Beerakaya Thokku Pachadi

Story: I ate this first time when i was a very small girl. it was at Bhimavaram , my dad's friends place. i loved it the moment i tasted it. From then on , i used to ask my mom to make it. The same taste never happened again, but i keep trying....

Ingredients:

1. Skin of 2 large ridge gourds, wash and peel the skin


2. 1/2 cup ridge gourd pieces


3. 2 green chillis


4. 1-2 dry red chillis


5. 1 tbsp minappa pappu


6. 1 tsp cumin seeds


7. very small lemon sized tamarind


8. 1 small piece of bellam [jaggery]


9. 2 tsps oil


10. For poppu
    1/2 tsp mustard seeds
    1-2 dry red chillis
    big pinch hing
    1/2 tsp oil

Procedure:

1. Heat a tsp of oil in a cooking vessel, add mina pappu, cumin seeds and red chillis and stir fry for a few seconds till the dal turns red.


2. Remove and keep aside.


3. In the same vessel, add another tsp of oil and add the green chillis and saute for a mt.


4. Add the ridge gourd peels (chop them into small pieces) and fry on medium heat for 4-5 mts. Add Ridge Gourd pieces. Fry till its cooked.


5. Add the tamarind to it


6. Once cool, grind the daal, cumin, redchillies first till coarsely ground, add the rest of the sauteed ingredients along with tamarind and salt and grind to a slightly coarse paste.


7. Heat half a tsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let them pop, add dry red chillis followed by hing and stir fry for a few seconds.


8. Pour the seasoning over the ground pachadi and serve with hot rice & Ghee.

Pink Roti

Background :

As with all girls, my daughter Nidhi loves pink & purple... she asked me amma can you make pink roti for me and the only thing i could think of was Beetroot and fortunately she loved the roti's.

Ingredients

Beetroot - 1/4 cup

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

salt to taste

chili powder-1/4 tsp

zeera

Procedure :

1. Place one cup of wheat flour in a mixing bowl.
   
2. Add half-teaspoon of salt and (optionally) a quarter teaspoon of chili powder, zeera and mix thoroughly.
   
3. Add one tablespoon of heated cooking oil
   
4. Add grated beetroot
   
5. Add sufficient water and knead to a dough
   
6. Make balls and flatten it to make a roti
   
7. In a frying pan , put the flattened roti and add oil/ghee
   
8. Fry on both sides
9. Serve with chutney or for kids roll it with an omlet ..

Tasty pink roti ready!

Oats Upma

Ingredients

Rolled Oats - 1 cup

onion - 1/2 chopped

green chillies - 2 chopped

mustard, zerra, sengapappu for poppu

oil - 3-4 tbsps

salt to taste

Tip: add vegetables

Procedure

Saok Oats in water for 5 min

heat a pan , add oil, poppu ingredenits, when mustard splutters add the onions

fry the onions, greenshillies till cooked

Squeeze the water from the oats and add it to the pan

add salt to taste

cover and cook for 5 more minutes.

Healthy Oats Upma ready!!

Tip: Dont saok the oats for a long time, this will make the upma sticky.

Capsicum blackbean curry

Ingredients :

1. black beans - 1 cup


2. chopped capscium - 2 cups


3. chopped onions -1


4. ginger -garlic paste - 2 tsps


5. chilli powder - 1spoon


6. salt


7. oil - 2 -3 tbsps

Procedure:

1. Soak black beans overnight, pressure cook with salt and water. Tip: you can use canned beans if you are in a rush


2. Take oil in a frying pan, add jeera, onions, ginger/garlic paste and fry till golden brown


3. Add tomatoes, cook till the raw smell goes away


4. Add capsicum.Add salt, chilli powder, black beans and cook till done


5. Add water to get some consistency


6. Healthy , tasty blackbeans curry ready. tastes good with roti.

Atukulu (poha) Vada

Ingredients:

1. Atukulu - 1 cup


2. Rice flour - 5 spoons


3. Besan - 1/4 cup


4. baking soda - 1 tsp


5. Chooped green chillies - 3


6. Chopped Ginger


7. onions - 1/2 cup chopped


8. oil - 3 cups

Procedure:

1. Soak atukulu for 10 min,Drain


2. Mix all the flours and atukulu to a consistent mixture adding very little water


3. Add onions, ginger and green chillies,salt, baking soda


4. In a frying pan add oil, when hot ,make small balls of the atukulu mixture ,flatten and drop in the oil.


5. fry both sides


6. Server hot with allam chutney!