HAPPY VIJAYADASEMI

HAPPY VIJAYADASEMI TO ALL

RAW ONION CHUTNEY

Onion a common vegetable that we use in every day cooking. Onion a underground vegetable grows in single bulbs,native to Asia and Middle East and cultivated for over 5 thousand years. Greeks and Egyptians used them not only for their culinary use but also as an item for purchages though barter system in their markets.It was used in thair offerings to God's,and king's.Even nowOnion is an indispensable vegetable in many Indian recipes.It was used for it's medicinal properties in ancient India. But some vegetarian Hindus and jains don't eat onions because they are underground vegetables,as there is likelyhood of any micro-organisams or tiny life forms getting injured when the plant is pulled up to secure the bulb.Except such strictly vegetarian communitys most of the Indian kitchens will have onions in their every day menu.According to Ayurveda Charaka Samhita and shushruta Samhita ( ancient Ayurvedic text books )onion is a strengthening food.Like garlic onion is also from lilly(allium family).The anti bacterial property of onion has long been recognized by ayurveda.Onion reduces bad cholesterol and controles high blood pressure. It is having blood sugar regulating qualities also.Because of it's anti inflammatory agents onion helps to prevent Asthama.Onion soup is one of the best remedies for soothing cold. Juice of boiled onion clears phlegm, even eating a raw onion helps you to clear phlegm from throat and mouth and even it helps in controling flu.Onions are very helpfull to maintain healthy bones specialy for women those who are passing through menopause. Onions may bring tears to you eyes and bad breath from mouth. But onions will most certainly bring delicious taste to your recipes.

Here I am with onion chutney recipe:-----

INGREDIENTS:----

Onion --1 big

Green chilies --- 15 no.
Split urad beens --- 1 tea sp (urad dal, Minappappu)
tamarind --- 2 inch piece( or you can use 1 tea sp tamarind pulp also)
Cumin seeds ---1/2 tea sp
Dry coconut -- 2 trab sp grated
Freah coriander leaves --- 1 cup chopped
Oil -- 1 tea sp

METHOD:----

1. Heat oil in a pan add urad dal,green chilies, cumin seeds and fry till nice aroma comes out this will take 7 minutes in a medium flame.

2. Then add grated dry coconut and fry for a second.

3. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

4. In the mean while soak tamarind in water for 5 minutes (If using tamarind).

5.Place fried ingredients in to a blender jar and grind in to a coarse paste then add onion pieces, chopped coriander, salt to taste, tamarind and grind in to a coarse paste (no need to add water moisture in the onion will be enough for making the chutney)

6. Remove from the blender jar in to a serving bowl and serve with idli, dosa, pongali, and steamed rice.

Note:--- Choose onions clean. dry avoid sprouting onions moisture at there neck and dark patches.

Always store onions in a dry place where they get good ventilation like wire baskets.

Most importent part is when you slice the onion you get tears in your eyes the compound that causes the eyes to burn is a phytonutrient known as a allyl sulfate that produce sulfur- compounds released by the onion s ruptured cells are exposed to air to prevent this

Peel the onion and drop them in cold water for 1 hour then slice the onion.

Cut the onion in to two and place them in a container and leave it in the fridge for 1 hour then chop the onion

You may store the chopped or sliced onion wrapped tightly in a news paper and place it in a zip lock cover or sealed container and place it in the fridge but use these onion with in 2-3 days

BOTTLE GOURD JUICE

Bottle gourd.. such a fantastic vegetable but many people dislike to include in there meal. This easy digestive vegetable has many benefits. Now a days ayurvedic doctors and yoga guru s are giving advises to include bottle gourd in every ones diet. Even for elder people also,this vegetable is usefull as it is having lot of medicinal values. Especially it contains 'o' cholesterol, high in dietary fiber and protein. Bottle gourd prevents excessive loss of sodium, very effective for urinary disorders, because cooked bottle gourd cools the body system. now a days bottle gourd juice is very popular in weight reduction.A glass of bottle gourd juice with a pinch of salt and 1 tea sp of lemon juice will be very help full in preventing urinary disorders, excessive thirst and tiredness. So start using bottle gourd in every day meal as it is a very common and less expencive vegetable in India. Here I am with very healthy bottle gourd juice in two versions.
FIRST VERSION------
INGREDIENTS:---
Bottle gourd pieces --- 1 cup (peal the green skin and remove the seeds)
Ginger -- 1/2 tea sp chopped
Lemon juice -- 2 tea sp
salt -- a pinch (or )
honey --- 1 tea sp (if you have any urine disorders then please don't add honey)
You can use sugar also but it will increase the calories.

METHOD:---
Blend all the ingredients in a blander in to a fine paste.
Add water mix well and serve.
If you want you can strain the juice, but wen you strain the juice fiber will be removed and that is not good for health, not recommended too.
Have this juice once in a day only.
SECOND VERSION---
INGREDIENTS:---
Lemon juice -- 1 tab sp
Honey --- 1 tab sp or Rock sugar(patikabellam, Kalkanda)
Bottle gourd pieces -- 1 cup
Pineapple pieces -- 1/2 cup
cucumber pieces ---1/4 cup
ginger --1/2 tea sp chopped

METHOD:----
Blend all above ingredients in a blender in to a smooth paste and add 2 glasses of water and blend for 1 second again.
Add 1 tab sp lemon juice and 1 tab sp honey or rock sugar(kalkanda, patikabellam) mix well to dissolve and serve.
If you are in a low calorie diet then this juice will be a good combination with any salad.
In that case don't add honey or sugar a pinch of salt will be replaced.
you want to really reduce your weight not only drinking this juice will help you have to do yoga or exercise and a 1/2 hour brisk walk also will give a good results...

COOKED RICE AND VEGETABLE CUTLET

Yessssss it is COOKED RICE CUTLET WITH VEGETABLES .....

We have seen this recipe in a TV show, before that I use to make pakodi s with left over rice. Some times after a party left over rice is a big question mark for me in that case this is a great idea to finish that rice.in that tv show she didn't add vegetables but adding fresh grated vegetables will give a great taste to the cutlet, no need to add potato because we are using corn flour, chick pea flour,bread crumbs for binding, they helps to give a crispy texture also. Of course you can use fresh cooked rice also.

Wow girls Priya,Sailaja and Sharmila How did you find that!!!!! I thought only I know the recipe... heee hee hee great yaar thank you all for the comments and here I goo with the recipe..........

INGREDIENTS:---
Cooked rice --- 2 & 1/2 cups (you can use left over rice or vegetable pulav or any non-vege pulav will give great taste in this you have to remove hole spices)

Onion -- 1 big finely chopped

Fresh coriander leaves --- 1 tab sp finely chopped

Carrot -- 1/4 cup grated

Cabbage --1/4 cup grated or finely chopped

Spinach --- 1/4 cup finely chopped

Green chilli chopped --- 1 tab sp

Besan (chick pea flour) -- 1 tab sp

Corn flour -- 1 tab sp

Fresh Bread crumbs -- 1 cup

Red chilli powder ---1/2 tea sp

Salt --- 1 1/2 tea sp or according to your taste

Garam masala powder -- 1 tea sp(optional)

Oil for deep frying

METHOD:---

1.Mash the cooked rice with hand well, add chopped onion, chopped green chilies,grated vegetables, chopped spinach, chick pea flour,corn flour,fresh bread crumbs, salt, red chili powder,garam masala (if using) mix well to combine every thing.

2. Now make Small balls out of this mixture, give desire shape and deep fry in hot oil till golden color.

3. Remove from oil serve hot with tomato sauce or hot garlic sauce

Note:- Mash rice with hand only don't use blender or mixee if you use blender or mixee rice will become very soggy(fine paste) that won't give a good taste to cutlet

Use fresh bread crumbs and mix them with rice mixture this will help you in binding and helps in remove extra moisture from rice mixture and vegetables also and your oil won't spoil trust me and try this with any cutlet not only this one you will get nice crisp cutlets

You can shallow fry them but deep fry gives a better and crispy texture.

GUESS THE INGREDIENT......

Today is Saturday, suddenly it was raining here and weather became little pleasant. We were carving for some thing deep fried for our dinner, first we thought of making pakodis or puri and curry but suddenly amma changed her idea and this recipe was born.She didn't add potato in this and they are not regular bread rolls.Now friends try to GUESS WHAT THE MAIN INGREDIENT IS.........

Recipe coming up..............................

CHOCOLATE MILK PUDDING

Pudding normally made with milk, eggs or starch,some times with rice also and served most often as a dessert. But there are some savory dishes which are very famous as puddings. In India puddings are famous for desserts like rice pudding (kheer), Bread pudding, Bread and butter pudding, caramel custard. First time I was inter duce China grass by my MIL she use to make with instant china grass power and milk and it is a favorite dessert at my place.When I was a kid amma (my mom) use to make caramel custard pudding with milk, eggs, sugar that is my all time favorite. I usually make milk pudding with china grass with vanilla flavor but one fine day I saw this chocolate milk pudding in Priya s blog that was very interesting..and it came out very well, taste awesome also we just loved it Thank you so much Priya for this delicious Idea of chocolate milk pudding.....

INGREDIENTS:---
Milk -- 1&1/2 cups

Sweetened condensed milk -- 1/2 cup
Chocolate powder -- 2 tab sp
Agar agar (china grass) powder -- 1 tab sp
Chocolate chips -- 1 tab sp
Vanilla essence -- few drops
METHOD:---
1. Mix milk and condensed milk in a tick bottom pan and bring to a full boil then add agar agar powder mix well keep in a low flame and stir till agar agar get dissolved.
2. Remove from the heat and divied this milk in to two bowls.
3. Add vanilla essence in one bowl and chocolate powder and chocolate chips in another bowl mix well to dissolve chocolate powder.
4. Take another big bowl or 2 or 3 small bowls.
5. pour vanilla milk mixture first.
6. Next pour chocolate milk mix slowly in the middle of the vanilla milk mix leave it a side to cool then keep it in the fridge for an hour.
7. Serve chilled with any toping or with fruits.
Enjoy your dessert chilled...

MANGO JAM

Ahhh almost finished my raw mango recipes for this year. Raw mangoes are turned in to ripe sweet fruit so now they are in very sweet taste. If they are any raw mangoes in the market they don't taste sour but little sweet taste will be there. this sweet and sour taste mangoes are not perfect for pickles and chutneys. This sweet and sour mangoes are good for Salsa,salads and some curries but not for pickles and jams.For jam we have to use fully ripe mangoes, that gives a better taste to jam.But some people use half ripe mangoes also for jam... Who don't like jam spread on a crisp toast for break fast? Jam is my all time favorite with bread toast or a chapati or roti, that too if it is a mango jam thats it yummmm.
Mango pulp -- peal mango and cut in to bite size pieces and make pulp in a blander add 1 tab sp water if require(better make pulp without water).

INGREDIENTS:----
Mango pulp --- 2 1/2 cups
Sugar --- 200 gms
Cloves -- 4
Cinnamon powder --1/2 tea sp
Citric acid ---- 1/4 tea sp or
lemon juice -- 1 tab sp
METHOD:---
1.Take mango pulp, sugar, cloves in to a thick bottom pan and start cooking, bring to a full boil and reduce the flame, keep string.
2. cook this mixture in a low flame till the mixture become thick, means if you drop a little jam on a plate that should not spread.(this will take 20 to 25 minutes time)
3. In this stage add lemon juice or if you like to add citric acid then mix 1/4 tea sp citric acid to 1/4 cup of hot water and add this citric acid mixture, cinnamon powder mix well to combine every thing.
4. Remove from heat and let it cool then pour mango jam in to sterilized glass jar, seal when it is completely cool.

Remove cloves before you pour the jam in to jar.
Keep this jam in fridge because I didn't use any preserves I used lemon juice if you want to keep this for long time then you can add preserves so that jam will stay for long time.
Like pickles don't use a wet spoon to scoup out the jam always use a clean and dry spoon.
If you like can add a pinch of yellow food color for more bright color.

RAW MANGO AND CABBAGE CHUTNEY

In the array of my mango recipes, this chutney recipe is new one to me also. Few day back Harichandana of Indian cuisine posted this spicy and tempting chutney with Raw mango and cabbage Really it is a perfect side dish for every thing like rice, dosa, idli and chapati. I made little changes like I gave a seasoning after grinding the chutney and increase the red chilies.thank you so much for the recipe Chandana...

INGREDIENTS:----

Cabbage --- 1 cup chopped(I used the bowl what I presented the chutney in the pic. that is nearly 200g of cabbage)

Raw mango --- 1 medium size, very sour and green mango

Dry red chillies -- 12 to 15 or according to your taste

Chana dal -- 1 tab sp (split chick peas)

Urad dal -- 1/2 tab sp (split urad bean)

Fenugreek seeds -- 1/4 tea sp

Mustard seeds --- 1 tea sp

Oil --- 4 tea sp

Salt -- 1 1/2 tea sp or according to your taste

FOR SEASONING:----

Oil --- 1 tea sp

Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tea sp

Asafoetida -- 1/4 tea sp

Curry leaves -- 1 spring

METHOD:----

1. chop cabbage, peal and chop mango in to small pieces and leave a side.

2.Heat oil in a deep frying pan add chana dal, urad dal,mustard seeds and fry till light golden color then add fenugreek seeds and Dry red chilies and fry for 3 min. remove from flame and leave it to cool.

3. In the same pan add chopped cabbage and fry for 2 to 3 min. or till the raw smell disappears, remove fro the flame and let it cool.

4.Grind roasted dals, mustard, fenugreek seeds,red chillies in to afine powder then add cabbage, chopped raw mango pieces, salt and grind in to a coarse paste if required sprinkle water(I did't add any water, if you run your blender with gaps for every 2 sec. that will help you to grind your chutney with out water).

5. Heat oil for seasoning in a small frying pan add mustard seeds let them splutter then add asafoetida and curry leaves add this seasoning to chutney mix well ti combine every thing check salt one before you serve.If require add some salt and mix well.

Serve with hot steamed rice, dosa, idli, chapati or any thing you like...enjoy...

MAGAYA - SUN DRIED MANGO PICKLE

One more pickle like Avakaya during this summer time made with raw mangoes and stays for long time (more then one year).Magaya is a very popular pickle like Avakaya in coastal Andhra.Making of this pickle is totally different then Avakaya and a perfect side dish for curd rice and pongal....

INGREDIENTS:-----

Mangoes - 6 big

Mustard powder -- 200g

Salt - 250g

Red chili powder - 250g

Fenugreek powder - 50g

Turmeric -- 1 tab sp

Oil ---- 400g

FOR SEASONING:----

Dry red chilies -- 10 broken

Asafoetida - 1/2 tea sp

Mustard seeds --2 teasp

METHOD:---

1.Wash,clean mangoes with a dry cloth, peal the skin and slice the mangoes in to very thin slices (like potato chips)

2. Shift the mango slices in a wide bowl add half salt and turmeric powder combine well to coat salt and turmeric each and every piece.

3. Cover this marinated mango pieces bowl with a lid and leave a side for 1 day.

4.Next day morning you can find this marinated mango pieces ooze there juices. Now squeeze the juice lightly from mango pieces and spread the mango pieces on a big plate.

5. Sun dry this squeezed mango pieces with sap in a very hot sun for 1 day or till the wetness in the mango piece disappears.(this process will take 1 day in Indian peak summer ).

6. In the mean while dry roast the mustard and then fenugreek take care that the seeds should not splutter remove and make a fine powder.

7. Add remaining salt.red chili powder, mustard and fenugreek powder, sap to mango pieces mix well to combine every thing.

8.Heat oil in a deep frying pan add mustard seeds let them splutter then add broken red chilies and asafoetida remove from flame and let it cool.

9 Add this seasoning to mango and spice mixture mix well to combine every thing leave it for a day.

From third day you can use this pickle.

Enjoy this delicious pickle with curd rice or pongali or even with plain steamed rice.

store the pickle in a ceramic or glass jar don't use plastic jars

Make sure that you don't touch water while making the pickle and clean each and every thing like mixing bowl ladle and mangoes with a dry cloth and dry them properly.

Use a clean and dry spoon every time to take out the pickle from jar.

SPROUTED MUNG AND MANGO SALAD

Sprouted mung beans are popular alternative to meat for vegetarians. Sprouted mung beans are hign in Potassium,Calcium.Iron, Fiber,Magnesium and B vitamins.Sprouted mung beans are excellent diet food because 1 cup of sprouted mung beans contain less then 30 calories but high in protein, only 2 grams of fat and very rich sorce of dietary fiber and they are very easily digestible. They do not generally create abdominal gas or bloating. This fiber and vitamin rich little sprouted beans can be eaten on their own or combine with rice to make Khichari or mix with vegetables and greens to make healthy soups or make a paste with sprouted mung beans to make delicious crepes or mix with seasonal fruits and nuts to make healthy salads. So sprouted mung beans are one of the most recomended food for the people who are in weight loss diet. Instead of having idlis and dosa s for break fast 1 cup of sprouted mung beans with any seasonal fruit will be a very good choice for weight loss diet and now it is the Mango season in India so here is a very simple salad for this hot summer break fast.
INGREDIENTS:----
Mango --- 1 big ripe
Sprouted mung beans -- 1 cup 250 ml or 200 g
Honey -- 1tab sp (if required)
Black pepper powder --- 1/4 teasp
Cinamon powder --- 1/4 tea sp
METHOD:----
1. Peal and cut the mango in to bite size pieces
2. combine all above ingredients in a salad mixing bowl
Serve immediately.
If you like to have this salad chilled then leave it in the fridge for 1 hour before you serve but this won't stay crisp for long time in the fridge, mango pieces will become soft.
Check my POMEGRANATE& MOONG SPROUTS SALAD

MAMIDIKAYA MUKKALA PACHADI - INSTANT MANGO PICKLE

In a typical Andhra meal PACHADI will take the first place.A traditional andhra meal will not complite with out ooragaya and pachadi. Ooragaya means pickle which is made of seasonal fruits and vegetables and uses a liberal amount of chilli powder,spices and oil.Pachadi(chutney) is typically made with vegetables and roasted green or red chilies,spices, it consumes less oil then pickle and stay for 1 or 2 days. Normally pachadi s are made with vegetables like ridge gourd, eggplant,etc. and greens like Gongura, coriander and mint leaves, coconut and also with some lentils like toor dal and urad dal. In mango season we make pachadi with mangoes for an instent use before avakaya get ready to use. Today I am here withone of the mango pachadi for instant use....
INGREDIENTS:---
Mango --- 1 big
Coriander seeds --- 1 1/2 teasp
Dry red chillies --- 50g
Mustard seeds -- 1 tea sp
cumin seeds -- 1/2 teasp
Fenugreek seeds -- 1 tea sp
Salt -- 10 g
Turmeric powder -- 1/2 tea sp
FOR SEASONING:----
Oil --- 50ml
Mustard seeds --- 1 tea sp
Dry red chilies -- 4 broken
asafoetida -- 1/4 teasp

METHOD:-----
1. Heat a teasp oil in a deep frying pan add one by one mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chilies and fry till nice aroma comes out in a low flame.
2. Wash and clean the mango with a dry cloth and chop the 1/4th mango with skin, peal the skin and cut the remaining mango in to bite size pieces.

3.first grind the fried spices with salt and turmeric powder in to a fine powder.

4.Add bite size mango pieces to the spice powder and again grind in to a fine paste(dont add water grind this mango and spice mixture with gaps for every 2 sec.If you find diffecult in grinding open the lid and mix with a spoon and again grind for 2 sec.)

5. Remove from the blender(mixee jar) add chopped mango pieces check the salt if required add some salt mix well to combine every thing and take it out in to a serving bowl.

6. Heat oil in a deep frying pan add mustard seeds and let them splutter then add broken dry red chilies. asafoetida swithch off the flame and add this seasoning to chutney mix well.
Serve with idli, dosa, pondali, curd rice, rice and dal(annam, muddapappu) enjoy the fresh mango pickle.

MAMIDIKAYA TURUMU PACHADI - GRATED MANGO PICKLE

Here is the next pickle from Mango season,which is very easy to make and stay for long time(more then one year).This is an instent pickle which you can use from the next day.It tastes little different then Avakaya but process is almost the same only thing we grate the mangoes for this pickle instead of making pieces.For this pickle we can use any verity of raw green mangoes. Mangoes should be fully mature, raw, green and very sour in taste. You can serve this pickle with any thing like Idli, Dosa, Pongal, Curd rice,Rice . But my choice is when you mix this pickle with leftover rice (don't add ghee or butter that will spoil the pickle taste because ghee dominates the pickle flavor) in the next day morning mmmm that is the best way to eat this pickle for me. and here is the recipe.... INGREDIENTS:----
Mangoes --- 6 no. really big size mangoes measure the grated mango that should be 2 kg s or 12 cups with rice cooker measurement cup.
Salt ---- 250 g
Mustard powder ----200 g
Fenugreek powder ---- 1 tab sp
Red chilli powder --- 250 g
Turmeric powder --- 1 tab sp
Oil ---- 1/2 kg
Dry red chillies --- 10 no. broken
Mustard seeds --- 25 g

METHOD:----

1. Wash mangoes and wipe with a clean dry cloth and great with skin till the seed and remove the seed and take this grated mango in to wide bowl
2. Add turmeric powder,fenugreek powder, mustard powder, salt and red chilli powder and mix well to combine all ingredients very well.

3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan till smoking point add mustard seeds and let them splutter then add broken red chilies remove the pan from fire and let it cool to room temperature.
4. Then add this oil with mustard seeds and dry red chilies to grated mango mixture mix well and cover with a lid and leave a side for 1 day.

5. next day morning again mix with a clean,dry ladle and check salt if required add salt or red chilli powder at this time mix well and enjoy the pickle.

AVAKAYA - A TREDITIONAL ANDHRA MANGO PICKLE FROM ANDHRA PRADESH

Muddapappu,avakaya with hot steamed rice and ghee is the most wanted combination for Telugu people,OrPerugu annam (curd rice, cooked rice mixed with yogurt)with avakaya but most of the Telugu people likes with muddapapu(cooked and mashed pigeon peas with little salt)Avakayi, neyi(clarified butter/ghee) with steamed rice. From Ugadi (the telugu new year day) we start useing mangoes in our cooking that is the day we offer God the first crop of raw mangoes in Ugadi pachadi, After one month from Ugadi day the pickling mangoes will start coming in to the market. In this Hot summer season every Telugu household look forward for Avakaya making season. My mom will check for a good day and she first starts with making Mustard powder and fenugreek powder and then in the mid day after lunch She start mixing the pickle, by the time she finished mixing the pickle it will be evening 4o clock. Every year Amma makes this pickle for 3 households myself, my sister,my brother and for amma herself. I am so lucky that I got this treasure (avakaya pickle recipe) from my amma and to day here I am with the traditional Andhra pickle Avakaya.. And my choice is Hot rice with Muddapappu, Ghee and Avakaya yummmmmm heaven.. ok here I go with the recipe.........

INGREDIENTS:----
Mangoes -- 6 big (we use peddarasalu)
Salt -- 250 g or 2 1/4 cup with rice cooker cup
Turmeric --- 2 tab sp
Mustard power -- 250g or 2 1/4 cup (Dry 200 grams black mustard in hot sun for 2-3 hour or heat a deep frying pan and heat mustard till they hot when you touch with your hand, take care that mustard should not splutter when you fry them. Let them cool for some time and grind in to a fine powder. Grind mustard seeds very slowly giving gap in between every 2 sec. otherwise oil may come out from the mustard seeds )
Fenugreek powder- 2 tab sp
Fenugreek seeds --- 1 tab sp

Red chilli powder --300 g or 3 1/4 cups
Oil --- 1/2 kg ( good quality sesame oil)or idayam gingely oil.
Garlic - 100 grams(Garlic should be added on third day.

METHOD:-----
1. Clean mangoes with a lightly wet cloth and leave a side for dry .
2. Now cut the mangoes vertically in to half that the hard stone in the inside the mango is also cut in to two parts,discard the in side soft seed and their will be a thin layer stick to the hard part of the seed discard that layer also and clean the mango pieces with a dry cloth. Leave the hard shell of mango seed to the mango piece. that means each piece should contain the hard stone part so that the mango piece should not become soft after pickling for a year.

3. Now take half oil (I gave 1/2 kg oil in thair half means 1/4 kg oil) in to a big bowl or plate and add turmeric powder and fenugreek seeds to this oil mix well and add mango pieces to this oil and leave a side for 15 min. This will help to retain hard the mango piece in the pickle for long time.
4.Then add the mustard powder, fenugreek powder, salt and red chilli powder to the mango pieces and combine well with a ladle or with you r hand to combine the ingredients well and coat the mango pieces with the masala well.

5. place this mango pieces mixture in a jar or a glass bottle (don't use plastic jars or bottle) and pour the leftover 1/4 kg oil on top of the mango pieces and cover tightly and leave a side for 3 days.
6. On third day clean and peel the garlic cloves.
7. Now open the pickle jar and mix with a clean and dry ladle and check salt if required add some more salt and check once again, add garlic cloves and again mix well care fully again cover tightly and leave for 1 more day.
8. This will stay for 1 year.

NOTE:-- Choose the mangoes very carefully. Mangoes should be fully mature, raw, green and very sour in taste.
Especially for avakai choose the mangoes with high fiber, normally in Andhra pradesh we use peddarasalu or cheruku rasalu or any verity of rasalu mangoes if you don't find this verity then you can use any long verity which is fibrous, green and sour because when you pickling this fibrous mangoes the pickle will stand till the next season without going soft.
make sure that you don't touch water while making the pickle and clean each and every thing like mixing bowl ladle and mangoes with a dry cloth and dry them properly.
Don't compromise in ingredients like oil, salt and chilli powder these three ingredients are soul for this pickle (not only this every pickle). If you compromise in this three ingredients your pickle will spoil by the next day it self. So don't compromise with salt and oil measurements.
Can reduce the quantity of mustard powder in this case pickle (gravy) will become watery
first day what oil we pour in the pickle may not be visible but on the third day you can find the oil floating on top.

MANGO JUICE

It's already mid summer in India. Power cuts and hot winds are started, this is the season for a tropical fruit which is a favorite fruit for almost every one. Mango the king of the fruits,this year they already in the market. Naturally April and may is the starting for the green mangoes and some verity of mangoes will turn in to fruit. There are hundred s of verity's of mangoes in India but in andhra pradesh especially in costal andhra pradesh there is one more verity mangoes called RASALU(juicy mangoes).

This mangoes are specially cultivated in Krishna district. There are verity's in this mangoes they are Chinna Rasalu (small juicy mangoes),pedda rasalu or cheruku rasalu(big juicy mangoes) and nujiveedu rasalu. Nujiveedu rasalu is more sweet and tasty in this verity.

Usually this mangoes will start coming in to the market in April and stop by may when Banganpalli mangoes starts coming in to the market. This Rasalu mangoes are specially used for pickle(avakaya) when they are green and raw once they start ripe they become very juicy and sweet at this time we can only use this mangoes for juice only, we can not cut this mangoes in to pieces. Normally we press the ripe mango from all sides and make small hole on top and squeeze all the juice in to a glass or a bowl no need to add sugar to this juice . One pedda rasalu mango weighs 3 kg and gives more then 1 litre thick juice you can make 2 ½ to 3 litres delicious mango juice by adding water to this.

Also we dry this mango pulp in sun and make sun dried mango candy s (mamidi tandra). In my child hood I use to skip lunch for this rasalu mangoes. Me my sister, brother and cousins use to sit in a circle and enjoy each mango......... ohhh those golden days........... anyways here I am with a simple recipe of Mango juice....

Mangoes ---- 1 big( nice ripe big pedda rasam mango – 1 or chinnarasalu mangoes 3 or any other good quality ripe mangoes 3... If you are using any other mangoes peal the skin and cut in to small cubes)
If you are using rasalu mangoes press the mango from all sides to easily squeeze the juice make hole on top and squeeze the all juice and remove the skin and seed.
sugar – 1 cup if required (I didn't add sugar because I used peddarasalu mangoes they it self very sweet in taste)
Ice cubes – 1 tab sp or according to your taste(instead of ice cubes you can add water in sufficient quantity)
Blend all above ingredients in a blender to make the juice smooth and combine the ingredients well.
Pour the juice in to glasses and serve with more ice cubes if require.
Enjoy the summer special delicious drink....

Mango juice is very beneficial for Anemia, Excessive thirsty condition, mental stress and it energies the body,removes the toxins and helps in constipation because mango is rich in c vitamin, carotene, niacin, riboflavin and calcium....
So enjoy a healthy seasonal fruit in the season......

WATER MELON WITH PASTA AND IAM BACK

Hi friends,Again I am here after a long break. I know from long time no post from my side. I guess this is how it is going to be for some more time. this is all because of my personal work. How are you all, hope you all doing great. As you all know now a days I am with my parents and enjoying my moms cooking. she always like to do some experiments in her kitchen . one day when I was going to the supermarket my mom ask me to buy some shell pasta,I wondered and asked her what? you like to eat pasta? she told me that you just bring a packet of shell pasta I will make some thing special for you, and here is the recipe born. And here I go with the recipe.............

INGREDIENTS:----

Watermelon pieces ---- 2cups
FOR WATERMELON PIECES:----
Cut the watermelon and remove the red fruit part and peel the green skin and take the white part and cut in to 2 inch size pieces.
Shell pasta---- 1 cup cooked
Boil water in a sauce pan and add 1 tea sp oil and pasta to boiling water and cook till done and drain the water and pour cold water and drain the cold water also and leave a side.
Other ingredients:----
Onion ---1 big finely chopped
Tomato --- 1 big chopped
Cashew nuts – 10
Oil – 1 tab sp
Cloves – 4
Cinnamon – ½ inch pieces 3
Cardamom – 3
Cumin seeds – ½ teasp

Dry powders:--
Red chilli powder – 1 tea sp(according to your taste or you can just remove from the list to make the recipe in a mild taste)
Turmeric powder --- ¼ tea sp
Salt – 1 ½ teasp or according to your taste
Coriander leaves --- 1 tab sp chopped
For masala:----
Coconut – 1 tab sp freshly grated
Poppy seeds – 1 tea sp
Garlic – 6 cloves
Cashew nuts or almonds – 5 soaked in water for 10 min.
Coriander powder – 1 tea sp
Grind all above masala ingredients in to fine paste and leave a side.

METHOD:----

1. Heat 1 tab sp oil in a sauce pan and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin seeds let them splutter
2. Then add finely chopped onion and fry till onion become transparent.
   
3. Now add chopped tomato,salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder mix well, cover with a lid and cook in a low flame till tomato become soft looks like a paste.
   
4. Then add ground masala and fry till raw smell disappears in this stage this masala become like a ball and that stick to your ladle it laves the oil on sides.
   
5. Now add water melon pieces and 1 cup water mix well and again cover with lid and cook till melon pieces are half done, this will take 10 min time check in between.
   
6. when melon pieces are half cooked add pasta,cashew nuts, if required add ½ cup more water and cook for 5 more min.
   
7. If you like thin gravy then add ½ cup more water mix well and bring to a boil
   Remove from the heat and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
   

My mom and dad enjoyed this as a curry with there roties, but I really enjoyed this as a 1 bowl meal because it includes pasta and vegetables. You can remove red chilli powder and ground masala to make it a mild soup like thing. Or you can add the ground masala in less quantity.
Can use any small variety pasta.

RAVA- SEMIYA IDLI

This is an another version of instant idli. I have tried this recipe with instant rava and semiya idli mix (I didn't remember the brand name) long back and that time i have noted the ingredients from the pack and made some changes and tried at home they came out so soft and fluffy so this is not my own recipe I have adopted this recipe from some other place and made my changes tried it and posting here for all you people. so most of my traditional recipe s are from my mom, my grand mother s, my ants and some of the recipe from my cooking book collection and my friends. What is a traditional recipe ?...A traditional recipe is which is coming from traditions means that is not our own recipe some body else invented that recipe and we are following that . So who ever try the recipe now the ingredients and measurements are almost the same only.Like idli recipe is invented in 920 Ad and how can i tell that is my own recipe I am following that recipe with little changes, like that rasam (Saru) recipe is invented in 16 th century, in those days those cooks moved from place to place and carry there recipes with them to spread the recipe.Traditional recipes in my blog also Traditional Andhra recipes from my grand mother to my mom and from my mom to me and other recipes are from my friends if I adopted a recipe from any blog or website i will sure give a link to the original recipe.Hope you people understand me......

INGREDIENTS:----

Upma rava( semolina, rava,) -- 250gm

Semiya (vermicelli, I used bambino vermicelli) --150gm

Ghee (clarified butter)--- 1/4 cup

Sour curd -- 200 gm

Cashew nuts -- 3 tab sp broken

Mustard seeds -- 1/2 tea sp

Chana dal -- 2 tab sp(split chick peas)

Dry red chillies -- 4 broken in to small pieces

Asafoetida -- 1/4 tea sp

Black pepper corns -- 1 tea sp

Soda bicarbonate (cooking soda) -- 1/4 tea sp

Eno fruit salt --- 1 pack

Coriander leaves -- 1 tab sp chopped

Curry leaves -- 2 springs

Salt --- 1 1/2 tea sp or to taste

METHOD:-----

1. Heat ghee in a pan add mustard seeds and let it splutter then add channa dal,cashew nuts and fry till golden colour.
2 Now add asafoetida,curry leaves, and fry for few sec. then add rava and semiya fry till nice aroma comes out,make sure that don't change the colour of rava just fry till nice smell comes out.
3. Remove from fire and add chopped coriander leaves and curd and salt to taste and cooking soda mix well and leave a side for 5-7 min.
4. After 7 min. check if required add a very little water and make a batter like idli batter, mix well now add eno fruit salt mix well immediately pour in to greased idli moulds and steem cook like idlis for 15 min.
Remove from steem and serve hot with sambar and coconut chuteny or with Karappodi( spice mixture powder)
If you like you can add very finelly chopped veges like carrot ,beens to this idlis

IDLI

Idli is a South Indian savory steamed rice cake which looks like a small white buns, made by black lentils and parboiled rice.This white cakes(idlis) are usually in 2-3 inches diameter and made by steaming a batter in round molds, which is consisting of fermented black lentils and parboiled rice.the fermentation process breaks down the starches so that the idlis are very easy digestive food for any age people.Most of the South Indians like to have this idlis as a break fast or dinner, with the combination of Sambar and coconut chutney and also with karappodi(mixed spice powder) with ghee. There are no leavening agents used in idli batter so this healthy idlis are born in Karnataka and became popular all over India
now.

Fermentation is the main step to get a soft and fluffy idli

1. Traditionally black lentils and par boiled rice soaked in water for 4-5 hours and ground in to a thick paste and leave in a warm place to ferment for over night.

2. In this process fermentation is caused by Air,Black lentils(urad dal,minapappu) and Fenugreek seeds these three ingredients produce a type of wild yeast so don't over wash the black lentils. preferably always use whole urad with skin or you can use de-husked whole urad also. But not split urad that won't give a good results to the finale product ,idlis will become hard after you steam. Because in the process of spliting the whole urad mechanically that generates heat and destorys the natural wild yeast in urad dal. If you dont get whole urad in that case you can use split urad by last choice by compensating with a spoon of fenugreek seeds .

3. Because Fenugreek seeds also contain same wild yeast which we find in whole urad so that you can get more natural yeast to ferment the idli batter.

4. Now one more very important ingredient in this recipe is Rice in olden days people didn't use rice for idli batter they use to soak urad dal in butter milk and grind in to a smooth paste with sour curd in this case curd acts as yeast but after some experiments people started grinding rice in to a coarse paste and mix with urad paste. but now a days we can get parboiled rice which is well known as idli rice.

5. Par boiled rice is pre-processed rice which contains 80% starch and gives a soft and plum texture. insted of par-boiled rice you can use cream-of rice which is made by again par- boiled rice. In case you didn't get idli rice(par-boiled rice) you can replace them with Arborio rice or Mochi rice(Japan) or sweet and waxy American rice but the texture may be little different some times.

6. And last and final ingredient is water yes chlorine in water destroy the natural yeast (wild yeast) if you find chlorine smell in water then better use spring water or boiled and filtered tap water.

7. better use non-iodized salt and add salt just before you pouring the batter in to the idli molds (means after fermentation)

8. The temperature should be 86 degree F to 90 degree F below that temperature it will take longer time to ferment. Idli batter should ferment Two& half times then original volume then only you can get soft and fluffy idlis.

Here is the recipe for Most wanted break fast IDLI.....

INGREDIENTS:----

Par-boiled rice (idli rice) --- 4 cups

Raw rice (dosa rice) (any short grain rice what we use for dosa batter) --- 1 cup

Black lentils(urad dal) --- 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds --- 1 tea sp

Salt --- 1 1/2 tea sp

METHOD:-----

1. Mix both rice and wash for 1 or 2 times and soak in enough water for 4 hours

2.Wash black lentils and soak in water for 1 hour with 1 tea sp of fenugreek seeds

3.Grind lentils in to smooth paste.If drop a small ball of lentil paste in a bowl of water that should stay on surface . Normally it will take 45 min. time to grind in a wet grinder 10 - 15 min. in a mixer(mixee)or blender.But wet grinder gives a good results.

4.Now grind rice in to a coarse paste and mix it with lentil paste mix well and leave it in a warm place to ferment.

5. If you like to use idli rava( cream of rice) then take 2 cups of cream of rice (idli rava) and soak in enough water before you start grinding lentils. After grinding lentils remove water and squeeze extra water and add this to lentil paste mix well and leave for fermentation.

6. leave this batter in a warm place for over night to ferment well and the batter should become2 1/2 times then original volume.

7. Next day morning add salt and mix well.

8. Grease idli molds with little oil or ghee and pour 1 ladle full idli batter and arrange idli plates in the stand .

9. pour 100ml water in to a idli cooker or a big vessel and bring to a full boil and place the idli stand into that idli cooker cover with lid and steam for 5 min, in high flame then reduce the flame and steam the idlis for 8 min.

10.Switch off the flame and leave it like that for 5 min. then open the lid and remove the idli stand from idli cooker.

11. Wait for 2 more min and scoop out the idlis from the molds and serve hot with sambar, coconut chutney and ghee .

12. You can use a pressure cooker for steaming idlis pour water in the pressure cooker and place the idli stand and cover with lid but don't put the weight (whistle).

13. You can use electric rice cooker also for steaming idlis pour water in to the rice cooker vessel and place the idli stand and switch on the cooker to cooking mode.

14. Can cook idlis in microwave also but with microwave safe idli molds only.