A very special dal with minimal ingredients is Nimmakaya Pappu. Cooked with either tur dal or yellow moong dal, its a winner of a recipe. The lemon lends a tangy taste to the earthiness of the dal and the spice of green chillis balance out the flavors. A classic, down-to-earth comforting Andhra recipe.

Kandi Pachadi ~ Tur dal Chutney Typically eaten with rice during meal times and an absolute Andhra delight, is Kandi Pachadi. Rich in protein, its preparation involves dry red chillis, cumin, split urad dal, sauteed and ground with tamarind and finally tempered with the magic touch of aromatic curry leaves. Its all in the texture, [...]

Indo-Chinese Appetizer ~ Gobhi Manchurian The market is flooded with Cauliflower and very reasonably priced. Bought two large heads for Rs.20/-, cut them into florets and used a portion to prepare Gobi Manchurian. I’ve received requests to blog Indo-Chinese recipes especially appetizers. So, I decided on this colorful and vibrant cold-weather appetizer or snack, much [...]

Vegetables cooked in bellam (teeya) pulusu aka stew absorb the flavors of spices beautifully and literally melt in the mouth. The mukkalu aka cut vegetables have a savory-sweet-tangy flavor from the spices, jaggery and tamarind which are the main flavor enhancers. A typical Andhra preparation and a popular one in our parts. The recipe I’m [...]

Palakura pappu, potato-beans stir fry, bottle gourd pachadi with rice ~ Our lunch Palakura pappu is a delicious heartening dal using spinach greens – a classic Andhra pappu kura. Its full of protein, nutritious and you will enjoy preparing it because its easy, quick and your kitchen will be filled with an aromatic fresh flavor [...]

Cooking a dal dish atleast 4-5 times a week for lunch is a normal routine but on days when tur dal (usually with greens/tomato) is not cooked, its a dry saute dish like today’s recipe which calls for bengal gram and coconut. The thing to take care in this recipe is to not let the [...]

The very thought of home ground spice mix aka podi warms my appetite not to mention the aroma that emanates my kitchen during it preparation. Podis or spiced powders/blends are an essential part of South Indian cuisine with each home having their own versions of preparing it. We in Andhra share a fondness for our [...]

I was craving something deep-fried last evening but stopped myself from preparing anything at that moment. So, I soaked some alasandalu (lobia/black-eyed peas/bobbarlu) this morning to make some fritters with our evening tea. Absolutely crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle, these fritters have a wonderful mouth-feel and are an anytime [...]

Kootu is a popular South Indian lentil based vegetable stew that is thick in texture. Kootus usually comprise of lentils (channa dal/moong dal) and vegetables like bottle gourd, potatoes, plantains, brinjals, cabbage, carrots and beans that are cooked in a blend of fresh coconut and green chillis. There are many variations to the kootu in [...]

A dal with greens that is a breeze to prepare despite the long list of ingredients is Chukkakura pappu. The tangy flavor of Chukkakora offsets the earthiness of the dal with green chillis providing the spice to balance out the flavors. A classic, down to earth Andhra recipe that is nutritious, full of iron and [...]