HEALTH TIP:: Eat more Iron rich foods like Apples, Bananas, Green Vegetables, Non-Veg etc. to avoid Anemia

HEALTH TIP:: AVOID BECOMING ANEMIC


* Eat more Iron rich foods like Apples, Bananas, Green Vegetables, Non-Veg etc.
* Vitamin C allows the body to absorb more Iron. Hence have fruits like Orange, Lemon, Amla(Usirikaya) and juices having these
* Drinking Coffee or Tea after meals will prohibit the body from absorbing required Iron.
* Kismis is also Iron rich.


- Courtesy Eenadu

(Sweet) Capsicum Curry

Ingredients:

• Capsicum - 2 no.
• Dhania - Jeelakarra Powder - 2 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Jaggery - 2 teaspoon (optional)
• Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Cut capsicum into small pieces
• Heat oil in a pan and add Thalimpu seeds
• Add capsicum and cook for 5 minutes
• Add red chilli powder, dhania jeelakarra powder, salt and jaggery
• Cook for some more time.
• Add water if you want to make gravy

It tastes well with rice or chapati.

Another variation on the same is adding sesame seeds to the powder preparation.

Senagalu Pulusu

Ingredients:

• Onion - 1 no.
• Tomatoes - 2 no.
• Senagalu - 1 cup
• Garlic -  4 cloves 
• Coriander powder - 5 tablespoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Tamarind - soak and extract the chintapandu pulusu
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Paste for Pulusu:

Grind the below ingredients

• Raw rice - 1 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Red chillies (adjust to taste) - 8-10 no.
• Grated coconut - 3 tablespoon (ideally fresh coconut. I tried adding dry coconut grate...still tastes good)

Preparation:

• Soak channa overnight. 
• Drain and cook chana by adding water(1:4) and cook in a pressure cooker
• Drain the excess water.and keep it aside to add to the curry later
• In a pan, add oil.
• Add onions, tomatoes, garlic cloves and the paste.
• Add coriander powder, turmeric powder and channa water you drained
• Cover and cook for 10 min
• Add boiled chana to the curry and cook for 5 mins.
• Add salt to taste and add tamarind water like you add to any pulusu
• Boil for 10 mins
• Add thalimpu to this curry - oil + thalimpu seeds + curry leaves
• Garnish with Coriander leaves

Take this curry with rice or chapathi

EGG MASALA - KODI GUDDU VEPUDU

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs boiled
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp roasted chana dhal powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tbsp oil

Preparation

• Add chilli powder, chana dhal powder and salt in a bowl and mix well.
• In a pan add oil and add the above mixture.
• Saute for a min and add boiled eggs.
• Cook on low flame for 5-10 mins and tasty, colorful Egg curry is ready

TIP: Garlic to be dried in hot sun before peeling

TIP: GARLIC PEELING PROCESS

Dry the garlic cloves in hot sun for sometime. The peeling becomes easier

Cabbage Pachadi

Ingredients:

• Cabbage - 1/4 kg
• Green Chillies - 5
• Lemon -2
• Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Curry Leaves
• Thalimpu seeds
• Oil
• Peanuts
• Coriander Powder
• Coriander Leaves
• Garlic Cloves

Preparation:

• Cut Cabbage into small pieces
• Grind Peanut to powder
• Add cabbage to a bowl
• Add Red Chilli Powder, salt to taste
• Squeeze lemon juice
• Add peanut powder and coriander powder
• Mix well
• In a pan add oil and add make thalimpu seeds, green chillies, garlic cloves, curry leaves
• Add this thalimpu to the above bowl
• Garnish with coriander leaves

Beerakaya Curry with milk

Carrot Pachadi

Quick and easy pachadi - healthy and less oily

Ingredients:

• Carrots - 1/4 kg, grate it
• Salt
• Red Chilli Powder -  1/2 tsp
• 2 Lemons
• Green Chillies - 4(slit longitudinal)
• Thalimpu seeds
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Garlic
• Curry leaves

Preparation:

• Grate the carrots and add to a bowl
• Squeeze lemon juice
• Add Red Chilli Powder
• Add Salt to taste
• Mix well
• In a pan add oil and add thalimpu, green chillies, garlic, curry leaves
• Add this thalimpu into the bowl above and mix well

This really tastes yummy

Kakarkaya Pulusu

Ingredients:

• Bitter Gourd (Kakarkaya) - 1/4 kg
• Onions - 2
• Green chillies - 3
• Tamarind (soak in water and take pulusu)
• Salt to taste
• Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic - 4-5 cloves
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Popu - Minna pappu, Avalu, Jeelakarra, Senagapappu, curry leaves
• Jaggery - Bellam

Preparation:

• In a pan add 2 tsp of oil and add thalimpu(Minna pappu, Avalu, Jeelakarra, Senagapappu, curry leaves) and fry.
• Add garlic cloves peeled and fry
• Add chopped onions and green chillies and fry till they become light brown.
• Add cut chopped kakarkaya pieces, salt, red chillies powder, turmeric powder and allow it to cook for a while by closing the lid for 2 minutes
• Add tamarind pulusu and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add jaggery and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
• Allow the pulusu to cook for 5 minutes and switch off the stove

Corn Flour Halwa

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Corn Flour
• Almost 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• Saffron - a pinch (optional if using the artificial color)
• 6 to 7 pods Elachi (Take out the seeds and grind to a coarse powder)
• Orange Red Color (Optional ) - a pinch
• Pistachio nuts chopped - a handful
• (Any kind of chopped nuts is fine)
• Ghee - 3 tablespoons
• Water - 4 cups

Preparation:

Take Corn Flour in a Microwave safe bowl. Preferably a little big. I used the corning ware big size.

Pour 2 Cups of Water. Whisk well until there are no lumps.

Mix in the sugar and whisk until even distribution.

Add the Saffron.

Microwave on High for 2 minutes. Stir and again Microwave on High for 2 minutes. Repeat this until the conflour's raw smell goes. If you think the content is thickening too quickly, add little water and stir until even distribution and again Microwave for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the content becomes a little semi solid and the Corn Flour raw smell disappears completely.

Grease a dish with Ghee and add the remaining Ghee, Ground Elachi and the chopped nuts to the content and stir until even distribution. Cook again for a minute or two in microwave. The consistency will resemble a jelly, somewhat semi solid, trying to set.

Immediately pour the content in the greased dish

Allow it to cool completely. Topple the halwa in a plate. Slice and Serve. You can still enjoy the Halwa even if it doesn't slice out well.

SET MENU FOR A PARTY

A Set Menu for a Party of 15:

• 9 Eggs Boiled - slice it and add salt and pepper on top to go with drinks
• 2 1/2 kgs of Chicken Fry with Cashews to go with drinks
• 2 1/2 kgs of Mutton Curry (add paste of almonds and cashews for gravy)
• Tomato, Sorakaya, Mango Pappu Curry
• White Rice
• Yoghurt
• Beerakaya Pachadi

Palak Mealmaker Curry

Ingredients:

• Spinach – 2 cups
• Mealmaker granules – 1/2 cup
• Onion – 1
• Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
• Red chillie powder -1 tsp
• Salt – as required
• Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves -2 sprigs
• Ginger garlic paste – 1tsp
• Ghee -1 tsp
• Oil -3 tsp

Soak the meal maker granules in hot water for ten minutes.  

Strain the water and saute it in ghee for two minutes and keep it aside. 

Wash and cut the spinach. 

Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion and saute till soft and translucent. 

Add turmeric powder, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and saute for two minutes more.

Add chopped spinach/ palak , red chillie powder, salt as required. 

Mix well and cover with lid. 

Cook on slow fire till the palak is completely cooked and add mealmaker granules and garam masala powder. 

Mix well ,cover with lid and cook for five minutes more. 

This spicy curry is good combination for rice and rotis. Healthy too

Senagalu Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Kala channa(Senagalu)(Black Chickpeas)
• 2 cups water
• Salt to Taste
• Lemon juice

For Seasoning

• 2 dried red chillies
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
•  Few curry leaves
• 1/2 tbsp oil

Process

• Soak the chana for a whole night
• Boil the channa with 2 cups of water and salt for 20-25 min. Then drain the water.
• Heat oil in a pan and do the seasoning by adding one by one.(red chillies, urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves)
• Add the boiled chana & fry for 10-15 min.
• Remove from heat & enjoy the snack
• Sprinkle little lemon juice on the chana while having the snack.

Alasandalu Curry

Preparation of Alasandalu Curry

Black eyed peas (alasandalu)- 2 cups

Onions – 1 finely chopped

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tea spoon

Tomatoes -     2 finely chopped

Chilli powder – add to the taste

Coriander powder – 1 tea spoon

Salt

Same as above soak and boil the black eyed peas in a cooker till you get 3 whistles. Now take a tava.

Heat sufficient oil ie 3-4 table spoons in tava.

Now add onions and let them deep fry till they turn dark brown.

Now add tomatoes and ginger garlic paste and let them fry too.

Now add the boiled black eyed peas to the mixture and add sufficient water.

Let the curry boil and add sufficient chilli powder, coriander powder and sufficient amount of salt.

Bring the curry to boil and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with chapathi’s and your family members will love it

Alasandalu Palak Curry

We try to have a palak curry in our menu and this is a very healthy dish to try and it tasted so well with Chapathi and Rice

Ingredients

• Alasandalu - 1 cup. Soak overnight or for 4 hours. Cook in pressure pan for 10 minutes and drain the water
• Palak paste - 1 cup, cooked and grinded
• Onions -2, finely chopped
• Tomatoes - 2, finely chopped
• Cut Green chillies - 4
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - pinch
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander Leaves for garnishing
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Somp Podi - 1/4 tsp

Preparation

• Soak alasandalu/black-eyed peas overnight or minimum for four hours. Wash them thoroughly and pressure cook them with two cups of water and a pinch of salt. Drain and keep aside.
• Take Palak, cook and grind them
• In a pan add 2 tbsp of oil.
• Add the chopped onions and fry till it turns brown
• Add ginger garlic paste
• Add green chillies and fry
• Add tomatoes and fry for sometime
• Add turmeric powder
• Add coriander powder, salt, chilly powder and fry
• Add Palak paste and add 1/2 cup water and cook for sometime
• Add alasandalu and cook for few minutes
• Add somp podi for a different flavour
• Remove and serve in a bowl garnishing with kothimeera

It is best served with Chapathi and will be a different dish for your parties and is healthy

Mushroom Biryani

Ingredients:

2 cup Mushroom
2 Onions
4 Cups Basmati rice
1 Lemon
3/4 Cups Oil
2 tsp Soya sauce
7 Cloves garlic
4 Green chillies
2 tsp Chopped ginger
2 Cinnamons
2 Cardamoms
2 Cloves
2 Tomatoes
1 tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves few

Method:

1. Soak rice for 1 hour.
2. Trim mushrooms into big pieces.
3. Cut onions, chillies and tomatoes.
4. Grind cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, garlic into a paste.
5. In a pressure Cooker, heat the oil and ghee, fry ground masala and the onion till it turns golden brown.
6. Then add all other ingredients, mushrooms and stir well.
7. Add 7 cups water and let it boil, add the soaked rice and stir till the rice level and the water level equals, pressure cook in low flame for 15 mins

Semiya Biryani

Ingredients Needed:

Vermicili (Semiya) 2 cup
Cubed Vegetables (Carrot, Beans, Peas, Cauliflower, Potato, peas) 2 cups
Onion - Sliced lengthwise 2
Salt to taste
Water 2-3/4 cup
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - 5 tsp
Chopped Tomato - 2

Grind into Paste

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies -  2
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Grated Coconut - 4 tsps
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Grind all the above items into paste.

Ingredients for Tempering

Bay leaf - 1
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tspFennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp


Method:

Heat Ghee in a pan and fry semiya till golden brown
Keep it aside and heat Oil and add tempering Ingredients.
Add the chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
Then add the paste, chopped veggies and fry in slow fire for 7 minutes
Add water and chopped tomatoes. Let it boil for 10 mins.
Add Semiya and cook till done.
Serve hot with raita 

Mealmaker Biryani

Ingredients:

• Basmathi Rice-1 cup.
• Onion -1
• Tomato -1
• Green chilly -1
• Ginger garlic paste - Tsp.
• Coriander and Mint leaves- for taste.
• Chilly powder -1 tsp.
• Coriander powder-3 tsp.
• Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp.
• Spices- cloves, cinamon, cardmom, bay leaf
• Soya Chunks/Meal maker -10 to 15.(boil this in water for 15 mins and drain it.
• Ghee-2tsp.
• Salt as per taste.

Preparation:

Heat oil in pan add onion fry nicely once its turn brown add green chilly, ginger garlic paste once the raw smell of ginger vanished add the tomates and fry till tomatoes become soft

Add chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and soya chunks .

Stir continuously add mint leaves and coriander leaves.

Heat ghee in cooker add the spices and rice fry nicely on medium flame once you get nice aroma from ghee and rice mixture add the masala prepared above and 2 cups of water close the lid keep for 3 whistels.

Nice yummy Meal maker biriyani is ready.