My Cooking Wonders

Kodi guddu pulusu is a classic dish in Andhra region where eggs are cooked in tangy tamarind sauce and blend of spices. Adding sugar will cut the acidity of tamarind and enhances the flavor. This dish on a whole is party in the mouth with different notes of tastes dancing on your tongue - spicy, tangy, little hint of sweet...This is very easy to prepare with a very few ingredients yet packed with lots of flavor. Enjoy!! Ingredients 6 to 8 hard boiled eggs 2 big onions chopped real fine 4 green chillies 1 big lemon sized tamarind or 3 tbsp tamarind paste (use more if you want more gravy) 1 tsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp garam masala powder 1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder (optional) 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (per spice level) 3/4 tsp sugar Salt per taste 3 tbsp oil For tempering 2 dried red chillies 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric powder couple of pinches of hing(Inguva) 5 to 6 curry leaves

 I was bit busy this weekend and did not grocery shop. All I had on hand was a bag of spinach leaves and canned chickpeas sitting on my counter. Well I thought of incorporating both the ingredients into one dish and it turned out really well. And all it took me is good 30 minutes to finish this dish without breaking a sweat :).. This might not be a traditional chole dish, No offense but it tasted even better than the original chole masala itself. I served this dish with chapathi today and it was a instant hit with hubby dear.  Give it a try and make sure you serve this curry with a side of sliced raw onions as raw onions made it taste even better. Enjoy!!

Kobbari Podi is one awfully good smelling side dish that can be served with idli or dosa or steamed rice. It tastes even better when it is accompanied by little ghee. This podi is very simple to make and can be stored for up to 3 months and comes in very handy when you are in no mood to cook.Give it a try!!

Sambar is one of the most loved dishes in Southern part of India. This dish accompanies almost all the meals in South India. Can be served with breakfasts like idli dosa and can be served with steamed rice as well. Sambar is typically cooked with dal, lots of vegetables, tangy tamarind and spices. Tastes even better if you use ghee for tadka or popu. You know what gives this sambar the best taste ...home made sambar powder. Below I am linking my version of sambar powder along with the sambar recipe :).... Hot sambar with ghee rice and side of papads are to die for...Yummmm....My mouth is watering right now..Got to go guys...Enjoy!!!

These days every one is really busy with lives and most of us tend to buy all these powders and masalas at the grocery store.Well the truth is making these powders is really easy and doesn't even take much of your time to prepare it. 15 minutes is all you need to make any powder for up to 3 months in advance and store it. The downside is you need 15 minutes to make it but you cannot deny the fact that everything tastes more yummy when it is home made and fresh ..So here is a simple and fast way to make your own blend of Sambar powder in a breeze..

Summer and ridge gourds goes hand in hand in the place I grew up. During summer we used to have ridge gourd for dinner every other day prepared different ways. Here I am presenting simple chutney made of ridge gourd aka beerakaya. Ridge gourd is really good for health. It has a very high water content, making it a very low calorie vegetable. It has lot other health benefits which makes me include this vegetable a regular staple in my kitchen. Here is a simple recipe for ridge gourd chutney and wait for lot of ridge gourd recipes to follow as it is summer again :) Enjoy!!!!

Today I made a rich, silky and decadent Panna Cotta with a side of light, sweet and tangy strawberry compote. Panna Cotta is a Italian dessert which can be prepared in 15 minutes or less. I have to give you a heads up though. Even though it take 15 minutes to prepare, it will take at least 5 hours to set :).. I usually make this at night before I go to bed and set in the refrigerator so that it will be ready for me by the time I wake up in the morning. That way I will not peek at it every second to see if it set or not.. Jajajaja.. Try this dessert when you have small gatherings as these can be made ahead of time and will take no time to assemble. I bet for sure this will be the star of the party. Alright, It is Panna Cotta time for me --Ciao :) Ingredients 1 cup whole milk 1 1/2 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin 3 cups whipping cream 1/2 cup honey 3 tablespoon sugar For Garnish Small strawberries Strawberry Compote Method Take the milk in a small bowl. Spr

Compote is a French word for Mixture. It is a dessert originated in France, which is made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Compote can also be served as a topping for other desserts as well. Here is a simple recipe to make strawberry compote. Enjoy!!

Today I prepared a dish that made me feel like I am home - my mom version of chicken curry. This dish is really easy and quick to make. And trust me, no matter how much of the curry you make it won't be enough for sure. Give it a try!!

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!!

Today I made aloo kurma to go with Poori. I usually use cream in my kurma curries but today I ran out of cream and used nuts and coconut powder instead. It tasted a bit different but in a good way though. This recipe I am posting below can be made with ingredients from your pantry and really easy to make. Give it a try :)

Version 1 of dondakaya pakodi - Fresh tindora dipped in flours and spices and deep fried. This dish can be served as a snack or as a side with steamed rice. Oh my gosh this tasted so good and I could not stop myself from munching on this delicious dish till it is all gone. So I swore to myself not to make this dish very often or else I will blow out my diet. Give it a try and I bet you will agree with me on this..

Back to chicken after whole week..God!! How did I survive without eating chicken for one full week.... Well the story is I promised my husband that I will only cook vegetarian meals for one week and yes I did kept my promise. And today I made my favorite spicy chicken fry to make it up for whole week. My version of chicken fry is semi dry so that it goes well with rice too. This looks like a big process but you can do this in a breeze. This recipe of mine is a bg hit with friends. So take my word on this try it out..Good Luck :) Ingredients For prepping Chicken 1 1/2 lbs chicken 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin seeds(Jeera) 1 tsp garam masala   For curry 1 big onion chopped real fine or made to paste 2 green chillies sliced length wise 1 small tomato pureed(Optional) 1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp garam masala powder 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder(per spice level) 1

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

In the place I grew up, during the festival times one dish is a must in the menu - Muddha pappu(Toor Dal) with some kind of Pulusu. I prefer egg plant but bottle gourd pulusu which is called as Dappalam is more traditional. As for my hubby's request, today I made Dappalam to go with muddha pappu and the recipe goes like this.. Ingredients 1 medium sized bottle gourd chopped into medium chunks(sorakaya)(around 3 to 4 cups) 1 medium onion chopped into same size pieces as bottle gourd Big lemon sized tamarind or 1 1/2tbsp thick tamarind paste 2 tbsp ghee +2 tbsp oil 2 big tomatoes chopped 2 cloves of garlic handful of coriander leaves 1 small piece of ginger 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp coriander powder 2 tsp sugar or jaggery 1 green chilli 1 tbsp red chilli powder 3 to 4 tbsp cooked toor dal(muddha pappu) Salt per taste Tempering 3 or 4 dried red chillies 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds 1 tsp chana dal 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp turmeric powder coup

Sometimes I feel bored to eat the same palli chutney with breakfast. So I made Pudina pachadi,  of course with a touch of peanuts though. Do not get intimidated by the oil floating over the top :). I just poured the tempering over the top and took the picture. Once you give it a good stir, you will see everything disappearing into the chutney... And you always can control the oil you add in for your tempering. So give it a try and you will be glad that you tried something different..yet tasty ... Ingredients 1 big bunch of Mint 1 tbsp chana dal 2 tbsp peanuts 2 tbsp dry coconut powder small lemon sized tamarind or 1 tbsp tamarind paste 1 green chilli 2 dried red chillies 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp oil For Tempering 1 tbsp oil 1 red chilli 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp chana dal 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1 small clove garlic crushed pinch go turmeric pinch of Asafoetida/hing (Inguva)(Optional) 5 to 6 curry leaves Method Heat 1 tbsp

Ras Malai is a popular dessert in India which is said to be originated in Orissa. Ras Malai is combination of two words : Ras which means Juicy and Malai which means cream or fat. If made properly this dish taste awfully good and melts in your mouth. Give it a try!! Ingredients Ricotta Cheese made fresh (or use 7 to 8 oz of store bought cheese) 4 cups Water 2 cups Sugar For Milk Mixture 3 cups whole milk 4 tbsp sugar 1 tsp elaichi/Cardamom powder Garnish couple saffron strands 2 tbsp silvered almonds 2 tbsp chopped pistachios Method Knead the cheese by rubbing hard with your palm . Knead till your palm feels little greasy and till you are able to form firm balls out of the cheese. Now make small balls out of the cheese and press each ball into a small patty. Keep aside. In a pressure cooker pan add sugar and water. Give it a stir and bring it to a boil. Add the cheese patties to the sugar mixture and close the lid. Cook for 1 whistle. If you make the c

Making Ricotta Cheese/Paneer is really easy. Homemade cheese makes a wonderful base for lot of Indian paneer curries, Indian desserts, cheese cakes, lasagna and the list goes on.. Below is the process to make fresh cheese/Paneer in your kitchen. Ingredients 4 1/2 cups Milk(1 quart or around 1 litre) 1/4 cup lemon juice or 3 tbsp vinegar 1/2 cup Heavy cream Method Line the colander with cheesecloth or muslin cloth, Set the colander over a big deep bowl and set aside. In a thick bottomed sauce pan combine milk and heavy cream and bring it to a boil. Bringing the milk to a boil is the key step. So have little patience. Once milk comes to a boil add the lemon juice slowly little by little and simultaneously stir the milk gently. Boil for one to two minutes, until the milk is curdled. Pour the milk mixture into the cheese cloth lined colander. Immediately take the colander and run it under cold water. Running under cold water will let the cheese cool down making it easy t

Somehow I do not like eating out very often but I crave for some dishes served at the restaurant. So I try to replicate them in my kitchen modifying the recipe my way to exactly match my taste buds. The recipe I am posting today is one such dish. This was the first restaurant dish I fell in love with eight years back..The name itself will make my mouth water..ummmmm.. I made Apollo fish for the weekend and here is the recipe for you guys....Have a great weekend!! Ingredients 2 Fish Filets (Boned and skinned)(around 9oz or 250 grams) 1 tbsp Red chilli powder 2 tbsp corn starch or corn flour 1 tbsp all purpose flour 1 egg 3/4 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp garam masala couple of pinches of food color(I used orange color) salt for taste juice of 1/2 lemon (around 2 tsp) oil for deep frying For Sauce 8 to 10 green chillies slit length wise 1 medium onion thinly sliced 4 cloves of garlic 3/4 tbsp soy sauce 1/2 tbsp oil

Quick, simple, light and healthy dinner on a Friday night.  I could not ask for more. I made simple baked salmon for dinner tonight and thought of sharing this recipe with you guys. Not that many of you guys do not know this recipe.. I thought this might be helpful for newbies :) ..   Enjoy Folks..Happy Friday!! Ingredients 2 Salmon fillets with skin on(4 oz each) 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 medium onion thinly sliced 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 6 to 8 sprigs of coriander leaves 1 tsp olive oil Cooking spray or butter Salt for taste Method Preheat the oven to 200F. Take a piece of aluminum foil which if 5 to 6 times bigger and wider than the fish fillet. Spray the skin side of the fish with cooking spray and place in the middle of the foil skin side down. Apply half of the ginger garlic paste. Sprinkle with salt and half of the pepper. Sprinkle 1/4th of the lemon juice. Top with 1/2 of the onions and 1/2 of the cilantro cilantro. Sprink