Beerakaaya pappu (Ridge gourd toor dal) (Kandi pappu)

Toor dal : 1 cup
Ridge gourd : Finally cubed (pealed and cut into medium size pieces) Beera kaaya.
Onion :1/4 cup (cut into pieces )
Green chilli paste : 1 to 2 tea spoons (to taste)
Tamarind flakes : 6
Turmeric powder : Pinch of
Salt to taste;table spoon
Vegetable oil : 2 table spoons
Curry leaves : few
Coriander leaves :to garnish
Crushed garlic (vellulli) :1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds , musterd seeds,and hing (inguva) – each pinch

1) Take washed toor dal in a presser cooker and add 3 cups of water, turmeric and 1 teaspoon oil. Close the lid, after getting 3 or 4 whistles, turn off the flame. Keep it aside for cooling.

2) Heat oil in a bowl or nonstick pan. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds. Once they pop add curry leaves, coriander leaves and garlic pieces .Toast them to brown. Add green chilli, onion, and fry for a minute. Add beerakaya pieces and turmeric and stir it occasionally. Add 1 cup of water close with lid and cook in simmer until beerkaya pieces are tender. Add tamarind juice, salt and cooked dal. Mix well. Cook it on low flame for three to five minutes.

Serve the dal with hot rice, chapathi or jawari roti.

Lemon capsicum rice (Capsicum, Nimmakaya chithrannam)

Rice : 1 cup
Capsicum : 1
Onion : 1
Green chilli : 2
Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
Lemon : 2 ( 3 table spoons juice )
Cumin seeds : A pinch (roasted powder)
Methi seeds : A pinch (roasted powder )
Cashew nuts : To garnish
Peanuts : 1 table spoon ( roasted )
Salt to taste
Cilantro : to garnish
For popu :

Vegetable oil : 2 table spoons
Mustard seeds : A pinch
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves : few

Preparation:

Prepared Popu

1. Cook rice with 2 cups of water. Keep it aside.

2. Cut onion, green chilli, capsicum into thin lengthy pieces.

3. In a wide pan or kadai heat oil over medium flame. Add red chilli, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they start to pop, add green chilli and onion and stir constantly until they turn light golden color. Then add capsicum pieces, cumin, methiseeds powder and fry capsicum pieces until they become soft. Add turmeric, salt and lemon juice. Mix well and fry for few seconds. Turn off the heat.

4. Add prepared capsicum mix , roasted peanuts to cooked rice. Mix well and garnish with cilantro and cashew nuts.

Yogurt rice or Perugu saddy or Dhaddojanam

RIce : 1 cup

Curd : 2 cups

Ghee or vegetable oil : 1 table spoon

Green chilli : 1

Urad dal : 1 tsp Red chilli : 2 ( split it to small pieces )

Black pepper : 1/2 tsp (Crushed black pepper )

Curry leaves and cilantro : few

Cashew nuts : 1 table spoon or ten to fifteen

Preparation :

1. Cook rice with 2 1/2 cups of water, keep it aside for cooling.

2. Heat ghee in a popu pan. Once the ghee is hot add broken red chilli, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, let it to crackle, add urad dal, green chilli, curry leaves and fry for a minute add crushed pepper powder, cashew nuts and fry for few seconds and turn off the flame.

3. Take yogurt in a bowl and add cooked rice, salt, above popu. Mix well. Garnish with cilantro.

Yogurt rice or Perugu saddy ready to serve.

This recipe is very simply but very tasty.