Chamagadda Pulsu (Taro Root in Tamerind Sauce)

Difficulty rating 4 (grinding requred, special ingredients required, difficult prep)

Chamgadda (taro root) is a root vegetable.  It has a very distinctive look but is similar to a potato in taste although the texture is much more smooth and silky.  It can often be found at your Indian grocery store.

1 tsp Chili powder

1 ½ cups Onion chopped small

½ tsp Cumin seeds

10 Curry leaves (important for this dish)

2 tsp Ginger garlic paste

Large pinch Hing (asafetida powder) (optional)

½ tsp Methi (fenugreek seeds) (optional)

2 Tbsp Poppy seed and coconut powder paste (optional)

3 Red chilli

2 Tbsp Tamerind soaked in ½ cup of water

10 Chamagadda (taro root)

½  tsp Tuermeric

½ tsp Mustard seeds

1 TBsp Corriander powder

3 Green chilli (optional)

1 tsp Jaggery or brown sugar (optional)

½ cup coriander leaves chopped

1. Boil Chamagada and then peal them and cut them into large bite size pieces.
2. Roast poppy seeds and coconut powder until golden brown and then grind to a paste.
3. Heat oil.  Add red chilli, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds, and onions.
4. Add salt, hing, green chilli, curry leaves and let splutter.
5. Add turmeric and ginger garlic paste and fry for about 3 minutes.
6. Add the tamarind juice (add a little first and taste before you add more). Add 2-3 coups of water, coriander powder, chilli powder, and coconut and poppy seed paste.
7. Cover and cook for 10 minutes When the froth disappears, the pulusu is ready.
8. Add the sugar and chamagada peices and a little water to cover the chamagada (if needed).
9. Taste the sauce and add salt, sugar according to your taste.
10. If you can, wait 30 minutes before you eat it so that the flavors can mingle.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or chapatti.

Potato Fry

Difficulty Level 2 (prep time required)

3 large potatoes, peeled, boiled and cubed

1 large onion sliced thin

pinch of turmeric powder

1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

large pinch hing/methi powder (optional)

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

3/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp urad dal (optional)

1 sprig curry leaves (optional)

2-3 crushed garlic cloves

1 

1.    Heat oil, add the mustard seeds and as they crackle, add the cumin seeds and urad dal and cook until the dals turn red.

2.    Add the crushed garlic and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds until the garlic becomes golden.

3.    Add the sliced onions and heat for a few minutes or till they turn transparent.

4.    Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, hing powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt. Stir.

5.    Add the boiled potato and combine and cook stirring until the potatoes become a little brown and crispy in some places.

6.    Serve with rice, rasam and papadam or chapti.

Egg Kurma

Difficulty Level 3 (grinding required)

5-6 boiled eggs with small slits cut in them

2 onions, finely chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 large tomato, diced

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

salt to taste

few curry leaves (optional)

8-10 fresh mint leaves (optional)

2 tbsps oil

chopped coriander leaves for garnish (optional)

Dry roast and grind to a paste:

3/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 inch cinnamon

1 cardamom

2 cloves

4-5 tbsp grated coconut

5-6 cashew nuts

1.    Heat oil, add chopped onions and fry till golden.

2.    Add ginger garlic paste and mint leaves and saute for 3 minutes.

3.    Add curry leaves, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt and combine.

4.    Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 4-5 minutes.

5.    Add the ground paste and cook for 7-8 minutes, stir often so that it does not stick to the bottom.

6.    Add the boiled eggs and stir.

7.    Cook without lid for 3-4 mts.

8.    Add 2 cups of water and cook with lid on and simmer until the gravy thickens.

9.    Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Turn off heat.

10. Serve with pulao, biryani, coconut rice or rotis

Tomato Coconut Chutney

Difficulty Level 2 (Grinding Required)


3 tomatoes, sliced

1/4 cup grated coconut

2 green chillis

1 dry red chilli

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsps urad dal (optional)

2 tsps chana dal (optional)

1/4 tsp jaggery or sugar (optional)

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

For seasoning:

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

pinch hing/asafoetida (optional)

few curry leaves (optional)

1.    Heat the oil, add the cumin seeds, urad dal, channa dal, red chilli and green chilli and fry till the dals turn red. Add grated coconut and roast for another 3 mts. Remove from heat and cool.

2.    In another vessel, add the sliced tomatoes and saute till they release moisture. Take off of the heat and cool.

3.    Grind the grated coconut mixture to a powder.  Add the cooled tomato mixture, salt and jaggery and make a paste. Add a few tablespoons of water, if needed.

4.    Heat oil, add mustard seeds and as they splutter add hing and curry leaves for a few seconds and turn off heat and pour over the chutney.

5.    Serve with kichidi, dosa or idli.

Egg Biryani

Difficulty Rating 3 (length of time for preperation)

Here is a link to another great biryani recipe.  www.sailusfood.com/2010/04/19/egg-biryani.  It's not to difficult and if you follow the recipe here, it should turn out great.

Pongal

Difficulty Rating 1


1½ cup rice
1 cup moong dal
2 TBsp ghee or oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp black peppercorn (optional)
1 tsp salt
½ cup cashews (dry roasted)
7 cups water
2 cups milk (or water if you prefer)


1. In a medium to large pot, heat the ghee or oil on medium heat. Add and roast cumin seeds, peppercorns (you can also add a few curry leaves if you like) until they splutter.  

2.  Add moong dal and toast to a golden color, constantly mixing. 

3. Stir in the rice. Pour water and milk and stir in salt. Cover the pot with lid and cook on high heat. Wiat for the water to begin to boil and then, remove the lid. Mix once and partially cover with a lid, leaving a gap for water vapor to escape.

4. In about 5 minutes everything will start to come together and double in volume. Turn off the heat, and stir in the cashews. Close the lid fully and let everything sit for about 10 minutes so that the rice and dal can absorb the remaining liquid. The consistency can vary from something resembling a thick soup to a creamy porridge, but never like a tight hard ball. In order to not overcook, turn off heat early.

Serve with chutney, Aloo kurma or a cup of yogurt.

Chicken Biryani

Difficulty Rating 4 (Difficult prep etc.)


This dish is a traditional favorite from my husband's home town.  I don't have my own recipe for this one but I highly recommend this one http://www.vahrehvah.com/Hyderabadi+Chicken+Biryani:3144.


It is relatively easy compared to many biryani recipes and it is also very authentic.  It's really worth the work.

Kurma

Difficulty Rating 3 (Grinding required)

This dish is a traditional accompaniment to biryani.

3-4 cloves

1 elachi

1″ cinnamon

2 onions, sliced

1 ½ tsps ginger/garlic paste

3-4 small tomatoes, quartered

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

pinch cumin powder

lg pinch garam masala (optional)
salt to taste

few curry leaves (optional)

¼ cup thick coconut milk

1 ½ tbsp oil

Few chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Dry roast for 2 minutes and grind to a paste:

3 tbsps dry coconut

6-8 cashew nuts

1.  Heat oil, add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and cook until they start to pop.

2.  Add onions and fry till transparent.

3.  Add ginger-green chilli-garlic paste and cook for 3 minutes.

4.  Add curry leaves, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and stir.

5.  Add the quartered tomatoes and fry for 4-5 mts.

6.  Add the ground paste and cook for 5 mts, stirring so that it does not stick to the vessel.

7.  Add 1cup of water and salt and bring to a boil. Cook with lid on simmer till the gravy thickens.

8.  Add thick coconut milk and combine. Turn off heat. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

9. Serve with pulao, biryani, or talimp annum.

Brown Basmati Rice

Difficulty Rating 1

1 ½ cups Basmati rice
2 Tbsp Oil
1 (2 in) cinnamon stick
2 Green cardamom
2 Cloves
1 Tbsp Cumin seed
1 tsp salt, or to taste
3 cups Water
1 small Onion, thinly sliced

1. Place rice into a bowl with enough water to cover. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, and cumin seed. Cook and stir for about a minute
3. Add the onion. Cook the onion until golden brown (about 10 minutes).
4. Drain the water from the rice, and put into the rice cooker with the water and the spices. Cover and cook until done
5. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Aloo Kurma

Difficulty Rating 4 (Grinding required, Special Ingredients required)

2 Potatoes

2 Onions (small)

3 tsp Poppy seeds

3 tsp Dry Grated Coconut

3 Tbsp Peanuts (roasted)

1 tsp Ginger garlic paste

1 Tomato (diced)

2 Cloves

2 Cardamom (elachi)

¼ tsp Black(white)cumin seed

1 in Cinnamon Stick

2 Bay leaves

4 tsp Cashews

4 Green Chili

3 Cups Water

Oil

Make a paste of:

1 ½ Tbsp Sour Cream

1 ½ Tbsp Curd

1 tsp Chili powder

¼ tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Coriander powder

1. In a small mixing bowl combine all the ingredients to be made into paste and mix thoroughly and keep aside.
2. Peel, dice and boil potatoes
3. In a mixer or grinder, blend the poppy seeds and grated dry coconut add 1 tbsp of water if needed. Separately, grind the peanuts into a powder.
4. Heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds, cardamom powder, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and cashew pieces. Stir for 2 minutes.
5. When cashew turns light brown add chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
6. Then add boiled potato pieces and ginger garlic paste. Mix well.
7. After about 4 minutes add the curd paste.
8. Add green chilies and mix well.
9. After about 5 minutes add the poppy seeds - coconut mixture and peanut powder mix well.
10. Add the tomato, water and more salt if needed and mix well.
11. cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes stirring in between. You may add more water to make the curry thin.
Serve hot with Roti or poori or Pulav.