Bellam Paramaannam ~ Rice Jagerry Pudding

Paramaannam literally meaning Param-Annam (Food of God), is made in most Andhra homes on special occasions and festivals. Every Indian state has its own version. Traditionally, it is made by cooking rice and milk together in an open pot for a very long time, and sweetened with jaggery. However, I always use pressure cooker, which saves time.

Spice it up with a pinch of nutmeg, and notice that the taste reaches a different new level. This is a lip smacking pudding when served warm or cold.

Coconut Chutney

How can anyone forget to serve this perfect accompaniment with idli or dosa! Coconut chutney has originated from South India, and each family has their own variation of making it. This is a must go with idli, dosa, utappam, medu vada, pongal, and many more breakfast and / snack dishes at any restaurant. This so delicious chutney has fast spread across the country, and is now most commonly prepared in every Indian house-hold.

Fresh coconut is ground with roasted chana dal and green chillies, and is tempered with few spices to give that extra edge. This is so simple and can be made in a jiffy. As per your taste buds, it can be made mild / extra hot.

Amrakhand or Mango Shrikhand

Amrakhand or mango shrikhand is a very common Indian sweet dish made of hung yogurt/curd and mango puree. Shrikhand is sweetened, strained yogurt, which is famous in Maharastrian and Gujarati cuisine. This can be made in various flavors, and most popular of these is amrakhand, which is made by blending mango pulp with plain shrikhand.

Amrakhand tastes best when chilled, so make it in advance and let it chill overnight. Garnish with some chopped dried nuts just before serving.

Peanut Chutney

Peanut/groundnut chutney is an excellent accompaniment with idli and dosa. This is a quick and spicy dip to go well with the south Indian breakfast dishes when you fall short of coconut. 

These nuts can be enjoyed roasted, boiled, salted, or sweetened. Boiling, in fact, enriches their nutritional and antioxidants profile. Peanuts are rich in monounsaturated fats, the type of fat that is emphasized in the heart-health. It is said that peanuts are good source of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese. Niacin is an important B vitamin that helps to convert food to energy, aids with the digestive and nervous system, and helps the skin.

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.