Kovva Gulab Jamoon

This is one recipe that probably needs no introduction. Call it a sweet or a desert; it’s the favorite sweet of even those who hate sweets. Kovva as it is called in telugu and khoya in hindi is made from milk. Kovva gulab jamuns are popular in most parts of Andhra.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Khoya (Kovva) 250gms
Flour (Maida) 2-2 ½ spoons
Cardamoms (Elaichi) 4-5
Sugar 200gms
Water 200 ml
Refined cooking oil 1 cup


Method:

Khoya is generally found in all sweet shops in India and the Mid-east.

Add sugar to the water and keep stirring on medium heat for 5-10mins to make sugar syrup. The syrup shall be of semi-thick consistency. Add cardamoms directly or after powdering them. Set aside

Now mix the khoya and maida together to make the dough. Do not add any water. Beat finely and mix till smooth. This is important as otherwise lumps of uncooked dough will appear while serving and eating which will spoil the aura of the jamuns.

Take small equi-sized balls of the dough and deep fry on low heat in pre-heated oil till they turn golden brown.

Remove and directly add to the sugar syrup. Leave for 10 mins for the jamuns to absorb the sugar syrup.

Serve hot or chilled, gulab jamuns taste great. Popularly served with ice cream as a dessert, gulab jamuns are a regular on any of the special menus in India.

Hyderabadi Bagara Biryani

Hyderabad is the city for biryanis and bagaras and Bagara biryani is one of the few vegetarian alternatives from the city’s avid biryani platter. Simply delicious is the most modest description of this recipe.

Thank you Sphurthy for this awesome recipe and picture.

Preparation time: 20-30mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Raw long grained rice 2 cups (200gms)
Green chillies 4
Onions 2
Tomatoes 2
Bay leaf 1
Cloves 6
Cinnamon 1 stick
Cardomom 4-6
Curry leaves 4-5
Ginger paste 1tsp
Refined cooking oil 2-4tbsp
Food color

Salt to taste
Coriander to garnish

Method:

Finely chop 2 large onions, 2 tomatoes, slit the green chillies and set aside.

Wash and Soak long grained rice for 15 mins.

In a pan/kadai/wok, heat oil. Add a bay leaf, green chillies, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves and onions and fry till the onions are golden brown. Add a tsp of ginger paste and stir 2 mins.

Now add finely chopped tomatoes, salt to taste and cook till soft. Add this mixture to the soaked rice, add water as required and pressure cook up to 1 whistle. Generally 2 cups of water will do. If cooking in the wok itself, add the rice, water, cover and cook for 20 mins i.e. till the rice is done.

Take 2 tsps of the preferred food color and mix in a few drops of milk. Pour the milk and color mixture over the cooked rice so that the rice absorbs the color.

Garnish with coriander and serve. Bagara biryani is a simple rice recipe that can be served with any of the gravy curries, dals, raithas or just plain yoghurt. It is the Hyderabadi flavor that touches the heart and makes the tongue go slurrrrp.

Aavapettina dondakaya

Tindora or dondakaya is a typically Indian gourd, small and round in look, regularly prepared in Andhra homes. Aavapettina dondakaya is a masala curry, an Andhra recipe.

Preparation time: 30-45 mins

Serves: 2




Ingredients:

Indian gourd (tindora/dondakaya) ¼ kg
Refined cooking oil 2tbsp
Black gram (urad dal/uddipappu) 1tsp
Mustard seeds 2tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Grated and fresh coconut 100gms
Red chillies 5
Pinch of asafoetida (hing)

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash, wipe and cut the tindora either vertically into pieces or into circles. Even a plus shaped cut will do.

Grind to fine paste: 100 gms fresh coconut, 5 red chillies, 1 tsp mustard seeds and a pinch of salt.

In a pan/kadai(bandli/mukudu), heat 2 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds and as they pop, add black gram, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.

Add the cut tindora to the tempering. Add a pinch of salt and mix well. Cover and cook for around 7-10 mins on medium heat till the tindoras turn soft.

Once the tindoras are cooked, add the above ground mustard- coconut paste and mix well. Leave to cook for another 3-4 mins.

Aavapettina dondakaya is traditionally is rice supplement, but being a dry and spiced curry; it does go well with any of the Indian bread.

Almond Strawberry delight

Well, the heat has gotten over the whole of India and us too in the Middle East, but Hyderabad specially seems to be burning. Almond strawberry delight is a cool sip for the much wanted respite from the heat. A bonus: it’s healthy too.

The best part of the recipe is we actually don’t need to go scouting for strawberries. This makes it easier to make this drink all year round and not wait for the strawberry season.

Preparation time: 45-50 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Milk (paalu) ½ litre
Canned/bottled strawberry juice 200 ml
Almond powder (Badam powder) 4tsp
Sugar to taste (optional)

Method:

Canned/bottled strawberry juice is available in most supermarkets. So is the ready made Almond mix.

Boil the milk. Add sugar, almond powder and stir well. (Sugar is optional as both almond powder and strawberry juice are reasonably sweet) Set aside to cool.

Once the milk is at room temperature, pour into serving glasses/cups.

Add one to one and half spoons of the canned/bottled strawberry juice to each cup.

Place in the refrigerator to chill for half an hour and not more than that. Since the bottled strawberry juice contains citric acid, it will form a liquefied jelly. Do not touch with spoon or try to mix before serving.

Garnish with strawberry cream wafers, crushed almonds and grated chocolate and serve.

Strawberry almond delight is a colorful summer evening refresher. It can also be served after dinners as deserts with a topping of strawberry ice cream for a classy finish to the evening. Healthy almonds and milk and lip smacking strawberry flavor, this is sure to be on the top of the favorite lists of kids, moms and grandma’s too.

Thotakura pulusu/Amaranth Sambar

Green leafy vegetables are always known to be nutritious and good for health. When cooked well, they will be tasty and yummy too. Amaranth or thotakura is one such leafy veggie that is regularly used in South Indian homes.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Amaranth leaves(Thotakura/chaulai) 1 bunch
Pigeon peas (kandipappu/toor dal) 1cup (100gms)
Cumin seeds (jeelakarra/jeera) 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds (menthulu/methi seeds) 1tsp
Green chillies 2
Red chillies 2
Sambar powder 2tsps
Ghee 1tsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Tamarind 1 blob
Pinch of Asafoetida
Salt to taste

Fresh and grated coconut to garnish

Method:

Pressure cook 1 cup pigeon peas.

Wash and chop the amaranth leaves. Remove the stem portion and chop only the leaves.

In a vessel/cooking pot, add the chopped amaranth leaves, salt to taste, a blob of tamarind, 2 and a half cups of water and leave to boil on simmer for around 8-10mins. This is a healthy way of cooking the leaves as it retains the nutrients available in them.

While the amaranth leaves are boiling, add 2 slit green chillies, a tsp each of cumin and fenugreek seeds. While green chillies enhance taste, cumin and fenugreek help in digestion.

Add boiled pigeon peas, 2 tsps sambar powder and cook for another 5 mins till thick and consistent ala gravy.

In a pan, heat ghee. Add mustard seeds and as they pop add a red chilli, 4-5 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida.

Season the sambar with the above tempering and garnish with fresh and grated coconut before serving.

Thotakura pulusu or amaranth sambar is a highly nutritious recipe, more so because it is cooked in a very healthy way. Ideally had with rice, it tastes good with phulkas too as it is thick like a gravy. Most importantly, its yummy for the tummy.

Paneer butter masala

Paneer butter masala is a popular North Indian recipe, a recipe that most of the paneer lovers crave for. An ideal inclusion into special menus, paneer butter masala is a recipe that makes cooking enjoyable.

Preparation time: 30- 45 mins

Serves: 2






Ingredients:
Paneer 200gms
Capsicum 1
Onions 2
Tomatoes 2
Coriander seeds 4tsp
Cumin seeds 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1tsp
Cashew nuts 10
Cloves 2
Cinnamon stick 1
Cardamom 1
Condensed milk 1 cup
Ginger paste 1tsp
Red chilli powder 1tsp
Kasuri methi 1 tsp
Butter 2tbsp
Pinch of turmeric

Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the paneer into cubes and shallow fry. Set aside.

Cut the capsicum into small cubes, finely chop onions.

Heat 1 tsp butter and fry finely chopped onions. Cool and grind to make onion paste.

Boil 2 tomatoes till they are soft and the peel withers off. Cool and grind to make tomato paste.

Dry roast and grind to fine powder: 4tsp dhania seeds, 1tsp methi seeds, cumin seeds, 2 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 cardamom.

Grind together 10 cashews and one cup condensed milk.

In a pan/kadai (Bandli/mookudu), heat 1 tbsp butter, add onion paste and ginger paste. Keep stirring till light golden brown and add red chilli powder, kasuri methi, pinch of turmeric, salt to taste, the roasted and ground dhania powder and sauté till the masalas are cooked.

Add tomato paste, cashew paste and a little water or milk as preferred and mix. Add chopped capsicum, cover and cook till the gravy thickens. The capsicum is steam cooked which will retain its flavor and is a nutritious way of cooking. Add the fried paneer cubes and cook for 2 mins.

Garnish with fresh and chopped coriander and serve with any of the Indian bread or flavored rice. Paneer butter masala can also be made with other veggies like cauliflower and green peas. The eyes might be reading, but the mouth is already watering, why the delay? Remove the hands from the mouse and let the feet enter the kitchen!

Bendakaya vepudu/Bhindi fry

Bendakaya vepudu or okra fry is a regular at most Andhra homes and an all time favourite of many an Andhrite. The recipe is quick and simple.

Preparation time: 15-20 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Okra (Bhindi/bendakaya) ½ kg
Refined cooking oil 1 cup
Curry leaves 4-5
Cashew nuts 4-5
Groundnuts 5-10
Red chilli powder 1tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash, wipe dry and cut the okra either vertically or into circles. We prefer circles as it is easier.

Deep fry the okra in pre-heated oil till crisp and set aside.

In another pan/kadai. Heat 1 tbsp oil, add ground nuts, crushed or whole cashews and curry leaves. Sauté for a few minutes.

Add the cashews, groundnuts and curry leaves to the okra. Sprinkle red chilli powder and salt as required. Mix well so that all the okra is evenly spiced.

Serve with piping hot rice smeared with ghee or a phulka, either way bendakaya vepudu goes well.