LEMON RICE

LEMON RICE

 Ingredients:
1 cup raw rice, cook rice with each grain separate
8-10 curry leaves
juice of 3 lemons (approx 6-7 tbsps) adjust
3-4 tbsps roasted peanuts
salt to taste

Tadka:
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp channa dal
2 Red chillis
pinch of hing
4 green chillis,
1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric pwd/pasupu 
Roasted chana dal powder(putnalu)-3tbspn optional


Method:

Heat oil in a vessel, add the mustard seeds,cumin seeds and as they 
begin to sizzle, add channa  dal and allow them to turn 
slightly red, add curry leaves, green chillis, 
red chillis and stir fry for few more secs. 
Add asafoetida and turmeric pwd, roasted peanuts and 
combine. Turn off heat.
Add salt,green chillie paste and 3/4th of the lemon 
juice and combine well. Add the seasoning and combine 
that it coats the rice well.
Taste and if you feel that it needs more tang, add more 
lemon juice accordingly.
Add Roasted gram powder (optional)

Serve with any curry.

PURAN POLI/BOBBATLU

puran poli /bobbatlu

 Ingredients:
Stuffing:
Bengal gram( chana dal)-2 cups
Jaggery-1 3/4 cups
cardamom powder-1/2 tsp

For the dough:
Refind flour(maida)-2cups
Rice flour-2tbsp
Ghee-3tbsp
Oil or Ghee -1/4 cup for frying


 

Method:
Wash and boil chana dal. Drain and coarsely grind it. In 

a pan add the dal, grated jaggery, cardamom powder and 

mix well. Cook, stirring all the time till dry. It 

should resemble a soft ball. Remove and cool. Divide the 

stuffing into sixteen to twenty equal portions and roll 

into balls. Mix maida,Rice flour,turmeric powder and 

salt. Add three tablespoons of ghee and sufficient water 

to make a soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and keep 

aside for three hours. Divide dough into sixteen to 

twenty equal portions and roll into balls. Flatten each 

ball in your palm, stuff with one portion of puran 

(stuffing), cover and seal the edges. Dust it with flour 

and roll out into four to five inches diameter disk of 

medium thickness. Heat a tawa and cook puran poli until 

done on both sides. Remove. Serve hot with generous 

helping of pure ghee on it.

BEAUTY TIPS

BEAUTY TIPS:
To make nail polish stay on nails longer first coat fingernails with white vinegar using a cotton ball. 
Let dry then apply nail polish. To quickly dry nail polish dip fingers into a bowl of cold water. 
Then shake access water from hands and allow hands to air dry.

Vermicelli Upma/Semiya Upma

Vermicelli Upma/Semiya Upma

Upma is a common South Indian breakfast dish,
Here is the recipe for this simple tiffn

Ingredients:-
Vermicelli(Semiya)-One cup
Onion-One Sliced 
Salt to Taste
Green Chilli-3
Oil-3 tbs
Mustard Seeds-One tsp
cumin seeds-One tsp 
Channa Dal-One tsp
Few Curry Leaves
Lemon Juice

Method:
Heat oil in a pan add semiya and roast it and keep it aside.
 In the same pan add oil, mustard seeds,cumin seeds, when mustard seeds is splutter, add chana daal, sauté it for 2 seconds.
Add  chopped green chilly, curry leaves,  chopped onions, salt, sauté it for a minute and  mix it well, 
add water, once it comes to boil add semiya, mix it and put the lid on let it cook for 3 minutes, switch off the flame.Garnish with chopped  coriander Serve this with putnala powder(roasted gram) .or coconut chutney.

Note:-
If you are using roasted vermicelli skip the first step.
Add a few roasted cashew nuts in ghee to enhance the taste.
If you prefer add lemon juice.It tastes good on its own.

You can also add some more  vegetables(finely chopped).

The Hindu's photo.

 The Hindu's photo.

Flights of parakeets swoop down on a house on busy Bharathi Salai in Chennai every morning and evening, like clockwork. C. Sekar, owner of the house, which is just a hop, skip and jump away from Express Avenue mall, leaves grains on the terrace for these rose-ringed parakeets to feed on. As hundreds of these birds partake of the feast, a chorus of squawks and squeals inevitably drown the honks and blares of passing vehicles. Mr. Sekar began this feeding exercise one-and-a-half years ago, and the numbers of parakeets have grown by the day. With the parapet now proving inadequate, long grain-filled planks are placed for the parakeets. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

FISH FRY(CHEPALA VEPUDU)

FISH FRY(CHEPALA VEPUDU)

Ingredients:-
Fish cut into pieces - 3
Red chilly powder - 2-3 tbsp
Lemon juice 1or 1/2 lemon
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tbsp
Gharam masala - 1/2 tbsp
Idly chilly powder-1/2 tbsp
Oil - 5 tbsp

Method:
1.Wash and cut the fish pieces 
2.Take fish pieces into a bowl and add all ingredients except idly chilly powder.
3.Marinate for at least 30 mins. 
4.Heat a tawa with oil  When the oil is hot  take the fish coated with the masala, spread once again to make sure the fish have the masala all over and gently . Reduce the flame to low and cook for couple of minutes.
Gently slide to the other side and cook evenly on both sides,
5.Finally sprinkle Idly powder and fry for 1minute.
6. serve hot with sambar rice or rasam rice.

DONDAKAYA ALASANDALA KURA (Ivy Gourds and cow peas curry)

DONDAKAYA ALASANDALA KURA
    

 Ingredients:

 250 gms /1/4 kg Dondakayalu/Ivy Gourds Sliced

 250 gms /1/4 kg Alasandalu(cow peas )

 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

 10-12 curry leaves

 2 large onion, finely sliced

 2 large tomatoes, finely sliced

 11/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

 2 tsp red chilli pwder 

 2 tsp coriander pwder

 1/4 cup grinded fresh coconut

 1 tsp garam masala

 salt to taste

 1 1/2 – 2 tbsps oil

DIRECTIONS:- 1:First take the alasandalu (cow peas ) soake overnight and boil it with salt and enough water. The alasandalu should be cooked but not mashy. 

2:Put the oil in the pan and once heated add whole red chillies and mustard seeds. when the seeds crackle add cumin seeds ,then add the onions and little salt  when the onions are slightly cooked add the turmeric powder add the curry leaves. Then add the tomatoes, red chillie powder, coriander powder  ginger garlic paste mix it and add the dondakayalu to it. add some water and salt to it.
Cover the pan and let it cook till the tomatoes and dondakayalu are cookes for  15 mins.

3:Then  add the cooked alasandalu with its water.add coconut paste and garam masala. let it cook for another 10 to 15 mins till everything is cooked and mixed well. The curry should not be too thin or too thick but of saucy consistency.
When cooked garnish it with corianderleaves. 

Serve it hot with rice or chapathies