The delicious Andhra cuisine, which is a combination of the Southern and Deccan cuisines, is reputedly the spiciest and hottest of all Indian cuisines. It is largely vegetarian, with only the coastal areas showing a marked preference for seafood. But it also has many non-vegetarian dishes, which are spicy and unique in taste. The staple food, rice, is served with sambar, other lentil preparations along with vegetables, green chillies and ample spices.
Green Chilli Chicken
Ingredients Chicken drumsticks 12 nos Onions (large) 2 or 3 nos (finely chopped) Green chillies 15 or 20 nos or as reqd (finely chopped) Ginger (finely chopped) 2 tbsp Garlic (finely chopped) 2 tbsp Cinnamon (karugapatta) 2 or 3 nos Cloves (grambu) 4 or 5 nos Coriander seeds 1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds (uluva) 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds (jeerakam) 1/4 tsp Fennel seeds (perinjeerakam) 1/4 tsp Dried fenugreek powder (kasuri methi) 1 tbsp Kaloova 1 tsp Oil 1 or 2 tbsp Salt to taste
Preparation 1) Grind together all the spices into a fine powder. 2) Heat oil in a pan or a kadai. 3) Add onions and fry till it starts to turn brown. 4) Add the chicken pieces. 5) Add green chillies and cook till all the water content is nearly evaporated. 6) Add ginger and garlic and fry for a few mins. 7) When the chicken is nearly done, add the ground powder and salt and mix well. 8) Fry for another few mins. 9) Add a little water and cook till most of the water is evaporated.
Serves 3
Pulihora (Tamarind Rice)
Ingredients Rice 1 cup Bengal gram dal 1/4 cup Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp Thick tamarind pulp 1/2 cup Curry leaves 12 Urad dal (black gram dal) 2 tsp Mustard 1/2 tsp Cashew nuts 1 tbsp Split red chillies 2 nos Split green chillies 2 nos Asafoetida A pinch Ginger 1 piece Sesame seed powder 4 tbsp Oil 4 tbsp Salt to taste
Preparation Wash the rice and dal and cook it together with enough water (don't overcook). Spread the rice in a vessel and sprinkle turmeric powder, 2tbs oil, salt, tamarind pulp and 7-8 curry leaves. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and add urad dal, mustard seeds and cashew nuts. When the seeds begin to crackle, add ginger, red chillies, green chillies, asafoetida and the remaining curry leaves. Fry for a while, remove from fire and add it to the rice. Sprinkle sesame powder, mix thoroughly and cover with a lid for an hour. Serve with seasoned yogurt.
Sea food is a favourite all year round, from spicy curries to tasty snacks, you can cook up a storm with a variety of Indian and Continental delights. Here are some simple yet scrumptious sea food recipes.
CRAB CAKES Ingredients
1 lb. crab meat 1 egg, beaten ½ cup crackers, crushed 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced 2 tablespoons mayonnaise ½ teaspoon paprika or Old Bay seasoning Cayenne pepper or Morton's Hot Salt Onion powder for sprinkling Butter or olive oil for frying
Method
Remove any shell from crab. In a medium bowl, toss together crushed cracker crumbs, egg, parsley and mayonnaise until moistened, but do not over mix. Add salt and pepper. Form into five or six cakes, to Ύ inches thick. Place in refrigerator on cookie sheet for at least one hour so they will set up. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne or Morton's Hot Salt and onion powder.
In a heavy skillet, fry crab cakes in butter (or olive oil), turning once until both sides are nicely browned (about 10 minutes).
RED LOBSTER SALAD Ingredients
1 cup diced apples 1 cup diced celery 1 cup diced green pepper 1 cup diced red pepper (opt.) 1 cup diced water chestnuts 2 cup lobster meat
(All ingredients should be chopped uniformly.)
Salad Dressing:
2 cups mayonnaise 2 tbsp. mustard 1-3 tbsp. lobster base (to taste) A dash of Tabasco Salt to taste 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Method
Mix mayonnaise with mustard, lobster base, a dash of Tabasco with salt to taste. Blend well and mix with salad ingredients.
For working moms on the go or singles who are new to cooking, quick kitchen fixes are a dream come true. Here are some hassle free dishes that can be prepared in just 30 minutes and the best part is they please the most demanding palettes.
Ranch Pasta Salad Ingredients
For the Pasta: 3 cups uncooked tricolor spiral pasta 1 cup chopped fresh broccoli florets Ύ cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber ½ cup chopped seeded tomato ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
For the Ranch Dressing: Ύ cup sour cream Ύ cup mayonnaise ½ cup buttermilk 2 tbsp vinegar 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 Ό tsp Worcestershire sauce ½ tsp minced onions 1 ½ tsp Dijon-style mustard
Preparation
To prepare the dressing, in a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, onions and mustard. Refrigerate for one hour to allow the flavors to blend.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli, cucumber, and tomato. Drizzle with the Ranch salad dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Serves: 8
Potato Raita Ingredients
16 ounces plain yogurt 2 boiled potatoes, diced ½ teaspoon ground cumin salt to taste ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ cup water 1 bunch coriander or mint leaves
Preparation
Whip the yogurt with 1/2 cup water. Cut the boiled potatoes into small cubes and add to the yogurt. Season it with salt, black pepper and cumin. Garnish with mint or coriander leaves.
Diwali is the festival of lights. It signifies the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. Celebrations focus on lights, lamps, and fireworks. Some delicious recipes that help enhance the celebrations are as follows
KAJU BURFI
Ingredients
1/4 kg. Cashew nuts 100 gm Ground sugar 25 ml Water
Preparation
Grind cashew nuts, and sugar separately. Make syrup with sugar and water, boiling only once. Add cashew nuts on low heat. Mix well. Remove from heat on to a smooth surface and roll out (thin) quickly with a rolling pin. Cut into squares/diamond shapes.
NAVRATTAN KORMA
Ingredients 3 cups - Boiled vegetables (9 varieties-potatoes, carrots, green peas, french beans, cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, bottle gourd, cluster beans) 150gms - Grated paneer 3 - Tomatoes 2 - Grated onions 1 1/2 tsp -Ginger paste 1 1/2 tsp - Garlic paste Salt To Taste 1 tsp - Turmeric Powder 1 1/2 tsp - Red chilli powder 1 tsp - Coriander powder 2 tsp - Garam Masala Powder 2 tbsp - Cream 6 tbsp - Vegetable oil 1 tbsp - Ghee 1 cup - Milk / water 1/4 cup - Dry fruits (cashew nuts, raisins) Coriander leaves for garnish
Preparation
Boil tomatoes till tender. Allow them to cool. Then peel off the tomato skin to make puree. Readymade tomato puree can also be used. Take 1 tbsp ghee and slightly fry the dry fruits for about 1 min on medium heat. Heat oil in a pan. Fry onions and ginger-garlic paste till golden brown. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and fry for 2-3 minutes. Next add tomato puree and dry fruits. Stir well and cook the mixture for 4 minutes. Ensure that the mixture doesn't stick to bottom of pan. Add milk (use water alternatively). Bring it to boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the gravy becomes thick. Add paneer to the gravy and stir well. Finally add all the vegetables to the above gravy and cook for 5-7 minutes. Serve the navratan korma hot. Put cream and chopped coriander leaves on the navaratna korma to decorate.
The annual festival of Durga Puja is one of the most celebrated Indian festivals and is celebrated as a day for merriment with friends, relatives, neighbours and acquaintances. It is celebrated primarily in West Bengal with much extravagance and delicious festival cuisine.
ALOO POSTO (Potato in poppy seeds)
Ingredients:
4 Potatoes 1 cup Oil 3 Green chillies 2 Bay leafs
Grind to paste:
3 Green chillies 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 2 Tbsp Poppy seeds Salt to taste
Method: Boil, peel and cut the potatoes into thick cubes. Mix the ground paste with 1 Tbsp of water, and smear the potato cubes. Heat the oil. First fry the bayleafs and chillies. Then add the potatoes and fry on low heat, stirring all the while.
MISHTI DOI
Ingredients:
2 1/4 ltrs Milk (Buffalo Milk with full fat) 500gm Sugar 25 gms Yogurt Earthen pot Small container of 1.5 kg. capacity or deep bowl
Method: Add 300gms of sugar to the milk and put to boil on medium heat for at least 45mins and beat the milk constantly while boiling. See that the milk is reduced to almost 40 % and becomes thick and light brown in colour. Place the remaining 200gms of sugar in heavy bottom vessel with 50ml of water and melt on low heat Allow the sugar mixture to turn dark brown in colour. Gradually add this sugar mixture to the boiled milk and boil again for 15 minutes. Take it off the flame and beat constantly with a jar till the mixture becomes luke warm. Transfer the mixture into the earthen pot. Mix the Yogurt into the mixture after 5 min. Cover and allow setting for 8 to 12 hours at a warm place, without opening or moving the pot during this period. Uncover and store in a refrigerator, serve chilled.
Onam is the biggest and the most important festival of the state of Kerala. Onam is celebrated in the beginning of the month of Chingam, the first month of Malayalam Calendar (Kollavarsham). It is a harvest festival and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm all over the state by people of all communities. Here are a few recipes of scrumptious dishes prepared during the festival.
Avial
Ingredients:
1 cup Yam sliced thinly into 11/2" length pieces 1 cup Cucumber sliced lengthy into 11/2" thick pieces 1 cup Snake gourd sliced into 11/2" length pieces 1/4cup Carrot sliced into 11/2" length pieces 1/2cup Long runner-beans sliced into 11/2" length pieces 2 nos Drumstick cut into 2" length pieces 1 no Raw bananas sliced into 11/2" length pieces Mango pieces for sour 1/2tsp Turmeric powder Salt to taste 1/2quantity Grated coconut 5 nos Green chillies 1/2tsp Cumin seeds 2 sprigs Curry leaves 3tbs Coconut oil
Preparation:
Coarsely grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds. Keep it aside. Clean the vegetables. Heat 2tbs coconut oil in a thick bottom vessel. Add the vegetables and cook in a low flame. Do not add water. When it is done, add turmeric powder, salt and mix it well. Remove the vegetables from the middle and put sliced bananas and mango pieces and cover it with the other vegetables. When steam comes out, add the coconut paste and stir well. Remove from fire. Mix the remaining coconut oil and curry leaves in the Avial.
Banana Halwa
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg 1 tbsp Pure Ghee [clarified butter] 3 (medium sized) Bananas [ripe, peeled and mashed] 1 cup Sugar
Preparation:
Heat the ghee in a heavy pan. Add bananas and cook over low heat, stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking. Cook for 10 minutes, or until bananas have browned and resemble soft toffee. Add more ghee as necessary. Add sugar and continue stirring until dissolved. Add nutmeg and cardamom; remove from heat. Spread halwa into a deep, large plate. Allow it to cool and cut into squares.
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