Kandi Podi

Hi Friends

Today I am coming with yummy yummy classic Andhra recipe ie Kandi podi. These podis are an integral role in each South Indian homes in their daily meals. Normally it is a custom to eat first mudda with podi, especially at dinner.

As ours is a vegetarian family, these type of powders are made and kept in stock. I always stock 3-4 verities in my kitchen. In urgency in can be  used for handy purpose.

OK let us come to recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• Tur dal                        1 cup
• Channa dal                  1 cup
• Dried red chillies         7 to 8
• Hing                             pinch
• Salt to taste

HOW TO PREPARE

1. Heat heavy bottom kadai, let it heat on medium heat.
2. Add both the dals, dry roast on low flame.
3. Stir them constantly until they turn golden brown.
4. Remove from kadai and keep aside.
5. Then toss the cumin seeds on medium flame and keep aside.
6. Heat a drop of oil and fry red chillies .Switch off the stove and add hing.
7. Let all ingredients cool.
8. Grind every thing with required salt into coarsely.
9. See the taste.

Store it in air tight bottle.

Serve this delicious finger linking kandi podi with garama garam rice and drizzle ghee.
Ghee enhances the taste of powder when mixed with hot rice.

My Notes

• After roasted all ingredients, always remove contents from the pan .Don't leave in hot pan.It would burn ingredients.
• You can increase or decrease the quantity of red chillies according to your spice level.

Totakura Vadalu

HI

Today I am coming with healthy version of traditional  vada with a small twist. These are Totakura (Amarnath leaves) vadalu.  Greens hold special place in my cooking.This is very easy recipe and takes very little time .

Prepare this evening snack by yourself and see the taste. Let us start.

INGREDIENTS

• Urad dal                                        1 cup
• Totakura                                        1 small bunch
• Ginger                                            1/4 inch piece
• Garlic                                             5 to 6 flakes
• Green mirchi                                  2
• salt to taste
• Oil for fry 

HOW TO PREPARE

1. Soak urad dal 5 to 6 hours.
2. Wash the dal and set aside in a colander until the water completely drained.
3. Meanwhile clean and wash totakura thoroughly.
4. Drain and chop finely.
5. Blend ginger, garlic and green chillies into medium paste ie kacha pacha and keep aside.
6. Then blend urad dal coarsely like vada batter by using minimal water.
7. Transfer the batter into a bowl.
8. Combine the urad dal batter, finely chopped totakura and kacha pacha ginger garlic paste and required salt.
9. Mix well.
10. Heat the oil in the pan, once it's hot enough, take lemon size balls of batter and slightly flatten them with your palm to make vada and drop them carefully in the oil.
11. Fry them till golden brown.
12. Follow the same to remaining batter also.

Yum! Yum! Totakura vadas are ready to eat as evening snack to go with a cup of tea.

MY NOTE

Instead of totakura you can add palak also and  channa dal can be used instead of urad dal.
You may adopt many variations according to your taste.
With basic ingredients used one can improve cooking skills.

Billa kudumulu /Thavilla Billalu

Hi Viewers

To day I am coming with typical traditional breakfast item ie Billa kudumulu/Thavilla billalu. This item is prepared very few house holds in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rayalaseema. This is also known as Tavilla billalu. The recipe sounds so simple and tastes yummy yummy in taste when compared with regular breakfasts. It can be eaten for dinner as well.

This is a combination of rice and toor dal. Combine 3 cups rice and 1 cup of toor dal grind into coarse powder. I have kept it in advance and store in air tight container.

Let us come to the recipe.

Ingredients

• Rice                                 3 cups
• Toor dal                           1 cup
• Oil
• Salt according to taste

How to prepare

1. Rice and Toor dal needs to be made into coarse powder in 3:1 ratio.
2. Take heavy bottom vessel. Add 3 cups of water, add 1/2 tbsp of oil and required salt.
3. Let it boil.
4. Simmer the flame add 1 cup of rice and toor dal mix slowly. Let it cook for 5 minutes.
5. Stir well and switch off the stove.
6. At final stage it looks like upma. Let it cool for some time.
7. Mix well with your hands.
8. Next grease your hands with  little oil.
9. Take a small  ball of dough round and flatten or oval shaped and keep aside. 
10. Take tick bottom tawa, let it heat on medium heat, add 2 tbsp of oil, place these prepared billakudumulu on tawa.
11. Apply oil on both sides and fry both sides till golden brown in color and crispy.
12. It takes little more time but tastes yummy yummy.
13. Follow the same procedure for the remaining dough also.

Serve this garama garam billa kudumulu with yerragaddala karam with dollop of ghee or with coconut chutney.

Notes:

• Cook billa kudumulu on medium flame. So that they are crispy on the outer layer. 
• You can made this billa kudumulu  with rice rava which you get in the market with a combination of grated fresh coconut instead of toor dal in 3:1( rice rava and grated fresh coconut).

You can steamed these like how we do for idli instead of frying them on the tawa. You can use idli stand and steam. This is a healthier version of billa kudumulu.

You can use this rice and toor dal rava for the purpose of upma also. Watch my blog for kandinuka upma which I would post very soon.

Finally I would like to say thank to my blogger friends for visiting my blog. Without your support, it is not possible for me to reach my goal.

Yours
Kusuma from Kusuma's Abhiruchi

Onion & Brinjal Pachadi

Hello viewers

Today I am coming with Andhra Style pachadi, very common recipe in south Indian houses. In todays recipe vankaya/brinjal pachdi paired with onion. It tastes fabulous and good combination with idli, dosa,upma and also with garama garam rice. See this rust colour chutney mixed with fried vankaya mukkalu. Prepare this yummy yummy onion and vankaya pachadi by yourself and share the recipe with your friends and family. So that they can confidently try again.

Normally I like home made food and I like to try new variety dishes. The person behind my blog Kusuma's Abhiruchi is my mother who is best cook I ever and my daughter Lahari who lives in U.K who helps me with my blog.

Yummy yummy home made dishes brings me satisfaction and are healthy for the family. Each recipe in my blog has been published only after tried and tasted.

Ingredients

• Brinjal                          6 (black or green medium)
• Onion                           3 big
• Mustard seeds             1tbsp
• Cumin seeds                1/2 tbsp
• Urad dal                      1tbsp
• Green mirchi               6
• Dry red chillies           10
• Turmeric powder
• Tamarind pulp            2 tbsp
• Mint leaves                 few
• Curry leaves               few
• Salt to taste
• Oil

Popu

• Mustard seeds
• Urad dal
• Hing
• Curry leaves

How to prepare

1. Start by finely slicing your onion.
2. Wash brinjals and cut into small cubes and put them in water.This will remove bitterness from them.
3. In a wok heat 1 tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal green chillies and dry red  chillies .
4. Saute until dal turns brown.
5. Remove from pan.
6. Place tea strainer near by to transfer fried ingredients.
7. In the same oil add onion. Saute by stirring occasionally till they  translucent.
8. Meanwhile fry the brinjal cubes crisply and keep aside.
9. Take all ingredients (except fried brinjal cubes) fried  urad dal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, green and dry red chillies, salt, tamarind pulp, mint leaves, and curry leaves into blender and make it as coarse chutney.
10. Transfer this coarse chutney into a bowl and add already fried vankaya cubes. 
11. Mix well.
12. Finally make tempering with popu ingredients and pour on chutney.
13. Relish the taste.

Delicious & yummy yummy Onion & vankaya pachadi is ready to eat.

Kusuma's notes:

1.      Saute the onions until soft. Otherwise chutney will give you raw smell.
2.      Cut brinjal in water by adding pinch of salt. It will remove bitterness of vankaya.
3.      One can make chutney very easily without any experience in cooking.

Try it and post your valuable comments and suggestions.

          Try Kusuma's dishes and make your food healthy and nutritious. See you soon :)

Chintaku Podi

Today I am coming with our yummy yummy ancient traditional recipe chintaku podi. It is tasty and made easy dish. This is Rayalaseema special. Normally I make podi mixers for the handy purpose. Can use them in emergency also. You can make podis like kothimera podi, pudina podi,Curry leaves podi etc. Most podis are packed with proteins and essential food items.

Generally chintaku is avalable in early spring season. Remove the leaves and clean well. Drain the water and make it dry on the paper. For complete dryness, it will take 3 to 4 days. Store it the air tight tin. Use it whenever you want even during non seasons.

This podi, simple fry and rasam is a very good light dinner for any day. OK let us come to preparation of delicious chinaku podi and learn how to make chintaku podi at home.

Ingredients

• Chintaku                                          3 cups (dry)
• Gound nut seeds(palli)                     1/2 cup
• Sesame                                             1/2 cup
• Dry red chillies                                 8 to 10
• Garlic flakes                                     5
• Salt to taste

How I did it

1. Take pan or wok. Dry roast groundnuts. Once they are cool, remove the skin and keep aside.
2. Roast sesame and dry red chillies and garlic flakes also on low flame.
3. In the same wok add tender tamarind leaves which are dried and fry them til turns crispy.
4. Let them come to room temperature.
5. First grind ground nuts, sesame, dry red chiilies and required salt and make into  fine powder.
6. Next add chintaku podi and garlic and again blind  together to form nice and yummy  powder. 
7. Transfer into a bowl and mix well.
8. See the yummy taste.
9. Store it into a air tight bottle.

Serve this chintaku podi with hot rice with dollop of gingerly oil with a bite of raw onion.

Note: Quantity of chintaku depends upon the tanginess and taste.

Look at the taste and get back with your valuable suggestions and thoughts. Your comments and suggestions add spice to my blog.