Vankaya tomato giddipappu kura/Eggplant Tomato Cashew Curry🍛

This curry goes very well with chapathi, roti or pulao.

🍆  vankaya/Egg plant- 750 grams
🧅 Onion- 1 large/ 175 grams
🍅 Tomato  - 150 grams / 1 large (i am using cherry tomatoes from my garden)
🌶 Red chili powder - 1 tbsp or to taste
🌶 Green chilies - 2
 • Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp
 •  Cashews - 1/4 cup (soak for 1 hr)
 •  Oil - 3 tbsp
🧂 Salt to taste

For Masala
1. Coriander seeds / dhaniya - 1 tbsp
2. Khus- khus / Gasagasalu - 1 tbsp
3. Dry coconut - 1/4 cup
4. Clove / Lavangalu - 2
5. Cardamon/ Elachi -2
6. Cinnamon/ chekka - 1 inch piece

Preparing

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and dry roast all the ingredients under masala. First roast dhaniya, clove, cinnamon, cardamon and then add gasagasalu and coconut and roast till they turn light golden .
2. Grind them into paste by adding little water 💧 and keep aside.
3. Heat remaining oil in the pan and fry onion 🧅 until it turn golden brown.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until there is no raw smell and add tomato 🍅, rec chili powder and cashews and fry until oil oozed out.
5. Add eggplant 🍆 and fry until they are half done.
6. Add masala paste, salt and 1/2 cup water and cook till oil oozes out.
7. Serve with chapathi, roti or pulao.

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Thotakura Fry/ Amaranath leaves stir fry - Garden to Plate

Saanvisfood.blogspot.com

We can make thotakura fry in two ways. I already posted my first version in which we add thotakura to tempering and stir fry. In this version, we cook thotakura in water and then stir fry it. This version is for people those who may not like the smell from thotakura.

Thotakura is from my garden. If anyone want to know how to grow them organically read tips under this post.

 Ingredients 

Thotakura/ Amaranth leaves - 250 grams
Salt to taste
Water to boil leaves - 3 cups approximate

For Tempering

• Oil - 1 tbsp.          
• Mustard seeds / Avalu - 1/2 tsp                      
• Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Chana dal / senagapappu - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 2 tsp.            
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.  
• Dry red chili - 1 or 2
• Green chili - 4 or to taste
• Garlic - 8 or to your taste

Let’s start preparing

• Clean thotakura leaves and chop them.
• Boil water and add chopped thotakura leaves and cook for 5 minutes.
• Drain water and keep the leaves aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds
• When they start dancing, add chana dal,urad dal and red chili.
• When dals turn red, add green chili and garlic.
• When garlic turn golden brown, add thotakura leaves.(squeeze excess water)
• Stir fry for 10 to 12 minutes and serve with rice.

Tips for growing Thotakura:

1.Thotakura is prone to pest. To make organic spray at home, take  2 bulbs of garlic and make into paste by adding 1cup of water. Let it sit for 24 hours. Strain the water and add to 1 portion of garlic water and 10 portion of water and spray.
2. We can also use neem oil or neem powder.
3. Do patch test before using the above sprays on some leaves. If you see any spots on leaves, dilute the liquids with more water.
4. Spray under the leaves too.

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Spicy Braised Tofu

Spicy braised tofu is an Korean side dish which goes well with rice. If you love spice, its a must try dish. The original recipe is from Maangachi, who is an korean food blogger and youtuber. It's goes well with rice and fried rice. I personally love this with Quinoa-rice fried rice. Comes together in 15 minutes. Want to see original recipe click on Maangachi. Happy cooking😊.

Adjust everything to your taste. I am using jaggery instead of sugar. If you feel tofu is sticking to pan add more oil.

Ingredients 

tofu - 1 pack (453 grams)

cooking oil - 2  tbsp

sesame seeds for garnishing

garlic -1, minced

Chopped onion - 4 tbsp

green onions -1, chopped

For the sauce:

soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Water - 1/2 cup

salt  to taste

sugar or Jaggery - 1 tbsp or to taste

Spicy pepper flakes or spicy red chili powder - 1 tbsp 

Method

1. For sauce, mix everything in a bowl.

2. Place weight on tofu to remove water and become firm or dry it out by paper towel or kitchen towel. 

3. Cut tofu into half and make 10 square pieces.

4. Heat pan, add 1 tbsp oil and fry tofu pieces both sides until golden color.

5. Remove tofu into another bowl and add oil to the same pan.

6. When oil is hot enough, add minced garlic, chopped onion and green onion and saute until garlic and onion turn golden brown.

7. Add sauce and mix well.

8. When sauce started boiling, add tofu piece and cook till tofu absorb all the sauce.
9. Cook 1 more minute. Don’t switch off the stove until you see everything come together and thick.

9. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with rice.

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Water melon rind chutney / roti pachadi

Water melon rind - 1 cup
Small Tomato - 1
Sesame seeds/ Nuvvulu - 1 tbsp
Chana dal / senagapappu - 1 tbsp
Urad dal / menapappu - 1 tbsp
Jaggery / bellam - 1 tsp
Tamarind - gooseberry size pr to taste
Green chili - 2 or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

For tempering

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds / avvalu - 1/4 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Red dry chilies - 2
Hing- pinch or to taste
Curry leaves - 1 spring

Method

1. Remove green part from water melon rind(use white part)
2. Dry roast sesame seeds and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and roast chana dal, urad dal  and keep aside.
4. To the same pan, add water melon rind, green chili  and cook until they turn soft with a lid on. Stir in between.
5. Add tomato, tamarind and turmeric and cook until tomato turn soft.
6. Grind sesame seeds and roasted sesame seeds and dals along with salt and jaggery using a mixer or motor and pestle. Now add cooked watermelon and tomato and grind.
7. Heat oil in a pan and add all the ingredients under tempering. Once mustard seeds splutter, add to the chutney and serve with rice.
8. Adjust salt and spices to your taste.

Tip: If your chilies are not up to your spice level and want to add more spice to the chutney add red chili powder to the tempering. After switching off the flame, add red chili powder to the tempering and add to chutney. Don’t add while the flame is on.

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Palakura Tomato Nuvvula Roti Pachadi // Spinach Tomato Sesame Seeds Chutney

I saw spinach chutney in a cookery show long back. I completely forgot about it and years passed. I have a box full of spinach in by refrigerator and suddenly this recipe flashed into my mind. I googled and read many spinach chutney recipes, but finally decided to do as I make ridge gourd sesame seed chutney.

I always enjoy making roti pachadi that to in stone mortar and pestle. Happily made this chutney and served to my hubby with hot rice. He tried to guess, with what the chutney made out of and failed. He didn't believe that the chutney is prepared with spinach. Try this recipe, I bet you gonna love this roti pachadi, which is iron rich and calcium rich.

Ingredients

• Palakura/Spinach - 4 cups, chopped
• Tomato - 1, cut into pieces
• Nuvvulu /Sesame seeds - 3 Tbsp
• Green Chilies - 6 no
• Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Minapappu / Urad dal - 2 Tbsp
• Senagapappu / Chana dal - 1 Tbsp
• Oil - 1 Tbsp 
• Juice from half Lime 
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning / Poppu

• Oil - 3 Tbsp
• Avvalu / Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Onion - 1/4 cup
• Garlic - 5 no, Peeled

Preparation

• Dry roast sesame seeds till golden brown and keep aside.
• Heat oil in the same pan, add cumin, chana dal, urad dal and fry till they turn golden brown. Remove them to a bowl.
• To the same pan, add green chilies and chopped spinach and fry spinach till there no water and spinach is dry. (there should not be any water).
• Add chopped tomato and cook till tender. Switch off the stove and let them cool.
• We can use use mortar and pestle or mixer to make chutney.
• Add roasted sesame seeds, cumin, dals to mixer or mortor & pestle and make them into powder.
• Add cooked spinach mixture, salt and make into coarse paste.
• Add lime juice and mix.

For Seasoning

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add garlic and fry till golden.
• Add onion and suite for a minute (don't brown them).
• Add spinach chutney and mix.
• Serve with hot rice and ghee.

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Beera Pottu Fry / Ridge gourd peel fry

Sun rays emerging through the clouds during sunrise and sunset. I always want to catch them. What a beautiful sight. The perfect painting drawn by the nature. 

Sun always plays an important roll in our life and even in preserving food. Now a days, almost all the vegetables and fruits are available all over the year. But in olden days, it's not the case. So, people used to preserve food by drying them in sun and use them the rest of the year. Even now in many cultures, people will sun dry vegetables, fish, meat and use them in there cooking and making pickles.

Today's recipe, as the title mentioned, ridge gourd peel fry. I dried ridge gourd peel in sun and prepared the fry. We can also prepare the recipe without sun drying the peel. I am posting both methods.

When we make Ridge gourd curry or fry, we will peel the skin and throw it in the trash. Why to waste it when we can prepare tasty chutney and fry with it. It is rich in dietary fiber. My Mom used to make this fry. It's my favorite. It's taste good and smells good.

 

Ingredients

• Beerakaya peel/Ridge gourd peel - 1.5 cups

For Seasoning / Poppu

• Avvalu/Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Mennapappu/Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Senagapappu/Chana dal - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic - 2
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp or to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation ahead

• Take salt water in a bowl and let ridge gourd peel sit in it for 10 minutes, so that dirt and chemicals will be removed.
• Clean the peel with water and squeeze water from the peel.
• Grind the peel coarsely in a mixer.

Method 1

• Dry the peel in sun until crisp.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• When they splutter, add garlic, urad dal, chana dal and fry.
• When they turn golden brown, add peel, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and fry for 2 minutes.
• Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Method 2

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• When they splutter, add garlic, urad dal, chana dal and fry.
• When they turn golden brown, add peel, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and fry till the peel turn brown and crisp.
• Serve with hot rice and ghee.

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Panasakaya Pottu Pulihora Kura / Jackfruit Dry Curry

Hi friends, Today I am posting one of my Mom's recipe. Until now, I posted recipes prepared by me, but this recipe is prepared by my Mom. My great-grandmother(My fathers grandmother) is very good at cooking. My mother and father used to tell me about her cooking and cooking skills. My grandmother is also so good at cooking. My mom learned cooking from both of them. My mom cook both authentic Andhra dished and modern dish very well.

The recipe today I am posting is very popular in a religious community in my region. They love to serve this curry in every function. Jack fruits will grow in summer months and can be eaten as a vegetable or eaten as a fruit. Young jack fruit can be used as an vegetable to prepare curries. When a jack fruit is fully grown we can enjoy the sweet pods along with the aroma.

In summer, in my region, cycle vendors will fill baskets with panasa pottu / chopped jack fruit and tie those baskets to there cycle and call out everyone to buy panasa pottu.  We can make panasa pottu at home. There was a jack fruit tree in front of my house. My Mom used to pluck young jack fruit from the tree and make panasapottu kura and panasakaya masala kura/Jackfruit masala curry.

For making panasa pottu, we have to apply oil and turmeric powder mixture to our hands and the knife. Milk like sticky substance will come out when we pluck and cut jack fruit. When we apply oil to our hands and knife it will prevent that sticky latex juice from sticking to our hands. Cut the young jackfruit into 4 pieces and remove it's skin and make them into small pieces. Wash them with plenty of water and process them in a food processor or in mixer using pulse mode.

Ingredients

• Panasa pottu - 2 cups
• Tamarind - small lemon size
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

For Popu / Tadka / Seasoning

• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Avvalu / Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Senagapapu / Chana dal - 1 tsp
• Minnapappu / Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Hing - a pinch
• Dry red chilies -2
• Green chilies - 3 
• Minnapa vadiyalu - 15
• Groundnuts - 2 tbsp

Preparation

• Clean panasa pottu until water is clear. Add  1/2 cup water, turmeric powder and cook till panasa pottu turn soft.
• Squeeze water from cooked panasa pottu and keep aside.
• Heat one tbsp oil in a pan and fry minnapa vadiyalu until brown and keep aside.
• Heat remaining oil. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, when they splutter, add chana dal, urad dal, groundnuts, dry red chilies and fry till they turn brown.
• Add hing and green chilies and fry.
• Add turmeric juice and cook till there is no rawness.
• Add panasa pottu, salt, minapa vadiyalu and cook for 2 mins.
• Serve with rice.

Note : If wanted more sourness, add lemon juice.
           Curry taste will enhance after few hours. 
           Adjust oil and chilies to your taste.

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