Ugadi Subhakankshalu

వికృతి నామ సంవత్సర ఉగాది శుభాకాంక్షలు.  Ugadi marks the beginning of the Telugu New Year and is celebrated as very important festival by the people of Andhra Pradesh.   According to Hindu mythology, the New Year starts with Ugadi with the moon changing its orbit. It is also believed that the creator Lord Brahma started to create the universe on this first day of sukla paksha in the lunar month of Chaitra. 

Ugadi Pachchadi

The day begins with this Ugadi pachchadi which reflects different flavors of life.

Ingredients:
1 cup grated raw fresh mango
1 tbsp neem flowers
1 cup crushed jaggery
1 cup tamarind paste (not the concentrate, should be taken at home by soaking two lemon sized balls of tamarind in water) not too thick, not too thin
3 tbsp Putnalu pappu (roasted chana dal)
1 banana (cut into small square pieces)
1 tbsp fresh grated coconut (optional)

Maa inti Ugadi vindu

Preparation:

• To the tamarind water, add jaggery and mix well untill it is completely dissolved in the tamarind paste.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Kobbari Arisalu

Ingredients:

Maida : 1 cup
Fresh shredded coconut : 1 cup
Powdered Sugar : 2 cups
Elaichi powder : 1 tsp
Oil : for frying
Ghee : 2 tsps

Preparation:

• Add three tsps of powdered sugar to maida and knead it like a poori dough with water.
• Apply some ghee to the kneaded dough and keep it aside for half an hour.
• To the shredded coconut, add the remaining sugar and elaichi powder.
• Make a small ball out of the maida dough and roll it into a small poori.
• Take almost a tsp of coconut mixture and place it in the center of the poori.
• Gather and seal the edges to the center and flatten the dough into a thick patty.
• Roll it again into a small poori and deep fry till golden brown.

Spring Onions Podipappu

Ingredients:

Green gram dal (Pesarapappu) : 1 cup
Spring onions : 2 bunches cut into small pieces
Green Chillies : 5 or 6 cut lengthwise
Garlic : 4 or 5 cloves cut lengthwise
Salt : as required

For Garnishing:
Carrot : 1/2 grated
Raw Coconut powder : 1 tbsp
Coriander : for garnishing

For tempering:
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
Chana dal : 2 tsp
Urad dal : 1 tsp
Red chillies : 4 or 5 (1" pieces)
Curry leaves : 1 or 2 stems

Preparation:

• Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a vessel.  Add green gram dal to the boiling water.
• When the dal is half cooked, switch off the stove and strain the dal in a colander.
• Heat a tbsp of oil in a thick bottomed pan and saute cumin seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies, garlic and curry leaves till they begin to sizzle.  
• Add green chillies and spring onions and fry for 3-4 minutes on medium-high till the onions change their color.
• Add the half boiled dal and simmer for 5 minutes.
• After the dal is completely cooked, add salt and garnish with grated carrot, coconut powder and coriander.
• Can be served with chapatis or white rice.

Spicy Pistachio Droplings

This spicy snack is made by greasing shelled pistachios with a batter made with besan and rice flour. This evening snack is a savour during weekends and especially during the rainy days. They can be served as part of a  proper lunch menu or as an evening snack.

Ingredients
Shelled Pistachios : 1 cup
Gram flour (besan) : 1/2 cup
Rice flour : 1/2 cup
Water : 1/2 cup
Salt : as required
Red chilly powder : 1 to 11/2 tsp
Dhania powder : 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric : a pinch
Oil : for deep frying

Preparation

• To the besan add rice flour, salt and all the spices except pistachios. Mix until well blended.
• Add water and mix till all the ingredients are well blended.
• Finally mix pistachios.
• Heat oil in a pan.  Drop the pistachios mixed batter into the oil like pakoda.
• Deep fry them until well cooked and serve.

Bobbarlu and Corn Vada

Ingredients

Bobbarlu (Alasandalu) : 1 cup

Canned Corn : 1/2 cup

Ginger : 1 inch piece

Green Chillies : 4 or 5

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Coriander : half a bunch

Curry Leaves : 4 to 5 stems

Salt : as required

Oil : required for frying

Preparation 

• Soak the Bobbarlu for 3 - 4 hrs. 

• Wash and take a hand full of bobbarlu and keep aside.

• Grind the rest of all bobbarlu, green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds and salt.

• Do not add water. 

• To this add corn and the hand full of bobbarlu which are kept aside along with chopped curry leaves and coriander.

• Take the batter and shape them like vada either by using both hands or by pressing on a plastic sheet. 

• Heat oil in a frying pan and drop the vada and fry it till golden brown and remove it.

Serve them with Tomato Ketchup or you can eat them solely without any combination.

Dates Cake : Eggless

One of my friend  made this cake and it came out amazing.  Courtesy goes to Aayi's Recipes 

Ingredients:

Seedless dates: 18 to 20
Milk : 3/4 cup
Sugar : 3/4 cup
All purpose flour or maida : 1 cup
Oil : 1/2 cup
Baking soda : 1 tsp
Cashews, walnuts(optional) : 1 tbsp

Preparation

• Soak the dates in warm milk or just heat milk and dates for few minutes or microwave them so that dates becomes soft and help in grinding. 
• Add sugar and grind them to a smooth paste along with the milk in which it is soaked in. 
• Add oil and mix. 
• Sieve together flour and baking soda. 
• Add the flour one table spoon at a time and mix slowly. 
• Add the nuts and mix.
• Preheat the oven at 350F. Bake the cake in a greased oven proof dish for 35-40min (or till a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean).
• Cut into pieces and serve.

Kabuli Sanagalu Vada (Chole Vada)

One morning I planned to cook Chapaties for night's dinner and soaked these chole to make a curry for chapatis.  But I didn't find time to make the chapatis in the evening and I decided to freeze these chole for future use.  That day was a Friday and I usually make some snack on Friday as the dinner generally gets delayed during weekends.  So I thought why not give a try to this Chole Vada and they turned out really yummy.

  

Ingredients:

Kabuli Sanagalu (Chole) : 1 cup

Green Chilli : 2

Red Chilli : 2
Ginger - 1" (optional)
Coriander leaves - as desired
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Curry leaves few
Oil for deep frying

Although I didn't use curry leaves and coriander leaves in the vadas which are pictured, they really taste good only if you use them.

Preparation:

• Clean and soak chole for overnight. 
• Grind Chole with Chillies and Cumin seeds coarsely. You can add ginger while grinding or u can add later by cutting them into very fine pieces. 
• Chop Coriander and curry leaves finely. Mix this with the dal to form a good mixture. Also add salt.
• Heat Oil in a pan. Divide the dal mix into small balls, flatten them into small patties, either using your palm or using a wet plastic cover.
• Once the oil is hot, deep fry until they are well cooked. Normally takes around 5 mins on sim for each one to be ready.

You can serve them with any type of chutney or u can have them with tomato ketchup or can enjoy them solely without any combination.