamrind sauce

Ingredients:
Kakarakaya -2
Onion -1 medium chopped
Green chili -5
Sesame seeds -1 tsp
Coconut pieces -8
Jaggery/sugar-1 tsp
GG paste -1/2 tsp
Red chili pwd-1/2 tsp
Methi pwd/fenugreek pwd -1/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Daniya pwd -1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds -1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds -1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil-2 tbsp

Preparation:
Chop the bitter gourd into 2" length pieces and remove the seeds. Boil 2 cups of water on stove, add little bit of turmeric , salt and chopped bitter gourd pieces. Boil it for 2-3 mins on high heat and drain the water. In a pan dry roast sesame seeds, coconut pieces and once they are cooled, grind it into a smooth paste. In the same pan heat oil add cumin, mustard seeds and add onion pieces. Once they turning golden brown add chopped green chili, turmeric and ginger garlic paste. Cook it for 2-3 mins. Add boiled bitter gourd pieces and fry it for 5 mins. Add red chili pwd and daniya pwd combine well. Add tamarind juice, 1 cup of water, fenugreek pwd, jaggery, coconut paste and salt. cook bitter Gourd pieces in tamarind sauce for 10- 15 min until you get desired consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice and ghee .

Pachi pulusu/Raw tamarind rasam

Ingredients:
Tamarind-lemon size (soaked in 1cup of warm water for 10 mins).
Green chillies -4
Garlic cloves - 4
Turmeric -1tsp
Oil-2 tsp
Salt -1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds -1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves -10
Coriander leaves -3 tbsp chopped
Onion -1 small finely chopped

Preparation:
Extract the tamarind juice and add 2 cups of water.
Add 1 tsp of oil in a pan add cumin seeds and whole green chilies fry it for 2 mins.
Switch off the flame, grind it into a fine paste by adding 1 tsp of salt. In the same pan add 1 tsp of oil add cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric and chopped garlic pieces. Switch off the stove.
Now add popu mix, green chili paste, chopped onion to tamarind extract.
Combine well. It goes well with brinjal fry, mudda pappu or dal kichidi.

Cooking Tips/Kitchen tips

Idly making tips:
1.While soaking urad dal for 1 cup of urad dal add 1 tsp methi(fenugreek seeds).
2.For soft idlies cook it on medium to high flame for 20 mins. Otherwise it will make idlies soggy and hard.
3.In walmart and Amzon you will get egg poacher. By using this you can make idlies in 2 mins in microwave. Link to egg poacher/idly maker.http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-International-Microwavable-Egg-Poacher/dp/B0002MR0LS/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1279742466&sr=1-19.
Urad dal vada:
Soak urad dal for 8-10 hours, so that you no need to add any water while grinding the dal.
Don't make smooth paste. Batter has to be little fine coarse consistency.
If you make very smooth paste vada will absorb too much oil. Add the salt just before making vada.
Crispy pakoras:
For any type of pakoras making with sengapindi/besan add 2 tsp of rice flour to 1 cup of besan.
It will make pakoras crispy.
Preparing Puri:
For 1 cup of wheat flour add 1 tsp sooji ,1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of oil.
Add 2 drops of lemon juice to Cool oil(which is used for deep frying). It will make puris to absorb less oil.
Crispy bendi or dondakaya fry:
Add 2tsp of corn flour to the popu/Tadka.
Silver utensils cleaning tips:
1)Make a paste of 2tsp of lemon juice and 4tsp corn flour or besan. Rub the silver utensilis with the mix for 2-3 mins.
2)You can also wash with tooth paste or tooth powder.
Pressure cooker washing:
If pressure cooker bottom turns black color, pour 1 glass of water and keep a small news paper on the bottom overnight. Morning remove the paper and water it will turn to white.