Bell-Peppers Rice

This is a very colorful and appealing Rice dish.


2 cups Basmati Rice
3 Capsicums (Bell Peppers: Red, Yellow and Green)
½ cup Peas
2 Onions
4 Green Chilies or 1 Jalapeño
1 tsp Lemon juice
2 tsp grated Coconut
2 tsp Cashew nuts
Coriander


Chop bell peppers length wise, removing seeds.

Cook rice in a rice cooker with 1:2 ratio of water for the basmati rice. Add 1” butter stick while cooking rice. This will make cooked rice fluffy and each grain will not stick to each other. Once cooked, spread rice and let cool.

Take 4 tsp of oil in a skillet add chopped onions, chilies, and bay leaf and once the onions are translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and all the chopped peppers and salt. Don’t overcook, now add peas and coconut and let fry till all the vegetables are nicely roasted.
Now add 2 tsp of garam masala powder. Mix in the rice gently without tampering the shape of the vegetables, salt should be added at this time again for the rice. Add more oil or ghee according to taste. Adjust seasonings at this time.
Fried cashews and coriander can be used for garnishing and add lemon juice before serving.

Raita or Kurma is a good side dish for Peppers Rice.

Alu Gobi Dry Curry

1 Cauliflower - Gobi
2 large Potatoes - Alu
2 Onions
1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
3 Green chilies
1 tsp jeera-dhania powder or garam masala
Coriander

Boil potatoes with salt. Peel and cut into cubes. Cut cauliflower into small flowers. Wash and drain the water.

Take 4 tsp of oil in a skillet and add ½ tsp jeera and ½ tsp mustard seeds. Then add chopped onion, green chilies and fry till the onions are translucent and then add ginger –garlic paste. Now add cauliflower, salt and cook till the cauliflower is nicely done (do not overcook, this will make the cauliflower very soft and it will lose its shape)

Then add potatoes and a tsp of jeera–dhania powder. If that is not available add a tsp of garam masala). Stir gently and garnish with coriander.

This is a dry curry and is a good side dish for rice.

Cucumber Masoordal

This is a quick dal recipe:
1 cup Masoor dal
1 Cucumber
1 Tomato
2 Green Chilies
Coriander
Sambar powder
Tamarind juice

Peel and cut cucumber and chop tomatoes. Wash and drain water for the dal. Add dal, cucumber and tomatoes to a vessel and pressure cook till the dal is nicely done. Remove and keep aside.

Take 2 tsp of oil in a sauce pan and make tadka (poppu) with jeera, mustard seeds, few fenugreek seeds, hing and a red chili. Add chopped green chilies and fry for a few seconds.

Then add cooked dal, salt, turmeric, 1 tsp sambar powder, tamarind juice and coriander. Bring to a boil and remove from flame.

This is a quick to cook dal dish. Chopped garlic and onions can also be used and should be fried in the oil after the tadka.

Serve it with hot rice or chapati.

Tomato Pickle - Tomato Pachadi

2 lbs Tomatoes
5 – 6 Green Chilies: Optional
Few Curry Leaves
Small Lemon sized Tamarind

For Menthi powder:

1 ½ scoop Fenugreek seeds
1 scoop Mustard seeds
Hand full Red Chilies
Hing

Take 2 tsp of oil in a skillet and fry fenugreek seeds till they are nicely roasted then add mustard seeds when they splutter add red chilies and hing. Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste. The mixture emits a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted. Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice mill or blender.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Add hot water to tamarind and let it soak, then extract juice using as little water as possible.

Take 1 scoop (about 6- 7 tsp) in a low bottom skillet (I recommend this because when tomatoes are boiling it splutters oil and tomato juice ) when oil is hot add a tsp of mustard seeds ,slit green chilies, curry leaves and hing.

Then add chopped tomatoes, salt and turmeric. Let cook, first tomatoes let out their natural juice, cook till the juice is evaporated. Then add tamarind juice and let cook. When oil starts to float add 4 – 5 tsp of the previously made menthi powder. Stir well, check for salt and seasonings and add accordingly.
Remove from flame and let cool.

This pickle has a good shelf life, store in an air tight container.

This is one of my favorite pickles, blend of menthi powder, tomatoes and tamarind gives it the extra kick. Serve with hot rice and tsp of oil. It can be used as a side dish for upma, dosa etc.

Coconut Chutney - Kobbari Pachadi

Half a coconut
1 tsp urad dal –minnapappu
1 tsp chenna dal – senagapappu
½ tsp jeera
½ tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of fenugreek seeds
2 -3 Red Chilies
Hing
3 -4 Green chilies
Few Curry Leaves
1 tsp jaggery
Small Lemon sized Tamarind

Cut coconut into small pieces, wash and drain.

Soak tamarind in hot water.

Take 4 tsp of oil in a small skillet and when oil is heated add urad and channa dals. Once the dals are fried add jeera, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, hing, red chilies, and chopped green chilies and curry leaves.
Let cool. Transfer the tadka into a blender jar, leaving oil, a few mustard seeds and curry leaves in the skillet.
Dry grind tadka first. This will make the grinding part easy, after adding coconut and tamarind, the dals will no longer become soft paste. Then add cut coconut pieces, salt, turmeric, jaggery and as little water as possible to grind to a smooth paste. Add water accordingly. Taste for salt and adjust seasonings.

Empty it into the skillet with oil and mix nicely and transfer contents into a serving bowl.

“Kobbaripachadi” is a hard- core Telugu dish. It can be served with hot rice and a tsp of oil or with upma, dosa or any tiffin items.

Kootu Podi

1 cup Coriander seeds- Dhania
½ cup Urad dal- Minnapappu
½ cup Pepper seeds- Miriyallu
Handful Red Chilies
2 tsp Jeera
¼ tsp Hing
Few curry leaves
1 cup grated coconut
2 “ginger

Take 2 tsp oil in a skillet and fry coriander seeds till they are done. Then add pepper and fry for a few minutes. Then add urad dal, jeera, hing, curry leaves, ginger and red chilies.
At the end add grated coconut and fry till it is nicely done.
This order should be followed as coriander seeds take longer time to fry than the other dals. Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste.
It is really important that the mixture is stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the dal is roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening.
The mixture emits a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted.
Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice mill or blender.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Kootu powder is used for making kootu. Kootu is a vegetable and dal preparation. The spices and pepper gives this dish a special kick. All the items in the mixture will have a unique blend and when mixed with vegetable, dal and tamarind juice.

Avakaya - Mango Pickle

1 raw Mango – Hard and very sour
1 ¼ cup Mustard powder – ava pindi
1 cup Red Chili Powder
¾ cup Salt
1½ cup Oil - preferably Sesame\Till oil
2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 cup Garlic pods - Optional

In a skillet fry the fenugreek seeds on low flame till they are nicely roasted. Keep aside.
Mustard powder can be made by dry grinding raw mustard seeds in a mill or a blender to a soft powder. 1cup of mustard make more than a cup of mustard powder so, measure the powder before using.

Wash and dry mango. Cut mango length wise leaving the hard seed shell intact, remove the soft seed. Then cut again to make small cubes of mango. Every time make sure a small part of the shell is with the mango piece. By doing this, the mango pieces in the pickle with stay hard/ crispy. Remove the fine film in the lining of the shell of the mango by scrapping with a knife and clean with a dry paper towel.

Place pieces in a bowl and add ¼ cup of salt and mix thoroughly and let sit for 15 min. By doing this the water in the mango will ooze out and the pickle will last a long time. Empty the pieces into a strainer and squeeze the remaining water between the fingers.

In a glass jar (do not use plastic with pickles) add mustard powder, chili powder, turmeric, salt and fenugreek seeds. Raw garlic pods can be added now and mix all the ingredients together. Then add oil and mix well. Now add the mango pieces and mix thoroughly.

Let sit for an hour, now the pickle will be soft enough to mix well. Salt and Karam will settle in a day.

Mango pickle has a good shelf life. It is good with hot rice and tsp of oil maybe used as a side for curd rice and upma.

Sambar Powder

1 cup Coriander seeds- Dhania

1/2 cup Chenna dal – Senagapappu

3/4 cup Urad dal- Minnapappu

1/2 cup Toor dal - Kandi pappu

Handful Red Chilies

2 tsp Jeera

2 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsp Fenugreek seeds

¼ tsp Hing

6 – 8 Garlic pods (optional)

Few curry leaves

1 cup grated coconut

Take 2 tsp oil in a skillet fry coriander seeds till they are done. Then add channa dal and fry for a few minutes finally add urad dal, fenu greek seeds, jeera, hing, chopped garlic, curry leaves and red chilies. At the end add grated coconut and fry till it is nicely done.

This order should be followed as coriander seeds take longer time to fry than the other dals. Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste. It is really important that the mixture is stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the dal is roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening. The mixture emits a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted. Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice mill or blender.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Sambar powder is used for making sambar and other “pulusulu” – Liquid dishes. All the items in the mixture will have a unique blend and when mixed with tamarind juice and made sambar, it has its flavor in it.

Rasam Powder- Charu Podi

1 cup Coriander seeds- dhania
½ cup Pepper seeds – Miriyallu
¾ cup Toor dal – kandi pappu
¼ cup Chenna dal – Senaga pappu
Handful Red Chilies
2 tsp Jeera
¼ tsp Hing
6 – 8 Garlic pods (optional)
Few curry leaves

In a skillet fry coriander seeds till they are done. Then add toor dal and fry for a few minutes finally add channa dal, jeera, hing, chopped garlic, curry leaves and red chilies.
This order should be followed as coriander seeds take longer time to fry than the other dals. Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste.
It is really important that the mixture is stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the dal is roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening.
The mixture emits a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted.
Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice mill or blender.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Rasam powder is used for making rasam or charu. All the items in the mixture will have a unique blend and when mixed with tamarind juice and made rasam, it has its flavor in it.

Groundnuts Podi

2 cups Ground nuts - without skin
Handful Red Chilies
1 tsp Jeera
¼ tsp Hing
6 -8 Garlic Pods
Few curry leaves

In a skillet fry the ground nuts till they are golden yellow. Remove let cool. Skin of the nuts can be removed by gently rolling the nuts between hands.
It is really important that it is stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the seeds are roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening.
Take 1 tsp of oil in a skillet add jeera, hing, curry leaves, red chilies and chopped garlic. Fry till they are nicely done.
Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste.
Let cool. Grind the red chilies first to a smooth powder in a spice mill or blender; remove from the jar on to a plate. Then add the ground nuts. Ground nuts are very soft and become powder very fast. Briskly turn the blender on/off a couple of times and check for the mixture. Too much grinding will make the nuts soggy by letting out the natural oil in the seeds. Remove on to the plate.
Add salt to the mixture and mix it thoroughly.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Ground nut powder can be eaten with hot rice and a tsp of oil. It can be used as a side dish in idli’s.

Idli Podi

1/2 cup Chenna dal - Senaga pappu
1/2 cup Urad dal - Minnappu
3/4 cup Coriander seeds- Dhania
2 tsp jeera
1/2 cup Grated coconut
1/4 cup white sesame seeds - Till
Hing
Hand full Red Chilies
6 – 8 Garlic pods – Optional


Take 2 tsp of oil in a skillet fry coriander seeds till they are done. Then add chenna dal fry for a few minutes finally add urad dal, jeera, hing, chopped garlic and red chilies. Finally add till and coconut and fry for few more minutes.
This order should be followed as coriander seeds take longer time to fry than the other dals. Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste.
It is really important that the mixture is stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the dal is roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening.
The mixture emits a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted.
Let cool. Grind to a coarse powder in a spice mill or blender salt should be added now.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Idli podi is a side dish for hot idli with a tsp of warm ghee.

Kura Podi - Curry Powder

1 cup Coriander seeds- dhania
½ cup Chenna dal – Senaga pappu
½ cup Urad dal – Minna pappu
Handful Red Chilies
2 tsp Pepper seeds
2 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
¼ tsp Hing
2 “Cinnamon stick
Medium Lemon sized Tamarind
6 – 8 Garlic pods (optional)

Take 2 tsp of oil in a skillet fry coriander seeds till they are done. Then add chenna dal fry for a few minutes finally add urad dal, jeera, mustard seeds, hing, chopped garlic, cinnamon stick and red chilies. At this time, tamarind can be separated into small pieces and added in the skillet, so the heat of the skillet softens it and makes it easier while grinding.
This order should be followed as coriander seeds take longer time to fry than the other dals. Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste.
It is really important that the mixture is stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the dal is roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening.
The mixture emits a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted.

Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice mill or blender salt should be added now.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Curry powder is used in lot of curries as a taste maker.

Nuvvu Podi- Till Powder

2 cups White Sesame Seeds – White Till
Handful Red Chilies
1 tsp Jeera
¼ tsp Hing

In a skillet fry sesame seeds till they are golden yellow. Add hing, jeera and red chilies.
Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste.
It is really important that it is stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the seeds are roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening.
The mixture emits a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted.
Let cool. Grind the red chilies first to a smooth powder in a spice mill or blender; remove from the jar on to a plate. Then add the sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are very soft and become powder very fast. Briskly turn the blender on/off a couple of times and check for the mixture. Too much grinding will make the seeds soggy by letting out the natural oil in the seeds. Remove on to the plate.
Add salt to the mixture and mix it thoroughly.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Nuvvu podi is a favorite telugu item. It can be eaten with hot rice and a tsp of oil. Pachi pulusu or onion pulusu by the side gives it a special taste.

Karam Podi- Karivepakku Podi

2 cups of Curry Leaves
1 cup Coriander seeds- dhania
½ cup Chenna dal – Senaga pappu
½ cup Urad dal – Minna pappu
Handful Red Chilies
2 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Mustard seeds
¼ tsp Hing
Medium Lemon sized Tamarind
6 – 8 Garlic pods (optional)

Remove curry leaves from the stem wash and let air dry or sundry till they are completely dry.
Take 2 tsp of oil in a skillet fry coriander seeds till they are done. Then add chenna dal fry for a few minutes finally add urad dal, jeera, mustard seeds, hing, chopped garlic and red chilies. At this time, tamarind can be separated into small pieces and added in the skillet, so the heat of the skillet softens it and makes it easier while grinding.
This order should be followed as coriander seeds take longer time to fry than the other dals. Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste.
It is really important that the mixture is stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the dal is roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening.
The mixture emit a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted.

Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice mill or blender salt should be added now.
Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Karam podi or Karivepakku podi is a favorite telugu item. It can be eaten with hot rice and a tsp of oil or ghee. Pachi pulusu or onion pulusu by the side gives it a special taste. It can also be used as a side dish for idli’s with some ghee.

This podi helps in good digestion.

Kandi Podi

2 cups Toor dal – Kandipappu
½ cup Chenna dal – Senaga pappu
½ cup Moong dal – Pesara pappu
Handful red chilies
1 tsp jeera
¼ tsp Hing

In a skillet fry toor dal till dal changes its color to golden yellow. Then add chenna dal fry for a few minutes finally add moong dal, jeera and red chilies. This order should be followed as toor dal takes longer time to fry than the other dals. Red chilies can be adjusted according to taste.
It is really important that the dals are stirred frequently and have the flame in low/ medium. This way the dal is roasted completely without just the outer part and prevents from darkening.
Dals emit a toasty aroma when they are nicely roasted.
Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice mill or blender salt, hing should be added now.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.

Kandi podi is a favorite telugu item. It can be eaten with hot rice and a tsp of oil. Pachi pulusu or onion pulusu by the side gives it a special taste.

Jeera Rice

4 cups Basmati Rice
2 tsp jeera
Hing
Few curry leaves
4 - 5 cloves
4 - 5 Elachi
Few Bay Leaves
Small Dalchinchakka


Take 2 tsp of ghee in a skillet add jeera, hing and curry leaves and the masala items and fry till a nice aroma fills the room.
Wash rice and add 1:2 ratio of water to the rice. Mix in the tadka to the rice. Stir well and add salt.

Jeera when cooked with rice gives it own flavor. Raita, kurma or papad goes well with Jeera Rice.

Mango Rice

2 cups rice
4 green chilies
1/2" ginger
Few curry leaves
Cashew nuts or ground nuts
1 raw Mango – (should be sour)

Peel mango and grate it.

Cook in a rice in a rice cooker with 1: 2 ratio rice: water. Add turmeric and 2 tsp of oil to the rice before cooking. Doing this will help spread the color of turmeric evenly and the oil will give a certain fluffiness to the rice. Once rice is done spread on a flat basin and set aside.

In a non stick pan make tadka (poppu) with 2 tsp of oil and fry 1 tsp of cashew nuts or peanuts according to taste, 1 tsp urud dal, 1 tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds, jeera, hing and 2 red chilies. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and grated mango. Fry till mango turns to a golden yellow.

Add 2 tsp of raw oil (without heating) and tadka (poppu) to the spread out rice. Mix all the above thoroughly.

Serve hot with papad or vadiyam.

Curd Rice

2 cups Rice
2 green chilies
1” ginger
Few curry leaves
Coriander
4 cups curd
1 cup grapes, pomegranate seeds -optional
½ carrot - optional

Cook rice in a rice cooker with 1:3 ratio of water. Soft rice is very good.
Take 2 tsp of ghee in a small skillet. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds and let splutter, and then add ½ jeera, ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds, ¼ tsp vammu, hing and 1 red chili. Fry till all items are roasted well and a nice aroma fills the room. Then add chopped chilies, ginger and curry leaves.
In a vessel take curd and beat it nicely without adding water. Add turmeric, salt, chopped coriander and the previously made tadka- poppu. Add cooked rice and mix thoroughly.

Fruit loves can add a cup of cut sweet grapes and/or pomegranate seeds to the rice.

Half a grated carrot can also be added to the tadka and fried gently and added to the rice.

Fried Rice

3 cups Basmati rice
12 -15 spring onions
1 cup carrot
1 cup French / whole beans
1 cup cabbage
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
3 green chilies
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp soya sauce
½ tsp aginamotto – Chinese salt
2 tsp white vinegar
4 bay leaves
1” butter stick

Cook rice in a rice cooker with 1:2 ratio of water for the basmati rice. Add 1” butter stick while cooking rice. This will make cooked rice fluffy and each grain will not stick to each other. Once cooked, spread rice and let cool.
Take 4 tsp of oil in a skillet add chopped spring onions (only the white part, save the greens), chilies, and bay leaf and once the onions are translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and all the vegetables and salt. Shape of the vegetables is important for fried rice: carrots, cabbage – slit straight length wise, cauliflower – cut into small flowerets, beans- length wise. Stir fry the vegetables till they are nicely done. Then add the greens of the spring onions. Don’t overcook.
Now add 2 tsp of garam masala powder, soya sauce, vinegar and aginamotto. Vegetables sizzle when the liquids are added. Mix in the rice gently without tampering the shape of the vegetables, salt should be added at this time again for the rice. Add more oil or ghee according to taste. Adjust seasonings at this time.
Fried cashews and coriander can be used for garnishing.

Raita or kuram is a good compliment for Fried Rice.

Rava Onion Pakodi

4 onions
4 green chilies (optional)
Ginger-garlic paste
2 scoops sooji (Bombay rava)
2 tsp rice flour
2 cups sour curd
Few curry leaves
Hing

Mix curd with sooji, rice flour, chopped chilies, ginger-garlic paste, hing, curry leaves and salt. Set aside for 1 -2 hrs. Mixture should have the consistency of a regular pakodi mixture. (Semi solid) Water can be used accordingly.
Chop onions length wise. Add chopped onions to the previously made mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.
Drop a spoon of hot oil in the mixture; this will make the fried item light. A pinch of cooking or baking soda can also be used.
Pick a hand full of batter in the hand and gently drop in smaller amounts in the oil. Keep turning back and forth so it will not burn.
Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.

Vegetable Pulov

4 cups Basmati rice
2 potatoes
1 carrot
1 cup peas
1 cup French /cut beans
2 onions
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
3 green chilies
4 tsp garam masala (previous blog)
4 bay leaves
1” butter stick

Take 4 tsp of oil in a skillet add chopped onions, chilies, bay leaf and once the onions are translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and all the chopped vegetables. (Any shape and size is fine)
Wash and drain rice. Once the vegetables look like they lost all the water, add rice. Stir well. Now add 4 tsp of garam masala powder and salt. Let cook the base for a few minutes with a lid on.
Transfer from the skillet to a rice cooker and pour 1:2 ratio of water for the rice. Add 1” of butter stick in the vessel and taste for salt.
Fried cashews and coriander can be used for garnishing.

Raita or kuram is a good compliment for Vegetable Pulov.

Mixed Nuts Powder

1 cup --Cashew nuts
1 cup --Almonds with Skin
1.5 cup --Ground nuts
½ cup --Pistachios
Dry roast all dry nuts individually or almonds, ground nuts, cashews and pistachio in that order so that nuts are not over burnt, in a heated skillet over medium heat until the nuts emit a toasty aroma.
Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice mill or blender.
Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in a Ziploc bag to retain its freshness and aroma.
This is my secret ingredient (not a secret anymore!) in kormas, gravy items, rice’s and sometimes sweets. It binds the base together and gives the base a thick, rich and creamy taste. I always make a jar full and save it in an air tight jar for everyday use.

Coconut Rice

2 cups rice
4 green chilies
1/2" ginger
Few curry leaves
Cashew nuts or ground nuts
Half coconut – freshly grated
1 tin coconut milk - optional

Cook rice in a rice cooker with 1: ½ :1 ½ ratio rice: coconut milk : water. Coconut milk is optional. Add turmeric and 2 tsp of oil to the rice before cooking. Doing this will help spread the color of turmeric evenly and the oil will give a certain fluffiness to the rice. Once rice is done spread on a flat basin and set aside.
In a non stick pan make thadaka (poppu) with 2 tsp of oil and fry 1 tsp of cashew nuts or peanuts according to taste, 1 tsp urud dal, 1tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds, jeera and 2 red chilies. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and grated coconut. Fry till coconut turns to a golden yellow.
Add 2 tsp of raw oil (without heating) and tadka (poppu) to the spread out rice. Mix all the above thoroughly.

Lemon Rice

2 cups rice
4 green chilies
1/2" ginger
Few curry leaves
2 Lemons
Cashew nuts or ground nuts
4 tsp sesame seeds

Dry fry 4 tsp of sesame seeds and grind to a powder.
Cook rice in a rice cooker with 1:2 ratio water to rice. Add turmeric and 2 tsp of oil to the rice before cooking. Doing this will help spread the color of turmeric evenly and the oil will give a certain fluffiness to the rice. Once rice is done spread on a flat basin and set aside.
In a non stick pan make tadka (poppu) with 2 tsp of oil and fry 1 tsp of cashew nuts or peanuts according to taste, 1 tsp urud dal, 1tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds, jeera and 2 red chilies. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger and curry leaves.
Squeeze the lemon juice and add a pinch of salt.
Add 2 tsp of raw oil (without heating), tadka (poppu) and 4 tsp of sesame powder and lemon juice to the spread out rice. Mix all the above thoroughly.

Green chili and red chili pieces in lemon rice taste very good. They absorb the sourness of the lemon juice and that gives a special taste to them. Try them.

Pepper Rice

4 cups rice
4 tsp white sesame seeds
2 tsp fresh black pepper
2 red chilies
Few curry leaves
1 tsp jeera
Hing

Cook rice 1:2 ration water and 2 tsp oil in a rice cooker.

Take 1/2 tsp ghee in a small skillet and fry black pepper (not store bought pepper powder) remove inot the mixer jar and then fry jeera, sesame seeds, 2 red chilies and curry leaves. A nice spicy aroma fills the air when they are nicely done. First grind the peppers and then add sesame mix. Dry grind to a coarse powder. This powder has shelf life and can be saved in a Ziploc bag in the freezer to retain its freshness.

In a non stick pan take 2 tsp of ghee and add jeera, hing and curry leaves.

Sprinkle this powder on the cooked rice add salt and mix thoroughly. Add ghee or oil according to taste. Add the Pepper powder according to taste.

This rice is good for digestion. Feel good rice during sore throats and colds.

Pulihara

2 cups rice
4 green chilies
1/2" ginger
Few curry leaves
Lemon size tamarind
Cashew nuts or ground nuts
4 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp jaggery

Dry fry 4 tsp of sesame seeds and grind to a powder.

Cook rice in a rice cooker with 1:2 ratio water to rice. Add turmeric and 2 tsp of oil to the rice before cooking. Doing this will help spread the color of turmeric evenly and the oil will give a certain fluffiness to the rice. Once rice is done spread on a flat basin and set aside.
Make tamarind juice with tamarind. Add water to tamarind and micro-oven it for a minute, let cool and extract juice: adding as less water as possible.
In a non stick pan make tadka (poppu)in 2 tsp of oil, fry 1 tsp of cashew nuts or peanuts according to taste, 1 tsp urud dal, 1tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds, jeera, hing and 2 red chilies. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger and curry leaves.
Once they are all fried the next step can be done in 2 ways depending on the taste. If you like the crunch of the dals, remove the poppu from the pan with a spoon or strainer and can be added to the rice or it can be left there. Add tamarind juice, salt and 1 tsp of jaggery and let boil till the oil separates.
Add 2 tsp of raw oil (without heating),tadka (poppu) and 4 tsp of sesame powder to the spread out rice. Mix all the above thoroughly.

Green chili and red chili pieces in pulihara taste very good. They absorb the sour of the tamarind and that gives a special taste to them. Try them.

Pulagam

2 cups Rice
1 cup Moong dal
1 tsp jeera
2 green chilies
½ “ginger
Few curry leaves.

Mix rice and dal and wash. Take 1: 3 ratio of water for the mixture. Add jeera and turmeric powder. Add chopped chili, ginger and curry leaves. This is optional if you want milder, simpler pulagam. Add 2 tsp of ghee and cook in a pressure cooker.

After it is done, mash it with salt to a smooth consistency.

It tastes good with any chutney or pachi-pulusu.

Uppidimoram - Broken Rice Pulihara

2 cups granular rice flour
2 green chilies
1/2" ginger
Few curry leaves
Lemon juice
Cashew nuts or ground nuts

Dry grind rice into a granular texture. It can be sieved so the rice flour separates from it.
Take 1: 2.5 water for the granular rice. Bring to boil in a vessel with salt and turmeric. Then add the rava slowly mixing properly. Add 2 tsp of oil and cook on low flame till the rice rava gives out bubbles. It needs to be mixed frequently so that the bottom part of the rice rava is not burnt. Set aside and let cool.
In a non stick pan take 2 tsp of oil and fry 1 tsp of cashew nuts or peanuts according to taste, 1 tsp urud dal, 1tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds, jeera and 1 red chili. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger and curry leaves.
Spread the cooked rice rava in a flat basin, add 2 tsp of raw oil (without heating) and the thadaka (poppu). Mix all the above thoroughly with lemon juice. (Enough to make the rice rava a bit tangy)

This takes a bit more effort than the regular pulihara, but trust me, its worth it!
My Grandmother used to make this for us!

Teepi Garelu

2 cups urad dal
Chili-ginger paste -optional
Oil to fry
1.5 cups sugar
1 tsp elachi powder

Soak urad dal in water for 2 – 3 hours. Drain water and grind to a smooth batter. Add salt to the dal while grinding by adding it later the dough will become soggy and watery. Add as less water as possible while grinding. Solid dough gives a good shape to the garelu.

Make the syrup base before frying the garelu.

Syrup base:

Take 1.5 cups of water and bring to boil in a vessel. Add elachi powder and 1.5 cups of sugar. Bring to boil. Boil in high flame for 5 minutes. Pour the Liquid in a flat bottom dish. This will help all the garillu to absorb the sugar syrup.

For garelu:

Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.
Wet hands and take small lemon size dough and place it on a wax paper or Aluminum foil (it can be done in the palm of a wet hand also), flatten it into a nice circle and then make a small hole with a finger in the middle. Gently slide this into oil without disturbing its shape. Let fry for a few seconds and then keep turning back and forth so it will not burn.
Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place a bowl of water and drop the fried garillu in the water. Let the water soak them and by doing this the excess oil is also removed. Let them stand in water for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove gently and place them in the sugar syrup already prepared. Let the syrup soak them for 2 – 3 hours. They will nicely bloat by absorbing the syrup.

Perugu Garelu - Dahi Vada

2 cups urad dal
Chili-ginger paste -optional
Oil to fry
3 cups curd
2 green chilies
Curry leaves
Coriander

Soak urad dal in water for 2 – 3 hours. Drain water and grind to a smooth batter. Add salt to the dal while grinding by adding it later the dough will become soggy and watery. Add as less water as possible while grinding. Solid dough gives a good shape to the garillu.

Make the curd base before frying the garelu.

Curd base:

Take 2 tsp of ghee and make thadaka (poppu) with ¼ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, ¼ tsp vammu , few fenugreek seeds and hing, 1 red chili, chopped green chili, ginger and curry leaves in a small pan.
Add this thadaka to the beaten curd. Also add turmeric, salt and chopped coriander.

For garelu:

Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.
Wet hands and take small lemon size dough and place it on a wax paper or Aluminum foil (it can be done in the palm of a wet hand also), flatten it into a nice circle and then make a small hole with a finger in the middle. Gently slide this into oil without disturbing its shape. Let fry for a few seconds and then keep turning back and forth so it will not burn.
Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place a bowl of water and drop the fried garillu in the water. Let the water soak them and by doing this the excess oil is also removed. Let them stand in water for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove gently and place them in the curd base already prepared. Let the curd soak them for 2 – 3 hours. They will nicely bloat by absorbing the curd.

Bread Bajji

5 – 6 slices of bread
2 scoops besan (senaga pindi)
1/4 scoop rice flour
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp vammu

Cut the edges of bread and cut into 4 pieces.
Mix besan, rice flour and ½ tsp red chili powder and vammu along with salt with water. Batter should have semi solid consistency.
Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.
Drop a spoon of hot oil in the mixture; this will make the fried item light. A pinch of cooking or baking soda can also be used.
Pick each slice of bread, dip in the dough and gently drop in oil. Keep turning back and forth so it will not burn. Bread bajji will fry very fast.
Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.
Ketchup can be used as a side dish for bread bajji.

Mirchi Bajji - Chili Bajji

8 – 10 Green Chilies – Hungarian peppers
2 scoops Besan (Senagapindi)
1/4 scoop Rice flour
1/4 tsp Red Chili powder
1/2 tsp Vammu
Tamarind juice - optional

Slit the chilies just in the middle and remove the seeds from inside leaving the stem intact.

If you do not want the bajji too hot(karam), chilies can be soaked in tamarind juice for 1- 2 hrs before frying. This will make the chili milder, tart of tamarind will compensate for the hot of the chili. Drain the tamarind juice in a strainer and set aside 5 minutes prior to using them.

Mix besan, rice flour and ½ tsp red chili powder and vammu along with salt with water. Batter should have semi solid consistency.

Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.

Drop a spoon of hot oil in the mixture; this will make the fried item light. A pinch of cooking or baking soda can also be used.

Pick each chili with the stem, dip thoroughly in the dough, make sure all sides are evenly covered and gently drop in oil. Wait for a few seconds to fry and then keep turning back and forth so it will not burn.

Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.

Alu Bonda - Batata Vada

4 potatoes – boiled and peeled
2 onions
3 Chilies
1” ginger
Few curry leaves
2 scoops besan (senaga pindi)
1/4 scoop rice flour
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp vammu

This is a 2 step procedure. First make the potato stuffing and let cool. Then mix the outer layer for the bonda and fry.
Potato stuffing:
Take 2 tsp of oil in a non stick pan and make thadaka- poppu with ½ tsp urud dal, ½ tsp channa dal, few mustard seeds, jeera and hing. Then add chopped onion, chili, ginger, curry leaves and salt. After the onion turns light brown – transparent add peeled and mashed potatoes, turmeric and 2 tsp of lemon juice. Let cool and then make small round balls and keep ready.
For the covering:
Mix besan, rice flour and ½ tsp red chili powder and vammu along with salt with water. Batter should have semi solid consistency.
Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.
Drop a spoon of hot oil in the mixture; this will make the fried item light. A pinch of cooking or baking soda can also be used.
Pick each ball of potato, dip in the dough and gently drop in oil. Keep turning back and forth so it will not burn.
Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.

Mysore Bonda

2 cups maida – all purpose flour
2 cups sour curd
Chili-ginger paste
½ tsp red chili powder
1 tsp jeera
Hing

Mix all the above with salt and water as required. The dough should be like chapati dough, soft enough without excess water. Maida will cause the dough to be soggy. Let it ferment for 5 – 6 hours. Spicy lovers can add chopped chilies also.
Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.
Drop a spoon of hot oil in the mixture; this will make the fried item light. A pinch of cooking or baking soda can also be used.
Wet hand thoroughly before picking up a hand full of batter in the hand and gently drop in smaller amounts in the oil. This will not let maida stick to the hand. Keep turning back and forth so it will not burn.
Once they all turn golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.