Boondi Paakam/Karakajjam (crispy sweet nuggets)

Boondi paakam is a delicious evening time snack-dessert usually made on special occasions like religious ceremonies and festivals in Andhra Pradesh. This is one of the desserts I would die for! It takes about 30 minutes to prepare. These crispy sweet nuggets are made with Besan (chickpea flour), rice flour and jaggery. Jaggery is a type of brown sugar popular in India. My mom always preferred jaggery to sugar because it is unrefined sugar (molasses are not separated) that is high in simple carbohydrates. Jaggery is made by boiling sugar cane and palm sap. In taste, it can be compared to brown/raw sugar. Jaggery brings a distinct flavor and taste to the food. 

Ingredients:

Besan  (chickpea flour)                       1 cup

Rice flour                                            ¼  cup

Jaggery (grated)                                  1 ½ cups

Water                                                 2 cups

Cardamom powder (optional)             1 tsp

Oil (for deep fry)                                4 cups

Ghee (clarified butter) / Butter            1 tsp

Method:

1 In a bowl, mix besan, rice flour with water. The batter should be of dosa or sauce-like consistency.

2. Heat oil in a wide bottomed vessel on medium flame. Take a stainless steel skimmer (perforated) and place it above the oil vessel.  Using a spoon, pour the batter onto the skimmer. The batter should fall into the oil as tiny droplets. Continuously stir spoon and the skimmer so that batter droplets spread evenly. Fry droplets (Boondi) until golden color.

3 Place a kitchen paper towel on a plate and pour Boondi into it so that paper can soak excess oil. 

4 Boil grated jaggery with water until the liquid thickens. To check if the syrup is ready, drop a drop of syrup into a cup of water. If the syrup turns into soft ball in the water, syrup is ready.

5 Add syrup to the Boondi and mix well. Pour Boondi on a butter/ghee-greased plate and leave it aside for at least half an hour.

6 Break the crispy nuggets into pieces and serve with tea.

Nippatlu/Pappu chekkalu (Rice crackers)

One more recipe from my namesake! Nippatlu gets me very nostalgic.. My aunt in India used to have a small business of all types of rice crackers. Every time we visit her place, we were asked to help her in making these nippatlu. Traditionally, we use banana leaves for making patties. My aunt had a small garden with all kinds of herbs and plants including banana. We enjoyed running into the garden, choosing our banana plant, tearing its leaves, cutting them into halves and helping her in the making for we used to get as many nippatlu as we want after the help ;-) I and my namesake made these yummy nippatlu yesterday and believe me, making nippatlu is not a big deal even for the newbies. Nippatlu can stay good for at least a week (although I doubt if there would be any left for such long time. One just cannot help munching them all day!). They are great tea-time snacks.   

Ingredients:

Rice flour                                      1 cup
Water                                             1 cup                    
Red chilli powder                          1 tsp

Coriander seeds (dhaniya)             1 tsp

Cumin seeds (jeera)                        1 tsp

Yellow split peas (chana dal)         ½ cup

Curry leaves                                   1 sprig                         

Oil (any)                                         3 cups (for deep-fry)

Salt to taste

Method:

1.      Soak chana dal for at least 1 hour before cooking. Roughly tear curry leaves. Crush coriander seeds and cumin seeds into rough powder using mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestel, blend them using blender.  

2.      Mix all the ingredients (except oil) in a bowl.

3.      Heat oil in a wide bottomed vessel on a medium-high flame. Make lemon size balls of the dough.  

4.      Take a plastic sheet and apply oil to it. (traditionally we use banana leaf) Using your fingers shape the mixture into 3-4 inch dia round patties with less than ¼ inch thickness. 

5.      Gently add the patties into hot oil and deep fry until golden color.

6.      Serve with tea.

*Serves 2 people

 P.S.  Store nippatlu in an air tight lid. No need to refrigerate.

Dum Aloo (Spicy baby potato curry)

My friend and my namesake shared her yummy Dum Aloo recipe with me. Generally, yogurt is an important ingredient for Dum Aloo. This recipe is without yogurt and its delicious in its own special way. She cooked it this weekend showing me the method step by step. We had a sumptuous lunch! : ) Dum Aloo is great with rotis/pulkas/chapathis.

 Ingredients:

Medium sized onions             2
Whole cashew nuts               12
Tomato (big)                         1
Red chilli powder                  2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste                 ½ tsp
Cumin powder  (jeera)          1 tsp
Coriander powder (dhaniya)  1 tsp
Cloves                                   2
Oil (any)                                 6 tsp
Baby potatoes                        8
Cumin seeds (jeera)               ½ tsp
Mustard seeds (aavaalu)         ½ tsp
Coriander leaves/cilantro         few   
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Peel and parboil (whole) baby potatoes in microwave. (5 to 8 minutes)
2. Prick tomato and place it in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Blend it in mixer to make puree.
3. Chop onions into long pieces and fry till golden color in 4 tsp of oil.

4. Remove onions and fry cashew nuts in the same oil till golden color and blend both onion and cashew nuts into paste.

5. Heat oil in a cooking pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add cloves and ginger garlic paste.
6. Prick potatoes, add them to pan and fry till golden brown.(add salt too). Add coriander and cumin powder.
(If you don't have cumin and coriander powder, roast cumin and coriander seeds (1 tsp each) and blend them into powder.)
7. Add onion-cashew paste, tomato puree and red chilli powder to the potatoes with 1/2 cup of water and close the lid. Cook until potatoes are completely cooked (Stir ocassionally. It takes about 8-10 minutes).
8. Turn off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with roti/pulkas/chapathis or pulao.

*Serves 2 people

             

Chocolate-cherry-pecan cake (egg-less)

My friend, Sailu shared her egg-less chocolate cake recipe with me. I added cherries and pecans to the recipe and it just turned out yummy! I also added a spoonful of instant coffee powder to the ingredients. If you are coffee lover, you will love that addition.

Ingredients:

Heavy whipping cream                                        1 cup
Sugar                                                                  1 cup
All-purpose flour                                                  1 ½  cups
Baking powder                                                    1 tsp
Baking soda                                                         1 pinch
Vanilla extract                                                      3 drops
Instant coffee powder (optional)                           1 tsp
Hershey's cocoa powder (unsweetened)              3 tsp
cherries (canned/pie filling)                                   1 can
Pecan halves                                                        4 oz

 Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix all the ingredients (except pecans and cherries) in a bowl using electric mixer or beat well with hands. (I prefer mixing with hands)
3. Add Pecans and cherries to the batter.
4. Pour the batter onto the baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Poke knife into the cake and if it comes out clean, cake is ready.
5. Serve cool.

Carrot-lima beans-coconut curry

I love this curry with rotis/pulkas/chapathis (Indian bread). This also goes well with rice. Carrot and coconut has a naturally sweet taste. They go well with lima beans that have a buttery taste. (they are also called butter beans). I like to add some kind of beans in my diet for they are usually rich in iron. Both fresh and frozen beans are great for this curry. Fresh grated coconut is recommended but if you find grating coconut a tedious job, you can also use frozen grated coconut (can be found in any asian/indian store) which is equally tasty.

Ingredients:

Carrots (grated)                             2

Or

Match stick carrots                       6 oz

I usually use match stick carrots (grated) that are available in stores for they are great for easy cooking.

Lima beans                                    ¾  cup

Grated coconut                              ¼   cup
Thai chillis (cut)                              1-2 (depending on you taste)
Oil (any)                                        1 tsp

Salt to taste

Spices (for seasoning/popu):

Mustard seeds (aavaalu)                                                            ½ tsp
White lentils (look for the name urad dal in asian spice stores)     ½ tsp

Yellow split peas (look for the name channa dal/split gram dal in asian spice stores)   ½ tsp

Curry leaves                                   5-6 leaves
Coriander leaves (cilantro)              few

Dry red chillis                                 2 (tear into 2 pieces)

Pinch of hing/asafetida and turmeric powder

Pinch of turneric

Method:

1.      Boil carrots and lima beans in steamer/pressure cooker.

2.     Cut thai chillis into small, round pieces. Heat oil (In medium-high heat) in a cooking pan and add mustard seeds followed by the white lentils and yellow split peas. Let mustard seeds splutter and lentils and peas change color. Add turmeric, hing, curry leaves, thai chillis and dry red chillis and stir fry for a few seconds.

3. Immediately add lima beans and grated carrot. (seasoning/popu should not change color to darkbrown/black- it gives burnt flavor). Add salt, grated coconut and mix well. Stir for 4-5 minutes and switch off flame.

4. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with roti. It also goes well with rice.

*Serves 2 people

Masala vadalu/garelu (yellow split pea fritters)

Masala gare is one of the popular snacks in South India and is especially loved in monsoon evenings. These mouth-watering crispy fritters are made with chana dal (yellow split peas). Chana dal is closely related to garbanzo beans. It is rich in protein, iron and calcium. You can find chana dal in any indian store/asian store.

Ingredients:

Chana dal (yellow chickpea)          1 ½  cups
3 thai chillis                  
1 onion

Coriander leaves (cilantro)             1 bunch

Mint leaves                                    1 bunch

Curry leaves                                  1 sprig                         

Oil (any)                                        3 cups (for deep-fry)

Salt to taste

Method:

1.      Soak chana dal for at least 1 hour before cooking. Chop coriander and mint leaves. Chop onions into small square pieces.

2.      Take fistful of dal and keep it aside. Strain the water and blend remaining dal, chillis, curry leaves and salt in a blender or food processor. During the process, add only the amount of water that is required for the blades to run. The mixture should not be smooth. Blend until you get a coarse mixture.

3.      Take the mixture in a bowl. Add chopped onions, coriander and the dal kept aside and mix well. The whole chana dal gives a nice crispy texture and adds a great taste.

4.      Heat oil in medium-high flame. Take small amount of the mixture on your palm and shape the mixture into 2-3 inch round patties. Gently add patties into hot oil and deep fry until golden color.

5.      Serve vadas with ketchup.

*Serves 2 people

Majjiga pulusu (Spicy yogurt stew)

There are lots of ways to prepare majjiga pulusu. My mom’s version is cooked with (dhaniya)coriander seed-chilli paste. It is best prepared by leaving yogurt out for at least 5-6 hours so that yogurt tastes a bit sour.

Any Andhra dish is usually based on three flavors- sour, salt and hot. (sometimes also sweet)

For majjiga pulusu, yogurt gives the sour taste & coriander-chilli paste adds the hot flavor.

Ingredients:

Yogurt                                           1 cup
Besan (Chickpea flour)                 ½  cup
2 Tomatoes (cut)                           1 cup
Drumsticks (cut)                           1 cup

Bottle guard (cut)                          ½ cup

Oil (any)                                        1 tsp
Salt to taste

For Paste:

4 tbsps coriander seeds (dhaniya)

3 green chillis

1 pinch salt

3 tbsps fresh grated coconut

Spices (for seasoning/popu):

Mustard seeds (aavaalu)                 ½ tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera)                        ½ tsp
Curry leaves                                   5-6 leaves
Coriander leaves (cilantro)             few

Dry red chillis                                 2 (tear into 2 pieces)

Pinch of hing/asafetida and turmeric powder

Method:

1.       Dry roast coriander seeds in a low-medium flame for 1-2 minutes till you can smell the aroma of seeds.  Make a paste of coriander seeds, green chillis and grated coconut with salt and little water (4 tsps)

2.      Heat oil (in medium-high heat) in a cooking pot. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add dry red chillis, curry leaves, hing and turmeric powder and stir fry for a few seconds. Add cut vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add  4 cups of water and let them boil. While veggies are being boiled, take besan (chick pea flour) in a cup and add ¼ cup of water. Make it in to a smooth paste with sauce-like consistency (avoid lumps). Once veggies are near-boiled, add coriander-chilli paste and besan paste and stir continuously to avoid lumps. Add salt to taste. After vegetables have absorbed the flavor, gravy thickened and cooked, turn off the flame.

3. Beat yogurt and add it to the vegetables. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.

*Serves 4 people

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

Rice (Basmati)                               1 cup

Grated fresh coconut                     1 cup

Garbanzo beans                             ½  tin

Chick peas (optional)                     ½ cup

Oil (any)                                        2 tsps

Spices (for seasoning):

Mustard seeds (aavaalu)                 ½ tsp

Cumin seeds (jeera)                        ½ tsp

Curry leaves                                   5-6 leaves

Coriander leaves (cilantro)              few

Jalapeño                                         2 (cut into small, round pieces)

Dry red chillis                                 2 (tear and de-seed)

White lentils (you can look for the name urad dal in asian spice stores)     ½ tsp

Yellow split peas (you can look for the name channa dal/split gram dal in asian spice stores)     ½ tsp

Method:

1.       Cook rice in rice cooker (by adding water in 1:2 ratio i.e., 2 cups of water for 1 cup rice)

2.       Chick peas: (We usually get dried chick peas so I soak them in water overnight) boil chick peas in microwave for about 8-10 minutes ( you can add little salt)

3.       Coconut: I like to use fresh grated coconut.  Grate coconut just before adding it to rice. You can also use frozen grated coconut available in stores.

Once rice, chickpeas and coconut are ready, heat oil (In medium-high heat) in a cooking pan and add mustard seeds and let them splutter, followed by the white lentils, yellow split peas, and cumin seeds. Let the lentils, peas, and cumin change color. Add curry leaves, jalapenos and dry red chillis and stir fry for a few seconds.

(Change heat to low) Immediately add split chickpeas and garbanzo beans and add rice. (in the same order) Mix them all well and add coconut in the end and stir for few seconds and add salt to taste.

Garnish it with coriander leaves and close the lid until served so that the aroma of spices won’t escape.