Arbi Ki Bhujia | Arbi Dry Sabzi | Sukhi Arbi ki Sabzi

Colocasia(Arbi) is one of my favorite vegetable and I always end up preparing simple Chamadumpa Vepudu(Arbi fry) with it which is a typical Andhra preparation that goes well with the rice.I love to eat arbi mostly in the dry form like Chamadumpa Vepudu, Arbi ki bhujia or sukhi Arbi or Arbi Tikka but if you are looking for gravies you can check out this Arbi ka Salan recipe too.

We usually prepare arbi fry in a simple way - we boil the arbi and then it is peeled,cut and fried(deep fried or shallow fried) and sprinkle with simple spices.But today I am posting a preparation where we use raw arbi to make this stir fry.I got to know about this preparation of North Indian style arbi ki bhujia only through my cook when we were in Mumbai and we absolutely loved it.I usually prepare it as a side dish when we prepare heavy gravies like chole or rajma and that combination works great with rotis.It tastes even nice with rice and dal too.Now off to the recipe.

Arbi Ki Bhujia | Dry Arbi Sabzi Recipe:

Serves 2-3 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time; 20 mins | Total time: 35 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Main Course-Side dish

Ingredients:

250 gms Arbi/Colocasia

1.5 tsp Carom seeds(Ajwain)

1 tsp Red Chili powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1.5 -2 tsp Amchur powder(Dry Mango powder)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Mustard Oil(or any regular oil)

Lemon wedges, to serve

Method:

• Wash the colacassia nicely and scrape the skin off using a knife and wash them thoroughly again. I would suggest you to wear gloves for this step as arbi gives itchiness to the skin.

• Cut arbi into thin slices length wise and cut them into strips looking like thin french fries.
• Heat oil in a flat pan and add carom seeds and let them sizzle and then add cut arbi strips and fry them well for 12-15 mins until you see them turning brown in color and got cooked thoroughly inside.

• Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder and amchur powder and mix well and let it cook for a couple of minutes more.
• Switch off the flame and let them rest for an hour two.
• Heat them over medium flame until they turn crispy again and serve.

Serve it with phulkas/rotis/parathas or rice along with lemon wedges. The addition of lemon reduces the itchiness caused by the arbi sometimes.

Notes:

1. It is a simple stir fry recipe where the flavors play a major role.The addition of mustard oil, carom seeds and amchur powder gives its own taste to this stir fry.
2. I suggest you to add more amchur powder than regular as it helps in reducing the itchiness created by arbi.Also, it is suggested to let the curry sit for an hour or two else it might cause itchiness to yur throat when eaten fresh.

Technorati Tags: arbi ki sukhi sabzi, sukhi arbi sabzi, arbi ki bhujiya, colacassia stir fry, arbi stir fry, side dish for rotis, north indian curry recipes, arbi recipes, taro root stir fry, arbi dry sabzi

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Pesara Punukulu | Green Moong Dal Fritters | Pesara Punugulu

Punukulu or Punugulu is a popular snack found across Andhra pradesh but is known with various names, like they are called as Punugulu in Coastal Andhra and as Bonda in other places.They are nothing but a bite size fritters made out of various batters like rice-urad dal batter, yellow moong dal batter or green moong batter.They are popular street food and they taste best when served hot as they are crispy when just off the kadai. One can serve these fritters as it is with a cup of tea or coffee or you can pair them with Green chutney or Nimmakaya Karam, it tastes delicious.

Whenever I have Pesarattu batter I usually make these punugulu as evening snack as it is very quick to prepare and also I like the slightly sour taste of the fritters because of the fermented batter, but one can prepare with freshly ground batter too.These punugulu can also be added to your regular tomato based gravy and can be served with rice or roti, they taste nice too.If you are interested you can check out other Bonda/Punugulu recipes Punugulu/Dosa Batter Fritters, Saggubiyyam Bonda/Sago Bonda.

Also check out other tea time deep fried snacks:

• Alasandula(Lobia) Vada, Corn Vada
• Raw Banana Bajji , Eggplant and Okra Bajji
• Babycorn Pakora, Cabbage Pakora ,Oats Pakora, Onion Pakoda
• Maddur Vada, Masala Vada, Mixed Dal Ambode

Pesara Punugulu Recipe | Moong Dal Fritters:

Serves 3-4 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins + Soaking time

Cuisine: Andhra | Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

1 cup Split Green Moong dal or Whole Green Moong(Pesalu)

1-2 tbsp Rice flour

3/4" Ginger,chopped

3-4 Green chillies

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

5-6 Curry leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp Cumin seeds,optional

Salt to taste

Oil, to deep fry

Method:

• Soak split green  moong dal for 2-3 hrs or whole green moong for 5-6 hours. Wash the dal and grind it with ginger, green chilies and salt to a smooth paste.
• Heat the oil in  a kadai for deep frying.
• Beat the ground mixture nicely for 2-3 mins until fluffy. This step ensure that you get nice and fluffy fritters.

• Add rice flour,chopped onion, curry leaves, coriander leaves, cumin seeds to the beaten up batter and mix nicely.

• Once the Oil is hot drop a small portion(1 tsp roughly) of batter using your fingers and repeat until you drop 7-8 fritters in the oil. 

• Fry them until they turn golden brown on medium flame and you can turn them in between to ensure even frying. You can add more fritters depending on the size of kadai and the quantity of oil.

Serve them hot with Green Chutney or Nimmakaya Karam along with a cup of tea/coffee and Enjoy !

Notes:

1. You can use Pesarattu atta to make these punugulu. In that case add finely chopped green chilies and ginger to the batter.You can add 1-2 tbsp of rice flour or sooji to get crispier punugulu.
2. You can even add 1 tbsp sooji to get crispier punugulu.
3. This left over batter can be used to make uthappams.
4. You can prepare the fritters even by using yellow moong dal by following the same recipe.

Technorati Tags: pesara punugulu, moong dal fritters, Pesara Punukulu, tea time snacks, andhra snacks recipes.  snacks varieties, deep fried snacks recipes

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Andhra Style Peanut Chutney Powder | Palli Podi | Peanut Chutney podi

When it comes to Podi varieties, Andhra has various varieties of powders that can be mixed with rice and also can be served with Idli and dosa. Today I am posting a powder variety - Peanut Chutney Powder aka Palli Podi which is very famous in Rayalaseema region and especially Kadapa. This peanut powder is prepared in various ways across south India. North Karnataka has its own version of Peanut Podi known as Shenga Pudi which is usually served with Jowar rotis.Now directly to the recipe:

Check out other Podi varieties for rice in my blog:

• Bittergourd(Kakarakaya) Podi
• Flax Seeds Powder for Rice  
• Garlic Podi | Spicy Garlic Powder
• Kandi Podi | Andhra style Gun powder
• Karivepaku Podi | Curry leaves Powder 
• Kobbari Karam/Dry Coconut Podi
• Kothimeera Podi | Coriander Leaves Podi
• Pappula Podi | Putnala Podi | Spicy Fried Gram Powder
• Tamarind leaves Powder | Chintaku Podi   

Peanut Chutney Powder | Palli Podi Recipe:

Shelf life: 1 month | Author: Prathibha Garre

Prep time: 5 mins | Cooking time: 10 mins | Total time: 15 mins

Cuisine: Andhra | Category: Powder/Podi - Side dish for Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup Groundnuts(Peanuts)

5-6 Red chilies

3-4 Garlic pods

3/4 tsp Cumin seeds, optional

Salt to taste

Method:

• Dry roast groundnuts on a low flame until their skin starts bursting and also get black blisters on them. Cool them and remove the skin of the peanuts by rubbing them in between your hands and separate the peanuts from the skin.

• In a small pan add cumin seeds and red chilies and fry them separately for half a minute and remove them and transfer them to a mixer.

• Grind the cumin seeds and red chilies to a coarse powder.

• Add roasted and peeled peanuts, garlic pods and salt and grind it to a coarse powder in the whipper mode. If you see some small bits and pieces of peanuts here and there, it is perfect.
• Store it in an sir tight container.

Serve it with hot steamed rice. You can even sprinkle it on idli, dosa, rotis, jowar rotis or on a bread toast, it tastes yumm!!

Notes:

1. The addition of cumin seeds is optional,few do not add it in Rayalaseema region. I add it sometimes to get a different flavor.
2. Some add coriander seeds while roasting the spices but I like the simpler version of palli podi.If you like you can add it.

Technorati Tags: peanut chutney podi, andhra style peanut powder, palli podi, rayalaseema palli podi, verusenagapappu podi, chenigginjala podi, shenga podi, groundnut podi, podi varieties for rice

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Ragi Rava Upma | Finger Millet Rava Upma | Millet Recipes

Millets have been widely used in many of the households these days. There are various millets available and many have replaced rice with the millets  as they are extremely healthy. When I came across Ragi rava(sooji made out of finger millets) during my grocery shopping I was amazed to see the healthy variations available in the market these days and picked up a pack to try it.

I had prepared ragi rava upma and idli using the ragi rava and both have turned out very nice. This upma has a very earthy taste to it because of the ragi sooji and the addition of vegetables makes it more nutritious.My mom used to prepare another version of ragi upma using ragi flour which is a bit laborious process which I should try to post some other time.But if you can get hold of ragi rava do try this upma to include those healthy millets in your regular diet.

Check out other upma recipes here:

• Avarekalu Akki Tari Uppittu | Rice Rava Upma with Flat Beans
• Godhuma Rava Upma/Lapsi Rava Upma
• Kayi Biyyam Uppindi / Coconut-Rice Upma
• Kharabath..Bramhins Coffee Bar Style
• Multigrain Upma | Multigrain Sprouts Upma
• Pulusu Upma | Tangy Tamarind Upma
• Sooji Upma/Upittu/Rawa Upma
• Masala Upma
• Rava Vangibath

Ragi Rava Upma Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Breakfast

Ingredients:

1 cup Ragi rawa

1 large Onion,sliced

1/2 cup finely chopped vegetables(carrots,beans,capsicum,peas)

3-4 Green chillies,slit

2-3 tbsp grated fresh Coconut

2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander

a sprig of Curry leaves

2 tbsp Groundnuts

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1 tbsp Chana dal

2 tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2-3 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee

Method:

• Dry roast ragi rawa(sooji) in a kadai until the nice aroma starts from it.Remove it from the pan and let it cool.You can even roast rawa in a tsp of ghee which also gives a nice flavor to upma.

• Heat oil in a thick aluminium kadai(which is ideal for making upma) or non-stick kadai and crackle mustard seeds.Add chana dal,ground nuts and urad dal and roast until they turn golden brown.
• Add slit green chillies and curry leaves and fry them until they wilt.Add sliced onions and fry them until they are pink in color.

• Add finely chopped vegetables to it and fry well for 3-4 mins until the vegetables are partially cooked.
• Mean while boil 3 cups of water(1c rawa:3c water) in another vessel until it reaches the boiling point.
• Pour the hot boiling water into the upma kadai where onions and vegetables are fried and let it boil again.Add required amount of salt to it.

• Now pour the ragi rawa with one hand and keep stirring with another hand using a ladle,make sure you make this process very quickly otherwise you will end up having lumpy upma.

• Once everything is mixed,keep the lid on and cook it on low flame for 2-3 mins.

• Add ghee,coriander,grated coconut and lemon juice to it and mix well.
• Cover it and let it sit for 4-5 mins before you serve.

Serve it hot with some boondi/chips/cucumber and coconut chutney.

Notes:

1. Roasting the rawa ensures that the upma will not become sticky and also gives a nice flavor,so do not skip this step.
2. Boiling the water separately and adding it to upma is also another key step to get nice and soft upma.
3. If you want the upma to be very soft add 1c rawa:3c water,if you want it bit dry then add it in the ratio of 1c rawa:2 1/2 c water.
4. Instead of ragi rawa you can use bansi(kesar) rawa or regular rawa or lapsi rava and follow the same recipe.
5. For a Vegan version avoid ghee in the recipe.

Technorati Tags: ragi rava upma, upma varieties, upma recipes, finger millet recipes, breakfast varieties, diabetic friendly recipes, south indian, andhra recipes, karnataka recipes

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Hare Chane ka Paratha | Choliya Paratha | Green Chickpeas Paratha Recipe

During winters,the Indian vegetable markets would be flooded with various fresh vegetables and few seasonal ingredients.I usually love to cook with the seasonal ingredients as they are not only tasty they definitely add variety to your regular cooking.In winters we get fresh chickpeas,fresh green peas,avarekai(hyacinth beans),methi,sarson,red carrots and many other varieties.The only drawback with all these is they are time consuming to clean and shell them but its really worth for the taste and freshness of those items. I used to get various greens and beans when we were in Mumbai and I definitely miss it in Singapore now.

I had prepared this paratha last year when we were in Mumbai and somehow I could not post it and I am posting now as the season is still there in India.Shelling the fresh chickpeas is really time consuming but there is something that would not stop me buying when I spot these fresh beauties in the markets.Also, it is worth the effort when the end product tastes so nice.I had already posted Fresh Chickpeas Pulav(Choliya Pulao), Choliya-Paneer gravy and Aloo Choliya gravy in my blog, check out those interesting recipes and enjoy the seasonal produce to the fullest extent.I have got this paratha recipe from a dear friend and I had prepared this paratha with few changes in the recipe and I must say that this was really delicious.

If you are interested to check other paratha recipes - check them here.

• Palak Paneer Paratha
• Tofu Alu Paratha
• Paneer Bhurji Paratha
• Methi Aloo Paratha
• Mooli Paratha
• Palak Aloo Paratha
• Gobi Paratha

Hare Chane ke Paratha | Fresh Chickpeas Paratha Recipe:

Author: Prathibha | Yields: 5-6 Parathas

Prep time: 15 mins| Cooking time: 45 mins | Total time: 1 hr

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Main Course - Paratha

Ingredients:

for dough:

1 1/2 cups Wheat flour

Salt to taste

2 tsp Oil

Water,to mix

for filling:

1 cup fresh Chickpeas(Hare Chana/Choliya),shelled
1.5 tbsp Besan(Chickpea flour)

3-4 Green chillies

3/4" Ginger,optional

1 tsp Amchur(dried mango) powder

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
a pinch of Asafoetida

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Oil

Wheat flour,for rolling

Ghee and Oil,to roast parathas

Method:

to make dough:

• Mix in the salt with wheat flour and add 1 tsp oil and mix well.
• Add little water(if needed) and knead it into a smooth and soft dough.The dough should be slightly softer than the regular chapati dough for parathas as it will not only make easy to stuff the filling it will help in easy and even rolling of parathas.
• Apply oil on top of the dough and cover it and keep it aside for at least half an hour.

to make filling:

• Grind fresh chickpeas with ginger and green chillies to a coarse paste in the mixie.Do not add water to grind the chickpeas.

• Dry roast besan in another pan until it turns slightly aromatic and keep it ready.
• Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in a kadai and add cumin seeds and asafoetida and then add ground chickpeas and fry nicely for 3-4 mins.

• Add coriander powder, amchur powder, garam masala and salt and fry for another 3-4 mins.

• Now add roasted besan and mix it nicely and fry until the mixture is slightly dry.
• Cool the mixture and keep it ready.

to make paratha:

• Pinch the dough and take a big size lemon sized dough and roll the dough into 3-4" diameter roti.

• Place 3-4 tbsp filling and start doing the pleats so that you can seal it by gathering the dough around the edges like how it is shown in the picture.
• You can pinch and remove extra dough at the center and turn it and slightly flatten it and dip in the dry flour and place on the rolling board.

• Gently roll it to a 6" disc of 1/2" thickness.You should not apply more pressure while rolling,so roll it gently.
• Carefully place it on the hot tawa and fry it until you see small brown patches on one side and flip to the other side.

• Apply oil/ghee generously and roast on the other side.
• Fry the parathas on both sides until you get crisp brown patches on both sides.

Serve them piping hot with Aam ka Achar, Mirch ka Achaar, Mixed Vegetable Achar, curd or masala dahi and sliced onions.

Notes:

1. You can avoid ginger and green chillies in the recipe and add red chili powder when you are adding other masalas.
2. You can follow the same proces to prepare fresh Green peas paratha.
3. The addition of besan is optional but gives a nice binding to the filling and also a nice flavor to it.

Technorati Tags: hare chane ke paratha, hara chana recipes, hara chana paratha, choliya recipes, choliya paratha, fresh chickpeas recipes, fresh chickpeas paratha, paratha recipes, seasonal recipes, winter recipes

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Sogasu Poli | Sogasu Obbattu | Holige Recipes

At my mom's place,any major festival is incomplete without a holige and hence we prepare various holige varieties at home.While the most popular one are  Hoornada holige(Pappu Obattu) and Coconut Holige,my mom prepares various other holige varieties like Til Poli(Nuvvula Obbattu), Shenga Holige(Groundnut holige), Dates Holige etc. While these holiges are fried on the tawa there are few holiges which are deep fried like Paala Obattu(Haalu Holige), Sajjige Obattu(Sajjappa),Garugu Obattu, Sogasu Obbattu and every holige tastes best on its own and has its own importance for the festivals.

Today I am posting Sogasu Poli recipe which is very similar to Garugu Obattu and Sajjappa.They all look similar and all are deep fried but the filling,taste and texture of each holige is different from each other. Sogasu Poli and Sajjappa uses rawa filling which is made differently for each holige and where as Garugu Obattu uses rice flour filling.I know that it is very confusing if you are hearing all these names for the first time but once you go through all the recipes you can easily differentiate them.The best part about these holiges is that they can be stored easily up to a week, if they last that long!! These can be made ahead and serve as prashad for Navaratri Golu prasadam too, also tastes best when eaten hot as they are super crisp.This is apparently one of my favorite holiges and would gulp a couple of them at one go.As it is Sankranti tommorow, try this different traditional holige recipe to impress your family.
Check out other Holige recipes in my blog:

• Hoornada holige(Pappu Obattu) 
• Coconut Holige
• Til Poli(Nuvvula Obbattu)
• Chakkara Rekulu/Crispy Sugar Poli
• Shenga Holige(Groundnut holige)
•  Paala Obattu(Haalu Holige)
•  Sajjige Obattu(Sajjappa)
• Garugu Obattu
• Puran Poli

Sogasu Poli | Sogasu Obbattu :

Shelf life: 2 days | Yields: 10-12 polis

Prep time:20 mins | Cooking time:40 mins | Total time:60 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Sweets

Ingredients:

for Stuffing: 1 cup fine Chiroti(Holige) Rava

1 cup fresh grated Coconut

1 cup Sugar,preferably slghtly fine

1/4 cup finely chopped Cashewnuts

1 tsp Ghee

for kanaka(outer cover):

1 cup Chiroti/Holige rawa(baarik rava)

a fat pinch of Salt

1/2 cup Oil(to soak the kanaka)

Oil for deep frying

Method:

for filling:

• Mix chiroti rava, fresh grated coconut, chopped cashewnuts and sugar in a large bowl nicely until everything is nicely mixed and keep it aside for 2-3 hours.
• Now the mixture would have become wet and soft.Mix it nicely again.

• Grease your palms with ghee and make big lemon size balls out of the filling and keep them aside.

 for Kanaka:

• Mix chiroti rawa with a pinch of salt to it and add water to it and knead in to a very smooth dough.The consistency of the dough should be very loose than the regular roti dough.
• Now using your fist hit the dough for few mins to get the softer dough.

      

• Now place this dough in a deep vessel and pour oil over it until the dough is completely soaked in oil.Let the dough rest for a minimum of 1 hr and up to 2 hrs.Drain the excess oil and use it for other purpose.
• See the pics to get to know the consistency of the kanaka.

for making Sogasu Poli:

• Cut the holige paper into a round and place it on the rolling stone which we use to roll rotis.Grease holige paper or banana leaf or a plastic cover with oil.

• Pinch a small amla sized dough and flatten it a bit using your hands as shown in the pics and place one round of filling and seal it properly from all the edges like how we do for parathas.

• Now flatten it slowly with hands to get 3" diameter circle to the size of big pooris.It should not be very thick like paratha nor thin like rotis.See the pictures for clear idea.
• Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying in a kadai and gently slide the patted holige from the sides into the oil taking care that oil would not splutter.

• Deep fry them until they are slightly brown on both side.
• Drain them on kitchen towels to remove the extra oil.

• Repeat the process for making holiges,smear the holige paper liberally with oil and follow the same procedure.

Serve them hot/warm or at room temperature.You can store them at room temperature for upto a week.

Notes:

1. Always make kanaka before proceeding to make filling which helps in saving time.
2. As these can be stored for a week you can make them ahead if you want.But the fresh ones are more crispier and tastier.
3. The addition of nuts is entirely optional but it adds a nice taste to every bite of holige.
4. If you are a health freak instead of deep frying you can even fry it on tawa like how we do for parathas,they taste still good but the deep fried ones taste anytime better.

Technorati Tags: holige recipes, sweets, traditional sweets recipes, poli recipes, sogasu poli recipe, sogasu obbattu recipe, navaratri recipes, festival recipes, ganesh chaturthi recipes, andhra recipes for vinayaka chavithi festival, karnataka recipes for ganesh chaturthi ,arya vysya recipes

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