Undrallu

Ingredients:

Rice Rawa (Biyyapu rawa) - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 1 tsp
Chana dal (Senaga pappu) - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

1) Soak chana dal in water for atleast 10minutes.

2) Heat about 1tsp of oil in a saucepan and add jeera.

3) Add 1 cup of water (1: 2; Rawa: water ratio) to the pan and bring to a boil. After the water starts boiling add salt, soaked chana dal and slowly add rawa. Stir continuously to make sure that there are no lumps.

3) Cook until the mixture comes together and looks like upma. Consistency should be neither too wet (if this is the case cook a little longer) nor too dry(add little water). Let this mixture cool till it is easy to handle.

4) Make lemon size balls of the mixture and steam them for about 10-12 minutes in a pressure cooker.

Serve hot with any chutney. We had our undrallu with ginger chutney (allam pachadi).

Avakai Pachadi ( Mango pickle)

Ingredients:

Raw Mango - 2 large ones
Red Chilli powder - 1 cup
Salt - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 spoon
Mustard powder - 1 1/4 cup
Oil - 3 cups
Methi seeds - 1/4 cup

Method:

1) Wash mangoes and dry them by wiping with a clean dry cloth.

2) Cut mangoes into pieces. See that all the pieces get a portion of hard shell of mango, while cutting take out the seed.

3) In a large bowl mix red chilli powder, salt, mustard powder, turmeric and methi seeds together. Now add oil so that it becomes a wet paste.

4) Add the cut pieces to this wet paste and transfer it into a dry jar.

5) Pour some oil on the top and cover it tightly. On the third day mix it all over again. And the mango pickle is ready.

Dosakai Pachadi ( Dosakai Pickle)

Preparation Time: 15-20mins

Ingredients:

1 cup dosakai (Honeydew) (peel and chop very small)

2 dried red chillies (broken)

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp methi seeds

2 tsp Tamarind paste

A big pinch of turmeric

2 green chillies

Coriander leaves (fist full)

Salt to taste

1 tsp oil

Procedure:

1) Heat oil in a small pan, add red chilles, mustard seeds, methi seeds.

2) Allow mustard seeds to sputter and remove from heat.

3) In a grinder/food processor add to this mixture, tamarind, turmeric, salt and grind coarsely. Add green chillies and coriander leaves and pulse for few times.

4) Remove and mix it the dosakai pieces. Adjust the taste if needed. Pulse the whole mixture just one more time and the Pachadi is ready.

Vada Pav / Batata Vada

Ingredients:

1 Kg boiled Potatoes
2 cups Gram Flour (Besan)
Pav (A kind of bun known as Pav. Usually the outer surface is little rough, looks like a burger bun but smaller than that. Check for the proper one in your groceries. Do not buy sweet pav as it will spoil the taste.)
Ginger & Garlic paste
4-5 Green Chilies
Jeera seeds
1/2 cup Coriander leaves (chopped)
1 tea spoon Turmeric Powder
Curry Leaves
1 teaspoon Mustard seeds &
Oil for frying
Salt as per the taste

Method :

1. In a frying pan, add 2 tbsp oil, to it add ginger & garlic paste, jeera, green chilies, turmeric powder, mustard seeds, and curry leaves and stir for a while.

2. Peal the boiled potatoes and smash them, then add them to the frying pan.

3. Mix it for a while and then add salt to taste.

4. Put this potato mixture aside for it to cool down. Meanwhile, add some salt, chilie powder & turmeric powder to the gram flour. Mix it together and add some water to make a thick batter. Remove any lumps.

5. Make small balls of the potato mixture (You can make flat balls by pressing them in palms).

6. Heat some oil (about 16oz) in a pan (take a deep pan for frying). Wait till the oil is hot then, dip the potato balls in the gram flour (besan) batter and deep fry them till golden brown.

6. Slit the Pav keeping the base intact & spread Green Chutney on the inner sides of it. Place the vada into it. And enjoy Vada Pav! If no pav is available, then you can have the vada as it is with chutney.

Aloo Palak Paneer

Preparation time: 45 Mins

Ingredients:

2 small potatoes
1 bunch of spinach
Paneer cut into cubes ( abt 10-15 pieces)
2 tbsp oil 1 small cut onion
5-6 green chilies
2 tbsp curry power
1 tbsp garam masala power
2 tbsp jeera
1 tbsp Garlic ginger paste
1 cup water
100ml of tomato paste or puree
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Chili Powder

Method:

1. Cut and wash the spinach and boil it in a pressure cooker without the weight for about 15 mins.

2. In the meantime, cut the 2 small potatoes into cubes and boil them. Once they are boiled set them aside.

3. Heat a pan, add oil, then garlic/ginger paste, jeera, green chilies and onions and fry them till they are golden brown . Set aside and let it cool

4. Once it is cooled, add curry powder and garam masala powder to the onions and blend the mixture in a blender to make it a paste.

5. After 15 mins, take out the spinach from the cooker and let it cool. Once it's cooled, blend the spinach to make it like a paste.

6. Now in a pan, add some oil, and fry the paneer on a low flame (paneer can be cut into cubes or any shape as desired).
7. Once the paneer is fried, add the tomato paste and let it fry for a few mins. Then add to it the spinach paste along with 1 cup of water.

8. Mix it for a while and then add the boiled potatoes to this as well.

9. Add salt and chili powder as desired and cook this on low flame for another 15 mins.

10. Ready to serve and eat!

Note:

1. While boiling the potatoes, try to boil them in as little water as possible. So that they stay as cubes and dont smudge.

2. To prepare paneer at home, boil milk in a vessel, and let it cool for a while. Once it's cooled, squeez one whole lemon into the milk. The milk should have become a bit hard, then take a cotton cloth ( make sure the cloth is neat!!) and pour the milk into it, and tie it tightly at the ends. The liquid should be drained and only the solid to remain inside. Store this cloth away for about 4-6 hours or overnight in the fridge ( in the fridge, so that it becomes hard and solid and can be cut in shapes easily). After 4-6 hours take it out of the fridge and wash it and it should be ready to use.