Dew Drop In The Kitchen

Zomato! - The Restaurant Guide.

2011-09-30T13:09:00.012+05:30

Zomato is a super cool website for desi foodies across many cities. Honestly, I don't remember how I came across Zomato but it's now made it to my favorite list of websites. Folks at Zomato have asked for feedback. Here goes my two pence - .

Best 3 things about Zomato –

1. The extensive food menu feature that they have here.I really like the menu tab Zomato offers for the restaurants featured, which other websites don't seem to possess. Apart from giving you a fair understanding of how 'multi-cuisine' or 'continental' a restaurant is, it gives you a peek into how much you have to shell out to eat there.

2. Reviews, reviews and REVIEWS! As clichéd as it might sound, this is what makes Zomato the best food related website. It feels incredibly nice to know that a bunch of people would take your advice to ditch or visit a place. Add to it some nice pictures of the food and the place and I'm sure you'd spend hours on this website. This is a right time to say how efficient the guys at Zomato are. They go out of their way to help you with tiniest of information/silliest of queries. Atleast 10 people I know were introduced to Zomato because of these small gestures which take Zomato a long way.

3. The Zomato app for mobiles(Android, iphone & Blackberry) is the coolest app ever to find places to eat on the go. It’s completely user friendly and doesn't have any clutter and encompasses all the amazing Zomato features(food menus, read/write reviews etc) apart from the location based services that helps us to find the restaurants around a locality or around your current gps position.

So, what fun it is to be without imperfections. Here goes my 3 suggestions -

1. Have a "hot Zomato-ites/Zomato-eans this week/today" column - Technically this is where people who have contributed a lot to Zomato feature. You can include what they recommend in the city, their best review etc., here. This will help Zomato reach out to people and prod them to contribute in a better way. Also, it makes them feel special. Believe me, when I say one featured review and one winning review made me feel like I belong to Zomato troop ;)

2. Recommendations for dishes - On the lines of Serious eats' best places to eat Sandwich in NYC or Best hot dog in CA(you should totally Google Serious eats if you haven't come across it until now), I think Zomato should come with Must-try-Kebab-Place or Hottest dosa stop in town etc., on may be weekly basis. It ensues in lot of debates and foodie fights which only give out more information. In fact, we might discover gems of places which might be tucked away in some corner and unknown to newbies.

If you have a star/medallion icon or something similar suggesting there's a must try dish at that restaurant it will help while exploring (via mobile/desktop) the restaurants around.

3. Let the restaurateurs speak - I'm sure many of us nurture this dream of opening a small cozy cafe or a fancy restaurant. It'd be great to hear from people who traveled this way so that we can learn a great deal from them. Also, please get the renowned chefs from our beloved restaurants to whip up their signature dish (es). (Newsletter Crunch doesn't do enough of this whenever it does. It is totally under-stated mostly because it puts all cities at one place). This can again be done three ways -
i. Ticker away whenever you put in a new item, so poor souls like us don't miss any updates.
ii. Make a way for us to subscribe to a particular city so that next time we log in we'll have all the updates.
iii. Have add-ons for various browsers. It could simply notify us of the food events, new reviews or a newly featured restaurant in Zomato.

Also, I'm not a fan of group buying especially in food business. So, I'm glad Zomato is not up to it anytime soon.
Zomato is a wonderful website (like I haven't said already :D) but what makes it even more awesome is its enthusiasm to get better. I wish Zomato all the very best. Please continue leading us to scrumptious, luscious, yummy and delicious food. :)

Junnu - Rare delicacies #1

2011-08-14T17:26:00.004+05:30

Hello!Is anyone still reading this blog?I know I have ignored this blog for like more than an year. I just came back with a resolve to update it regularly. Ahem!for the nth time but I'm more determined this time. Actually I am a bit selfish, I want to record my mum's recipes from when I visit Hyd for my reference later. Before I jump start to actual recipes, today I'd like to introduce a new food item for people who aren't aware of this creamy beauty and tempt those who have devoured this as part of childhood holidays. So, this my friends is Andhra's very own dessert - Junnu , made from cattle's first milk after giving birth to a calf. My grandmother would bring a pot of this milk whenever we are there for holidays. That milk is cooked with jaggery until it sets like almost caramel custard or little firmer and sprinkled with cardamom powder. It's packed with nutrition and has amazing texture. Also, it's a rarity so even more delicious. If ever you get a chance to sample this jump in and have a bite, it's a beauty!

I'll come up with rare delicacies part 2, more recipes and more food wise fun in coming few days. Oh, do I smell corn soup from mommy's kitchen? Off I go, happy hogging!

Savory lentil dumplings - Puli bongaralu :D

2010-07-20T15:28:00.006+05:30

I sinned. I haven't blogged in like 7months. I have just about enough time to cook and eat these days(that is whenever I cook). And, lack of proper light for photographs is such a bummer. Well, before I'm kicked out from the food blogger community, I should get back to blogging. So, let's pretend that neither of us have any knowledge of my absence and be foodie friends again. Ok?
My home in Hyderabad has abundant natural light and my mom's an awesome cook. To believe this, you must taste her payasam or onion dosa or tomato-carrot rasam or.. you get the point right? It's a paradise for a food blogger in me. So, I take out camera and ask her for recipe while she pours batter on pan or practically whenever she is in kitchen.
This is my second most favorite Indian breakfast/snack item right after Onion dosa. It has a crazy name in Telugu and forget about non-Telugu people even my Telugu friends have a good laugh when I say what these are. They go by the name - Puli bongaralu in my household. Let me guess, Puli - for being a little sour, though we really don't use that term much and bongaralu being the tops. How thoughtful of someone to come up with a name like that!
The pan used in this preparation is easily available in India. So, no excuses for not making this!

Prep time- 15mins
Makes about 2 batches(roughly 15)

Ingredients -
Dosa batter - 2 cups
Carrot grated - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - handful torn to tiny pieces
Chana dal - 2 tb spoons (soaked for a while )
Green chillies - 4-5(minced)
Turmeric - 1/2 tea spoon
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1/2 tea spoon per dumpling
Jeera/cumin - 1 tea spoon
Coriander - 1 table spoon chopped fine

Procedure:
1. Bring together all the ingredients except oil and mix into a nice,colorful batter.
2. Heat the aebleskiver pan and add oil into each hole. After oil is heated, carefully spoon in about 2 table spoonfuls of batter in each hole. They would puff up once cooked so don't fill them entirely.
3. Let them cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side on medium flame. Then carefully flip them with a wooden lifter(which mom uses) or you may use end of spoon. If they are cooked thoroughly they would come off easily. Once flipped let them cook on the other side. Once they turn to a beautiful brown lift them and place on a kitchen towel.
I'm very embarrassed to tell you guys how many dumplings I gobbled. Yum-o!

Chicken Vepudu/Chicken stir fry

2010-01-20T14:52:00.004+05:30

This girl(or do you prefer being called woman Nags?) asked me why I don't blog these days. Don't I? I do but not with the same fervor that I used to do sometime ago. It may be laziness(Can I blame it on my new house where, there is absolutely no natural light and hence no good pictures?) But, I still adore my blog and I do stop by all your blogs to know what's cooking.
I love cooking and savoring the outcome of it. So, I know I will get back to this blog with the same enthusiasm in no time. I am going to visit home very soon. So, no matter how much modesty my mom shows by saying 'This is a really simple dish' and 'Who doesn't know this curry?', I will still get those recipes.
Ok now, Chicken Vepudu/Chicken stir fry is craving for some focus so shall we move on. It is a fuss-free, simple stir fry. A real darling dish which comes handy when you want to make something 'special' out of boring(well,not so boring)chicken.

Ingredients:
Chicken - 350gms
Tomatoes - 1-2
Onion - 2(chopped fine)
Curry leaves 4-5 sprigs(Heavenly aroma)
Cumin/Jeera powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Turmeric - 1/2 tea spoon
Chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
Green chillies - 3-4
Coriander powder - 1/2 tb spoon
Garam masala - 1 tea spoon
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tea spoon
Salt - 1 tea spoon
Oil - 1.5 tb spoon

Procedure:
1. Marinate the chicken pieces with turmeric, salt,g-g paste and chilli powder for about 40 minutes.
2. Fry some curry leaves till they turn crisp and set aside.
2. Now heat oil in a pan and add rest of the curry leaves and chillies.add and saute onions till they start to brown. Now add in tomatoes,cumin and coriander powders and fry till tomatoes turn soft.
3. Now add chicken pieces and cover with the lid. Let them cook for about 15minutes stirring in between.Sprinkle some water if they start to stick to pan. They would have nicely browned and meat just about perfectly cooked.
4. Add garam masala and fry for a minute and switch off flame.Add the fried and kept aside curry leaves at this stage.
This dish was made like ages ago. Sheesh, it IS definitely laziness!

Hyderabadi Dum Chicken biryani

2010-01-04T13:57:00.002+05:30

I know I was missing in action for a while(Not sure how many of you noticed that!)Since I don't have any excuses for going away like that, let me continue with the usual blabbering. First of all, let me wish you all a fabulous new year. Last year wasn't very eventful for me, except for starting this cute space for myself. Well, that is a reason to celebrate no?
I have to tell you what happened last month. I was on my monthly visit to Hyderabad(which happens to be my hometown), it felt like I was looking at it for the first time. I gawked at it like one of those enthusiastic tourists. Early morning, driving alongside the Necklace road and staring at those roads which were our hang-out places then, I felt blessed. I suddenly sensed a feeling of ectasy , which was never this strong in all those years of living there. I saw Hyderabad beyond it's pearls, biryani and charminar. I felt proud.
This post is an ode to the most charming city in the entire world according to me.When the world is welcoming the baby year with sweet dishes, I am doing it with a spicy and aromatic Hyderabadi Dum Biryani.

For marinade:
Curd - 1 cup
Lemon juice - 4 tb spoons
Chilly powder - 1/2 tb spoon
Chicken - 1/2 kg(Cut to medium size pieces)
Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tea spoon
Pudina/Mint leaves - 1 bunch
Salt - 1 tb spoon(adjust)
Masala powder - 1 tea spoon
Oil - 1 tb spoon
Fried/Browned onions - 3 tb spoons
(Slice 4-5 medium sized onions vertically and fry them in generous amount of oil. This will be used through out the preparation of this dish)

Masala powder
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 3
Cinnamon stick -1.5 inch

For the rice part:
Rice(Basmati rice is ideal) - 1 .25 cup
Green chillies - 4-5(slit length wise)
Bay leaves - 3-4
Salt - 1 tb spoon
Water - 2-2.25 cups

For Layering
Ghee - 2 tb spoon
Pudina - 1 bunch
Beet root juice(for coloring)
Oil - 2-3 tb spoon
Fried/Browned onions - 5-6 table spoons
Toasted cashewnuts - 6-7

Preparing the marinade:
1. Clean the chicken pieces thoroughly. Now make 1-2 slits on each piece and set aside.
2. Mix curd,lemon juice,g-g paste,masala powder,pudina leaves,salt,chilli powder and turmeric powder. Now add the chicken pieces and combine.
3. Let the marinade rest for about 30mins - 1 hour.
4. In the mean while slice the onions vertically. Fry them in enough oil till they brown evenly. Add half of them to the marinade and combine.
5. Half the cashewnuts and roast them in ghee/oil till they turn to a nice brown.
5. Boil some beetroot pieces with just about enough water so that beetroot imparts it's color to the water. Strain and set aside.
5. Cook the rice along with salt, green chillies and bay leaf till it is 3/4 cooked. This took about 15 mins for me over stove top. The rice should be moist.(I wish I had picture of the rice then)
6. After the chicken is marinated, cook it for about 30mins over stop top on simmer flame. Chicken should turn soft by now.
6. Now the fun part. Take a wide vessel, I used pressure cooker. Rub some oil in the bottom. Now layer some rice then place some curry. Sprinkle some mint leaves, oil and place layer of rice. Now add curry evenly and layer with rice. Sprinkle fried onions and some ghee. Do this until you are left with no rice/curry/onions/pudina/oil. Now pour in some beetroot water all over.
7. Place this over stove top. Cover with a lid and place a large vessel containing water on top(This acts as the weight for the dum). Simmer and let it cook for about 15-20 mins.Alternatively you can seal the lid with some nicely kneaded dough.

After 15mins switch off the flame and look at how as you dig into each layer, aroma and niceness spread all around. The rice is infused with all the spices and the meat is succulent, each flavor complementing another. I served it with carrot raita. You may serve with Mirchi ka salan or plain raitha.

PS: The pictures don't do justice to the taste of the preparation :( I'm just getting accustomed to the new camera.

The preparation of this dish was easily the most laborious by far. Trust me, every bit of the effort is worth it.

Tangy poha - A snack based on Rice flakes

2009-10-25T11:44:00.004+05:30

Phew! It feels super nice to get back to this place after a long time. I was totally missing cooking, clicking and posting as a whole. I am on a business trip for a short while and all these things can't happen like before. Nevertheless, I try to whip up something which has that home-made feeling along and quick whenever I get to. Now, I realize how much I am into this cooking thing and how difficult it is to stay away from it. I kinda feel good about it.
I love lazy Sundays with some nice snacks to much on as you see a classic movie. I made a dish with avlakki/aval/atukulu. I don't know what is called.(It is close to huli avlakki) It is a result of some extensive search on aval based recipes. It tasted refreshingly good.

Serves - 2
Preparation time - 1 hour(includes soaking time)

Ingedients:
Aval/Atukulu/Rice flakes/Beaten rice/Poha - 1.5 cup
Tamarind paste - 1 spoon
Grated coconut - 3 tb spoons
Jaggery - 1/2 tb spoon(optional)
Peanuts - 2 tb spoons
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tb spoon
Jeera - 1/2 tb spoon
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Green chillies - 3
Bengal gram/chana dal - 1 tb spoon
Salt - 1 tea spoon(adjust)
Oil - 1 tb spoon

Procedure:
1. Wash the rice flakes with water and soak in just about 1/2 cup of water of water for 2-3 mins. Squeeze out the extra water.It shouldn't turn soggy but should be soft.
2. Now add tamarind paste,jaggery, grated coconut and salt to rice flakes. Combine and set it aside for about 30mins-1 hour.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the chana dal,cumin,mustard and green chillies. After they give nice aroma, add onion and saute for about 2-3 mins.
4. Add the soaked rice flakes and give it a mix. Switch off the flame and serve topped with some roasted peanuts.

Ain't it easy?
ps: That picture was the only one I managed to click before invaded by some intruders who I should call colleagues.

Pick 3 fave recipes and win B&BW Body Lotion on Edible Garden!

Just not any other dish Sep 09 - Round up

2009-10-14T18:00:00.028+05:30

Me: Bloggy bloggy..

Blog:Yes mumma..

Me: Have I been neglecting you?

Blog:No mumma..

Me: Are you sure?

Blog: Yes mumma..

Me: Where is your round up?
Blog:Hahaha!

Ok, this is me and my blog talking to each other. She(Yes, my blog is feminine!) says no and I feel yes. So, I apologise to her and want to tell her, it shaped up only after few apprehensions, some thought and loads of inspiration.

I have these voices in my head and tons of excuses to give for not presenting the round up as promised in time. Nevertheless, I chose to gift my event's winner this book. A big bunch of thanks to you all guys who sent entries and sweet messages along which the whole point about this event. I see myself smile every time I see an entry in my mail-box.

So, shall we have a look at the round-up. Since, there aren't many( I mean MANY) entries, I didn't categorize in any particular order.

Pari Vashisht @ Foodelicious's Dinosaur Pasta

Muskaan @A2ZVegetarian cuisine's Watermelon punch

Jangri by Fourth Sense Samayal

Kitchen Gossip's Sambhar

Pari Vashisht @ Foodelicious's bread pudding

Methi Matar o by Curry in Kadai

Sushma @ Authentic Food Delights's Orange and chocolate chip cookies

Sushma @ Authentic Food Delights's spring onion and mushroom rice

Sadhana @ A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine's Almond and oat cookies

Priya's puran poli

Jisha @ Kerala recipes's Nenthrapazham Pulissery

Nags's Corn in Onion sauce

Sushma's potato makhani gravy

Varsha's prawn roast

Sweet and kara Idiyappam by Aruna

Divya's zebra cake

Shalini's kofta curry

Esai , you didn't send any particular dish's entry. Thanks, anyway!

That is all guys. If I missed out anything, you know what to do :)

It was fun to bring these up. I would see you soon with a recipe this time. Enjoy!

Maramaralu/moori mixture/Bhel puri - Puffed rice in assorted vegetables

2009-10-09T12:18:00.006+05:30

Be it The necklace road in Hyderabad or Brigade road in Bangalore,(these places see lot of visitors/tourists in the respective cities), one can always see a tiny stand and bunch of paper cones. The crowded streets/beaches in almost all Indian cities are dotted by peddlars who are immersed in scooping up the most tasty street snack of India, moori mixture(called by various names). When I am walking with my mom and happen to see such a stall, after initial glares, she would give in too.The temptation for this humble snack is alike for everyone.
Since, it is considered unhealthy and what's with the flu scare everywhere, I decided to make it at home. Now, because it's me who is making, it needs to be customised, no? This is my version of a healthy snack for evening times.

Serves - 2
Preparation time - 15minutes

Ingredients:
Bhel/Murmuralu/Puffed rice - 2 cups
Carrot(grated) - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1(chopped)
Green chillies - 2(sliced)
Potato - 1(boiled and diced)
Tomato - 1(chopped fine)
Lemon juice - 1.5 tb spoon(adjust)
Coriander - garnishing
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 tea spoon(adjust)

Date and tamarind chutney
dates - 8-10
Tamarind - 1 tea spoon
Fennel seeds/saunf - 1/2 tea spoon
Salt - 1/2 tea spoon
Chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Jaggery (optional)

Procedure:
1. Soak the dates in water for about 15minutes, till they become soft. Now grind the fennel seeds to a fine powder. Add tamarind,salt,chilli powder and dates to it and grind it to a fine paste. Add water and jaggery if required. This will be our date and tamarind chutney.
2. Combine tomato,onion,green chilli, potato,peanuts,carrot and the chutney. Season it with salt and lemon juice.
It is packed with nutrition and is a low-fat snack.
The chutney can be used as a dip or as a spread.

And and, Here is our winner for the event 'Just not any other dish'. Thank you all for participating in it!Round up and the gift to be announced in the following post.

Sweet potato and cheese toast

2009-10-06T07:49:00.004+05:30

This is how conversation goes between me and a friend S(She is married to a happy husband, happy because she makes the most delicious food,every single day.)

Me: Hey, I am hungry. Why don't you tell me some snacks that I could make with sweet potato. That is the only thing lying in my pantry.
S:Boil in water till they are semi-cooked. Then try deep-frying and putting salt.
Me: Naah, tell me something else.
S: Make a cutlet/kebab. The same way you make the vegetable cutlet.
Me:Hmm..

This conversation happened after actually going through tons of recipes involving sweet potato.

*After a while*

Me: Oye, I made a sandwich filling out of the sweet potato. It tastes good.
S: Ok, fine. Enjoy your meal :)

Yes, I know. I am like that. After all that querying and searching over web, I still make what I want to. Anyone, who wants to hire me as a chef? ;)

Preparation time - 10-12minutes
Serves - makes 2 slices of toast

Ingredients:
Sweet potato - 150 gms
(When boiled and mashed should be about 3/4 cup)
Jeera powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Salt - 1/2 table spoon(Adjust accordingly)
Pepper powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Whole wheat bread - 2 slices
Cheese - 2 tb spoon(grated)
Ghee - 1/2 tea spoon

Procedure:
1. Boil till soft and mash the sweet potato. Add salt,jeera powder, chilli powder and pepper powder to it.
2. Take the bread slice and spread this mixture over it. Place the grated cheese on top of it.
3. Heat the ghee in a pan. Place the bread in it. Now let it cook over low flame for 1-2 minutes, keeping it covered. Take care not to char the bread slice. (I like it better that way though, gee!)

Take it off the stove and into the mouth. The melted cheese and the whole burst of flavors from pepper and chilli, heavenly!

I know these pictures haven't come really well. Don't blame the camera or the toast,it was hungry and impatient me.

And, I do owe you guys something. The round up for this event is due. It will happen really soon. I promise.

Sweet chapati err ..Indian flat bread with jaggery

2009-09-29T10:56:00.003+05:30

Why is it that when we don't have access to something, we long for it even more? Why is it that the place we just left ,keeps calling us back. Does it happen to everyone or just me? While I can't even see anything close to bajji or laddu, I feel like eating some authentic bobbattu(Andhra flat bread with sweet filling inside)After some thorough elimination because of non-availability of ingredients, I zeroed in on this snack. I can't afford to call this one Ada because I missed out on coconut which looks like a vital ingredient. Nevertheless, it tasted heavenly and I loved it!

Without any doubt this will be my first and most likely only dish which requires so few things to put the whole thing up. Ideal as a evening snack for hungry kids and poor souls who adore anything home-made after a taxing day at work.

Serves - 2(around 4)
Preparation time 10 minutes

Ingredients:
whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Jaggery (grated) - 3-4 tb spoons
Salt - 1 big pinch
Ghee - 2 tea spoons
Water - 1/2 cup

Procedure:
1. Mix the flour,jaggery and water together. Knead into a soft dough which can be pressed against tawa.
2. Heat a griddle and sprinkle some ghee over that. Moisten your hands with some water and spread the dough on the pan into a circular bread. Drizzle some ghee on top. Fry this for about 2-3 minutes on either sides.

Eat it hot, really hot. Nothing fancy, quick and easy snack.I liked the melted jaggery all over!

Note: You might need to use jaggery syrup which is filtered if you feel it contains impurities(like the original recipe says). I didn't have to.

Oh by the way, this happens to be my 50th post. My blog baby is growing up!

Last two days to send in your entries to my event!

Cauliflower pepper fry

2009-09-25T17:57:00.003+05:30

Sitting by the window pane, watching the rain pour away to glory ; Standing at the edge of water pool and leaving the paper boats with child like enthusiasm ; Listening to the drizzle of the rain and refusing to leave the couch ; The memories, smells and feels associated with monsoon rains are plain awesome. Today's post is an ode to one of the most beautiful times of the year. The kind of food our mood demands in this particular season needs to be peppy and pleasing to palate.
On such a rainy day, for dinner I wanted to make something very hot and reviving to taste buds. After looking at a beautiful cauliflower, I knew what I had to do. This is a flavorsome and comforting stir fry with cauliflower which sure is monsoon-friendly!

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 2 cups(broken to small florets)
Salt - 1 tea spoon(adjust)
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tb spoon
Turmeric powder - 1 big pinch

To be roasted and ground to a powder(yields about a tb spoon)
Red chillies - 3-4
Pepper - 1 tea spoon
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Jeera/ cumin seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Garlic - 1-2 cloves

Procedure:
1. Wash the cauliflower florets and cook them in salted water for about 8-10 minutes. They should be cooked just right.
2. Powder the roasted spices in a mixer/processor.
3. Heat the oil in a pan. Add florets along with little salt and turmeric powder. After frying for 1-2 minutes, add the roasted powder. Saute for another 2-3 minutes.
Get off the stove and serve it with rasam-rice or as a starter.

Do you love food and cooking as much as I do? Do you carry sweet memories and not so sweet experiences on your cooking expedition? You may send an account of the same and win a customized gift from me. Event details are here. 5 days to go!

An award

2009-09-22T07:59:00.003+05:30

First things are always special. So is this award. Thank s Aruna for this beautiful badge on my blog.
This award comes with the following rules

# You must thank the person who has given you the award.

# Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

# Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.

# Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

# Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.

# Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

# Leave a comment on which of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated

I was asked to tell some interesting things about me. These are some weird things about me which can be out-right boring. Well, let's get started.

1. I get attached to the place and people around me in no time. It gets really tough for me to part from them. I would be in tears every single time I have to move from one place to another. Why can't life be just the same? I hate change sometimes, or hmm most of the times.
2. This is pretty weird. I hate Mr. Sun. I understand how important he is. But I just hate going out in sun. Forget about the tan, the harsh rays and the bad headache, phew! This is why I like winters more.
3. I do believe there is a streak of environmentalism in me. I can give up anything except eating non vegetarian food(sob!) for that cause. Needless to say, people littering around and other such things get on my nerves.
4. I am the least adventurous person I have ever come across. Bungee jumping or rock climbing, I just can't do.
5. I hate to be around overly talkative people. For that matter I can't stand beyond limits of anything. I prefer to be alone than be in company of such people.
6.I try to learn about people from the way they dress. I don't jump to conclusions but I do feel it says lot of things.
7. I am really pathetic when it comes to remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other important days of family and friends. I know it is on 17th of September but I don't realize it is 17th of September that particular day.

Many people I know would have already received this one ,so I am not sending to any. Please feel free to take up the tag if interested.
I would soon get back with a recipe. Till then, adios!

Semiya payasam - Rice vermicelli and milk pudding

2009-09-15T16:48:00.004+05:30

This post is kind of out of schedule. No, I don't make a plan of when to post which dish. After I entered blogger world, I started to celebrate all the festivals which were not introduced to me earlier. When I read about Onam from various blogs, it truly struck a chord of nostalgia in me. Though the way we celebrate a festival is different, it's the same warmth and togetherness that we look forward for .

In the whole process of these festivals, food plays the role of a super star. More often than not we associate a particular dish with a festival and vice versa. Since, I badly wanted to get into the celebration mood, I made this simple sweet dish. More than the recipe, I want to share the sheer enthusiasm.

Semiya payasam/kheer is a staple sweet dish in many Indian house holds. It is a pudding where strands of vermicelli/semiya is cooked in milk to perfection. It is topped with ghee-roasted dry fruits and then savored by all :).

Ingredients:
Semiya/Vermicelli - 1/2 cup
Milk - 2cups(400ml)
Sugar - 1/3 cup(adjust)
Salt - a pinch(Purely optional)
Ghee - 1/2 tb spoon
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

For garnishing(Essential!)
Ghee - 1 tb spoon
Raisins - 8-10
Broken cashewnuts - 10

Procedure:
1. Heat ghee in a wok. Roast the vermicelli till it turns a good brown.
2. Heat milk in a vessel. Let them boil and add the sugar and star stirring till it dissolves.
3. Now add the roasted semiya/vermicelli and let it cook in milk for about 8-10minutes.Add cardamom powder.
4. Heat ghee in a kadai and roast the cashew nuts and raisins till they turn golden brown. Add this to the semiya in milk and serve.
This tastes best when served chilled!

Note:
1. You may add little milk before serving since it tends to thicken as it cools.
2. Adding condensed milk might be a good change.
3. Don't ever add water when making this sweet.

Ladies and gentlemen(if any!), be a part of my event. Let me know how your recipes and sweet stories are entwined together. You might just win a customized gift! Click here for details.

Vaangi bhath

2009-09-10T13:50:00.004+05:30

When I had limited access to Indian food(read out of India and not US/UK), I used to crave for muddhapappu(Cooked and salted toor dal) and rice with ghee. This is a trademark Andhra humble/comfort food. I can't tell you how delicious it tastes. You need to have it atleast once to appreciate Andhra food.(This is why I refuse to say any food is better than Andhra's). So getting back to what I was saying, I once found a pack of 'MTR ready made Vaangi bhaath pwder' which my Guest House lady wasn't putting much use to. There were pretty looking brinjals(They looked kinda artificial though!) and I loved the Vaangi bhaath I made out of them. So did my roommate there.

After I got back to India, I so didn't want to use ready made powder, because the joy of making customized powders, eliminating things which we don't like so much and adding few which we have some great liking to is amazing. Also, the pride of 'I-made-it-all' is as good.

This flavored rice makes a wholesome meal. It is pungent, tangy and slightly sweet at the same time, none of the flavors overwhelming the other.
So, here's the recipe for Vaangi bhaath:

Serves - 2
Preparation time - 30-40 minutes

You will need:
Cooked rice - 2 cups
Brinjals(purple ones, short or long) - 5(diced)
Tamarind - 1 tb spoon
Jaggery - 1tb spoon
Salt - 3/4 tb spoon(adjust)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tb spoon
Roasted cashew nuts - suggested garnishing
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Oil - 1.5 tb spoon

Spice powder
Coriander seeds/Dhania- 1 tb spoon
Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tb spoon
Chana dal/Bengal gram dal - 1tb spoon
Split gram dal/Urad dal - 1/2 tb spoon
Red chillies - 3-4
Methi/fenugreek seeds - 6-7 seeds

Procedure:
1. Roast the ingredients mentioned under spice powder section and grind them to a coarse powder.
2. Heat oil in a kadai and crackle the mustard seeds. Now, add brinjal pieces along with turmeric powder.
3. Saute the brinjal pieces for 2-3 minutes. Now add tamarind paste with some water, jaggery powder and salt. Let this cook for about 7-8 minutes.(Or as long as it takes for brinjal to turn soft and cooked)
4. Now add the spice powder and broken cashews and combine. Mix it for a minute.
5. Now add the cooked and cooled rice and combine carefully as to not let it turn mushy.
Serve it after it settles down for sometime and flavors suffuse through the rice.

Note: I didn't add dry coconut, I know I didn't :D I like it this way.

Share the beautiful tale wrapped around a memorable recipe through this event. You may win a customized prize from me. So, send your entries before 30th of September!

Event announcement - 'Just not any other dish'

2009-09-04T08:42:00.006+05:30

You would have turned your kitchen upside down to make this one dish. You would have impressed not-so-easily-pleased guests who came home with your first trial at it. You would have made this for your special someone. You would have been successful in making your I-am-never-hungry-mommy kid eat this particular dish. You would have made your mother wonder that her daughter can actually cook.
Any dish which is close to your heart , which makes you high every time you make, that which wouldn't lose it's charm for any reason, that which has a memorable tale woven around it. Share it with me and I would let the whole world take a peep into it.
This event 'Just not any other dish' is all about a preparation/recipe which is special to you and has a story associated with it.
This event has has not many rules except for some teeny weeny ones.
1. You can send as many recipes as you would love to.
2. You may follow any cuisine and put in whatever you want to, eggs/meat.(anything edible)
3. You can send this recipe to multiple events along with mine.
All you have to do is post a certain recipe which you think is dear to you along with the reason why you think it is. You may do so this entire month ie., till 30th September 2009 IST. Use the below logo on your blog and link to this post.

Also, e-mail me following details - kuttikitchen@gmail.com
Name
Link to your blog(If you are a non-blogger just mail me the details)
Picture of the dish
So, here's the best part of whole thing. The best entry would win an attractive gift from me. Details would be announced soon. Stay connected and pass the love for food(and above event announcement!) all over.

Beetroot chutney

2009-09-03T10:18:00.005+05:30

I was love-struck when I saw here. I grew fonder when I saw again here. I thought let's make the move. I finally did. Well, I am talking about the beetroot chutney. After being vouched by two of my warm and friendly blog buddies, I made this dish.
I love curried yogurt. It is usually, plain yogurt/curd being added to sauteed vegetable(brinjal,snake gourd/just onion) and mildly spiced up.When I was a kid, I was tricked to eat vegetables which I usually didn't eat this way(I am no more fussy when it comes to food). When I saw beetroot chutney, I thought about this preparation which took me back to good old memories.
I however made some changes to the original recipe(Little too big I guess!). It turned really good anyway. It is very nutritious and delicious.

Ingredients:
Beetroot -1
Curd - 1/2 cup
coconut(grated) - 2 table spoons
Green chillies - 2-3(adjust)
Salt - 1/2 tb spoon adjust
Oil -1/2 tb spoon

Tadka/seasoning/Popu
Oil - 1/2 tb spoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Jeera/Cumin/Jeela karra - 1/2 tea spoon

Procedure:
1. Grate the beetroot and saute it on low flame for 3-4 minutes. It should retain the slightly crunchy texture.
2. Grind the coconut and green chillies together. Whisk the curd to form a smooth paste. Combine coconut-green chilly mixture with curd.
3. Add this to satuteed beet. Add salt and mix together.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, and once they start to splutter add jeera and torn curry leaves. Add this tadka to the beetroot mixture. Combine and serve.

We had as a wrap along with roti/chapati.

Brinjal fry - Vankaya vepudu

2009-08-27T12:21:00.006+05:30

As much as I love cooking, rejoicing a well needed break occasionally is a bliss. When my mom or roommate's mom visits us, we get royally pampered. We relive our teenage days when we never paid heed to kitchen chores no matter what. This happened again when my roommate's mom was here. Since they belong to a different place, whole new array of dishes were introduced.Looking at our enthusiasm(to listen how they are made and not to make!)aunt had given detailed description of their special delicacies.
The dish which I am talking about today is brinjal curry which roomy claims to have made before. When it comes from the source it is all the more delicious, no?

Ingredients:
To be roasted:
Chana dal/Bengal gram dal - 2 tb spoons
Urad dal/Split gram dal - 1tb spoons
Red chillies - 3
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tb spoon

Onions - 2(chopped)
Brinjals - 4-5(slit length wise and chopped to 1 inch pieces)
Oil - 2 tea spoons
Salt - 1 tea spoon

Procedure:
1. Grind the roasted mixture and onions. Put this aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Saute the brinjal pieces for 1-2 minutes. Now add the ground paste and combine.
3. Add salt to this mixture and let it cook on medium flame for 8-10 minutes. Now brinjal would have turned soft and infused with the spices.
4. Turn off the flame and serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

You realize how minimal ingredients from your kitchen can create culinary wonders.
Note: You can try stuffing the brinjal with the mixture and frying.

Nuvvula podi - Roasted Sesame and Chilli powder

2009-08-17T18:25:00.005+05:30

I totally believe in what I call 'mood food'. When I am enthused and active, I make something elaborate and nice. When I feel lazy, I make something quick and still nice. Sometimes, I am awed at how some humble foods make me happy whenever I make/eat. Here I need to mention 'podis' which have taken Andhra cuisine to another level.
Be it simple roasted red chillies pounded with garlic or toasted groundnuts powdered with a hint of jaggery and tamarind, love it totally. When dad/mom mix hot rice with a generous dollop of ghee and one of the podis and feed us, believe me it tastes heavenly(even now!). Though, sis and I try doing that mixing and eating ourselves, somehow the magic can't be replicated. One such podi is nuvvu podi/sesame seeds toasted to golden perfection and ground with roasted red chillies and garlic.

Ingredients:
Sesame seeds - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 spoon(adjust)
Red chillies - 3-4(adjust)
Garlic - 3-4 pods
Oil - 1/2 tb spoon

Procedure:
1. Toast the sesame seeds till they turn golden brown. Set them aside.
2. Now roast the red chillies in oil for 1-2 minutes.
3. Grind the red chillies, garlic and salt together to a coarse powder.

Savor it with rice and ghee(without ghee would work too!).
This dish is special and comes direct 'dil se'.

Note:
1.This podi/powder can be stored in an air tight container for 5-6 days. So the measurements I give here are not per-person. It would yield about 1/2 a cup of powder. So, you may scale up/down the quantity.
2. I suggest you keep the ingredient list as it is, as adding coriander/jeera would alter the taste.
3. This podi could also be used as a taste enhancer for the andhra stews usually prepared with vegetables,jaggery and tamarind.

Mushroom Masala

2009-08-13T13:32:00.005+05:30

I used to act indifferent to mushroom. I don't mind eating it.At the same time I don't crave for it. N, my companion for all my dining expeditions is a huge mushroom lover. So, we end up eating mushroom rice(which I JUST had),mushroom this and mushroom that! I also heard she makes most amazing mushroom masala.(which I didn't get to taste,sob!) So, I thought I would give a try. And it came out so so well that it became an instant favorite with us.

Serves - 2
Preparation time - Around 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Mushrooms - 1.5cup(chopped into quarters)
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tea spoon(optional)
Tomato - 2 (finely chopped)
Onions - 1big
Green chillies -2(Optional)
Salt - 1tea spoon(adjust)
Oil - 1 tb spoon

To be roasted and ground to a fine powder(1 Table spoon of this)
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1small stick
Cardamom - 2 pods
Bay leaf - 1(Optional)
fennel seeds - 1/3 tea spoon(Optional)
Red chillies - 2
Dhania/coriander seeds - 1 tb spoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2tb spoon
(You may use garam masala but freshly ground spices will for sure enhance the taste)

Procedure:
1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add onions, ginger garlic paste and saute together for 2-3 minutes. When onions start to brown add tomatoes and continue sauteeing.
3. When a thick red gravy forms, add mushrooms and the masala powder. Season with salt and continue cooking on medium flame for 10-12 minutes till mushroom appears cooked. Keep stirring in between.(Do NOT add water. Mushrooms release lot of water, which is enough for
cooking.)
4. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rice/roti.

Now, I understand what is so 'wow' about mushrooms :)

Atukula payasam - Brown rice flakes and milk pudding

2009-08-07T17:43:00.009+05:30

This is the longest I've stayed away from my blog since it began. It definitely doesn't feel good. Today I am here with first sweet dish on my blog. I can't tell you how simple it is.
It was a lazy Sunday evening and surprisingly I was extremely hungry.(Surprise because of the usual late and complete lunches on weekends, bliss!)I am not much of a home-made snacks person. I could only think of milk. What to make with milk?!Cornflakes,oats,muesli? Na,they are meant for mornings. Milk and rice pudding?NO!Pressure cooker and all now,no way! Then I remembered the brown rice flakes which are not put to use much. Tadaan! I remembered as kids how we used to have rice flakes soaked and softened in milk. The cook in me wasn't satisfied with just that and implemented this recipe. That is how this dish happened.
Exactly two days after making this, I saw the same dish on this blog. I was like,bingo!Honestly I didn't expect anybody else would have thought of this combination. You can imagine my amazement at it's significance.(Apparently it is considered god's food) Anyway,she used sugar and I had used jaggery. The rest is more or less the same.

Ingredients:
Rice flakes - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1Tea spoon
Jaggery - 2 tb spoons
Suggested garnishing - roasted cashew and raisins

Procedure:
1. Soak the rice flakes in water for 2-3mins and wash them. They would have be slightly
softened by now.
2. Roast the flakes in ghee for a minute. Don't let them turn brown.
3. Heat the milk and when it starts to boil add the jaggery powder and mix it by continuous stirring. Now add the flakes and combine. Let it cook for 7-8 minutes. You may cook it further if you want a nice thick payasam.

I have a feeling it would taste better after refrigerating. Me didn't wait though :D

Tomato pasta

2009-08-03T21:14:00.005+05:30

If I were asked to name my favorite cuisine right after Indian, I would say Italian handsdown. I get this sudden craving to bite into a pizza once in a while. I also love pasta and lasagna.(That is if it is perfectly made!) When it comes to making it in my kitchen, it would be pasta for all its simplicity. I once read that there are various kinds of pasta each varying in shape and make. (There are SO many of them!)

I was tired of making ready-to-cook pasta which comes with a sauce. So, this one time I thought I would try making the sauce myself. I wanted to give 'Indian twist' to it for a change. I bought some macaroni pasta and made tomato pasta. I remember reading this recipe somewhere and thought it's right time to experiment. And now, I love pasta even more :)

Serves - 2

Preparation time - 10-12minutes.

Ingredients:

Pasta - 1cup

Tomatoes - 3(big)

Onion - 2(small)

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Pepper powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Sugar - 1 tb spoon

Salt - 3/4 tb spoon

Cumin/Jeera - 1/2 tea spoon(optional)

Coriander - 1/4 cup(nicely chopped)

Grated cheese - (suggested garnishing)

Oil - 1 tb spoon

Procedure:

1. Boil pasta till al-dente. It takes roughly 6-8 minutes. Now quickly rinse it with cold water. Drain and set aside.(You may add little salt when pasta cooks, I didn't)

2. Blanch onions and tomato. Grind them with ginger and salt.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin. Once cumin starts to turn brown,add tomato-onion paste and fry till it forms a thick gravy. For this you need to saute for 3-4 minutes on medium flame.

4. Sprinkle pepper powder and sugar and mix. Now add the cooked pasta and combine. Let it cook for a minute or two.

5. Add chopped coriander and switch off flame. You may serve it with or without garnish of grated cheese.

I thought it was impossible to make simple and delicious pasta at home.I was totally happy this one worked.

Chikudkaya nuvvu koora - Broad beans curry

2009-07-30T18:30:00.004+05:30

I have quite a few recipes ready. I thought I should post about the one which came out the best.

After days of eating oily food with no other go, who doesn't crave for some comfort food? It was one of those days when you want to prepare a hassle free meal. You just think about all those days when you were lazing around at home and relishing the meal which comes right into your hand(without bothering about 1.How many whistles did cooker no.1 already blow? or 2. Did I add salt in curry or dal? *confused* and so on). You realise how much you miss the simple and humble meal of dal and some nice koora* coming hot off the flame.

There is no big prologue to Chikkudkaya curry.It is a dish where Indian broad beans are sauteed and flavored with powdered Peanuts and sesame seeds. We have immense liking for broad beans. They are fibrous and have a pleasing taste. This is one of those dishes for which roomy didn't wait for me to put up in blog. She had to note in her handbook soon after making.

Preparation time 12-15minutes

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Broadbeans - 150 gms

Onion - 1 big(chopped)

Ground nuts - 2 tb spoons

Sesame seeds - 1tb spoon

Oil - 1tb spoon

Sugar - 1 tea spoon

Salt - 1/2tb spoon(adjust)

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tb spoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tb spoon

red chillies - 2

Water - 1/4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1big pinch

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Procedure:

1. String the broad beans and chop/tear them into small pieces.Boil them with 1/2 tea spoon of salt. I pressure cooked them for 1 whistle. They should remain in shape and shouldn't turn all mushy. You can do so over stove top too.

2. Roast the peanuts and sesame seeds. Grind them to a powder and set aside.

3.Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds and once they start to pop add red chillies and curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds.

4. Add onions and turmeric powder. Saute them till onion turns translucent and starts to brown.

5. Add boiled broad beans and salt and continue sauteeing for 3-4 minutes on medium flame.
6. Add sugar and chilli powder and saute till beans get totally wilted and appear fried. It takes about 2-3minutes. Now add ground powder and mix. Switch off flame after half a minute.

We had it with rice and dal(pappu). It had some 'home' factor and reminded me of food made by mom.

Guys,I am planning to host an event. I haven't come up with a theme yet. If you have any interesting ideas and if you are either too lazy or occupied to host, mail me @ kuttikitchen[at]gmail[dot]com.
*Dry or gravy dish with vegetables in telugu

Rajma curry - chawal

2009-07-27T18:23:00.006+05:30

I have a great fascination for Punjab. There is some air of enthusiasm around the place, music, food and ofcourse people.I heard lots about the Punjabi food and even more about their love for food. I don't know how authentic it is but I have tasted 'Punjabi khaana' at various places. The generous amount of ghee/butter they use brings in the wow effect. I couldn't however try making their gosht/kheema dishes but settled with good old Rajma-Chawal.(Better things are always left for later times!)

I once shared accommodation with a Punjabi lady. She told me how she and everyone else in her family like rajma. She also told me that what we usually eat isn't the original version and told me it needs quite a lot of preparation. So I reserved a weekend for making this and I did it :) I referred to Sailus blog for the recipe. But, I made few changes according to our liking.

Rajma curry is red kidney beans cooked in whole spices and tomato-onion gravy. It is usually eaten with rice.

Serves - 2

Preparation time 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

Rajma - 3/4 cup(soaked overnight)

Tomatoes - 2(medium)

Onions - 2

Ginger garlic paste - 1tea spoon

Bay leaf - 1

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 2

Cardamom - 1

Chilli powder - 1 tea spoon

Dhania powder - 1/4 table spoon

Jeera/Cumin powder - 1/4tb spoon

Turmeric powder - 1 big pinch

Oil - 1tb spoon

Jeera - 1/4 table spoon

Water - 2-3 cups

Procedure:

1. Cook the rajma beans for 3 whistles. I observed that they take quite some time to be perfectly cooked.So, be patient! Now, mash few rajma beans with back of ladle. This will serve as a base for gravy.

2. Fry onions till they turn translucent. Grind to a fine paste and set aside.

3. Blanch tomatoes and make a fine paste. Set aside for later use.

4. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and saute bay leaf,cinnamon,cardamom and cloves. Now add onion paste,ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes.

5. Now add turmeric powder,chilli powder, dhania powder and jeera powder. Combine and add tomato paste.

6. Mix them all together for a minute and let it fry till oil separates and makes a nice red gravy. This may take 3 minutes.

7. Add boiled rajma along with mashed rajma and season with salt. Pressure cook this for 1 whistle, adding enough water. If you don't prefer to pressure cook, you may cook for about 10-12 minutes.

8. Get it off the flame and season with fresh coriander and butter.

Not very laborious right. It needs a bit of grinding and frying though. Anything for good food, what say?

Note:

1. Though rajma is known for its nutritional values it is suggested to be eaten in moderate quantities.(Especially for South Indians who don't include Kidney beans in their diet often)

2. Those of you who don't want to bite into clove or cardamom can grind them after frying in oil and add the ground powder towards the end.

And finally, if you like what you eat/ate, let the person who made it know. It would mean a lot to her/him. I realized this bit after years of not appreciating mom's food and would always take it for granted. Now when it is my turn to cook, I would make a dish and look at roomy hoping to see her thumbs up.

Nags's Egg Sambal

2009-07-25T11:51:00.005+05:30

There isn't a long story about how I made this dish. Ofcourse ,there is a short story about why I had to make. One fine day, I was walking happily with vegetables in one hand and eggs in another. I came across this speeding bicycle and guess what I did. I dropped the bag containing eggs. The eggs, neither did they break completely nor stayed perfect. They had cute cracks which said ' Cook me right away!'.

Now, the source for this recipe. I love this blog. I had bookmarked lots of recipes from there. I then searched for this recipe frantically and made it. I followed her recipe blindly but didn't have patience to make beautiful strips of egg/omlette. So here it is, Egg Sambal. We loved the way it came out and thanks Nags. I would definitely make it again. This time following her instructions more closely.

This dish apparently is Malaysian. Yey! I can cook Malaysian food.(It is so so close to Indian though!)

Gummadikaya pulusu-Pumpkin stew

2009-07-22T17:42:00.004+05:30

No matter where you go, you are sure to find a board saying 'Andhra meals' or 'Andhra cuisine' welcomes you. Most of the people(Non-Andhra) I know think that Andhra food is way too spicy. They also have an impression that Andhra food is plain dal,some curry and podi/chutney. From what I know and what I have seen over the years, Andhra food is highly versatile. You will be awed at the variety of the dishes and the tastes.
There were some delicacies prepared by grandmom,few prepared by my aunt and few others by my mom. They are special in their own way. Next time I go to my grandmother's place which is a picturesque village flanked by amazingly green paddy fields, I will make sure to note her recipes. ac
Pulusu or tangy and sweet vegetable stew is such a dish, which is savored by everyone. After I saw it here, I remembered how we enjoyed it as kids. I see every now and then, how my cousins trick their tiny tots into eating vegetables by making this and mixing it with a dollop of ghee.

Ingredients:
Green pumpkin/Gummadikaya - 1.5cup(You can use drumsticks/Yellow cucumber/Bottle gourd or combination of them)
Tamarind - 1 tb spoon
Jaggery - 1 tb spoon
Salt - 1 tea spoon(adjust)
Chilli powder - 1tea spoon(adjust)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Water - 1/2 Cup

For seasoning:
Oil - 1tb spoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Chana dal/Bengal gram dal - 1 tea spoon
Urad dal/Split gram dal - 1 tea spoon
Jeera - 1/2 tea spoon
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Asafoetida - 1 pinch

To be sauteed for a minute and ground to a powder:
Nuvvulu/Til/Sesame seeds - 1 tea spoon
Chana dal/Bengal gram dal - 1 table spoon
Urad dal/Split gram dal - 1 table spoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Dhania/Coriander seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

Procedure:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds when they start to splutter add other ingredients under section seasoning(in the same order).
2. Now add cubed pumpkin pieces and fry them for 1-2 minutes.
3. Now add tamarind paste,salt,chilli powder,Turmeric powder and jaggery powder.Add little water,combine and pressure cook for 1-2 whistles. The pieces should stay firm and cooked enough.If cooking over stove top cook for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Add the ground powder, mix and let it cook for about 2 minutes and switch off the flame.(Adjust consistency)

Serve it with rice and appadam(papad)/Dry side dish.

Note: Green pumpkin has high water content and cooks very easily. Other vegetables might need more time.