Tomato Omlet

Last week I made Soumya’s (homespices) version tomato omlet with my own touch. This was a new dish for me but for my husband, it seems he use to eat a lot ( in chandamamma restaurant in Nellore) during his childhood, also my FIL’s fav dish on the menu. I followed Soumya’s recipe, I added grated carrot and coriander leaves instead of curry leaves. So folks enjoy this super easy/ fast dosa anytime of the day. Have it with your favorite chutney or even with plain yougurt. I ate plain. I wanted to post this few days back. Soumya thanks a lot for posting delicious recipe. Here is my version.
Ingredients
1 cup sooji (ravva)1 cup maida (all-purpose flour)2 tbsp rice flour (optional)1 tsp cumin seedsBig pinch of turmericRed chilli powder (accord to taste)Salt to taste1 medium onion (finely chopped)2 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)1 carrot (grated)3-4 green chillies (finely chopped)1-2” inches ginger (grated)Fist full of coriander leaves (chopped)Water to make batterOil to make dosa

Procedure
In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients, chopped veggies and water mix well and keep a side for 20-30 mins (batter should be thin like ravva dosa batter). Heat griddle/ tava on medium heat (when u pour the batter tava should be hot) splash spoonful of batter and add little on to the edges of dosa, cover it for 15-20 sec’s. Flip the dosa (you can see the edges starts turning brown) and cook the other side for another 10 sec and remove from. Repeat the process with remaining batter. Serve hot with your favorite pickle or chutney.
Notes and Tips
Adding vegetables makes dosa not only look colorful but also healthy. Rice flour makes dosa crispy while carrots add crunch. You can also add couple of tablespoons of yogurt of you like, add nice tang to dosa. Thinner the batter, lacy and crispy the dosa will come. If the batter is too thin add sooji and flour in same proportion. If it’s thick add little water. Adjust the heat while making dosa. Low heat will make soggy and difficult to flip the dosa, high heat will burn.

cauliflwer fry

Potatoes and Cauliflower cooked spicly masala and herbs, is a very common North Indian dish.
My mom use to make lots of varieties with Gobi and Aloo but not this combo. I didn’t know how aloo gobi taste like, till I had it in a restaurant in India. I loved it for the first time and it became one of my favorite dishes.
Aloo gobi is another classic dish from Punjabi cuisine, and is a “dry” Indian curry. Commonly used ingredients are spices (garam masala), garlic, ginger, coriander stalks, tomato, and cumin. A number of variations and similar dishes exist, but the name remains the same. One day I ordered Aloo Gobi and I ended up eating all alone, though my husband did not like it as it was bland and little dry for his taste. So I decided to prepare it at home with little variation. It’s been 6 yrs and I cook the same way and he loves it. I always make it less dry.
Ingredients
1 small cauliflower (florets)2-3 medium potatoes (peel and cut into cubed)1 tsp ginger garlic paste2 small tomatoes (chopped)1 tsp cumin seeds1 ½ tsp coriander powder1 tsp garam masalaChilli powder (according to taste)Big pinch of turmeric Salt to taste1-2 tbsp oil1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
Procedure
Bring 1 ½ cups of water to boil and add salt, cubed potatoes and cook till they are three-fourths done. Drain the water and keep the potato pieces aside. In the same pot add remaining water bring it to boil and cook cauliflower florets for 5 minutes. Drain and keep them aside. Heat oil in a deep sauté pan on medium heat and add cumin seeds, allow them to sputter. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for couple of minutes, add potatoes turmeric powder and cook for 5-8 minutes covered, keep stirring occasionally. Add dry masala’s (coriander, garam masala and chilli powder) and sauté for couple more minutes. Add in chopped tomatoes, mix and put the lid back. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, add cauliflower florets mix and put the lid back. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add salt adjust the seasoning and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until the curry is done. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with your choice of meal.
Notes and Tips
Do not put the lid back after adding salt. Cauliflower contains lots of moisture and after adding salt it tends to release the moisture. And also do not mix too many times after adding cauliflower, you will be breaking florets and the dish will turn mushy.
You can even cook the whole dish (completely) in oven. Instead of parboiling veggies, mix all the spices and oil to the veggies and put in a oven safe dish, cover with foil and bake at 300/centigrade for 30-40 minutes.

dhall curry

This wonderful leafy vegetable is high in Calcium, Vitamin A and C, also rich source of Iron and chlorophyll, also low in calories and high in proteins .

andhra meels

Indian Tempering at London Book Fair
April 28, 2008 · No Comments
April 15, 2008: We are at the London Book Fair, held at Earl’s Court, London from April 14-16 this year. It is spectacular, well organized and a treat to the eyes as you see rows and rows of books from so many categories.
Gourmand is in partnership with LBF this year, and there is a fabulous, well designed spacious set up for Gourmand at LBF. There is a small, efficient and buzzing kitchen set up to assist demonstrations by many popular culinary authors / chefs.

garelu

GAARELU IS ONE THE MOST FAVORITE FOOD ITEM OF EVERY ONE IN ANDHRA. I CAN STRONGLY ASSURE THAT WITHOUT GAARELU, NO FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS IN ANDHRA. IT IS CONSIDERED AS TRADITIONAL FOOD ITEM. ALMOST EVERY ONE IS EXPERT IN DOING THIS GAARELU. Â I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THIS RECIPE TO MY SULEKHA FRIENDS WHO ARE NEW TO COOKING. COOKING IS ALSO A DIVINE ART. I ADDED STEP BY STEP PREPARATION OF GAARELU IN PHOTO FORM.
INGREDIENTS:
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URAD DHAL-1 KG
ONIONS-2 OR 3 ( CHOPPED)
CHILLIES-6
ROCK SALT-3 SPOONS
GINGER-25 GMS
CORIANDER LEAVES-LITTLE(OPTIONAL)
OIL-1 KG( FOR DEEP FRYING)
PROCEDURE:
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1. SOAK URAD DHAL IN WATER FOR 5 TO 6 HOURS.AFTER 6 HOURS, WASH IT THROUGHLY AND PLACE THIS SOAKED URAD DHAL IN GRINDER ALONG WITH CHOPPED GINGER ANG CHILLIES. DO NOT ADD WATER. BUT IT SHOULD BE SMOOTHLY GRINDED.ADD 3 SPOONS OF ROCK SALT AT THE END OF GRINDING PROCESS AND CONTINUE GRINDING FOR 5 MORE MIN.
2. NOW TRANSFER THIS THICK Â BATTER INTO ANOTHER VESSEL AND ADD ONIONS AND CORIANDER LEAVES AND MIX IT .
3. NOW TAKE Â LITTLE BATTER AND FORM IT INTO A BALL AS SHOWN.
4.TAKE A THICK POLYTHENE SHEET AND WET IT WITH LITTLE DILUTED BUTTERMILK AND NOW PLACE THIS BALL AND FLATTEN IT
5.NOW MAKE A HOLE IN THE CENTRE OF THE FLATTENED BALL

6. NOW MOISTEN THIS HOLED FLATENED BATTER WITH LITTLE WATER AND DEEP FRY IN OIL WHICH IS HOT.7. FRY IT UNTILL IT ATTAINS RED COLOUR AND SERVE HOT WITH COCONUT CHUTNEYOR GINGER PICKLE

naivadyam

It is also prepared as Naivedyam (prasadam/offering to God) during festivals like Sankranti where fresh or new rice from the harvest is used along with pesara pappu(split yellow moong dal) to prepare it. Quite a few temples, here in Vizag, offer pulagam as Naivedhayam to the presiding deity and distribute to the devotees visiting the temple for darshan.
The flavor and aroma of the naivedyam prepared in the temples is simply irresistable and cannot be compared to the one made at home and I always look forward to eating pulagam during my visit to the temple
.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups old basmati rice (any variety of rice can be used like sunnalu or sona masuri)
1/2 cup split yellow moong dal (pesara pappu)
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1/4 tsp whole black pepper (optional)
salt to taste
3 ½ cups of water
10-12 cashewnuts lightly fried in ghee till golden brown
1 Wash the rice and dal and soak them together in water for 15-20 mts.2 Meanwhile in a heavy bottomed vessel or pot, heat ghee. Add the cumin seeds, let them splutter and turn slightly brown. Add the curry leaves and black pepper corns and fry for a few seconds.3 Add the drained rice and dal and combine with spices and fry for a few seconds.4 Add water and salt and pressure cook till the rice and dal are cooked and soft.5 Garnish with fried cashwenuts and serve with tomato chutney or avakai.

Note:
You can slightly dry roast the split moong dal before soaking in water along with rice. You can also add an extra glass of water if you want a more gooey texture of the lentil-rice medley