Soujanya's Kitchen

In Andhra Pradesh Rava kesari is well known as Satyanarayanaswamy prasadam because it is offered to the Lord during Satyanarayana vratham. It's easy to cook with less preparation time. Ingredients 200g Bombay Rava (Sooji / Semolina) 250g Ghee 1 tbsp Cashew nuts 1 tbsp Raisins 400ml Water 200g Sugar 1 tsp Cardamom powder Pinch Food Colour (Optional ) Method Put a pan on stove, turn flame to medium & heat 2 tbsps of ghee. Add Bombay rava & cook in low flame by stirring constantly, until it turns light brown. Keep it aside to cool. Again heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan & add cashew nuts and raisins. Fry until they turn light brown. Keep it aside. Boil water in a pan. When bubbles start, lower the flame and add 3 tsps of sugar, and food colour to it. Cook until the sugar dissolves. Now slowly add Bombay rava by stirring continuously. Add remaining quantity of sugar, mix it with remaining ghee, and stir until the mixture becomes thick. Now add cardamom powder, cashew nuts, and...

Grated Mango Pickle is an instant pickle. Its preparation time is very less and is ready to be consumed immediately unlike other pickles (avakai) which take one week. You don’t need to worry about the guests that suddenly drop in. Have this pickle handy. This can be preserved for more than a week. Ingredients 1 Raw Mango - Grated ½ tsp Turmeric Salt to taste For Seasoning 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp Methi powder 1 Dry red chilli ½ tsp Hing 3 tbsp Peanut oil Method Take grated mango In a bowl; add salt and turmeric to it. Keep this aside for 15-20 mins. Pour a tsp of oil in a pan, put mustard seeds, and once they begin to splutter; add methi powder and hing in it. Let it cool and add red chilli powder to it. Mix above grated mango with this seasoning. Grated Mango Pickle (Mamidikaya Thurumu pachadi) tastes good with hot rice and Dals.

Ingredients 1/2 kg Tindora (Dondakayalu) - chopped 1 tsp Red chilli powder 2 tbsp Channa dal 1 tbsp Urad dal ½ tsp Cumin seeds 2 Dry red chillies Required salt Method Heat some oil in a pan; add Tindora (Dondakayalu), turmeric, little salt and required water. Cover it with lid and fry it on a medium flame. Keep checking till Tindora pieces becomes soft. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add medium sized dry red chilies, channa dal, urad dal & cumin seeds. Fry them, Keep aside to cool. Grind it to fine powder ( Kura podi in Andhra ). Add above curry powder (Kura podi) and fry for 2 mins. Put red chilli powder and mix well the curry. Turn off the flame. Serve hot with plain rice or Chapathi's.

Have hot Yummy Kaju Pakoda’s on Rainyday, Afternoon or Evening. Ingredients Cashew nuts – 1 Cup Rice flour - ¼ Cup Maida - ¼ Cup Corn flour - 3 tsps Few curry leaves Chili powder - 2 tsp Turmeric powder - pinch Coriander powder - 2 tsp Soda bi carb - Pinch Salt -As required Water - As required Oil to fry Method Fry Cashew nuts in oil. Strain them and keep aside to cool. Prepare thick batter (like we make for chapatti’s) by mixing rice flour, corn flour, maida together with salt, chilli powder, soda, turmeric powder, coriander powder, curry leaves and mix well by adding water to it. Add fried cashew nuts to the batter. Heat Oil in a pan and deep fry cashewnut pakodi’s till they become golden brown in color. Serve hot with Tomato sauce.

Majjiga Pulusu tastes good when served with hot Rice and Dals. At my mom's place, once in every week majjiga pulusu is a common dish and she still prepares it. Ingredients 1 bowl butter milk 2 tbsp Besan/Senaga pindi 1 cup Bottle gourd cubes 1 cup Tomato pieces 1 bunch coriander 3 green chillies 1” Ginger ½ tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp Cumin seeds salt to taste For Seasoning ½ tsp Mustard seeds ½ tsp Cumin seeds 3 dry red chillies Few curry leaves 1 tsp peanut oi ½ tsp Hing Method Boil bottle gourd and tomatoes in butter milk, by adding little salt. Mix besan with some water and prepare a thick batter. Grind green chillies, turmeric, coriander, ginger and cumin seeds into thick paste. Blend butter milk with the prepared besan and above paste. Add some more salt to it. Pour a tsp of oil in a pan; add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, hing & curry leaves. Once mustard seeds and cumin seeds begin to splutter, turn off the stove. Garnish majjiga pulusu with this Seasoning....

Green chillis stuffed with sesame powder (Nuvvula podi and tamarind pulp) filling and then dipped in gram flour batter and deep fried in oil. Ingredients For Batter Medium size Green Chillies – 5 Split peas powder (Battani pindi) – ½ Cup Gram flour (besan, senaga pindi) - 1 Cup Rice flour - ¼ Cup Chili powder - 2 tsp Turmeric powder – 1 tsp Soda bi carb - Pinch Ajwain (Vamu) - 1 tsp Salt - As required Water - As required Oil to fry For Filling Seasame seeds – 1/2 cup Dry red chillies - 2 Tamarind pulp – ½ cup Method For filling Fry Sesame in a pan along with red dry chillies, jeera. Grind it to powder by adding salt. Now add tamarind pulp to this powder and make into thick paste. Procedure Boil green chillis in water for 5 minutes, by adding little salt. Drain boiled chillies and let them cool. Slit them vertically. Fill chillis with above prepared paste. Prepare thick batter by mixing gram flour (besan, senaga pindi), Peas powder, rice flour together with salt, chilli powder, soda, tu...

Potlakaya with Nuvvu pappu podi is a great combination. Serve hot with plain rice or Chapathi's. Ingredients 1 Cup Chopped Snake gourd 3 tbsp Sesame Powder (Nuvvu pappu podi) 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 Dry Red chilli 1 tsp Red chilli powder Few curry leaves Method In a bowl add chopped snake gourd, turmeric, salt and required water. Allow it to boil, by covering with a lid. Once boiled, drain it and keep aside to cool. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add Sesame seeds, red chilies, cumin seeds. Fry them, Keep aside to cool. Grind it to fine powder by adding little salt. (Nuvvu pappu podi) Take some oil in a pan; add snake gourd, curry leaves and fry it on a medium flame. Keep checking till water gets evaporated and add above Nuvvu pappu podi, and fry for 2 mins. Put red chilli powder and mix well the curry. Turn off the flame.

Vakkaya Dal also tastes good when cooked with green gram. It is famous in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. Ingredients 1 cup uncooked Toor dal 200 gm Vakkayalu – chopped(cut them into quarter, deseeded) 2 green chilly – sliced coriander leaves - finely chopped 1/2 tsp turmeric powder salt to taste For Seasoning 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds Few curry leaves Pinch methi powder 2 tbsp oil ½ tsp Hing Method Clean the dal; add required water, turmeric powder and pressure cook the dal. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Hing and methi powder. When mustard seeds begin to splutter add curry leaves, vakkayalu and green chilly. Cover it with lid and cook till vakkayalu become soft.Add cooked dal, salt, red chili powder and mix well. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve Vakkaya Pappu with hot plain rice.

Ingredients 1 cup Tindora (chopped) ½ tsp of dry tamarind coriander -finely chopped ½ tsp turmeric powder salt to taste For Seasoning 1 tsp mustard seeds 3 dry red chillies 1 tsp urad dal 2 tsp peanut oil ½ tsp Hing Method Pour a tsp of oil in a pan; add minapappu (urad dal), mustard seeds, hing, red chillies & in it. Keep it aside to cool. In the same pan, put some oil and add chopped Tindora (Dondakaya) and fry till it become soft. Remove from heat and let it cool. Grind above seasoning with fried Tindora, tamarind, salt, turmeric to a fine paste. Garnish this with chopped coriander. Tindora Chutney tastes good with hot plain rice.

Tomato Pickle is an instant pickle . Its preparation time is very less and is ready to be consumed immediately unlike other pickles (avakai) which take one week. You don’t need to worry about the guests that suddenly drop in. Have this Tomato pickle handy . This can be preserved for more than a week. Ingredients ½ Kg Tomatoes - Chopped 2 tbsp Tamarind paste ½ tsp Turmeric Salt to taste For Seasoning 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 tbsp Channa dal 1/4 tsp Methi powder 1 dry Red chilli ½ tsp Hing 3 tbsp Peanut oil Method Heat oil in a pan; add tomatoes, salt, turmeric to it. Cover with lid and once tomatoes become soft, add tamarind paste to it. Keep this Chutney aside. Pour a tsp of oil in a pan, put channa dal, mustard seeds, and once they begin to splutter; add methi powder and hing in it. Let it cool and add red chilli powder to it. Mix above chutney with this seasoning. Tomato Pickle tastes good with hot rice and Dals.

Ingredients 1 cup Cabbage (Chopped) 1 cup Grated coconut 2 cups Water 1 tsp Turmeric (Optional) Salt as required For seasoning 2 tsps Urad dal 1 tbsp Channa dal 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 Red chilli Pinch of Hing Few curry leaves 2 tsp Peanut oil Method In a bowl take cabbage, add salt and required water. Allow it to boil, by covering with a lid. Once boiled, drain it and keep aside to cool. Take a pan, pour some oil and add urad dal, channa dal. Fry till they turn little brown. Add mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add red chilli, hing and curry leaves and grated coconut to it. When coconut colour changes to light brown, add boiled cabbage to it. Cook for 2 minutes on a low flame till the water gets evaporated. Serve Cabbage-coconut curry with hot Plain rice or chapathi’s.

Ingredients 1 cup Capsicum - chopped 3 tbsp Gram flour (Besan/ Senagapindi) 1 tsp Rice flour 1/2 tsp Ajwain (Vamu) 1/2 tsp Dhaniya powder (coriander powder) 1 tsp Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp Turmeric Salt as required 2 tbsp Peanut oil Method Heat peanut oil in a pan; add chopped capsicum, salt and turmeric to it. Place the lid, cook for 5 mins under medium flame and keep checking until capsicum becomes soft. Prepare thick batter by mixing gram flour (besan, senaga pindi) rice flour together with salt, red chilli powder, soda, turmeric powder, Ajwain (Vamu), dhaniya powder and mix well by adding water to it. Now add above batter to curry & cook for 5 mins under low flame. Capsicum Besan curry tastes good with hot rice & ghee.

Sorakaya with Nuvvu pappu podi is a great combination curry in Andhra Pradesh. Ingredients 1 Cup Bottle gourd cubes (Chopped Bottle gourd) 3 tbsp Sesame Powder (Nuvvu pappu podi) 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 Dry Red chilli 1 tsp Red chilli powder Few curry leaves (Optional) Method In a bowl add chopped bottle gourd, turmeric, salt and required water. Allow it to boil, by covering with a lid. Once boiled, drain it and keep aside to cool. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add Sesame seeds, red chilies, cumin seeds. Fry them, Keep aside to cool. Grind it to fine powder by adding little salt. (Nuvvu pappu podi) Take some oil in a pan; add bottle gourd, curry leaves and fry it on a medium flame. Keep checking till water gets evaporated and add above Nuvvu pappu podi, and fry for 2 mins. Put red chilli powder and mix well the curry. Turn off the flame. Serve hot with plain rice or Chapathi's.

Ingredients 1/2 kg Potatoes – chopped 1 tsp Red chilli powder Required salt Few curry leaves Method Heat some oil in a pan; add potatoes, turmeric and fry it on a medium flame. Cover it with lid; Keep checking till potatoes colour changes to light brown. Once potatoes become soft, add salt and fry for 2 mins. Before removing from stove add red chilli and curry leaves and mix well the curry. Turn off the flame. Serve hot with plain rice and ghee.

Ingredients 1 cup Nuvvulu (Hulled Sesame) 4 dry Red chillies 1 tbsp Cumin seeds Required salt to taste Method Heat a small pan; fry Nuvvu pappu, dry red chillies and cumin seeds one by one separately. Fry them till the colour changes to light brown. Keep them aside, removing from heat and transfer to another dish to cool. Now grind the contents of the dish, along with salt to a fine powder. Nuvvula podi can be stored up to a Month. Nuvvula podi tastes good with hot plain rice and ghee. Note: Do not fry till they turn dark.

Vankaya Kothimeera karam tastes good with hot rice & ghee or with Chapathi's. Vankaya Kothimeera karam is famous and special Andhra dish. Ingredients 1/2 kg Eggplant (Vankayalu / Brinjal) 5-6 green chilies 2 big bunches chopped Coriander 1 tsp Turmeric 1 tsp Tamarind paste Salt as required ½ tsp Coriander seeds (fried) ½ tsp Cumin seeds (fried) Method Cut brinjals into 4-6 pieces.Heat some oil in a pan, add brinjal, salt, turmeric and sprinkle some water. Place the lid for the first 10 mins under medium flame and keep checking until brinjals become soft. Add tamarind paste and mix well. Now grind green chillies, coriander, fried cumin seeds and coriander seeds to fine paste. Add above paste to curry & cook for 5 mins under low flame.Vankaya Kothimeera karam is ready to eat.

Gongura Chutney tastes good with hot plain rice or any dals.Gongura Pachadi is famous and special dish in Andhra. No South Indian Festival or Function is complete without Gongura pachadi in the meal. It can be stored for a week. Ingredients 4 bunches Sorrel leaves (Gongura) ½ tsp turmeric powder salt to taste For Seasoning 1 tsp Mustard seeds 1 tsp Methi seeds (Fenugreek seeds) 5-6 Dry red chillies 2 tbsp Peanut oil ½ tsp Hing Method Pour a tsp of oil in a pan; add mustard seeds, methi seeds, hing and red chillies in it. Once mustard seeds begin to splutter, turn off the stove and keep it aside to cool. In the same pan, put some oil and add sorrel leaves, salt, turmeric and fry till the colour changes to dark. Let it cool. Grind above seasoning with fried sorrel leaves and little salt, to a fine paste, by adding 5-6 drops of warm water when required. Garnish with fried Garlic cloves.

Ingredients 1 cup uncooked Toor dal 1 medium sized Cucumber(Dosakaya) – chopped 1 green chilly – sliced Coriander leaves - finely chopped 1/2 tsp turmeric powder ½ tsp Tamarind paste salt to taste For Seasoning 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp urad dal Few curry leaves 2 tbsp Peanut oil ½ tsp Hing Method Clean the dal; add required water, turmeric powder and pressure cook the dal. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds and when mustard seeds begin to splutter add curry leaves, chopped cucumber (Dosakaya) and green chilly. Cover it with lid and cook well till cucumber become soft. Add cooked dal, required salt, tamarind paste, red chili powder and mix well. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with plain rice or pulkas.

Preparation time is very less, can be prepared within 10 minutes. It is a simple snack. Corn flakes mixture can be stored for more than a week. You can have this mixture with evening Tea or Coffee. Ingredients 2 cups Corn flakes 1/2 cups Atukulu (Rice flakes) 11/2 cups Murmuralu (Pori / Borugulu / Puffed rice) 1 cup Peanuts (Groundnut) ½ cup Cashew nuts ¾ cup Putnalu (Roasted channa dal) 1 tbsp Turmeric powder 2 tbsp Red chilli powder 1 tsp chat masala 1 tsp Coriander powder (dhaniya powder) Salt as required 2-3 chopped Green chillies Few curry leaves Method Heat oil in deep container and with the help of metal strainer fry the cornflakes and strain it in paper napkin. In the same oil, fry all other Ingredients (Atukulu, murumuralu, peanuts, cashew nuts, curry leaves) seperately, strain them in paper napkin & mix well. Add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, chat masala, dhaniya powder and putnalu to the above prepared mixture. Mix well b...

Palli chutney is also called as Dosa Chutney. It tastes good with Idly or Dosa. Ingredients 1 cup Peanuts 1/4 tsp tamarind paste (optional) 4 Red chillies 2 Garlic cloves ½ tsp turmeric powder salt to taste For Seasoning 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds ½ tsp Hing 2 tbsp peanut oil Method Fry Peanuts in a pan and keep it aside to cool. Grind Peanuts, red chillies, garlic cloves, tamarind, salt, turmeric to a fine paste, by adding little water when required. Pour a tsp of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds,Cumin seeds and hing in it. Add seasoning to chutney.