Ridgegourd Peel and Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:
Ridgegourd peel - 1 cup
Peanuts - 2 tbsp
cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
15 green chillies or as per your taste
small lemon sized tamarind, soak in little water to make it soft
1/2 bunch coriander
salt as per taste
garlic pods - 4

For seasoning:
1/4 tbsp urad dal
1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
2 red chillies, broken into pieces
curry leaves

Method:

1. In a pan, fry peanuts and cumin seeds without oil and keep aside
2. In a pan, add 1 tbsp oil and add green chillies and fry them till they are lightly burnt. Now add Ridgegourd peel and coriander till ridgegourd pieces are cooked lightly and cool
3. In a mixie jar, add fried peanuts, fried cumin seeds, fried ridgegourd mixture, garlic pods, salt and grind coarsely
4. In a pan, add 1 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies and fry for 2 min and add to the chutney.

This chutney is very tasty and goes well with hot white rice and ghee!

Mullangi (White Radish) Fry

Ingredients:
2 Medium size radishes, peel, wash and cut them into small pieces (as shown in picture)
3 tbsp fresh coconut pieces, grate them
5 green chillies, wash and chop them finely
1/4 tbsp turmeric powder
salt as per taste
1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad dal
5-6 curry leaves
2 red chillies, cut them into small pieces

Method:

1. Microwave or boil radish pieces for 10min or till they are soft but not mushy. Strain and keep aside
2. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves and fry for 2 min
3. Now add green chillies and fry for 2 more min
4. Add boiled radish pieces, turmeric and salt and fry for 5 min
5. Add grated coconut and fry for 2 more min

Your fry is ready to serve! This healthy curry goes well with white rice and roti

Lemon/Dahlia powder Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked rice
1 tbsp peanuts
1 tbsp cracked cashewnuts
 1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
5 green chillies, slit length-wise
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tbsp turmeric
5 curry leaves
2 red chillies, break into 1 inch pieces
salt as per taste
2 tbsp Dalia powder/Pappula podi
Pappula podi Recipe:
http://cookingwithmridula.blogspot.com/2012/08/pappula-podidalia-powder.html

Method:

• In a bowl add rice, lemon juice, salt and mix well and keep aside
• In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds, peanuts, cashews, green chillies, red chillies, curry leaves and fry till cashews are golden brown
• Add rice to the seasoning and stir well and cook for 2 min
• Add pappula podi to the rice and stir and fry for 2 more miin

Very tasty Lemon rice is ready to eat!

Pappula Podi (Dalia powder)

Ingredients:
Split Roasted Bengal gram/ Dalia 1 cup
Dried whole red chillies 2-4
Cumin seeds 2 tbsps
Garlic pods 5
Salt to taste


Method:

1. Grind all the ingredients into fine powder using spice blender
2. Adjust quantity of ingredients according to taste.
3. Store tight and it stays fresh for months
4. Serve with rice and ghee or can be used in curries for garnishing

Raw Tindora (Dhondakaya) Chutney

Ingredients:
15 Tindora, cut them into small cubes
2 tbsp peanuts
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 small lemon size tamarind, soak in little water
15 green chillies or as per your spice level

2 tbsp fresh coconut pieces
4 garlic pods
salt as per taste

For seasoning:
1 tbsp onion pieces
5 curry leaves
2 Red chillies, broken into 1 inch pieces
1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad dal

2 green chillies, slit length-wise

Method:

1. In a pan, fry peanuts and 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds without adding oil and keep aside
2. In a mixie jar, add green chillies, fried peanuts, fried cumin seeds, tamarind, garlic pods, fresh coconut, salt and rest of raw cumin seeds and grind coarsely
3. In a bowl, add tindora pieces and add the masala mixture and mix well and keep aside for 10min
4. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add mustard, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves and fry for 2 min
5. Add onion pieces and green chillies and fry for 2 more min
6. Now add the tindora mix and fry for just 5 min.

This chutney tastes simply superb with  just plain white rice or with white rice and muddapappu or with roti!

White Radish Fry/Mullangi Porial

Ingredients:
2 Medium size radishes, peel, wash and grate them
3 tbsp fresh coconut pieces, grate them
5 green chillies, wash and chop them finely
1/4 tbsp turmeric powder
salt as per taste
1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad dal
5-6 curry leaves
2 red chilli, cut them into small pieces

Method:

1. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves and fry for 2 min
2. Now add green chillies and fry for 2 more min
3. Add grated radish, turmeric and salt and fry for 5 min
4. Add grated coconut and fry for 2 more min

Your fry is ready to serve! This healthy curry goes well with white rice and roti

Okra Jalapeno Fry

Ingredients:
1 cup Okra pieces
1/2 cup jalapeno pieces
1/4 tbsp turmeric
salt as per taste
5 curry leaves
1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp urad dal
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Method:
1. In an pan, add oil and when it is hot, add mustard, urad dal coriander leaves and curry leaves and fry for 2 min
2. Add okra pieces, jalapeno pieces, turmeric and salt and fry on reduced flame till okra pieces are soft
3. Switch off the heat

This curry goes well with Roti and white rice!

Okra Soup/Bendakaya Pulusu

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Ingredients:
15 Okra - cut them 1/2 inch cubes
1 small onion - cut into small pieces
2 tbsp tamarind juice/2 tbsp raw tamarind paste

1 tbsp Red chilli powder
1/4 tbsp turmeric
Salt as per taste
1/2 tbsp jaggery
1/4 tbsp mustard
5 curry leaves
2 cups of water

Method:

1. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds and let them splutter
2. Now add curry leaves, Okra pieces, onion pieces, turmeric and salt and stir well and let it cook for 5 min
3. Add red chilli powder to the curry and stir well. Add two cups of water and let it cook till okra pieces are well cooked
4. Add jaggery and cook for 2min.The curry is ready to serve.

This pulusu tastes great and goes well with white rice

Chinese Eggplant Yogurt (Vankaya Perugu) Curry

Ingredients:
2 Podugu Vankaayalu/Chinese Eggplant, cut into medium size pieces
1 small onion, cut into small pieces
1 Medium size tomato, cut into small pieces
5 Green chilli, cut into small pieces
Yogurt (Perugu) - 1 small cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
A pinch of turmeric
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. In a bowl add eggplant, onions, tomatoes, green chilli, red chilli powder, turmeric, salt and yogurt and mix well and keep aside
2. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add the above mixture and cook on reduced heat until all the veggie pieces are soft (takes about 20min). The curry is ready to serve!

This curry tastes very good with rice and roti. When you are in a hurry and cannot pay much attention to cooking, you can go for this recipe.

Ridge Gourd (Beerakaya) Feenugreek leaves curry

Ingredients:
2 Ridge gourd (Peel, wash and cut into small pieces)
1/4 cup fenugreek leaves (wash thoroughly)
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 small onion, cut into small pieces
salt to taste
1/4 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp red chilli powder

Method:

1. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add fenugreek leaves and chopped coriander and fry for a min
2. Add onion pieces, ridge gourd pieces, salt, turmeric and chillipowder and mix well
3. Cook this curry on medium heat for 10 min or till oil separates. Ridge gourd cooks really fast and doesn't need lot of time
4. Very tasty curry is ready to eat! This curry goes well with rice and roti

Semiya Upma

Ingredients:
1 cup vermicelli
1 small onion (cut into thin slices length-wise)
4 green chilli (slit length wise)
5 curry leaves
2 carrots, cut into small pieces
1 inch ginger, chopped finely
1 small tomato, cut into medium sized cubes
salt as per taste
1/2 spoon ghee
1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp cashewnuts
1 tbsp peanuts


Method:
1. In a pan, add 1/2 spoon ghee and fry vermicelli till golden brown and keep aside
2. In another pan, add oil and when it is hot, add cashewnuts, peanuts, mustard seeds, curry leaves and fry for 2min
3. Add green chillies, ginger, onions, carrots and fry till onions are translucent
4. Add tomatoes and salt and cook till tomatoes are soft
5. Add 2 cups of water to the above mixture and bring it to boil
6. When water starts boiling, add vermicelli and cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat
7. Let the semiya cook on low flame till all water evaporates which usually takes 3-4 min

This can be eaten as breakfast or evening snack

Healthy Vegetable Juice

Ingredients:
1 beetroot
5 carrots
15 cherry tomatoes
1 celery pod
1 Apple/1 cup grapes/1 cup strawberries/1 cup cantaloupe pieces
5 mint leaves
5 basil leaves
1/4 inch ginger
1 cup tender coconut water

Method:

1. Cut all the veggies into small pieces
2. In a mixer, grind into smooth paste and sieve out all the pulp
3. Add cocunut water and mix well. Juice is ready to be served! Drink fresh!

Needless to say, this juice is very healthy as it has all the nutrients one would need for good health!

Green Gram Lentil (Pesarapappu) soup

Ingredients:
Green gram - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 10
Medium size tomatoes - 2
Onion pieces - 1 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
Garlic pods - 2 (mash it coarsely)
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 5
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Red chilli - 2
 Salt to taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Method:

1. In a pressure cooker, add green gram dal, green chillies, onions and tomatoes and pressure cook for 3 vigils or till the dal is soft.
2. Once all the pressure is out, open the lid and mash the dal and add 2 cups of water. Green gram thickens pretty fast so its okay to add more water
3. Add tamarind paste, salt, turmeric, coriander leaves and bring it to boil
4. In another pan, add 1 tbsp oil and when it is hot, add red chilli, mustard, cumin, garlic pods and curry leaves and fry for 2min. Add this to dal. Yummy pesarapappu charu is ready to eat!

 Goes well with hot white rice and papad!

Sweet Pongal Andhra Style

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup rice

1/4 cup green gram lentil (pesarapappu)

1 cup Jaggery, mash it to powder

4-5 cardamom (grind to powder)

Split almonds, raisins, cashews for garnishing

2 tbsp dry coconut flakes

4 tbsp ghee

1 pinch salt

1 cup milk

Method:

1. Soak rice and green gram dal for 15min
2. In a heavy bottomed vessel, add 3 cups of water and 1 cup of milk and bring it to boil
3. Add rice and green gram dal and cook on medium flame till rice and dal are soft and mushy
4. Reduce flame and add jaggery, a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes
5. Meanwhile in another pan, add ghee and when it is hot, add all the raisins and cocunut flakes and fry till golden brown
6. Add this mixture to the rice and mix well
7. Turn off the heat and garnish with cardamom powder

Very tasty sweet pongal is ready!  Serve with muddapappu, ghee and raw tamarind chutney combination!

Soy Chunks - Vegetable Dum Biryani

Ingredients:
Soy Chunks - 1 cup, boiled for 5 min and strained
Carrots,Beans, Peas,Potato,squash pieces - 1 cup
Basmati rice - 6 cups
Onions - 1 (big size)
Cardamom - 6
Cinnamon - 2 sticks
Cloves - 6
shahjeera - 1 teaspoonful
Thick curd - 1 cup
Chilli powder - add per your spice levels
Turmeric powder - two pinches
Ginger garlic paste - 2 table spoons
A bunch coriander &mint leaves
green chillies - 5
Ghee - 2 tablespoons
oil - 1 cup

Garam Masala Ingredients: (Grind them to powder)
Cardamoms - 6
Cinnamon - 2
Cloves - 6
Shahjeera - 1 spoon

Green Masala: (Grind them to paste)
Green chillies - 10-15
Coriander - 1/2 bunch
Mint - 1/2 bunch

Method:

1. Marinate soy chunks and veggies with curd, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, Garam masala powder,red chilli powder, green masala paste, juice of one lime & salt.
2. Fry finely sliced onion, till brown & crisp and add to the marinade and let it stand for 1 hour.
3. Cook rice separately (1 cup of rice :1 cup of water ratio)
4. Fry the marinated veggies till oil separates and soy chunks are well cooked.
5. In rice cooker, layer the cooked rice and veggies mixture in alternate layers. Ensure that the first and last layer should be rice.
6. Heat 2 or 3 spoons of ghee and pour on top of the layers and cook till the rice cooker turns from cook to Warm (usually takes around 45min)

Tamarind Rice / Pulihora

Ingredients:
cooked rice - 1 cup
tamarind paste - 3 tbsps
Red chillies - 5
Green chillies - 10, slit length-wise
peanuts - 1 tbsp
sesame seeds - 1tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
curry leaves - 10
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
salt as per taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Method:
1. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add red chillies, green chillies, peanuts, mustard, curry leaves and fry them for 2 min
2. Add tamarind paste, salt and turmeric and fry till oil seperates
3. Switch off the heat and let it cool
4. Add the above mixture to rice and mix well.
5. Grind seasame seeds coarsely and add to the rice. This gives an extra flavour and taste to the pulihora

Salmon Burji

Ingredients:
Boneless and Skinless Salmon - 1 pound
1 Big onion, chopped length-wise
5,6 Green chillies - slit length wise
 5 curry leaves
chopped coriander - 2 tbsp
1 pinch turmeric
salt to taste
1 tbsp red chilli powder or as per your spice levels
 ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
black pepper powder - 1/4 tbsp

Method:
1. In a pan, add oil and shallow fry salmon pieces till the fish is cooked and keep aside.
2. In another pan, add oil and when it is hot, add green chillies, curry leaves, onion pieces and fry till onions are translucent.
3. Add turmeric, salt and ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes
4. Now add chilli powder and pepper powder and fish pieces to the curry.
5. Mix the curry well so the fish pieces break into small pieces. Make sure not to mash them too much.
6. Reduce the flame and fry the curry till oil separates and fish pieces are coated with other ingredients

Goes well with white rice or roti!

Kakarakaya(Bittergourd) Curry

Ingredients:
Bittergourd - 1 cup chopped into small pieces (with the skin. Do not peel the skin)
Red chillies - 2
curry leaves - 5
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Urad Dal- 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind juice - 2 tbsp
Hing (Asafoetida) - 1 pinch
salt as per taste
red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
turmeric - 1 pinch
jaggery/sugar - 1 tbsp
chopped coriander leaves - 1tbsp for garnish

Method:
1. In a bowl, add bittergourd pieces and a tablespoon of salt and keep aside for 15min. After 15 min, mix them and squeeze the pieces.  This will remove the extra bitterness from the bittergourd.
2. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add  asafoetida, red chillies, urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves and fry for a min
3. Add bittergourd pieces, turmeric and salt and cook till bittergourd pieces turn soft. No need to add water
4. Add red chilli powder, tamarind juice and jaggery and cook for 5 min. 
5. Garnish with coriander leaves

This curry goes well with hot white rice!

Zucchini Fry

Ingredients:
2 medium sized Zucchini - chopped them into small pieces (Do not peel the skin)
Red chillies - 2
curry leaves - 5
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Urad Dal- 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind juice - 2 tbsp
Hing (Asafoetida) - 1 pinch
salt as per taste
red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
turmeric - 1 pinch
jaggery/sugar - 1 tbsp
chopped coriander leaves - 1tbsp for garnish 

Method:

1. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add  asafoetida, red chillies, urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves and fry for a min
2. Add Zucchini pieces, turmeric and salt and cook till zucchini pieces turn soft but not mushy. No need to add water
3. Add red chilli powder, tamarind juice and jaggery and cook for 5 min. 
4. Garnish with coriander leaves

This curry goes well with hot white rice and Roti!

Black eyed Bean Vada Curry

How to make vadas: Recipe is available here:
http://cookingwithmridula.blogspot.com/2012/04/black-eyed-beans-vada.html

Ingredients for Vada curry:
Vadas - 5
Drum sticks - 1 cup (cook for 10min till they are soft)
1 medium size onion - chopped finely
2 medium sized tomotoes - chopped finely
4 green chillies, slit length-wise
chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
5 curry leaves 
1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tbsp Garam masala
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1/4 tbsp turmeric
salt as per taste

Method:
1. In a pan add oil and when it is hot, add curry leaves, green chillies and onions and fry till onions are translucent
2. Add turmeric, ginger garlic paste and salt and fry for 2 more min
3. Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are soft
4. Add chilli powder, vada to the curry and mix well and cook for 2min. Now add 1/4 cup of water and reduce the heat and cook for 10min
5. Add garam masala powder and chopped coriander and cook for another 2min
6. Garnish with coriander leaves

This curry tastes very good with white rice!