RAVA PULIHORA

Rava Pulihora

What I enjoy most about this recipe is the tempering with spices and curry leaves filling the home with a warming aroma. Comes together in a snap and flavor-wise is tremendously good!

Rava Pulihora Recipe

Prep & Cooking: 30-35 mts

Serves 4-5 persons

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Ingredients:
2 cups raw rice rava (cook and spread to cool)
salt to taste
juice of 2 large lemons
1/2 tsp turmeric/haldi/pasupu
For tempering/tadka/poppu:
1 1/2 tbsps oil
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 medium dry red chillis
1 tbsp channa dal/split bengal gram/senaga pappu
1 tbsp urad dal/minappapu/split black gram
4 green chillis slit length wise
1 1/4 tsps finely minced ginger
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida/inguva
15-20 fresh curry leaves
1/4 tsp grated jaggery or brown sugar
2 fistfuls roasted peanuts

1 Take a vessel, add 3 1/4 cups of water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric pwd and bring to a boil. Add rice rava and combine. Place lid, reduce flame and cook till soft. Turn off heat. Once cool, spread out the cooked rice rava on a wide plate.
2 While the rice rava is cooking, squeeze out juice from the lemons, add 1/2 tsp salt and combine. Keep aside.
3 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add dry red chillis, cumin seeds, channa dal, urad dal and fry for a mt till the dals turn red. Next add the slit green chillis, ginger, asafoetida, curry leaves and 1/4 tsp turmeric pwd and fry for 15 secs. Add the jaggery, cook for 15-20 secs and turn off heat.
3 Add the seasoning and lemon juice to the cooked rice rava and combine well such that its spread all over to the rice rava. Adjust salt and add more lemon juice if required. Finally add the roasted peanuts and combine. Let it sit for at least 1-2 hrs for the flavors to set in.
4 Serve with appadam/chips and curd.

Note:

Pulihora tastes best after sitting for a couple of hours from the time of preparation. You can make this recipe using vermicelli instead of rice or broken rice.

CARROT VEPUDU

Carrot Vepudu

Simple, light and packed with flavor carrot stir fry. The earthy spices combine beautifully with the sweetness of carrots while the addition of fresh coriander brings freshness. Carrot in their ‘grated’ avatar work best for this vegan stir fry. Left overs work great as a filling for a wrap or sandwich. Enjoy this vibrant stir fry at its enchanting best.

Carrot Turumu Vepudu Recipe

Prep & Cooking: 25 mts

Serves: 4 persons

Cuisine: Andhra

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Ingredients:

250 gms /1/4 kg carrots, peeled and grated
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 green chilies, slit lenghwise
large pinch coriander pwd
1/4 tsp jeera-pepper pwd
pinch of kasuri methi (optional)
2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves (do not skimp of this)
1 tbsp grated fresh coconut for garnish (optional)
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
For poppu/tadka/seasoning:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
few curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida/hing/inguva

1 Heat a tbsp of oil in a cooking vessel, add the mustard seeds and once they dance around, add cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves and saute for few secs.
2 Add the chopped onion and green chilies and saute for 3 mts. Add coriander leaves and kasuri methi and saute for 2 mts. Add turmeric pwd and coriander pwd and mix.
3 Add the grated carrots, mix and saute on medium heat for 3 mts. Reduce to low flame, place lid, let it cook, approx 10 mts. Keep checking in between, sauteing them so that they don’t burn. The sauteed carrot will lose moisture and begin to have a wrinkled appearance. Remove lid at this stage and saute on low for 3 mts.
4 Add salt and jeera-pepper pwd and mix well. Add the grated coconut (optional ingredient) and combine. Turn off heat.
5 Garnish with coriander leaves and serve warm with rotis or steamed rice.

MIRIYALA RASAM

Miriyala Charu

Rasam or Charu is an essential part of a traditional Andhra bhojanam (meal). Comforting, earthy, warm with health supporting properties, pepper flavored charu is seasoned with asafoetida and garnished with fresh coriander. Works as a perfect antidote for a runny nose.

Miriyala Charu – Pepper Rasam Recipe

Preparation: 15-20 mts

Serves 4-5 persons

Cuisine: South Indian

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Ingredients:
2 tbsps cooked and mashed tur dal/red gram dal/kandi pappu (optional)
1 large tomato, chop into small pieces
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
tamarind, small lemon size, extract juice in half a cup of water
1/2 tsp jaggery (optional)
4-5 curry leaves
salt to taste
3 cups water
Roast and grind to a coarse powder:
1 tsp tur dal
2 tsps pepper corn/miriyalu/kali mirch
1 1/2 tsps coriander seeds/dhaniyalu/dhania
pinch of methi/menthulu/fenugreek seeds
3/4 tsp cumin/jeera/jeelakara
For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing/inguva
1 dry red chilli, de-seed and tear
few fresh curry leaves
1-2 tsps ghee or oil

1 Heat a deep vessel, add 3 cups of water, chopped tomatoes, tamarind extract, salt, turmeric pwd, few fresh curry leaves and pinch of jaggery and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 3 mts.
2 Add the ground charu podi and mashed dal and cook for another 5 mts.
3 Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and as they splutter, add red chili and curry leaves and stir fry for a few seconds. Add asafeotida and turn off heat.
4 Add this to the charu and combine. Turn off heat and place lid. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with white rice and appadams.

PAPPU

Bachali Kura Pappu

All of us at home are in a holiday mood. Our harvest festival, Sankranti is around the corner. House cleaning, shopping clothes for family and domestic help(s) and preparation of sweets/savories is in full swing. Its my favorite time of the year!
Bachala kura Pappu is a high protein, vegan, heart warming dish loaded with nutritious greens – Malabar spinach or Indian Spinach. They go by the name Bachali in Andhra, Basale in Kannada, Vaali Bhaji in Konkani, Mayalu in Marathi and Pui Shak in Bengali. These protein-rich, vibrant green, glossy leaves are thick with a spongy texture and when cut they ooze a slimy juice similar to okra. When cooked with dal, the sliminess is not evident though. We usually cook them with masoor or tur dal or with yam (kanda bachali) and as mustard powder based stew (ava pettina pulusu).

Bachala Kura, Malabar Spinach

Bachala Kura Pappu Recipe

Preparation: 20 mts

Serves 3-4 persons

Cuisine: Andhra

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Ingredients:
1 small cup tur dal/red gram dal/kandi pappu
2 cups chopped and tightly packed bachali kura/malabar spinach
1 onion, chopped
big pinch turmeric pwd
2-3 green chilies, slit lengthwise
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
salt to taste
2 cups water
1 tbsp tamarind paste
For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal/minappa pappu/split gram dal (optional)
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 dry red chillis, de-seed and tear
10-12 fresh curry leaves
2-3 tsps oil

1 In a pressure cooker, place dal, bachala kura, onions, green chilies, ginger and turmeric pwd. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook up to 2 whistles. If cooking over stove top, cook till the dal is almost cooked.
2 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds and as they jump around, add cumin seeds, urad dal, garlic, red chilies and curry leaves and stir fry for half a minute.
3 Add this to the pressure cooked dal along with salt and combine. Add tamarind paste with 1/2 cup of water and cook on slow to medium flame for 7-10 mts without lid or till you get the consistency of your choice.
4 Serve with white rice and a stir fry dish.