Hearty Spices

Pulagam - Wash together a cup of Moong Dal along with 1 1/2 cup of Rice and pressure cook with a tsp of Salt and 6 cups of Water for 4 whistles. Pachipulusu - Lightly roast a cup of Groundnuts, 1/4 cup of Sesame Seeds and 2 tbsp of Fried Gram / Daliya . Grind them to fine powder, transfer to a saucepan and add a litre of Water . Heat the water-powder mixture in a bowl and add a pinch of Turmeric powder, Salt as needed, 2 tbsp of crushed Jaggery, a tbsp of Tamarind Paste and a tsp of Red Chilli Powder . Mix well and allow to come to a boil on low-medium heat. Add 1/2 an Onion, chopped into pieces on top of the pulusu before serving. Chutney - Saute 1/2 cup of Groundnuts on medium heat until crisp. Remove them into a mixie jar. Lightly saute 2 cloves of crushed Garlic, 1/2 tsp of Cumin Seeds and 3 slit Green Chillies in a tsp of Oil and add them to the groundnuts. Grind them to a smooth chutney adding enough water. Add a tsp of Tamarind Paste, Salt as needed and transfer it into ...

Wash and pat ¼ kg of Okra on a towel and cut into 1 inch pieces. Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter a tbsp of Mustard Seeds, 2 split Green Chillies, few Curry Leaves and a pinch of asafetida. Add a tbsp of Urad Dal, a pinch of Fenugreek Seeds, a tbsp of Channa Dal and saute for a minute. Add and saute a big sliced Onion along with Salt to taste till they turn light brown. Add the Okra pieces and fry till they lose the raw smell. Add a tbsp of Yogurt to get rid of the stickiness, a chopped Tomato and cook till the mixture is tender.  Allow to cool, add a inch of Tamarind to the mixture and grind along with a tsp of Cumin seeds and fresh Coriander Leaves without water. 

Wash 2 cups of Idli Rice in a bowl, add ¼ cup of Poha to it and soak in water for 4-5 hours. Wash ½ cup of Urad Dal in a bowl, add a pinch of Fenugreek Seeds and soak in water separately for 4-5 hours. Drain and reserve the water. Grind the urad dal, methi seed with some of the reserved water for smooth and fluffy batter. Grind the rice to to a smooth batter. Mix both the batters together in a large bowl, add Salt as needed and mix well. Cover and let the batter ferment for 8-9 hours. Gently mix the batter. Grease the idli moulds. Pour the batter in the moulds steam the idlis in a pressure cooker for 10-12 mins or until the idlis are done. Peanut Dal Chutney -  Heat a tsp of Oil  in a pan, roast ¼ cup of Peanuts  on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add few Curry Leaves, ¼ cup of Roasted Chana Dal, ½ tbsp of Sesame Seeds and saute for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cook and grind to smooth paste along with 3-4 Green Chillies, half inch Ginger pieces, ...

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; saute 5 cups of chopped Sorrel / Gongura leaves . Keep aside. In the same pan, saute a pinch of Asafetida, ½ tsp of Fenugreek Seeds, 1 tbsp of Channa Dal, 1 tsp of Urad Dal, 10 red chilies and 3 cloves of Garlic . Allow it to cool and grind coarsely while adding Salt . Grind the Sorrel Leaves too along with it. Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and add a tsp of Mustard seeds, 2 Red Chilies, Few Curry Leaves, a pinch of Turmeric Powder and a tsp of Cumin Seeds . Add this tempering to the ground gongura mixture in a bowl; add a tsp of Oil to it. Serve with rice and ghee.

Clean, peel and chop  a Ridgegourd (Beerakaya) into small pieces. Heat  a tbsp of Oil in a pan; splutter and saute ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, a pinch of Asafetida, 1 tbsp of Chana Dal, 1 tbsp of Urad Dal and 5-6 slit Green Chilies . Once the dals are roasted a bit, add a pinch of Turmeric Powder and chopped beerakaya to the pan. Cover cook until the beerakaya is done cooked. Add Salt as needed  and remove from heat and let it cool. Grind the mixture into a smooth paste with a tbsp of Tamarind Paste . Garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve with White Rice.

Beat 2 cups of Yogurt well into a bowl and add finely chopped ½ of Onion, 3 Green Chilies, ½ of Tomato and Salt as needed to it. Slowly add Water as needed  to the yogurt mixture till the right consistency is acquired. Garnish with few chopped Coriander Leaves and serve with any rice.

Batter - Wash and drain 2 cups of Rice, ½ cup of Barli, ½ cup of Beaten Rice/Poha and ½ cup of Sago thoroughly in water. Add 1 tbsp of Fenugreek Seeds, 1 cup of Yogurt, Sufficient Water and soak for 4 hours. Grind to fine batter and add Salt to taste . Mix well and ferment for an hour.  Crepe - Heat a dosa pan and spread a tsp of Oil over it. Spread the batter into a crepe (thick as Uthappam)and cover cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Brown on both sides, remove from heat and serve hot with any chutney. Peanut Chutney - Heat  a tbsp of Oil in pan and saute a crushed Garlic Clove for a few seconds till lightly brown. Add a tbsp of Urad Dal, ½ tbsp of Coriander Seeds, ½ tbsp of Cumin Seeds, few Dried Red Chillies  and saute till golden brown. Remove from heat and allow cooling. Grind along with a cup of Roasted Peanuts, small lime sized Tamarind, Salt to taste, ½ cup of Water till smooth and set aside. Popu for Chu...

Wash, peel and cut the 1¼ kg of Lemon Cucumbers into fine pieces. Separate the pieces and seeds into different bowls. Check the taste of the Cucumber and its seeds separately. Heat a pan with 4 tsps of Oil and saute 3 tsps of black gram dal and ¼ tsp of fenugreek seeds till they turn golden in color. Add 1 tsp of Mustard seeds and saute till they splutter. Add 13-14 Green chilies and 3 Red Chili, broken . Add a pinch of Asafoetida (optional) and saute. Separate the popu from the oil into a mixie jar. Add 1 tbsp of Tamarind paste, Salt to tast and a pinch of Turmeric and grind them to paste. Add the seeds of cucmber and grind again. In the remaining oil add 2 tsps of black gram dal and fry till light brown in color. Add them to the chopped Cucumber pieces along with the oil. Add the ground paste to the chopped Cucumber and mix well. Garnish with chopped Coriander Leaves and serve with white rice.

Masala Powder - Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a non-stick pan. Add chopped 4-5 Garlic Pods, 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds, 1½ of tbsp Urad Dal, 1 tbsp of Chana Dal, 1-2 dry Red Chillis, ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds and stir on medium heat till they turn slightly red. Immediately remove the roasted spices, straining the left over oil and keep aside. Veggies - In the same pan, add slit 2-3 Green Chilli, 2 cups of Grated Carrot and on medium flame saute till the rawness of carrot disappears (approx 3-4 mts). Remove and keep aside. In the same pan, add a tsp of Oil and saute ¾ - 1 cup of chopped Coriander Leaves for a minute. Remove from heat and cool. Chutney - Grind the roasted Masala, followed by the sauteed carrot and coriander, 1 tbsp of Jaggery and Salt to taste , to a coarse paste adding little water. Popu - Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a pan, add ½ of Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp of Urad Dal, few Curry Leaves and fry till the dal turns red. Remove from heat and add to the chutney along with juice of...

Okra - Heat 1 tsp of Oil and lightly toast ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds . Add a chopped Onion and a chopped Tomato and saute until the onions turns transculent. Add the 1 tsp of Grated Ginger, few Curry Leaves, 2 chopped Green Chillies, ¼ of Turmeric Powder and saute for few minutes. Finally add 2 cups of chopped Okra pieces , saute until they get well cooked in simmer and put off the stove. Yogurt - Whisk  2 cups of Yogurt with Salt and 1 tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves, keep aside. Once the cooked okra is cool, add to the whisked yogurt and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve chilled with rice.

Masala - Heat a tsp of Oil in a pan. When hot, add 1 tbsp of Urad Dal (minappapappu), 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds and 1-2 torn and de-seeded dry Red Chilies . Stir fry for few seconds till the dal is golden brown in color. Remove and keep aside. Chilli & Peels - In the same pan, heat another tsp of Oil . When hot, add 2 slit Green Chillies and saute for a minute. Add the peels of 2 large Ridge gourds chopped into pieces and fry on medium-heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp Tamarind Paste to it and leave aside to cool. Grind - After cooling, grind the masala to coarse mix and then add the Chili and peels to it. Grind to a coarse paste by adding Salt to taste . Popu (Seasoning) - Heat ½ tsp of Oil in a pan and add ½ tsp of Mustard Seeds . Once they pop, add 1-2 Dry Red Chillies and a big pinch of Asafoetida . Toss for few seconds and pour the seasoning over the ground pachadi / chutney. Serve with hot rice.

Dal Mixture - Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a small pan. When hot, add 1 tbsp of split Black Gram Dal (Minapappu), 1 tsp of Bengal Gram Dal (Senagapappu) (optional) and 1 tsp of Coriander Seeds . When golden brown, add 2 slit Green Chilies and 2 dry Red Chilies and toss for a minute. Finally add a big pinch of Asafetida and immediately remove from heat. Keep aside to cool. Ginger & Coriander - Remove the skin on 1½ - 2 inch Ginger and slice into thin pieces. Clean a big bunch of Coriander Leaves (about 1½ cups) and chop them. In the same pan, add 1 tsp of Oil , add ginger and sauté till it turns red (approx 3 minutes). Add the coriander leaves and sauté further for a minute. Remove from heat and cool. Grind - Grind the roasted dal mixture, sautéed ginger-coriander, 1 tbsp of grated Coconut (optional), 1 tbsp Tamarind paste, 2-3 tbsp Jaggery along with Salt to taste , to a slightly coarse paste by adding about ¼ cup of Water . Popu (Seasoning)- Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a small pan. ...

Veggies - Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a pan and fry 4 medium Eggplants, chopped, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and Salt as needed for 15 minutes on low heat and keep aside. In the same pan, heat a tsp of Oil and fry 6 whole Green Chillies for 2 minutes. Cut a small Lemon Cucumber (Dosakaya) into thin and small pieces and keep aside. Chutney - Grind fried chillies, ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, 5 Garlic Cloves, chopped, 1 tsp of Tamarind Paste and Salt . Add fried brinjal and grind once and then add choped cucumber and grind again. Keep aside in a bowl. Tempering -  Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a pan, saute 1 Red Chilli, ¼ tsp of Mustard Seeds, ¼ of tsp Cumin Seeds . After they splutter, add ½ tsp of Black Gram Dal (Urad Dal), ½ tsp of Channa Dal and few Curry Leaves and remove from heat. Add this to the chutney bowl and mix well. Garnish with  few Coriander Leaves .

Toast 3 tbsp of Sesame seeds in a pan till they turn a light brown in color. Cool and pound them into a coarse powder. In a pan, Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan; saute 10-12 Red Chillies for a minute. Add and saute 6-7 Garlic cloves for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Grind them into a coarse paste. On low heat, add a big bunch of washed Gongura Leaves to the same pan and cover cook till the leaves wilt. After cooling, add the wilted leaves and grind to a smooth paste. Add the pounded sesame seeds along with some Salt to taste. Serve with hot rice.

1¼ cup Freshly Grated Coconut ½ tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Urad Dal 1 tbsp Chana Dal 3 Dry Red Chilis, tear and de-seed 5 Green Chillis, cut each into two 4 Garlic Flakes Gooseberry sized Tamarind 2-3 tsp Oil Salt to taste ½ tsp Sugar (optional) Popu: ½ tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tsp Minappa pappu 5-6 Curry Leaves ½ tsp Oil Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin and toast them for a few seconds, add the dals and let them turn red. Next add the garlic, red chillis and green chillis and fry them for ½ minute on low heat. Lastly add the coconut pieces (or grated) and stir-fry for a minute. Remove from pan and cool. Once cool, grind the toasted ingredients, tamarind, salt and sugar to a slightly coarse paste by adding very little water (few tbsps). You shouldn’t make it into a smooth paste. Heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add the split black gram and let it brown. Add the curry leaves and toss them for a few seconds till the flavors come out. Turn off heat and add the seasoning ...

Chutney (Pachadi) - Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a pan and saute 2 tbsp each of Urad Dal and Coriander Seeds till golden brown. Remove from heat and add  6 Red Chillies to the pan. Saute for a while and drain them off into a small bowl. Add a washed, peeled and cut big Beetroot  along with  1 tsp of Salt to the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes till the pieces wilt. Remove pan from heat and allow cooling. Grind the urad dal, coriander seeds and red chili into coarse powder and then add the beetroot pieces along with the 3 cloves of Garlic to grind. Add 1 tbsp of Tamarind Paste , Salt as needed and grind to paste using little water.  Tempering -  Heat  1 tsp of Oil and saute  ½ tsp of Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, few Curry Leaves, few Coriander Leaves and Urad Dal till mustard splutters and then add to the Chutney (Pachadi). 

1½ cup Fresh Coriander Leaves, packed ¾ cup Roasted Peanuts 3-4 Green Chilies 1 tsp Jaggery or Sugar Small gooseberry sized Tamarind (soak in 2 tbsp warm water) 2 tsp Oil Salt to taste Heat oil in a pan, add the green chilies and coriander leaves and fry till for 2-3 mts. Remove and cool. Grind the peanuts, green chilies, coriander leaves, tamarind, and salt. Add few tbsps of water and make a fine paste. Serve with Dosas or Punukulu.

Godhuma Rava Idli - Dry roast 1½ cup of Broken Wheat till it turns red. To it, add Salt, 1 cup of Yogurt and enough Water till the batter becomes a paste. Let it sit for ½ hour. Add  1 tbsp of chopped Green Chilies, 2 tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves, 3 tbsp of grated Carrot and 2 tbsp of grated fresh Coconut (optional). Heat 1 tsp Oil in a pan and splutter ¼ tsp of Mustard Seeds,  10 curry leaves and a tbsp of Grated Ginger for 10 seconds. Remove from heat and add to the wheat-yogurt batter. Combine well and spread ladle full on idli trays and steam for 15 minutes. Peanut Chutney - Heat 1 tsp of Oil in pan and fry a crushed Garlic Clove for a few seconds till it is lightly brown. Add  a tbsp of Urad Dal  and saute till golden brown. Add ½ tbsp of Cumin, Coriander seeds each and saute for 10 seconds then add 5 dried Red Chillies and fry for few seconds. Add a cup of Peanuts and saute till lightly toasted. Remove from heat and allow cooling....