Curry Leaves Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 2 cups
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - As Required
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp or Jaggery powder
Curry leaves - 1 cup loosely packed
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Toor dal - 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tbsp
Pepper - 1/2 tbsp
Red chillies - 4
Tamarind - small pea sized ball or 1/4 tsp paste 
Coconut - 3 tbsp grated (optional) 
Oil / Ghee - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
Chana dal - 1/4 tbsp
Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) Cook rice and make sure it is not mushy. Spread it on a plate to cool.
2) In a pan dry roast urad dal, chana dal, jeera pepper, toor dal and red chillies until golden brown.
3) Soak tamarind in a bowl of water. Add as less as possible to soak.
4) Add the roasted ingredients to mixer along with soaked tamarind, curry leaves,  grated coconut with salt and sugar / jaggery.
5) Grind it to a paste with very little water. Water from soaked tamarind can be added.
6) In a pan, add oil followed by chana dal, urad dal, Peanuts and hing. Add the grinded mixture with turmeric powder and fry until the raw smell is gone.
7) Add Rice and mix well. Adjust salt if required.

Curry leaves Rice is ready to be served.

Note:

1) Onion and Green peas can also be added.
2) The mixture can be made with out adding water too in powder form, which can be served as chutney powder too.
3) Dry coconut flakes can be added instead of fresh coconut for long shelf life. The paste or masala can be stored for 1 week in refrigerator.

Andhra Style Thondakayi Fry (Vepudu)

Ingredients:

Thondakayi - 1 cup (Chopped)
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Salt - As required
Red chilly powder - 1/4 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1/4 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 2
Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp
Chana dal - 1/4 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
Jeera - 1/4 tbsp
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Curry leaves - few

Method:

1) Wash and cut vegetable.
2) In a pan, add oil, mustard, jeera, chana dal, Urad dal, hinga and curry leaves.
3) Add thondekayi to the pan and fry until it is 3/4 roasted.
4) Now add crushed garlic to the pan and fry vegetable until completely done.
5) Add all the powders and coconut and mix well.

Thondekayi vepudu is ready to be served with Rasam, Rice and Andhra Poppu.


Note:

1) Lemon juice can also be added.
2) Onion can be added too.
3) Spices can be adjusted according to taste. I prefer to just add to coat the vegetable.
4) Vegetable can also be soft. I prefer to be chrisp.
5) Coriander leaves can also be added.
6) Dry coconut powder is preferable.

Instant oats upma mix - Version 1

Ingredients:

Quick rolled Oats - 1 cup

Onion - 1/2 medium

Salt - As Required

Sugar - a pinch

Green chilies - 2 (Finely chopped)

Dry Coconut - 1/4 cup

Pepper powder - 1/4 tbsp

Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1) In a pan, dry roast oats and Coarsely grind oats into powder. Keep it aside.

2) Take another pan and add Coconut oil followed by onion, green chilies and fry until golden brown.

3) Add this fried onion to the coarsely grinded oats.  

4) Add Salt, Sugar, red chilly powder, pepper powder, dry coconut and mix well.

Instant oats Upma Mix is ready to be served.

Note:

1) Mixture can be stored in a air tight container for 2 weeks.

2) Can also add fried vegetables. Make sure to chop vegetables finely. This would only stay good for a week.

Kara sev

Ingredients:

Besan / gram flour - 1 Cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 1/4 tbsp
Asafoetida / Hing - A pinch
Salt - As required
Water - 1/4 cup
Oil - For deep frying

Method:

1) In a bowl, add Gram flour, rice flour, turmeric, hing, Red chilly powder and salt. Mix well.
2) Now add water as required to prepare a smooth dough. The dough will be slightly sticky, thats normal.
3) Grease the small holed mould with some oil and stuff dough into it.
4) Meanwhile, heat oil for frying.
5) Press the sev in hot oil forming a circle in the oil and make sure you not to overlap.
6) Wait for few minutes, and flip over and fry the other side. Wait until the foam or bubbles of the oil reduces.
7) Drain oil over kitchen paper and repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Kara Sev is ready to be served with masala chai.

Note:

1) Overlapping when frying makes the sev soft than chrisp.
2) Store in a air tight container for 15days.