Sago Upma

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sago (medium size pearls) wash, drain and let it stand overnight
1/2 cup yellow moong dal/pesara pappu, soak in water for 30 mts
1 small onion, sliced
2 tbsps coarsely pound roasted peanuts
1/2 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
For poppu/tempering/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal/minapappu
1 tsp channa dal/senaga pappu
3-4 green chillis, finely chopped
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1 Wash the sago thoroughly, drain off the water and let it stand over night. Next day morning, run your fingers through the sago pearls and loosen the lumps if any. The sago should appear clear, translucent, swelled up and separate pearls.
2 Combine coarsely pounded roasted peanuts, sugar and salt to the sago and keep aside.
3 Heat both oil and once hot, add mustard seeds and let them sputter, add the cumin seeds, urad dal and channa dal and allow them to brown a bit. Add the chopped green chilli-ginger paste and saute for a mt. Add the curry leaves and toss for a few seconds till the flavors come out.
4 Add the sliced onions and saute for 3 mts. Add the soaked moong dal and allow to cook for 3-4 mts.
5 Finally add the sago-peanut mixture and combine well with the onion base and toss the sago mixture continuously for 8-9 mts. Serve hot.

Vegetable Sandwich Toast

Butter two slices. Liberally apply green chutney on the unbuttered sides of both the bread slices. On one of the slices, start layering with boiled potato slices, cucumber slices, tomato slices, onion slices and capsicum rounds. Sprinkle chaat masala pwd and black pepper pwd on top. Layer with a cheese slice (optional). Top with the bread slice and toast till golden brown. Serve warm with tomato ketchup.

Green chutney recipe: Grind 1 cup chopped coriander leaves, few mint leaves, 1-2 green chilli, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt to a fine paste, adding little water.

Aloo Kurma

Aloo Kurma:

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, washed, boiled, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 green chillis, slit length wise
2 tomatoes, quartered
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
pinch of turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd (adjust)
1 tsp coriander pwd
salt to taste
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1/2 tbsp oil
Make a paste by adding little water:
2 tbsps grated fresh coconut
1 tbsp poppy seeds/khus-khus/ghasagasalu

1 Heat oil in a vessel, add the chopped onions, green chillis and curry leaves and saute for 4-5 mts or till the onions turn transparent.
2 Add ginger garlic paste and fry further for another 3 mts. Add the chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, coriander pwd and salt. Combine well.
3 Add the quartered tomatoes and boiled and cubed potatoes and cook on medium heat for 6-7 mts. Reduce heat, add the ground coconut-poppy seeds paste and combine. Cook for 3-4 mts.
4 Add a glass of water, adjust salt and cook covered till you get the desired gravy consistency.
5 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis, coconut rice or any flavored rice.

Palak Paneer

Ingredient Name Unit Quantity
coriander powder     tbsp    1
cream fresh            tbsp     1
cumin powder        tsp       1
Dry garam masalas number 2
fenugreek leaves  tbsp   1
garlic      number 5
ginger garlic paste  tbsp  1
Green Chili  number  2
onion number  1
palak  number  5
red chilli powder  as per taste
salt  as per taste
tomato  number  3

Directions | How to make Palak Paneer

Clean and wash spinach and immerse in boiling water for 2 min mash it in a mixer or some prefer to chop and use. Heat oil in a deep pan. . add whole garam masala Now add onions and fry till golden brown. add turmeric and ginger garlic paste Add all spices and red chili powder. Now add the spinach (palak) and cook till it ozzes out oil . Cut paneer into pieces some use it fried , if you have fresh paneer just add Add Paneer pieces to the gravy and simmer in for few min adding garlic slices is optional , some prefer to grind green chillies with spinach top with little cream ( optional).

Paneer Butter masala

Ingredients
3 big tomatoes - pureed
250 gms paneer - cubed
2 big onions
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
3 tbsps cashewnut paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dhania powder (dry coriander powder)
1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp tandoori masala (optional for color)
2 tsp garam masala powder
salt and lemon juice - to taste
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp fresh cream
fresh coriander - chopped for garnish


Method
Skin the onions and blanch them in hot water for 3 mins, then ouree them to form a paste. Do the same with tomaotes, unless you are using tomato puree directly.


Take 1 tbsp of ghee, heat in a pan for 2 mins, the saute the paneer cubes in it till golden brown; Now take 1 cup hot water, add a pinch of salt and turmeric powder to it and immerse the paneer cubes in it for 10-12 mins. Then remove the pieces, drain them on a tissue paper and keep aside.


Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a pan, add the bay leaf and the cloves, then add the onion paste and saute till light-brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 3 minutes. Add chilli powder, followed by the cashew paste and fry for 5 mins.


Add tomato puree, crushed kasuri methi,coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt. Stir and let it simmer for some time.


Add the paneer cubes and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add a small cup of water and let it cook on medium heat till you get the desired curryconsistency. Remove from fire, stir in remaining butter and fresh cream.

Gutthi Vankaya

Gutti Vankaya Kura Recipe

10-12 fresh tender purple brinjals(vankaayi,aubergine)

2 onions finely sliced

6 flakes garlic

2 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tsp red chilli pwd

1/3 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tsp coriander pwd

1/2 tsp cumin pwd

1 tbsp white butter or ghee

1/2 tbsp jaggery (optional- but tastes good with sugar or jaggery)

2 tbsps

1 tsp cumin seeds

12 curry leaves

large pinch methi seeds (menthulu,fenugreek)

salt to taste

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves(garnish)

Wash and dry the purple brinjals. Keep the stalks.
Prepare the stuffing first.
Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan and add the garlic cloves and onions and fry on medium heat for 7-8 minutes or till transparent. Remove from fire and cool. Grind to a paste adding little water.
Add the coriander pwd, cumin pwd, chilli pwd, butter or ghee, sugar or jaggery and salt. Mix well.
Now take each brinjal and cut from the base end (opposite side of stem) and make a slit towards stem side but not all the way through i.e slit each brinjal into four sections lengthwise without cutting off the crown. The brinjals are ready for stuffing and the stuffing requires some patience…:)
Separate the brinjal quarters gently and fill the stuffing inside slowly without breaking the brinjals.
Stuff all the brinjals in this manner. Keep aside the remaining paste.
Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a cooking dish. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the methi seeds and curry leaves and fry for few seconds.
Now slowly place each of the stuffed brinjals in the dish and add the remaining paste on top and sprinkle 1/4 cup of water. and cook for 20-30 minutes on slow heat.
Do check in between to stir the brinjals without breaking them. the brinjals are three fourth cooked add the tamarind paste and one cup water. Adjust salt.
Cover and cook further for another 25-30 minutes or till the brinjals are well cooked and soft on touch. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
To serve, gently lift the stuffed brinjals with a wide spoon and place on serving plate and pour the gravy.

Bagara Baingan

Ingredient Name Unit Quantity
cinnamon small stick 1
 brinjals number 8
 Cloves  number 3
 coriander pdr tbsp 1
 cumin pdr tbsp 1
 cumin seeds tsp 1
 Dry coconut powder tbsp 2
 Elaichi  number 3
 Ginger and garlic paste tsp 01
 Green chilli  number 1
 Groundnuts cup 1
 mustard seeds tsp 1
Oil  tbsp 2
 Onion number 1
 sesame seeds tbsp 3
 Tamarind juice ml 50
 Water  cup 3


Directions | How to make Bagara Baingan

1.First dry fry whole garam masala,mustard and cumin seeds when they start to splatter add onions turmeric,g&g paste.
2.add masalas and add the paste of roasted ground nut ,seasame seeds and coconut pdr cook for 15 min add tamrind ,and jaggery and cook till oil ozzes out
3.In the mean time cut the vankaya as four parts but don't cut at the end
4.Immediately put them in the oil, fry slowly stirring occassionally till they are fully softened. and add to the cooking gravy
5.This is very good with rice, pulaos, and chapatis. and a must with biryanis