Two favourite Telugu dishes

Half my family is Telugu Brahmin and their food is all about spice and more spice. Now despite the many years of being part of the family I still have tears pouring down my face with all the spice and salt. So I have identified some of my favourites and added my own twist to it. Not suprisingly I have served it up to the family members and met with critical acclaim so her are my list of favourites.

The humble ridge gourd....dice after removing the hard ridge. Heat oil in a pan,add mustard seed let it crackle,add Urag dhal,hing,dried red chillies and salt,to this add the ridge gourd and cover and cook for three minutes then toss around till all the liquid evaporates . The ridge gourd releases a lot of water when cooked.

Most gourds can be made in this way and it's great to taste and healthy to boot.

Stuffed brinjal

Now this is a speciality with a difficult sounding name so we shall just describe it by it's ingredients .

Mustard seed-2tbs

Urag dhal-2 tbs

Channa dhal-2 tbs

Dried red chillies- 4(more if you want it spicy )

Jeera seeds-1tbs

Fenugreek seeds-1tbs

Tamarind-1small ball

Turmeric-1/2tsp

Salt to taste

Curry leaves and mustard (tempering)

Small brinjals-15

Heat oil in a pan and add all the ingredients except the tempering ingredients. Fry till the are brown but not burnt. Pulse in a blender till it's a course powder. Cut the brinjals cross wise and stuff with the powder just made. It it's too powdery add a bit of oil. When all the brinjals are stuffed,heat some more oil ( about two tbs) throw in mustard and curry leaves,then the stuffed brinjals making sure they don't crowd each other. Toss once and then cover with a shallow bowl filled with water. The water will help it steam and cook. Keep the heat on low and toss once or twice during the cooking process. Getting that lid off with the water is a bit of a pain but if one is real lazy then any lid will do and the water treatment can be dispensed with. When the skins of the brinjal take on a roasted look, continue to cook with the lid off until they are soft to touch and well cooked but not mushy. This is like one hell of a tasty dish.

Two in one chicken toss up

So here I am home alone and desperate to eat something out of the ordinary. Now I am a lazy cook so the moment I see too many ingredients I run a mile. A peek into the fridge and kitchen and I find chicken,capsicum, plenty of Chinese sauces and some orange and plenty of garlic. I really want to eat some middle eastern stuff like chicken with some apricots or peaches but for the life of me it's impossible to find a suitable recipe. So I decide to mix east and west....yes yes I know all about never the twain shall meet and all that but I decide to plunge in . After all it's only me who has to eat the stuff.

So here is what I did. I mixed the recipe for chicken in orange sauce with some Chinese twist and this is what I got and it doesn't taste too bad and it was quick and I also got a two in one recipe.

Chicken in orange and soy with garlic

Chicken-250 gms (medium pieces with bone)

Capsicum-1

Onion-1

Juice of one orange and zest

Sunflower oil

Crushed garlic-4

Cornflour for dusting

Honey-1 tsp

Salt and pepper

Paprika-2tsps

Soy sauce (dark)-1 tbs

Mix orange juice,zest,honey,paprika,salt and pepper,add soy sauce and crushed garlic. Put chicken pieces into this marinade and leave aside for an hour. Heat oil to smoking point. Dust chicken pieces with corn flour and drop into hot oil (shallow fry I use only about three tbs of oil). When the chicken takes on a nice caramelised colour take them out and keep in bowl. Into the oil add onion and capsicum and toss for two minutes till the onions ar transparent. Put chicken back with the onion and capsicum and cook covered for ten minutes. Then pour the reserved marinade and toss to coat all the pieces and do so for another five minutes or till the chicken is cooked through. Remove from wok and into the remaining juices add cooked rice and toss. Now I have a chicken dish and a flavoured rice. I am eating it with an Italian style tomato,basil and cheese with a splash of balsamic vinegar and that is dinner all done in under forty five minutes.

Tomato rice

My cook was a nice cheery chap who thought he knew it all.When he was around,I was lady of the manor and had only to decide the menu.Of course this isn't as easy as it sounds as one needs to know what ones cook is capable of or be prepared to teach him.In my case the cook had no intentions of learning from me.He was used to working for woman who had no clue how to cook and learnt the hard way that its not easy to work for someone who loves to cook but didn't have the time.But on all accounts his tomato rice and cheese balls were a hit with us and our extended families.Long after he left to greener pastures,we call him back when the craving for cheese balls gets to us.Here is a modified version of his tomato rice

Tomato rice

Basmati rice (can use ordinary rice but this tastes better)-1 cup

tomato-4 large

onion-3 medium

green chili-2 or 3

garam masala (this is the homemade kind the recipe is under erachi kootu in this blog)-1 tbls

red chili powder-1tsp

turmeric-1tsp

salt to taste

ghee-generous amount

fresh coriander leaves chopped

water-2 cups

method

Heat ghee and add onions and garam masala and fry till golden,add tomato and cook till its mushy.Add the chili powder,turmeric and salt and cook till the ghee separates from the masala.Add the rice and mix well.Add two cups water and pressure cook for ten minutes (if using a high speed cooker or three whistles of the cooker if using an ordinary one.Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander

Sambar sadam

There is something about having a man about the house that makes us slave in the kitchen to serve up the regular fare of a full meal so to speak.Its been the same in my mothers house and in various other household that I have had to pleasure of knowing.But wait for the father or husband to leave on some tour and the house resorts to quick one person meals,from the simple curd rice to even exotic stuff like fried rice,noodles etc,its just that suddenly the reason to be in the kitchen changes,it becomes a quick fix,it becomes an experiment (men by nature like the regular stuff or are picky eaters and its no fun doing stuff if after all the effort one still has to make the regular things).Well the husband went off for a week and the kitchen transformed.We had dried fish chutney,(the husband cant stand the stench of dried fish and i can have my stomach juices pumping with that aroma).We had sambar sadam and vadai,lovely chicken noodles with every left over in the fridge being thrown in,katti rolls (just stuffed chapati)The sambar rice and vadai is an all time favourite of mine and this is how i make it.Its a short cut but comes out rather well.

Sambar

shallots-a few

curry leaves-a few

methi seeds-a tsp

mustard seeds-1tsp

hing-a pinch

salt-to taste

sambar powder-3 tblsp

coriander powder-1tsp

chili powder-1tsp

ghee-generous amount (i love sambar and ghee a classic combo)

red pumpkin-a few pieces

carrots-a few pieces

beans-a couple or more

country tomato-2 or tamarind -1 small ball

water

cooked dhal (always cook and keep in the fridge,its cuts cooking time by half)

rice-1/2 cup (for one person)

method

Heat the ghee, (in a pressure cooker) add mustard seeds,methi seeds and hing,add curry leaves.Add the shallots and all vegetables and saute for a few minutes,add all the masala powders and water and salt.Mix in the dhal and tomatoes (or tamarind if one is using that).Stir in the rice and pressure cook for ten minutes and serve hot with vadai or chips or even pakodas.Perfect for a rainy day

ethekai appam (banana fritters)

ripe bananas -2(cut into strips)

maida-three tablespoons

baking soda-1/4tsp

sugar-1tblsp

water-enough to make a runny batter

oil to fry

salt-a pinch

mix together the maida,sugar,baking soda,salt and water and whisk into a runny batter.Heat oil till its very hot.Turn flame to a slow setting.Dip banana strips into batter and deep fry.Remove when golden brown and leave on kitchen paper to drain excess oil

eat hot.Can be served with a bit of vanilla ice cream or just thick cream

pavaka thoran

pavaka-1 or 2

shallots-5

grated coconut-2 large spoons

salt

green chillies-2

garlic-1 pod crushed

chop the pavaka and onions into very fine bits.Add grated coconut,chopped green chillies,salt and crushed garlic.Add enough water to cook.When the water is all dried up and the pavaka is cooked,take off the flame.Heat a bit of oil,splutter mustard and curry leaves and add to dish.Serve as part of a meal.

spicy beef fry

beef-500gms

onions-4 large

coconut-1/4 cut into small bits

coconut oil-a few tablespoons

chili powder-2 tablespoons

coriander powder-1 tbs

turmeric-1tsp

garam masala-1tbs (home made with all spices and ginger and garlic)

salt to taste

water-1/2 cup

marinate the beef with garam masala,chill powder,coriander and turmeric powder and salt.Add a bit of water and cook in pressure cooker until the beef is well done.If there is any stock left leave on simmer until all the liquid is reduced and coated on to the beef.

heat a bit of oil and fry the coconut bits to a crisp and leave aside.Add onions sliced very fine and fry till a golden crisp.Add a bit more oil into the pan and put in the beef pieces along with curry leaves,the fried onions and coconut.Fry on sim,turning occasionally till the beef turns a dark brown.Serve hot with steamed rice.

tip-the onions must be fried to a crisp or the dish will end up tasting sweet and the flavours will be insipid.