My Cooking Wonders

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...

Aaaavadaaaaaaa......This dish needs no introduction if you are from Andhra Pradesh. I have grown up seeing my mother, grandmother, great grandmother(yes, my mom's mom's mom) make this dish for festivals and such. Welllll, that being said, I am not a big fan(am not saying I do not like them...just not a big fan.....not the same thing)... On the other hand hubby dear Loves(with a capital L ...note that point) this dish like crazy... So this is how it goes in our house...I love garelu and he loves Aavada. If you put 1 and 1 together, it will make both of us happy..Some garelu for me and some avada for him from left over garelu...ha ha ha.....What are you waiting for...we do not need festivals to make yummy food..right guys???? Ingredients For Garelu Urad Dal Ginger Green Chilli Salt Onion Coriander leaves/Cilantro Oil for frying For Curd mixture Curd Green chilli ginger Cilantro Carrot Salt Tempering Oil 4 Dried red chillies 1 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 t...

Thursdays are my vegetarian, no rice, eat only one meal kind of days. When I am too lazy to make any kind of batters before hand, these are my go to munchies. Every time I make them, I tell myself that I should not eat more than two of these but guess what...never able to stick to it. Trust me when I say that  these are that good if made right..... These are really easy to make because all the ingredients used in this recipe are available in pantry or fridge at all the times. The best thing is that this batter does not have to ferment!! Give it a try folks.. Ingredients 1 cup wheat flour/Godhuma pindi 1/2 cup thick yogurt 1/2 cup chopped onion 4 green chillies minced real fine 1/2 tsp cumin seeds Salt per taste Water Method In a big bowl mix wheat flour, salt and cumin seeds. Add in the yogurt and little water to the flour and mix. The batter should of medium consistency just to be able to pourable into a thick attu. Add more water to get the right consistency. ...

Poori is a Indian puffed bread which is easily recognized by its puffed up shape. It is one of the common breakfast items regularly made in Indian households. Below is the procedure to make Poori..Enjoy!!

Do you have left over Dosa batter sitting in your refrigerator and you are not in a mood to eat dosa? No worries..Here is a simple dish which can be served as breakfast or snack...Give it a try :) Ingredients 2 cups Dosa batter 3 tbsp sooji(Upma ravva) 2 tbsp rice flour 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 green chillies chopped real fine 1/2 onion chopped real fine handful of coriander leaves chopped real fine Salt per taste couple of pinches of baking soda(may be 1/8th tsp) Oil for deep frying Method In a bowl mix all the ingredients except for oil. The batter should be thick. Line a plate with paper towels. Heat oil in a kadai or thick bottomed sauce pan. Take a small amount of batter, form into a ball and drop gently into hot oil and fry till golden brown. Take them out and drain them on a paper towel. Serve hot with any kind of chutney. I made Pudina chutney to go with these yummy snacks..Enjoy!! Note You can add more sooji and rice flour if you want to thicken...

Ingredients 2 cup sona masuri rice 2 cup idli rice (parboiled rice) 1 cup urad dal (minapappu)(husk less) 1 teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds) Salt per taste Method Wash the urad dal and rice thoroughly. Soak the rice, dal and methi seeds for 12 hrs in separate bowls in clean water. Later we use the urad dal soaked water for grinding.This will help in the fermentation process. In a grinder or mixer jar take the urad dal, methi seeds and grind to a smooth paste by adding urad dal soaked water. Grind in separate batches if needed. Take the urad dal batter into a bowl and keep aside. Now grind the rice to a smooth paste as well using the urad dal soaked water. Dump the rice batter into the urad dal batter. Add salt and mix thoroughly so that all the batters are well incorporated. Make sure the size of the bowl is alteast 2 to 3 times larger than the batter itself. Now leave the batter uncovered in a warm place and let it sit over night undisturbed. If you have a conv...

If you are from Andhra region, Pesarattu Upma need no introduction. This dish to me is a brunch dish as this dish will be on heavier side and you will be full by just having couple of these. Every time I make pesarattu, I make extra batter as hubby dear loves this dish. Typically pesarattu will be greenish in color. The color comes from green husks of the moong dal. My version will be pale yellow in color as I use husk less moong dal. Except for that I did not notice any change in the taste. The recipe goes like this... Ingredients For Batter 2 cups moong dal soaked in water overnight Salt 6 green chillies small piece of ginger 1 tsp of cumin seeds For Pesarattu Upma Upma Pesarattu batter Chopped onions Grated carrot Method Soak the moong dal for 6 to 8 hours. Give it a good rinse and grind the dal adding little water along with green chillies, ginger and salt to a smooth batter of medium consistency. Add in the cumin seeds and keep the batter aside....

Ingredients 1 cup Sooji(bomabai ravva) 3 cups water 3 green chillies 1/2 medium onion chopped small piece of ginger chopped 1 tsp roasted peanuts 2 tsp ghee or butter Salt for taste  1/2 tbsp oil For Tempering 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp chana dal 1/2 tsp urad dal 6 to 8 curry leaves 1 dried red chilli crushed little bit Method Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the tempering and let them splutter. Add in peanuts, ginger and green chillies. Fry for a minute. Keep stirring. Add in the onions and fry till onions are soft and translucent. Add the water and salt. Let the water come to a boil. Now with one hand slowly add sooji, continuous stirring with other hand. You have to stir simultaneously while adding sooji to avoid lumps.  Keep stirring and let the sooji mixture to your desired consistency. Stir in the ghee or butter and turn off the heat.

I have my own definition for chapathi. For me, chapathis are made using the folding technique where as just rolled out discs are rotis. I might be right or wrong. At the end of the day all that matters is the taste :). Below I am posting my version of "chapathi". Try to use fresh flour as the more the flour sits in you kitchen the more it looses its gluten and sticky tendency and you will end up with dry chapatis. Ingredients 2 cups whole wheat flour(Godhuma pindi) + flour for dusting 3 to 4 tbsp warm milk 1 tsp oil + more for cooking the chapathi Salt per taste Warm water enough to mix the dough(1/4 to 1/2 cup) Ghee Method In a bowl take the wheat flour and salt. Add milk and mix to incorportate milk into the flour. Add in 1tsp oil and mix again. Now add in water little by little to make a moist dough. Knead the dough well until the dough is pliable and soft, approximately about 5 to 7 minutes. Cover with damp cloth and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Tak...

This is one recipe that jogs my childhood memories. People from coastal Andhra especially from village background will for sure be familiar with this Pullattu. There are lot of versions of how to make this tasty dosa. I almost forgot about this item until one of our friend's mom made this for us for breakfast recently. I asked for the recipe from her and here I am posting it for you ..Special Thanks to aunty :) Ingredients For Batter 2 cups thick butter milk(majjiga) 2 cups rice 1 tsp methi seeds(menthulu) salt per taste For Dosa finely minced green chillies, chopped onions and minced cilantro Method For Batter Wash the rice. Soak rice and methi seeds in the buttermilk over night. Then in a mixer jar take rice, methi seeds, the buttermilk in which we soaked the rice, salt and grind to a smooth paste. The batter can be little thinner. Now take the batter into a bowl and leave it in a warm place to let it ferment overnight. Stick it in the refrigerator the next m...

Happy Srirama Navami!! I recalled my childhood memories and there is not even one festival I could remember of that passed by without making garelu in our house. My mom used to grind the batter on the morning of the festival in a wet grinder and used to set up a big kadai on mud stove (Kattela Poyyi) to make garelu. hmmm...Good old days..I miss them a lot... Well enough of my memories and stories here is the recipe for tasty ulli garelu..Enjoy guys!! Ingredients 4 cups Urad dal(Minapapappu) 6 to 8 Green Chillies Small piece of Ginger 1 large onion finely chopped 1 small bunch coriander leaves finely chopped 1 tbsp cumin seeds Salt per taste 1 tsp baking soda(Optional) Oil for deep frying Method Soak Urad dal in water over night. In a mixer/grinder grind the urad dal, green chillies, ginger and salt, without adding water to tight paste. Grind in batches. The batter must be really tight to make garelu. Take the batter into a bowl and add onions, cumin seeds, bak...