My Cooking Wonders

My version of shrimp/Prawn curry from my native place popularly known as royyala vepudu. This recipe brings back so many wonderful memories. This being one of my favorite foods and me being a very picky eater growing up, my mom used to give me more of this curry than my brother. Once I grew up, I was told if you leave your favorite food item in the name of god, your wish will come true. My wish came true and I gave up shrimp because this is hands down, the one food I love the most. Been 13 years I gave up Shrimp but still make the curry for hubby dear because this happens to be his favorite too.  Ingredients 3 cups finely chopped Onion Salt per taste(around 3 tsp) 1 tsp Turmeric  2 tsp Coriander powder 6 Green Chillies slit length wise 1 tsp Cumin seeds  3 tsp Ginger garlic 3 to 4 tsp Red chilli powder depending on your spice level 1 tsp Garam masala 3 tbsp Oil 3 tbsp ghee 10 to 15 pieces cashews Handful of Curry leaves, coriander leaves Marinati

 Yummy yummy chickpea salad with Avocado dressing. Perfect Summer salad with mouth watering rich creamy avocado dressing..what more can I say. Give it a try and enjoy!  Ingredients 1 cup dry garbanzo beans 1 whole cinnamon stick couple of pinches of amchur powder(Optional) 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes 3/4 cup chopped onions 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped cilantro Avocado Dressing as much as you prefer.  Recipe here Method Wash and soak garbanzo beans overnight in water. Add soaked garbanzo beans, cinnamon stick, amchur powder, salt and 2 to 3 cups of water to a pressure cooker. Pressure cook till 5 to 6 whistles.  Once the pressure is off, open the lid and drain all the water. Let the chickpeas cool. 1 cup of dry beans should roughly yield upto 3 cups of cooked beans. Once the chickpeas are cooled down add in tomatoes, onions, cilantro and avocado dressing. Check the taste for salt and spice. If not enough salt or spicy add in salt and 1 or 2 minced green chillies. 

I love Avocados. Avocado is one of the vegetable or fruit(who cares what it is..all I care about is the taste) that I fell in love with after coming to States. The rich and creamy textures always makes my mouth water. Here is one simple dressing recipe that will go well with salads and for people like me can eat it as is :).... Ingredients 2 Avocados 1/2 to 3/4 cup cilantro(I used leaves and stems) couple leaves of mint 5 cloves garlic 3 to 4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice(adjust per taste) 1 tsp salt(adjust per taste) 1/2 tsp black pepper powder 1/2 cup thick yogurt 2 to 4 tbsp Water 2 green chillies(adjust depending on the spice level) Method Peel and cut the avocados into pieces. Take all the ingredients into a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Take it into a bowl. If you like it thick and creamy leave it as is. If you prefer little thinner add little water. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings. Note: I love mint which is why I added it.

Boiled peanut chat is a spicy, tangy, delicious, lip smacking Indian street style food. This is one versatile dish that can be served as a snack or appetizer or salad or just as side dish for drinks. Being away from these are the kind of foods I miss a lot and I try to recreate them at home. Preparing this chat is super easy and always makes me feel nostalgic. Give the recipe a try and I bet you will be hooked... Ingredients 1 cup raw Peanuts(already shelled peanuts) 4 tbsp grated Carrot 1/4 cup finely chopped Onion 1/4 cup finely chopped Tomato 2 tbsp finely chopped Mint 4 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves Juice of 1 lemon(Use extra lemon if you like it tangier) 2 Green chilies finely chopped Salt per taste Method Soak peanuts in water for about an hour. Pressure cook peanuts with little salt and water for upto two whistles. Once the pressure is off, open the lid and drain all the water. Let the peanuts cool.  Add in all the ingredients and give it a

Masala vada.... This is a popular South Indian snack traditionally made of chana dal(split bengal gram). Well, I am kinda gal who had a tad bit of rebel streak in her and sometimes(I say sometimes but my mom might not agree) like to go against the rules. So, I went a non-traditional route and made my vadas with mixed dals and lots of mint and coriander leaves. I luv luv luv mint flavor. This recipe I am sharing today is inspired by mom's with twists of my own. The speciality of masala vada is that they have deliciously crunchy exterior and even more delicious soft interior, just like me ja ja ja ja. Enjoy! Ingredients 4 Green Chillies chopped finely 3/4 cup finely chopped Onion pinch of baking powder 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds 1/2 cup Besan/Chickpea flour(use as needed only if batter is runny or watery just to tighten up the batter) Coriander Leaves and Mint leaves finely chopped( I love mint and coriander leaves and so used 1/2 to 3/4th cup chopped of each leaves. Adjust per