Andhra Tomato Pappu - Seasoned Lentils with Tomatoes

Dal is an ultimate comfort food in most of Indian homes and tomato pappu/dal is a basic dal variant of Andhra cuisine.  Pappu is basically a Telugu word which means dal. This is our family favorite and goes well with hot steamed rice and any vegetable stir fry or just with papads.

Tomatoes are fruits in a botanical sense, but they don't have the sweetness like other fruits. Instead they have a subtle sweetness that is complemented by a slightly bitter and acidic taste. These come in over a thousand different varieties that vary in shape, size, and color. There are small cherry tomatoes, bright yellow tomatoes, Italian pear-shaped tomatoes, and the green tomatoes. 

Idiyappam - String Hoppers

Idiyappam (string hoppers) is a complete new dish to me. I got a chance to taste this at one of my friend’s place who is a Keralite. Thanks to her mother who had introduced me to this classic recipe. She had served these beauties with black chana curry. This is a traditional breakfast in Kerala, Tamilnadu, southern areas of Karnataka and even Sri Lanka.

The name idiyappam derives from the Tamil/Malayalam words idi, meaning 'broken down', and appam, meaning "pancake". The dish is also, frequently called noolappam or noolputtu from the Malayalam/Tamil/Kannada/Kodava word nool, meaning "string or thread".

These are like steamed rice noodles. As this is steam cooked, it is considered as healthy recipe with a side dish like coconut milk, vegetable/meat stew. This may seem difficult to make, but is so simple that I have succeeded in making the perfect idiyappam on the first go itself.

Gutti Vankaya Koora - Baby Eggplants In A Spicy Gravy

ఆ... ఆహా ఏమి రుచి అనరా మైమరచి 

రోజూ తిన్నా మరీ మోజే తీరనిదీ 

తాజా కూరలలో రాజా ఎవరండీ... 

ఇంకా చెప్పాలా వంకాయేనండీ 

Brinjal/eggplant is considered to be the king of vegetables in Andhra cuisine. The above writing is a famous song from a Telugu movie describing the taste of well cooked eggplants.

Brinjal is the name of this vegetable mostly used in South Asia, South-East Asia and South Africa, “eggplant” in American and Australian English and “aubergine” in British English.

Gutti vankaya koora is usually made with baby eggplants. Tender, young eggplants result in an absolute delicious dish. This curry can be prepared in a number of variations. Try this recipe and I am sure, you will love it.

Mango Limeade

Make the most of the mango season. Freshly squeezed lime with the sweetness of seasonal mangoes is a great combination of beverage for this hot summer. Adding a few soaked sabja seeds is an extra touch to cool your senses.

Homemade mango limeade is a perfect drink with tartness of lime and sweetness of mangoes.

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 large mango, peeled and chopped (I used alphonso)
2 limes
honey to taste
½ tsp black salt
½ tbsp sabja/basil seeds (optional)
ice cubes

Method

• Soak sabja/basil seeds in ½ cup water.
• Blend chopped mangoes, lime juice until smooth and transfer to a pitcher/bowl.
• Add water, black salt, soaked sabja seeds and honey to taste.
• Stir well and serve over ice.             

Oats Coconut Laddu

Oat is a cereal commonly consumed in the form of oatmeal or rolled oats. The popularity of oats has been increasing by days because of its health benefits. Oats for breakfast is a delicious way to add fibre and nutrients to our body first thing in the morning. Great way to start a day is with a warm bowl of oatmeal, which can lower blood cholesterol because of its soluble fibre content.

Mango Kulfi

When the temperatures soar, you can have a sweet treat to beat the escalating summer heat with something called Kulfi. Since mangoes are everywhere now, what better way than to blend them with kulfi.

Kulfi is a frozen milk based desert, and is traditionally made by freezing reduced milk (rabri). This is a tedious process of babysitting the milk till it is reduced (as there is a risk of milk sticking to the bottom of the pan if it is not stirred continuously). Short cut to make kulfi is to add any thickening agent.

Chinta Chiguru Pappu - Lentils Cooked with Tender Tamarind Leaves

Another delicacy from Andhra. ‘Chinta chiguru’ is a telugu word which means tender tamarind leaves. These leaves can be so versatile that they turn out so good when cooked either with vegetables or meat.

These tender leaves, when combined with dal, give a delicate tartness to the dish.