Bendakaya vepudu (Ladies’ fingers, okra fry)

 

       Okra or bhendi is a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, cagnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, protein, riboflavin, niacin, iron, zinc and copper.

Ingredients :

500 gms okra

For the tempering : 3 tbsp sunflower oil, half a tsp each of mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, a sprig of fresh curry leaves(washed and dried), 2-3 dried red chillis.

salt according to taste, red chilli powder according to taste, turmeric powder (quarter to half tsp)

Procedure:

1. Wash and dry okra. Its important to dry them thouroughly before chopping in order to avoid a sticky mess. Chop the okra into small floret shaped pieces. (keep wiping the knife with a dry tissue in between chopping)

2. Heat oil in a wok (mukidi) and add urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. Just as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves and red chillis. Take care not to burn it.

3. Add the okra, salt, turmeric pwd, stir gently and leave to cook on medium heat. Stirring often at this stage will also result in a sticky mess.

4. After about 5-10 mins, stir again, fry for sometime and cover with lid after reducing the heat.

5. When it is done, (20-30 mins) add a little red chilli powder and switch off heat.

Palakura tomato (tender spinach and tomato)

Ingredients:

1 bunch tender spinach leaves cleaned and chopped roughly

3 medium sized sour tomatoes

1 small onion

2 green chillis

For the tempering : 2 tbsp sunflower oil, half a tsp each of mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, a sprig of curry leaves(clean and dry).

salt,  red chilli powder according to taste, turmeric powder (little less than quarter tsp)

Procedure:

1. Chop onions finely and slit the green chillis.  Cut the tomatoes into one inch pieces.

2. Heat oil in a pot and add urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. Just as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves.

3. Add the onions and green chillis and fry till translucent.

4. Add the tomatoes, spinach, salt, turmeric pwd, red chilli pwd and mix.

5. Close lid and cook till done.

6. Tastes good with ghee and plain white rice and papads.

Koduguddu igiru (Egg curry)

 

Ingredients:

4-5 boiled eggs

4-5 medium sized onions

2 green chillis

For the tempering : 4 tbsp or more sunflower oil (you need lots of oil for this to fry the large amount of onion pieces), half a tsp each of mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, a sprig of curry leaves.

salt (1 – 2 tsp), red chilli powder (1- 2 tsp), turmeric powder ( half a tsp)

Procedure:

1. Chop onions and slit the green chillis. Also make vertical slits all around the eggs with a knife.

2. Heat oil in a pot and add urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. Just as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves.

3. Add the onions and green chillis and fry till translucent.

4. Add the seasonings according to taste and the eggs andcook for some more time on a low flame so that the eggs absorb the flavours of the curry {you can also add the eggs just some time before the onions are fully done}.

5. Tastes great with steamed rice.

Today’s Lunch

 

            Hi! I’ve cooked chukka kura (khatta palak) dal and tomato curry for our meal today. Here are the recipes:

 

Chukka Kura pappu

 

Ingredients:

bunch khatta palak greens, washed and chopped roughly

1 small cup tuvar (tur, yellow lentils) dal

1 green chilli

small piece tamarind or aam chur (dry mango powder)

For the tempering : 2 tbsp sunflower oil, half a tsp each of mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, quarter tsp or less fenugreek seeds (careful! fenugreek seeds are bitter), a sprig of curry leaves(clean and dry), 2-3 broken dried red chillis, 1 clove garlic.

salt (1 tsp), red chilli powder (1/2 tsp), turmeric powder (quarter tsp)

Procedure:

1. Cook the tuvar dal with some water in a pressure cooker. Also soak a small piece of tamarind.

2. After it is done, remove the vessel from the cooker and place it on the flame, add the greens along with the salt, turmeric, red chilli pwd and juice of tamarind (or just add 3 pinches dry mango powder). {If you put the greens along with the dal in the pressure cooker, nutrients will be lost as they need much less time and pressure to cook than the lentils} Cook till the greens are done. Adjust seasonings.

3. Heat oil in a small wok and add urad dal, jeera, fenugreek and mustard seeds. Just as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves, garlic and dried red chillis. Pour this tempering over the dal, stir and cover with a lid.

4. All dals taste great with rice and ghee and fryums.

 

 

Tomato Curry

 

 

Ingredients:

3-4 sour medium sized tomatoes

1-2 medium onion

2 green chillis

For the tempering : 2 tbsp sunflower oil, half a tsp each of mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, a sprig of curry leaves(clean and dry).

salt (1 tsp), red chilli powder (1 tsp), turmeric powder (quarter tsp)

Procedure:

1. Chop onions and slit the green chillis.  Chop the tomatoes too.

2. Heat oil in a pot and add urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. Just as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves.

3. Add the onions and green chillis and fry till translucent.

4. Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric pwd, red chilli pwd and mix.

5. Close lid and cook till done. If it starts to stick to the bottom of the vessel, add a little water (very little).

 

         This is half and half white and brown rice. It takes a little getting used to, but after that you will like it better than the white rice. Even more nutritious if you can substitute completely with brown rice.

Plaintain (raw banana) scramble

 

      This dish is very easy to prepare and cook as compared to the other plaintain dishes as plaintains can make a sticky mess during peeling and here we do the peeling after it is cooked. I like to make it along with sambhar and I place them on the cover plate of the dal containing vessel in the pressure cooker. The water at the bottom of the cooker is enough to steam the plantains at the top. 

Ingredients :

3-4 plaintains

For the tempering : 3 tbsp sunflower oil, half a tsp each of mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, channa dal, a sprig of fresh curry leaves(washed and dried), 2-3 dried red chillis.

salt according to taste, red chilli powder according to taste, turmeric powder (quarter tsp), half tsp lemon juice

Procedure:

1. Steam the plaintains till cooked completely. The outer covering slips out easily. Mash the insides roughly.

2. Heat oil in a wok (mukidi) or a non stick pan and add chana dal, urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. Just as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves and red chillis. Take care not to burn it.

3. Add the plantians, salt, turmeric pwd and stir so that the tempering does not remain at the bottom.

5. Fry for some time.

6. Just before turning off the heat, add a little red chilli powder.

7. Sprinkle some lemon juice after it cools down a bit.

Egg scramble (koduguddu puruta)

 

         This simple and delicious dish goes well with plain rice or with chapathi/naan or even by itself if the seasonings are reduced a bit. Eggs are a good protein source, also containing many minerals and invaluable for pregnant women (from the fourth month onwards) and nursing mothers. 

Ingredients:

3 eggs

3-4 medium sized onions

2 green chillis

3 tbsp sunflower oil

salt (1 – 2 tsp), red chilli powder (1- 2 tsp), turmeric powder ( half a tsp)

Procedure:

1. Chop onions finely and slit the green chillis.

2. Heat oil in a vessel (non stick isnt so great for this) and add the onions and green chillis. Stir, cover with a lid, reduce heat and let them get steamed. Check after 5-10 mins and stir till till they are fried golden and the oil absorbed by the onions in the beginning starts to ooze out again.

3. Increase heat. Add the salt, turmeric pwd and  red chilli pwd. Stir. Break the eggs one by one on the side of the vessel and drop in both the whites and yolks. Stir.  

4. Leave for 2 or 3 mins or till they start to get dry. Then keep stirring to prevent burning. Fry till the eggs are cooked.

Chaaru

         This is a watery soup, something like rasam but without tomatoes and it tastes a little sweet!!  We, Andhrites like to have it with ghee, plain tur dal and white rice. Easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

a quarter onion sliced thinly 

2 tsp tamarind paste (soak tamarind in water and salt for half an hour and sqeeze out the pulp and discard)

for the tempering : half tsp each of urad dal seeds,  mustard seeds, 1 tsp  jeera, 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves(cleaned and dried), 2-4 dried red chillis (broken into pieces)

small chunk of jaggery depending on your taste

half a tsp turmeric pwd,salt according to taste

 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 cups water

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a large pot.

2. Add  urad dal, jeera, mustard seeds, fry and add red chillis,  and the curry leaves. Add onion and fry.

3. Pour the water  in and add turmeric powder and let it come to a boil. 

4. Add the tamarind paste, salt and jaggery and let it boil for 15 mins. Adjust seasonings before turning off heat.

Potato fry

Ingredients :

2  or 3 medium sized potatoes (peeled and cut into small pieces) 

For the tempering : 3 tbsp sunflower oil, half a tsp each of mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, channa dal, a sprig of fresh curry leaves(washed and dried), 2-3 dried red chillis.

salt according to taste, red chilli powder according to taste, turmeric powder (quarter tsp)

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a wok (mukidi) and add chana dal, urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. Just as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves and red chillis (break into pieces). Take care not to burn it.

2. Add the potatoes and turmeric pwd and stir thoroughly so that the tempering does not remain at the bottom.

5. Cover with a lid, lower heat  and let it get steamed. Donot add water. Check every 5 mins and stir. Add salt when it is half done.

6. When it is almost done, add a little red chilli powder. Chilli powder gets burnt if fried for too long.

      If you want them to be fried and crispy, boil the potatoes before hand, cut into big chunks and fry in a larger quantity of oil (after the tempering). Done like this, it tastes quite different and a lot more yummier. Something like the Indian version of Pommes frites.

Tomato Rice

 

  

        Basmati rice is tridoshic, Satvik and pure. The taste and fragrance is simply incomparable to ordinary white rice. For kapha persons or those who want to lose weight, it might not be a good idea to take it daily.

Ingredients (for one person):

1 cup basmati rice

2 green chillis (make vertical slits)

2 red tomatoes chopped

1 small onion finely chopped

one and a half tsp jeera

1 clove,  2 inch piece cinnamon

quarter tea spoon ginger garlic paste

a sprig curry leaves

1- 2 tbsp ghee, 1tsp salt, pinch turmeric and chilli powder for those who don’t have small  kids in the house 

2 cups water

Procedure:

1. Clean the rice in water and drain the water. Let the wet rice remain like that for 10 mins to half an hour.

2. In a non stick vessel, heat ghee and add jeera and the other spices. As soon as the jeera turns golden brown, add  the green chillis and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds and add the chopped onion. Fry till half done and add ginger garlic paste (home made tastes best, chop ginger, garlic and make into a paste in the mixer, mix with a tea spoon of salt and store in the fridge)  and fry till the onions are done. If the ginger garlic paste is not sauted properly, you will get a raw (yuck) taste. 

3. Add the tomatoes and cook thoroughly.

4. Add the rice, stir and add turmeric powder, salt and chilli powder if using.

3. Add the water. Stir and let the water come to a gentle boil. Immediately, reduce the flame to the minimum and cover with a tight fitting lid. Donot lift the lid to check or stir. Let it cook for atleast 30 mins on low flame and then open the lid and see if the rice grains are starting to ‘poke upwards’ individually. It might take another 10 mins for this to happen. The rice will not stick to the bottom of the vessel if you donot keep stirring in between. The rice grains also will not stick to each other, if you have followed the first step and if you have added the right amount of water. This differs slightly with each type of rice. Even if the top layer of the rice looks dry and a tad undone, the inside layers will be soft and just right. Donot stir in between.

4. You can add chopped coriander leaves just before switching off the heat. Coriander is very delicate and loses its health benefits if cooked on high heat.

Brinjal Fry (vankaya vepudu)

                 Brinjals are rich in iron, calcium and vitamin A. This dish is my personal favourite. But you get the best taste from these type of long purple ones, available in Indian or Srilankan shops. Goes well with plain white rice.

 

Ingredients :

4-5 long, purple brinjals

For the tempering : 3 tbsp sunflower oil, half a tsp each of mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal, channa dal, a sprig of fresh curry leaves(washed and dried), 2-3 dried red chillis.

salt according to taste, red chilli powder according to taste, turmeric powder (quarter tsp)

Procedure:

1. Cut the brinjals into long slices.

2. Heat oil in a wok (mukidi) and add chana dal, urad dal, jeera and mustard seeds. Just as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the curry leaves and red chillis. Take care not to burn it.

3. Add the brinjals, salt, turmeric pwd and stir thoroughly so that the tempering does not remain at the bottom.

5. Cover with a lid, lower heat  and let it get steamed. Donot add water. Check every 5 mins and stir.

6. When it is almost done, add a little red chilli powder. Check to see whether the flesh inside is soft and cooked before turning off the heat.

       My dad said he liked this a lot when I made it two days back. And also the the snake gourd fry previous to that …… actually also the capsicum rice and coconut rice ……………hmmmmmm maybe he likes every thing that I cook.