Avakaye Photo Tutorial

For any of you who would like to buy pickle mangoes from a farm in Florida, here are some details. My Aunt got them from there and she is very happy with the quality of mangoes. (size, sourness and fiber content)Can specify single tree mangoes or assorted variety.
Number is 561-924-7714 and should ask for Soft Seed Pickle Mangoes.
8lbs - $25 (about 6- 7 medium mangoes)
11lbs - $35 9about 10- 11 medium mangoes)
They will pack and ship next day, any where in USA.

Mustard powder(Ava):Red Chili Powder: Salt: Oil = 1.4:1:.75:1.5, few fried fenugreek seeds and turmeric


Cut mangoes with the shell intact.


Add Oil to the Spice mix.


Mix them all nicely.


Add mango pieces and mix.


Avakaye is ready.

Please check Avakaye recipe in Pickles.

Dal Makhani

2 cups Massor dal
2 Onions
1 Ridge gourd
3 Green Chilies
2 tsp Tomato puree/paste
1 tsp Ginger –Garlic paste
1 ½ tsp Cumin-coriander powder
½ tsp Red Chili Powder
Coriander
2” Butter stick

Soak masoor dal over night, drain and tie the dal in a muslin cloth and leave alone for 2- 3 days. It will sprout nicely. Sprouts are healthier than regular dals.

Peel and cut ridge gourd. Chop onions very finely. Addition of a vegetable in this dal is a personal choice. Gourds with water content, like ridge gourd, snake gourd or bottle gourd can also be used.

Take 4 tsp of oil in a sauce pan and add jeera and chopped onions. When onions turns translucent, add green chilies, chopped ridge gourd and sprouted dal and cook for a few minutes.

Sprouted dal cooks very easily outside, so, do not cook in a pressure cooker or it will become all mashed up.

Then add salt, turmeric, cumin-coriander powder, red chili powder and cook in medium flame for 8 – 10 minutes till they all become soft. Do not overcook.

Now add tomato paste and add enough water and bring to boil. Then, add butter stick and cook till the gravy thickens. Remove from flame and garnish with chopped coriander. Butter can be added according to personal choice.

Serve it with pulka or chapatti.

Dal makhani with pulka.

Kandi Pachadi - Toor dal Pachadi

Kandi pachadi is an age old pachadi that has been coming down from generations. My grand mother and aunts used to tell that they used to use a hand stone mortar (rubbu rollu) to make this pachadi in those days before Sumeet. I wonder how they did it, but bet was all worth it! My persoanl likinh was for yet another dal pachadi, this one with moong dal (pesarapappu. It can be converted into a spicy chakki - a crispy flattened attu with the remaining after serving once for a meal, cause pesarapappu with get spoilt quickly. I will save the rest for my pesara papchadi blog, for now, it is kandi pachadi. No big base work, just grinding and can use enough water, perfect job for Sumeet.

1 cup Toor dal – Kandi pappu
Few Garlic pods
Small lemon sized Tamarind
Red Chilies

Dry fry toor dal in a skillet till nicely roasted. Remove let cool.

Take 4 tsp of oil in a skillet and when oil is hot, add hing and few curry leaves. Then add whole or chopped garlic pods and fry till they are nicely roasted. Remove from flame and keep aside.

In a mixer jar add ½ tsp raw jeera, raw red chilies (about 10 – 12) and dry grind them first. Then add the toor dal and dry grind to a smooth powder. Then add salt and water and grind to a smooth paste.

Roasted garlic can be added in the mixer and ground or mixed as fried pieces or 50-50. Empty the ground paste into the skillet with oil and mix well. Taste for salt and seasonings and suit you taste.

This is a rescue item, for those days when we run out of vegetables in the fridge. Sliced onions with lemon juice and salt and hot tomato charu/rasam by the side, is, all it requires. Serve with hot rice and ghee/oil.

Idle chutney/ White Chutney2

My dad used to say 1 plate idli, 3 plates chutney concept!, when we kept sending the poor waiter for more chutney when we ate out (of course the chutney used to get thin and watery in the later reserves). But, this is a 1 : 10 combination chutney leaving you craving you for more chutney than what it is served with (at least in my house). This is the chutney served in those small eatery joints where taste is Excellent.

There are 2 variations to same combination of items, one with green chilies and 2nd with red chilies. Both are very good in their own way. This chutney is not suitable to be a side dish with rice in spite of having coconut, because it has gulla senaga pappu in it.

½ Coconut
½ cup Gulla Senaga pappu: Putnala pappu
½ cup Peanuts
Handful Red Chilies
1 tsp Tamarind paste
Few Curry leaves

Take 2 tsp of oil in a skillet and make tadka with ½ tsp jeera, 1 tsp mustard seeds, hing, red chilies (suite your personal taste, about 7 – 8 ) and few curry leaves . Keep aside.
Fry peanuts and gulla senaga pappu separately till nicely roasted. Each has a different frying time. Chop coconut into small pieces.
In a mixer jar, add gulla senaga pappu, peanuts and red chilies and dry grind to a powder. Then add coconut pieces, tamarind paste or whole, turmeric and salt and grind again. Add water as required while grinding.

This pachadi can have a good semi flowing consistency. Taste for seasonings and salt and suit your taste. Add more water as required.

Empty the pachadi into the tadka skillet, mix well and transfer into a serving jar.

This is a good side dish with idli, dosa, upma, uttapam, pesarattu etc.