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.