Aloo Gobi Curry

Ingredients
Cauliflower - 1
Tomato - 2
Potato - 1
Onion - 1 big
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Amchur powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
GingerGarlic paste - 2 tsp
Frozen Peas - 1/2 cup

1) Take a microwave safe bowl and wash cauliflower florets. Add very little water to the bowl. Place a plate or lid covering the bowl and microwave for about 4-5 minutes.

2) After the cauliflower is steamed, add salt to the same and mix well.

3) Peel the potato and dice into bite sized cubes. Add diced potato, salt and little water to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 2-3 minutes.

4) Take a pan and add oil to the same. Add Jeera and turmeric to the pan.

5) Add dice onion to the pan and fry until onions become transluscent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell disappears.

6) Add diced tomatos to the pan and put the lid on. Let the gravy cook until you see oil seperating from the gravy.

7) Add all the masala powders, peas and salt to the Gravy. Put the lid back and let the curry cook for 2 mins.

8) Add potato cubes to the pan and continue to cook for 5 mins.

9) Take the steamed cauliflower florets and add it to the curry. Gently mix the gravy and florets. Make sure the florets donot get mushy. Cook the curry for a while until the florets are cooked and get a good coating of the gravy. Garnish with Cilantro.

This curry tastes great with chapati or paratha.

Aloo Paratha

Aloo Paratha is one of the easiest and tastiest recipes to make within a matter of minutes. The best part about this dish is, the filling can be replaced with any of your favourites like gobi, paneer, methi, kheema, palak etc.

Ingredients
Potato - 1 Big
Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Jeera - 1 tbsp
Green Chillies - 1 Chopped
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as required

Making the Filling
Wash and cut potato into 4 big pieces. Take water in a container, add salt and boil the potato pieces for about 15 minutes. To test if the potatos are done, pork the potatos with a fork. It should easily pass through the potato. Strain water from the boiled potato and peel off the skin after it cools. Mash potato pieces with a fork. Add salt, chopped green chilli, Red chilli powder, turmeric powder and Jeera to the mashed potato. Mix everything thoroughly.

Making the Dough
Take wheat flour and salt in a wide bowl. Knead the dough with warm water. Dough should be very soft but not sticky. Put a damp paper towel on the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Rolling out and Frying Parathas
Make equal sized balls of the dough as well as potato filling and keep them aside. This potato filling makes 5 parathas. Take a ball of dough, flatten it once. Dust both sides of the dough with wheat flour. Start rolling the dough just until you make sure the potato filling fits in the dough.
Place a mashed potato ball in the middle of dough and seal all the edges by bringing them together. Make sure that the dough is closed completely. Start rolling the potato stuffed dough gently with the help of dry flour. Heat a pan and brush it with oil/ghee. Fry the parathas on both sides.

If you are not planning on consuming them as soon as you make, place them in a sealed container.

Ugadi

Andhariki Sarvadhari nama samvatsara subhakankshalu. We would like to wish you and your family a very happy, prosperous and a peaceful new year.

Ugadi is the start of a new year and a very important festival of the telugu and kannada people. This is also celebrated in Maharastra as Gudi Padwa.

Ugadi marks the beginning of a new Hindu lunar calendar with a change in the moon's orbit. It is a day when mantras are chanted and predictions made for the new year. Traditionally, the panchangasravanam or listening to the yearly calendar was done at the temples or at the Town square but with the onset of modern technology, one can get to hear the priest-scholar on television sets right in one's living room. [3]

It is a season for raw mangoes spreading its aroma in the air and the fully blossomed neem tree that makes the air healthy. Also, jaggery made with fresh crop of sugarcane adds a renewed flavor to the typical dishes associated with Ugadi. "Ugadi pachchadi" is one such dish that has become synonymous with Ugadi. It is made of new jaggery, raw mango pieces and neem flowers and new tanarind which truly reflect life - a combination of sweet, sour and bitter tastes! [3]
Ugadi pachhadi - ఉగాది పచ్చడి with all six tastes (షడ్రుచులు), symbolizes the fact that life is a mixture of different expereinces (sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise) , which should be accepted together and with equanimity. [2]

We make Garelu, Ugadi Pachhadi, Payasam & pulihora and offer it to God as Nivedhyam on this auspiscious day.

Ugadi Pachhadi Recipe:

Ingredients:

Raw Mango (diced) - 1 cup

grated Jaggery - 1/2 cup

Neem flowers - 1 tbls

Salt - 1/4 tbls

Tamrind paste - 1 tbls

Green chillies (Finely chopped) - 1

smallWater - 3 cups

Add all the ingredients to a vessel and mix them well. You could optionally add Sugar cane pieces, banana slices and small coconut pieces.

References:1. Eenadu Online2. Wikipedia3. About Ugadi

Andhra Kodi Koora / Chicken Curry

Ingredients

Chicken - 3 lbs

Onion - 1 Big

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsps

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Green Chillies - 5 medium

Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Oil - 5 tbsps

Chopped Cilantro - 1/2 cup

Spices

Cinnamon Sticks - 5 medium

Elachi - 5 medium

Cloves - 5 medium

Shajeera - 1/2 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tbsps

For Marination

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp

Curd - 1 cup

Turmeric - 1 tbsp

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp

Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Salt - 1 tbsp

1) Cut Chicken into medium sized pieces and wash it thoroughly.

2) Mix all the ingredients for marination along with chicken. Make sure all the pieces get the coating of the marinade.

3) Allow the marinated chicken to rest in the refrigerator for atleast 1 day. The longer it marinates, the better it tastes.

4) Heat oil in a deep container. Add chopped onions, greenchillies and curry leaves.

5) Add all the spices and fry until the onions are translucent.

6) Add Ginger Garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears.

7) Add marinated chicken, Garam Masala powder and Coriander powder to the pan. Mix everything thoroughly.

8) Cook the chicken until it is done fully on medium heat. It normally takes around 40 - 45 minutes. Add salt and water if necessary.

9) To test if the chicken is cooked fully, take a fork and pork it on a chicken piece. The piece should easily fall apart. Just before you turn off the stove, garnish the curry with Cilantro.