Pappu chekkalu or Karapappalu or Vadappalu

Rice flour: 4 cups
Soaked Moong Dal or Chana dal: 1 table spoon (Optional)
Sesame seeds: 2 table spoons or optional
Cumin seeds: 1 tea spoon
Peanut powder: 1 table spoon
Green chilli: 4 or optional
Ginger, garlic flakes: each 5 to 6
Cilantro: few leaves
Salt: salt to taste
Vegetable oil: Oil to deep fry

Rice flour, Greenchilli+ginger garlic paste, Peanuts, sesame seeds, cuminseeds,Soaked dal.

Preparation :

1. Take green chilli, ginger garlic, salt, cilantro in a jar and grind into smooth paste. Roast peanuts and grind in to smooth powder.

3. Take rice flour, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, soaked chana dal or moong dal, peanut powder, above ground paste in a bowl and mix well. Mix 1 1/2 cup boiling water to make dough. If needed add little water and oil to make the dough softer.

4. Make small dough balls and press them with hand to make them as small size puri ( Press them on top of a greased thick pastic paper).

5. Heat oil in a deep bottom vessel or skillet and when oil is hot, drop slowly from the kadai. Fry until it turns light golden color.

6. Remove and keep them on paper towel to get the extra oil drained out.

Let them cool for few minutes to become crispy.

This is very good breakfast and also a good evening snack. You can keep them and eat for upto 1 week. Kids and elders equally like them a lot.

Cracked Wheat Upma or Godhuma Ravva Upma

Cracked wheat upma is easy to make and tasty breakfast. This is real easy to make and tastes very good. It makes a very good dinner as well when you are lazy

Preparation time: 20 Mins
Serves: 3

Ravva: 2 cups
Onion: 1 cup
Green chilli: 2
Mixed vegetables: 2 cups ( carrot,Tomato, potato, Green peas) or frozen mixed vegetables according to your taste. ( Vegetables are optional. It tastes good even without vegetables)
Ginger garlic pulp: 1 tea spoon
Curry leaves: few
Urad dal: 2 teaspoon
Cashew nuts or peanuts: 1 table spoon
Vegetable oil: 2 table spoons
Cumin seeds, mustard seeds: 1/4 spoon
Cilantro: to garnish

Mixed vegetables, Chshew nuts,Greenchilli, Urad dal, Cracked wheat ravva, Onion, Cilantro.

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a vessel or pan. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once they pop, add urad dal and curry leaves and fry for a minute. Add ginger garlic, green chilli, onions and fry under low flame until the onions turn light golden color.

2. Add vegetables and cook in simmer until the vegetables are tender, add 4 cups water and salt. Mix well and close the lid. Bring the water to a boil on high heat. When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat and pour cracked wheat upma ravva slowly stirring continuously with a spoon.
3. Cook the upma till the water is absorbed and upma becomes soft and smooth.

4.turn off the heat.Garnish with toasted peanuts or cashew nuts. Let it settle for few minutes.

Yummy cracked wheat upma is ready to serve.

Kakarakaya fry (Bitter guard fry ) with Dalia powder

If you are scared of bitter guard because of its bitterness, you should try this . This is very tasty and does not have any bitterness. It is quick to make. I generally make this podi as a side dish for dal and rice. This stays fresh for couple of days.

Preperation Time: 20 Mins
Serves: 4 People

Bitter guard pieces: 1 cups
Dalia: 1/2 Cup
Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
Coconut: 1 Tablespoon coconut powder
Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Salt:  3/4 spoon (According to taste)
Garlic flakes: 3
Turmeric: 1/4 teaspoon
Popu ingredients:  cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves

Cooking procedure:

1. Peel bitter guard and cut in to two inch thick pieces. Add turmeric and some salt, mix well. Keep it aside for 2 hours. Then squeeze the pieces with hand to remove the bitter liquid from pieces. (This process reduces the bitterness in the curry).

2. Take dalia, coconut, red chilli powder, salt 1/4 spoon,  garlic flakes, pinch of turmeric and cumin seeds in a jar and grind in to smooth powder.

3. Heat oil in a small deep bottomed skillet. When oil is hot depp fry the crushed bitter guard pieces until they turn golden color. Remove them from oil. Mix it with above grounded dalia powder.

4. Heat one tea spoon oil in a popu pan, once the oil is hot add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once they pop, turn off the heat. Add this popu to above mix.

Sabudana upma or sago upma

Sabudana: 2 cups
Green chilli: 2 or according to taste
Onion: 1 medium size
Peanuts: 1 table spoon
Ginger garlic pulp: 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Turmeric: A pinch
Cilantro leaves: To garnish

Popu:
Vegetable Oil: 1 Table spoon
Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds : 1/4 spoon each
Curry leaves: few

1. Take sabudana in a bowl, wash them and soak for 8 to 10 hours or preferably overnight in enough water to cover. Drain the water from sabudana and keep it aside.

2. Heat oil in a deep bottom frying pan (skillet). Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once they pop add urad dal, peanuts, green chilli and ginger garlic pulp. Fry for a minute and add onion and fry them until they turn golden color. Add turmeric, salt and soaked sabudana. On medium heat stir with a slotted spoon. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes until sago is crispy. Garnish with cilantro.

Sabudab upma is ready to eat. It is quick and tasty breakfast.

Bagara Baingan ( Vankaya Kurma)

Brinjal : 400 gm ( 6- 7)
Onion : 1 medium (cut in to small pieces)
Sesame seeds : 1 table spoon
Peanuts : 1 table spoon
Poppy seeds : 1 tea spoon
Cardamom: 3
Cloves :3
Cinnamon : 1 piece
Jeera ( sajeera) : 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander seeds : 1 tea spoon
Red chilli powder : 1 tea spoon
Tamarind flakes : 3
Turmeric : A pinch
Ginger garlic crushed paste :1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil : 2 table spoons

Preparation :

1. Slit each brinjal vertically into 4 parts ( but not completely) and put them in salt water.

2. Roast peanuts, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and jeera on saute pan.

3. Grind above ingredients in to fine powder. Add tamarind flakes, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric and required water (1/2 cup) to the above powder and grind it to smooth paste.

4. Heat oil in a bowl or non stick pan over medium flame. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When seeds start splutter add onion and ginger garlic paste, fry for a minute. Then add brinjal and fry them on low flame stirring constantly until they become soft.

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5. Add above ground paste along with 2 to 3 cups of water, mix and stir well. Cover with lid and cook in simmer. When brinjals reach required tendernes turn off the heat.

Garnish with cilantro.

Bagara baingan is ready to serve.

This goes well with Biryani, Bagara Rice, Roti or Naan

Snake Gourd Spicy Yogurt or Snake gourd Aava or Potlakaya Aava or Pudalangai poriyal

Potlakaya: 1
Green chilli: 1 or according to taste
Dalia: 1 table spoon
Mustard: 1/2 teaspoon
Garlic flakes: 2
Curry leaves: few
Salt to taste
Turmeric: A pinch
Yogurt: thick 1 cup
Vegetable oil: 2 teaspoons or according to taste.
Popu ingredients:

Broken red chilli: 2 pieces, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and cilantro.

Preparation:

1. Clean the snake gourd  and finally chop them into small pieces.

2. Roast green chilli with oil.

3. Take mustard seeds, dalia, garlic flakes, green chilli, salt and turmeric in a jar, grind it into smooth powder.

4. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add broken red chilli, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves and let it crackle.

5. Add snake gourd pieces, stir it well, after one minute add some (Around 1/2 cup will be sufficient) water and cover with lid and cook on simmer. When the pieces are soft, allow to cool.

5. Take yogurt  in a bowl and add the cooked snake gourd pieces and ground paste. Mix well. Potlakaya aava is ready to serve.

This makes a good side dish for rice or roti or chapathi.

Sarvappa

This is traditional andhra breakfast. This tastes very good. My mom used to make it a lot when we were kids. Everyone in my family likes this recipe.

Ingredients:
Rice flour: 4 cups
Soaked moong dal or chana dal: 1 table spoon
Sesame seeds: 2 table spoons
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Green chilli: 3 or According to taste
Ginger garlic flakes: 4or 5
Cilantro: optional
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil: 1 table spoon

Preparation:

1.Take green chilli, ginger garlic flakes, cilantro and salt in a jar and grind in to paste.

2.Take rice flour, sesame seeds, soaked chana dal or moong dal, cumin seeds and ground paste(green chilli, ginger garlic, salt and cilantro) in a bowl. Mix well.

3. Add 1 1/2 cup boiled water, mix well to make a dough. If needed add little water to make the dough soft. Divide dough into 4 or 5 pieces to make balls and keep it aside.

4. Take skillet or wide non stick pan. Grease it with oil and then put the ball in the skillet, press them with palm to make thick roti surrounding the skillet. Put skillet on the medium flame. Spread little oil on roti. Make 4 to 5 holes on the roti so that air escapes. When it gets little brown turn it upside down. (It gets cooked inside and becomes crispy).

It is very tasty and crispy.

Tomatollio chutney

Today we tried tomatillo chutney. Tomatillo is Spanish vegetable and looks like green tomato. They taste sour. This chutney turned out to be very tasty. You should definitely try this one. You can buy it from several grocery stores. 

Tomatollio : 2 cups (cut in to medium size pieces)
Sesame seeds : 1  1/2 table spoons.
Green chilli : Roast with little bit of oil
Garlic flakes : 2
Salt to taste
Tamarind flakes : 2
Turmeric : A pinch
Vegetable oil : 1 table spoon
Onion : 1 medium size (cut in to small pieces)

Popu:

Broken red chilli : 2,  mustard seeds, cumin seeds and few curry leaves.

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a medium size kadai or deep bottom bowl. Add tomatollio, turmeric and tamarind flakes, cook it on low flame and stir it for a minute. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover with lid and cook it in simmer until the tomatollio pieces are tender. Turn off the heat.

2. Roast sesame seeds and green chilli with little bit of oil.

3. Grind sesame seeds, green chilli, garlic flakes and salt in to smooth paste. Add cooked tomatollio to the above mix and grind to coarse (two rounds will be sufficient). Take in a serving bowl. Add popu.

4. Heat oil in a popu pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add red chilli, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Once they pop add onion pieces, pinch of salt and cilantro. Fry for a minute. Turn off the heat. Add this popu to above chutney.

Serve with rice or chapathi and roti.

Bread dosa (Poha Dosa) with rice and poha.

Rice: 3 cups
Poha ( Atukulu): 1 cup
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Baking soda: 1/4 tsp
Yogurt: 1 Cup
Vegetable oil: optional

Preparation:

1. Take rice, poha and fenugreek seeds in a bowl. Wash them and soak up to 8 to 10 hours. After 10 hours remove the water and grind into smooth paste (Don’t make it too thick or thin) along with yogurt. Keep it aside for fermentation for up to whole night or 10 hours. Add salt and baking powder. Mix well.

2. Pre heat skillet or small kadai. When the skillet is hot grease or spray the oil, pour 1/2 cup bread dosa mix. Cover with lid and cook on medium heat. After some time turn them upside down in the skillet and wait until they turn golden color. Bread dosa should become brownish from both sides. Remove from the kadai.

Serve with peanut chutney.

This recipe is my favorite breakfast.

Tomato chutney

Tomato : 5 to 6 (cut into pieces)
Tamarind flakes : 3
Green chilli : 2 or (optional )
Peanuts or sesame seeds : 2 table spoons
Garlic flakes : 3
Salt to taste
Turmeric : A pinch

For popu :
Vegetable oil : 2 table spoons
Red chilli :2
Mustard seeds , cumin seeds – each pinch
Curry leaves : few
Coriander leaves ; few
Onion : 1 onion (cut into small pieces )

Preparation :

1.Roast peanuts or sesame seeds and keep aside. Roast green chilli with little bit of oil.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium size kadai . Add tomatoes and tamarind flakes. Cook it on low flame stirring frequently until the tomato pieces are tender. Turn off heat. Keep it aside for cooling.

3. Grind peanuts, green chilli, garlic turmeric and salt into smooth paste. Add roasted tomatoes to the above mix and grind to coarse ( One round will be sufficient)

4. Take it in a serving bowl.

5. Heat oil on small popu pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add red chilli, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Once they pop add curry leaves, fry for few seconds, add onion pieces, a pinch of salt and coriander leaves. Stir it for a minute. Turn off the heat. Add to tomato chutny

It makes a very good side dish. Tastes great with rice , chapati and roti.