From my kitchen - Chamaldumpa Pulusu (Taro root/arabi sour curry)

I was introduced to Pulusu by my hubby and he is the one who taught me how to make them. 

Pulusu(telugu) is referred to sour and tangy curries in which main ingredients are tamarind and tomatoes. Compared to rassam, they are thicker in consistency and has specific flavour of veggie or meat. Some of the pulusu that we make are - bhindi pulusu (okra), raddish pulusu,Taro  root pulusu, fish pulusu, etc. Most of these Pulusu's have same recipe but we need to twist a bit depending on the taste.. Ex you can add rice flour to fish pulusu while it is not needed in Tarro pulusu as Tarro itself will make it thick.

Sharing the recipe of Taro pulusu which I made other day though forgot to take a pic :(

Ingredients

2 tsp oil

Pinch of methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)

Punch of jeera(cumin seeds)

1 Onion 

1 green chilli

1 tsp ginger garlic paste ( optional.. Can use finely cut ginger garlic in case paste is not there )

2 tomatoes

8-10 medium sized Taro boiled till they become vet soft and peeled

1/2 tsp Corriander powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

Salt as per taste

Turmeric powder

1 tsp Tamarind paste / tamarind pulp

Rassam powder ( optional)

Cilantro to garnish

1. Heat oil in pan and add cumin seeds and methi seeds

2. Add onions, green chilli and sauté then for a min

3. Add ginger garlic paste and mix it well till it cooks

4. Add tomatoes and all the ground spices and let it cook till oil leaves.

5. Add taro and mix well. Taro should be pressure cooked for 5-6 whistles or till they turn very soft. 

6. Add tamarind paste and water or pulp from fresh tamarind and let it boil.

7. Once it boils, you can add water as per the consistency required. Please note that it will become thick once cool.

8. Add rassam powder and let it boil till tamarind raw smell has gone .

9. Garnish it with Cilantro. PS-If you love cilantro flavour you can add the stems along with tamarind and let it cook.

Hope you enjoy this mouth watering pulusu!!

Spicy Prawns - Mediterranean style

Spicy Prawns @Village Corner, Carmel, CA

This photo reminds me of a wonderful summer day we had spent on the Carmel beach and beautiful 17 miles drive. After the lazy walk on the beach, we went for the lunch to Mediterranean Bistro - Village corner and ordered these Spicy Prawns along with Greek gyros. Though the gyros were as usual, we fell in love with these spicy prawns. 

Exactly a year after when we had been to same place again, I just wanted to go to same restaurant and gulp on these spicy prawns. So, after having heavy breakfast we spent beautiful summer day enjoying the pebble beach and 17 mile drive. After we were tired and hungry, we knew our next destination - again Village Corner, to have our favorite spicy prawns. On any normal day or location, we would have surely tried new restaurant or new cuisine, but I can say on that day we planned for Carmel Beach only to gulp on this spicy Prawns.

Now, you would ask me whats so special about this, I can simply say you need to try it out :) and here comes the recipe of these simple but tasty Spicy prawns.

Ingredients

Home made Spicy Prawns 

Prawns -12-15 (if possible leave tail)
Garlic - 10-12 cloves
Red Chilli flakes
Olive oil (it tastes good in olive oil, but if olive oil is not available, you can use any refined oil)
Lemon Juice
Salt 
Fresh Corriander leaves

Marinate the prawns in salt and lemon juice for 30 min.
Cook the prawns and keep aside. [you can fry them directly but if the prawns are not 
Heat the olive oil and add finely chopped garlic and chilli flakes. 
Once the garlic is slightly done, add the prawns and fry them till they are cooked. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves.

Pod of Dolphins along the pacific coast

To wind up the day, we headed back to Carmel beach to watch the sun set and pod of dolphins along the coast.

Moti Roti - Rajasthani Recipe

Today I was feeling very lazy to make rotis and suddenly I remembered about moti roti. One of my colleague J used to bring this moti roti and we used to love it big time. She used to say its one of the easiest and quick recipe but I never paid attention on how to make it. When I became roommate with same colleague, I asked her to make it and really it was easy one to make. 

After that, I never tried that roti on my own but today thought of giving it a try. So I mixed 1 cup (usually make 4 phulkas out of it) with some salt, 1 spoon ghee and water to make a soft dough. Made 1 single roti out of it and put it on pan. Then I started with the pinch of design on this roti which is required for it to cook well and give this roti it's design. When the design was completed, I made sure that the roti was cooked well from both side and added lots of ghee (~2 spoons😬) on the design side and woo hoo the delicious roti was ready in less than 10 min.

I was feeling that I was missing in something as when I had made the design with my roomie J we had to make it quick and be careful as the roti was hot. So, I googled the recipe as I don't even know the exact name but luckily got  lots of link with the recipe. So, what I missed was to cook the roti on one side and then start with the design on the cooked part, still I was able to match the taste of what J used to bring in her lunch box. There is one more recipe - lauki muthiya which I got to know about and learnt from same friend J, hopefully I will share it soon.

 I forgot to take the picture of it but surely upload it when I make it next time.

Have you ever tried or made this moti roti? 

Doskaya Pachadi(yellow cucumber chutney )

I know I made a resolution and it seems like I have forgotten about it. Per my resolution, I should have written 6 posts but it's just 3.

Here comes one more recipe from Andhra - Dosakayya Pachadi. Dosakayya (yellow cucumber or lemon cucumber) comes from the family of cucumber and tastes somewhat like cucumber and musk melon.

Ingredients - 

1 small Dosakayya (cut into cubes)

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Urad Dal

2 dry red chilli

Curry leaves

5-6 cloves garlic

1 tsp oil(preferably mustard oil)

Hing(asafoetida)

1 tsp tamarind paste 

Heat oil in the pan, add the tadka stuff - mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, urad dal and let it crackle. Add garlic, curry leaves, red chilli. Once they are done and add Dosakayya cubes and sauté then for 5 min. Cool the mixture, add tamarind paste and grind to make fine paste.

Dosakayya pachadi goes well with rice. 

What else you guys have made with Dosakayya ?

Mushroom sabji

I am not sure when I started loving mushrooms but these days they are one of my favorite among veg. Last week my cousin has visited us and I asked him if he likes mushroom ki sabji. He said he likes mushroom in toppings and do not know how it's sabji will taste, so I decided to make it. Just when I had started my daughter woke up and we were already late for lunch so the only option I left with was asking my cousin to make it and he made his first sabji under my guidance ;)

Ingredients

1 packet button mushroom sliced

1 medium size onion

1 medium size tomato

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp Corriander powder

1/2 tsp to 1 tsp red chilli powder (per taste)

Pinch of turmeric powder

Salt 

Oil

Pinch of cumin seeds / cumin powder

Corriander to garnish

1. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds

2. Add finely chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and fry till it runs red.

3. Add coriander powder, red chill powder, turmeric and salt, mix it well and add finely chopped tomatoes

4. Once the tomatoes start leaving oil , add mushrooms and let it cook for minimum 5 mins. If you want semi gravy, then small amount of water can be added(I generally avoid it as it tastes best without water)

5. Once the mushrooms are cooked, garnish it with Corriander leaves.

My cousin loved this mushroom sabji :) 

This gravy recipe I use for other veggies as well like - baby corn, aloo - gobi, etc and to whatever new veggies I want to try but not sure of how to make it. Also, I add capsicum some time to this sabji.

Dal in Konkani style

Once when I was surfing through the channels(usually I watch star plus serials, movies or music channels), I came across one of the show - Mummy ka magic on Food Food channel and watched the recipe that was shown. I found it very simple and easy to try, though it's another story that I did not actually try it out. But surely I got addicted to this channel :D 

These days I am full time mom and hence, I am using some time to try out with my culinary skills :) and yesterday when I again stopped at Food Food channel, it was showing recipe for toor dal in Konkani style in the show 'Ma ki dal'. Looking at the ingredients, I felt I am surely going to love this dal and tried it today. You know what even my hubby liked it a lot. So, the recipe is as follows - 

Ingredients

1 cup boiled toor(arahal) daal

2 tsp oil

4-5 thinly sliced garlic

1 small tomato finely chopped

1/4 tsp cumin powder(jeera powder)

1/4 tsp black pepper power

Chilli powder as per taste 

 Turmeric

Salt

1 tsp Tamarind paste

-Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and fry till it turns brown

- add tomatoes and fry it till it cooks

- Add cumin powder, black pepper powder, turmeric powder , chilli powder, salt and mix it well.

- Add cooked dal , water and tamarind paste and simmer it for 5 min

I had this dal with rice and it tastes very nice :)

Quick Mushroom Soup

Soups are my all time favorites..I remember how I used to enjoy hot and spicy tomato soups made my mummy during cold winter nights .. I always relished on having soups at restaurants and Knor ready to make soups. Whenever I had planned to make soup at home, I was short of one or two main ingredients and hence, always discarded the idea. Finally I came across this soup recipe by Tarla Dalal - http://www.tarladalal.com/Quick-Mushroom-Soup-1723r and looking at recipe I knew I have to try it.

I am noting down the recipe I tried which is slight modification of original recipe.

Ingredients for 2 servings

4 medium sized button mushroom - finely chopped

1/2 onion finely chopped

1/4 capsicum finely chopped

Salted butter

1/2 cup milk

Salt & pepper as per taste

1. Boil 1 cup water along with milk.

2. Heat butter and sauté onions, mushrooms and capsicum till onions turns pink.

3. Add boiling milk + water mixture and simmer it till the required thickness has formed. Add salt & pepper.