Korrala Payasam ~ Foxtail Millet Pudding with Coconut & Nuts

Foxtail millet is the second-most widely planted species of millet. In South India, it has been a staple diet among people since ancient times. Foxtail millets are ideal for reducing cholesterol, controlling blood sugar, and aiding metabolism rate. High in anti-oxidants, this wonder food helps in getting rid of toxins in the body. These are also high in dietary fiber, which aids in proper breakdown of food assisting in better digestion. These are free of gluten, unlike rice and wheat. In addition, it helps in keeping the glycemic index (the rate at which blood sugar level spikes up after eating) low. Therefore, these millets maintain a balance in the body.

Try out this simple dish to fulfill your sweet tooth, minimizing your guilt.

Paneer Rava Coconut Laddu

Festivals around the corner, this simple rava laddu has taken an exotic avatar. Yeah, paneer adds that special taste and texture to the laddu.

Hope you like this version of rava laddu.

Extreme Chocolate Cake

This cake is moist, rich, tasty and all the more decadent as it looks. Loaded with rich nutella frosting and immersed in dark chocolate shards, makes this sinfully yummicious. A hint of coffee carries the taste to an extreme level. With every bite of it, you feel a chocolaty volcano erupting in your mouth.

Poha Coconut Peanut Laddu ~ Atukula Kobbari Palli Laddu

“hare kṛiṣhṇa hare kṛiṣhṇa

kṛiṣhṇa kṛiṣhṇa hare hare

hare rāma hare rāma

rāma rāma hare hare”

This ultimate mantra has the potency to cleanse us from our sins.

A Happy Janmashtami / Gokulastami to all. This festival reminds me of breaking the dahi handi (earthen pot filled with buttermilk) in the streets of my home town. This involves young men forming human towers and reaching a high hanging pot of buttermilk to break it, resembling Krishna’s playful act of stealing butter and milk from the neighbors’ houses.

Perugu Vada ~ Dahi Vada

Dahi Vada, Dahi Bhalla, Thayir Vadai, Perugu Vada, Mosaru Vade, Dahi Bora….as called in different languages / regions in India….are soft, fluffy deep fried lentil dumplings soaked in a thick, creamy spiced yogurt, a favorite for almost all Indians. There are plenty of variations as you go by different regions. South Indians prefer their vadas soaked in spiced yogurt where as people from North like them with plain yogurt topped with green/tamarind chutney. Sweetened curd is used in some places like Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Mango Banana Milkshake

This is an incredibly smooth, creamy, delicious milkshake for the obvious reason of its soft ingredients. On a happier note it can be substituted for a late breakfast especially on those lazy weekends when you just want to avoid cooking your first meal.

Kodi Koora ~ Andhra Style Chicken Curry

This is an authentic chicken curry coming straight from my grandma’s kitchen. Andhra Kodi Koora is a spicy, hot country style chicken curry which goes amazingly well with rice, roti, dosa, idly, poori, vada and many other mains. Andhra Pradesh is known for its wide range of spicy cuisine, and non-vegetarians here love to include kodi koora as regularly as they can.

Slow roasted whole spices are ground to a fine powder which gives the dish rich aromatic gravy. Also poppy seeds add body to the gravy.

Mango Cake

My refrigerator is packed with loads of golden beauties, for the obvious reason, this being the mango season. I have been trying to make as many recipes possible with these ‘king of fruits’. You name it ­­–­ mango lassi, mango limeade, mango kulfi, mango shrikhand, mango milkshake… And now, this is a long pending dessert to be tried since the last season. Yeah, mango cake…

Iced Pineapple Green Tea

All of us are aware how fast green tea is catching up the modern day buzz. True to its virtue, millions are transitioning from their daily in-take of regular tea or coffee to the green tea. For those who are still finding ways to relish green tea, and those who already are, here is a more flavorful variant with what nature has offered, a pineapple. Yes, you can make iced pineapple green tea. This is a healthier extension to pineapple lemonade, and a fruity twist to green tea.This is a perfect nutritional beverage. All you need to do is extract fresh juice from pineapple or skip this step by just adding the store bought pineapple juice.

Andhra Style Tender Jackfruit Curry

Jackfruit is a seasonal produce. I have never attempted to buy a piece of this earlier as I was afraid of the chopping part. Jackfruit excretes lot of sticky latex when cut, which is almost similar to the wood glue. So, it is always recommended to grease hands and knife before chopping this. 

For the first time in my life, I bought a slice of jackfruit from the farmer’s market and wondered how this can be cooked. Fortunate enough, my MIL has a recipe for this and it turned out so good. In short I can say this is a vegetarian’s meat curry. Try this before the season ends, and I am sure you will wait for the next season.

Bendakaya-Vankaya Pulusu

Pulusu is a tangy stew usually made in Andhra homes. The medley of tamarind, jaggery, and chili powder combined with vegetables, onions or even eggs and fish, makes this lip smacking accompaniment with rice. Check my fish pulusu recipe here. Okra/ladies’ finger and brinjal go into today’s tamarind based preparation, which is very simple yet delicious.

Fig Kulfi

This gorgeous, soft, sweet, juicy, fragrant fruit is just so versatile to be used in anything or everything. Can be eaten as is or can be tipped in any of your favorite dessert recipes. Though the dried figs are available all year round, there is nothing like the unique taste and texture of fresh figs available seasonally. They are mildly sweet with a texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds.

This when combined with the sweetness of red wine, creaminess of evaporated milk and then frozen, turns out to be a scrumptious kulfi you may never had tasted before. For me, wine never seemed as befitting as this.

Bitter Gourd Chips

This is a great choice for one, like me, who hates bitter-gourd. I am sure everyone will like the deep fried version of this vegetable. Deep frying reduces or mostly nullifies the bitterness of karela. These chips can be made with minimum effort, and taste the best inspite its natural bitterness.

Oatmeal Raisin Banana Muffin

Few super ripe bananas were lying on my kitchen counter compelling me to try out something new by using them. Even my oven got bored of baking banana loafs quite often. So, I decided to give a different texture and shape to my recipe today. Turning a soft banana bread into a chewy muffin was the idea of the day. I thought nothing as good as combining banana and oatmeal. And here is the outcome, Oatmeal Raisin Banana Muffin.

Ugadi Pacchadi

Ugadi is a Telugu festival, which marks the start of a Telugu calendar year. Ugadi is termed from ‘Yug’ (era / year) and ‘Adi’ (start) derived from Sanskrit. This new year day generally falls in the months of March or April, and is celebrated even in most other parts of South India.

Methi Pakoda

Pakoda / Pakora is a fried snack made with gram flour, also known as Pakodi in Telugu. These are crispy outside, medium soft inside and can be made with different veggies. Each part of India has their own version of making, which results in a slight variation of form and taste. Methi pakora is one such variation.

Kaju Badam Kulfi ~ Milk Cashew Almond Frozen Dessert

The sun is peeking through here in my part of the globe and we are still in the mood of chill weather. It is a sudden change in temperature that is making it tough to cope. To keep the mood going in summer too, what could be better than drenching in a kulfi. Mind you, this is not just a summer dessert, but can be had anytime of the year.

Kulfi is one dessert that everyone in my family loves to indulge in and kaju-badam kulfi is the first one I made for this season. The creamy texture of whole-milk, the exotic flavors of cashew, and the crunch of almonds combined with a hint of cardamom makes this a rich and heavenly dessert.

Oats Raisin cookies

These raisin studded oatmeal cookies have crisp edges and chewy inners. Oats-Raisin cookies have become our new favorite. The nutty flavor of the oats and chewy texture of raisins will definitely steal your heart. The combination of white and brown sugars here in the recipe results in a rich and chewy cookie. A hint of cinnamon in these cookies makes the whole house scented while baking. The first time I made these cookies, they got vanished with in a while and I was left with few crumbs for my photography.

Barley and Brown Rice Dosa

Dosa is a fermented crepe made from rice and black lentil batter and is a staple dish from south India. This has become popular in rest of the country as well. Barley and brown rice dosa is a similar one but a healthier version as the name suggests.

No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

Decadent chocolate cheescake is perfect for any occasion. Quick to make, simple and elegant to serve, this could become a favorite for your loved one.

Beetroot Banana Jaggery Cake

An experimental task of baking a beetroot banana cake turned out successful. It is wonderfully moist and dense cake with a hint of banana flavor and richness of beets.

Samosa

Do you need an introduction to samosa? This little deep fried pastry, filled with mashed potatoes, onion, peas, green chili and spices is famous world-wide. For most Indians like me, it is surprising to know that this originated in the Middle-East and was introduced to South Asia (India & Pakistan). Samosa has become one of the signature dishes of India.

This versatile snack is not as difficult to make at home as it sounds. It can be literally made using any stuffing which your heart desires. Let’s see the basic version which calls for potato and peas filling.

Pumpkin Kheer / Pudding

I have never worked with pumpkin earlier, nor did I taste this vegetable in any form. Of late, I’ve been wondering on how this could be used in my cooking. Only yesterday, in the farmers’ market, my eyes struck on a beautiful pumpkin which reminded me of a gorgeous cake. When I brought it home, the idea of making a cake changed to halwa, but it finally ended up turning out to kheer J. Whatever be the form, the outcome was way above my expectation.

The rich, vibrant, golden color of the dessert has stolen my heart and I am sure can compete with any other kheer you name. If you are calorie conscious and also have a sweet tooth, this is for you. The natural sweetness of pumpkin minimizes the use of extra sugar. I can say that pumpkin kheer is one of the easiest, quickest, aromatic desserts I have ever made.

Vegetable Pulao

A simple vegetable pulav is lightly fragrant and packed with all the flavors you would love to enjoy. This is an easy one pot meal for those lazy days when you are not in a mood of cooking. The wonderful color of the pulav is ‘coz of the red, juicy beets added. The aromatic mint leaves carry the taste of this dish to an entire new level. You may also add few cashew nuts, paneer, soya chucks to fit your taste buds.