Saturday

Zucchini Dal Curry - Zucchini Pappu Koora

Ingredients:
Zucchini - 2, Wash and cut into 1 inch cubes. Do not peel the skin
1 small onion, wash peel and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small cup Pesarapappu/Green gram
2 cups water
5,6 Green chillies - cut into small pieces

For seasoning:
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 small tomato, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, cut into small pieces
1/4 tbsp urad dal
2 red chillies, cut into halves
6 curries leaves
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
A pinch of turmeric
Salt as per taste
Chopped coriander - 2 tbsp

Preparation:
  • In a pressure cooker, add washed green gram, zucchini pieces, green chillies, onion pieces, 2 cups of water and pressure cook for just one vigil. Switch off the heat and let it cool.
  • In a deep bottomed pan, add oil and when it is hot, add red chilli flakes, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal and fry till mustard seeds start spluttering
  • Add curry leaves, ginger pieces, garlic pieces and fry for 2 min
  • Now add onion pieces and fry till onion pieces are translucent
  • Add tomato pieces and fry till tomato pieces are half-soft. 
  • Now add the contents of pressure cooker to the pan and stir well. 
  • Add turmeric, salt and tamarind paste and stir well and cook for 5 min. Switch off the heat
  • Garnish wit Coriander.

This curry is very very yummy and goes well with hot white rice and roti


Coconut Chutney for Rice - Kobbari Chutney for Rice

Ingredients:
Red chillies - 10-15 (as per your spice levels)
Fresh coconut - 1 small cup
Tamarind - 1 tbsp
Jaggery - 1/4 tbsp
 fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tbsp
mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
urad dal - 2 tbsp
salt to taste
tumeric powder - 2 pinches
Hing (Asofetida) - 1/8 tbsp
Curry leaves - handful
2 tbsp oil 

For Seasoning:
1/4 tbsp mustard seeds
Few Red chilli flakes  or cut two chillies into halves
1/2 tbsp urad dal
4-5 curry leaves
2 tbsp oil

Method:
1. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves and fry till urad dal is slightly brown.
2. Add coconut pieces to the above mixture and fry for 2 more min and remove from oil
2. In mixie jar, add 2 garlic pods and salt and grind coarsely. To this, add all the above fried ingredients, coconut pieces,jaggery, turmeric, salt, hing and tamarind and grind to a coarse paste. Do not add any water
4. In another pan, take two tbsp oil and when it is hot, add red chilli flakes, 1/2 tbsp urad dal, 1/4 tbsp mustard seeds, a few curry leaves and fry till mustard seeds splutter. Add this seasoning to the chutney

This chutney is very very tasty and goes well with hot white rice. :

Boiled Eggs Spring Onion Masala - Kodi Guddu Ulli Poraka Masala




Ingredients:
Eggs - 4, boil and take the shells off
Onion stalks/Spring onion/Ulliporaka - 1 bunch (5-6 stalks), peel the outer skin and wash and chop into small pieces
2 big onions , chopped finely
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1/4 bunch coriander leaves
4-5 curry leaves
4-5  green chillies, slit length wise
 salt to taste
turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp
coriander powder - 1/2  tbsp
cumin powder - 1/4 tbsp

Preparation:
  • In a pan, add 1 spoon of oil, a pinch of turmeric and fry the boiled eggs till they turn light brown and keep aside
  • In another pan, add oil and when it is medium hot, add curry leaves, green chillies, onions and pinch of turmeric and salt and fry till onion pieces are translucent
  • Now add onion stalk and fry for 4 more minutes
  • Add coriander and cumin powder and fry for another minute. Finally add red chilli powder and mix well
  • Add boiled eggs to the curry and mix well and cook on low heat for another 10min, add tamarind paste and mix well and let it simmer for 5min. Garnish with coriander leaves.

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

Monday

Aratikaya Thokku Pacchadi - Raw Banana Peel Chutney

Ingredients:
2 Raw Banana

Red chillies - 15 (as per your spice levels)

urad dal - 2 tbsps

cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp

coriander seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Red chilli flakes - 1/4 tbsp for tampering

fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Garlic pods - 3

Salt to taste

tamarind - 2 tbsp

2 tbsp plain yogurt/curd
curry leaves- 5



Preparation
  • Wash raw banana and cut into two halves
  • Add 2 cups of water to a bowl, add little salt and add raw banana pieces and micro-wave for 12 min
  • Peel the skin and keep aside. You will use this for chutney. You can make fry with the inner part
  • In a pan add oil and when it is hot, add red chillies, urad dal, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and fry for 2min.Remove all the ingredients from oil and let them cool
  • Soak tamarind in little water and keep aside 
  • In the mixie jar, grind 2 garlic pods and salt coarsely. Add banana peel, all the fried ingredients, tamarind, curd and grind to a smooth paste.
  • In a pan, pour oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds, red chilli flakes and  curry leaves and fry them for 1min. Add this to the chutney.
Its so amazing that the peel can taste so yummy. This chutney goes very well with hot rice, Dosa and Idly.
 

Aratikaya Vepudu - Raw Banana Fry

Ingredients:
2 Raw banana
1 medium-sized onion, cut into small pieces
4-5 green chilli, cut them into small pieces
 Salt as per taste
1 tbsp red chilli powder
a pinch of turmeric

For Seasoning:
1 tbsp bengal gram
1/4 tbsp mustard
2 red chillies
1/4 bunch fresh coriander
4,5 curry leaves

Preparation:
1. In a bowl, take 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt and mix well and keep aside
2. Peel the skin of raw bananas, wash and cut into 1/2 inch cubes and add them to the bowl
3. Microwave for 12 min. Strain and keep aside
4.  In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add bengal gram, mustard, red chillies and fry for a miin
5. Add green chillies and onion pieces, turmeric and salt and fry till onion pieces are translucent
6. Add red chilli powder and mix one more time
7. Immediately add boiled banana pieces and mix well and fry on low heat for 10 min
8. Switch off the heat and garnish the curry with coriander leaves

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


Kakarakaya Ullikaram Masala - Bittergourd Onion Masala

Ingredients:
Bitter Gourd - 6-7, peel, wash and cut into 1 inch rings
buttermilk - 1/2 cup
2 spoons tamarind paste
1/4 spoon turmeric
1 small onion, sliced length wise

Ingredients for Masala:
1 medium sized onion,  cut into large pieces
1 spoon peanuts
1 spoon red chilli powder
1/2 bunch fresh coriander
1 spoon ginger garlic paste
1 spoon white gingelly seeds (thella nuvvulu)
1/2 tbsp jaggery
salt as per taste (usually 1/2 tbsp)
Grind all the ingredients into a smooth paste. Add 5-6 drops of water if required but not more.

Preparation:
  • In a pan, add 2 cups of water, buttermilk, a pinch of turmeric, tamarind and bitter gourd pieces and boil till the gourd pieces are soft. Drain and keep aside. This process removes the bitterness from the gourd pieces
  • In another pan, add 3 tb spoons of oil and once medium hot, add curry leaves and bitter gourd pieces, a pinch of turmeric and salt as per taste and fry till golden brown
  • After bitter gourd pieces are golden brown, now add onion pieces and fry till onions turn gold brown.
  • Add the above masala paste to the curry and fry on low heat
  • Add coriander leaves before switching off the stove 
 This curry is very very very tasty :-) and goes well with white rice!

Dosakaya Mamidikaya Pappu - Yellow Cucumber Mango Dal


Ingredients:
1 medium size Yellow Cucumber/Dosakaya
1/2 onion, cut into large pieces
 1 cup Yellow (toor) Lentil
1 pinch turmeric
1/2 raw mango, cut into large chunks
Salt to taste
15 green chillies
1/2 tbsp tamarind juice
2 cups water

Seasoning:
Oil - 2 tbsp
curry leaves - 5
Red chilli - 1
mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Garlic pods - 2, mash coarsely
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp

Preparation:
  • Cut the yellow cucumber length-wise and remove all the seeds. Peel the skin and wash thoroughly and cut into small pieces.
  •  In a pressure cooker, add yellow cucumber pieces, mango pieces, green chillies, onion pieces and add two cups of water and pressure cook for 3 vigils. Take off from the heat and set it aside to cool
  • Once it cools off, mash the dal into paste, add salt, turmeric, tamarind paste and mix well and let it cook for 5 min and switch off the heat.
  • In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add red chilli, mustard seeds, garlic pods, cumin seeds, urad dal and curry leaves and season well. Add this to the dal.

This goes well with hot white rice. Tastes very yummy with Ghee and Mango pickle!