Nazarana - The Kitchen Tips

Use frying pans with copper bottoms. They save fuel and are very easy to wash and clean.
When you have to cook pulses like 'chana' etc. and forgotten to soak them overnight, don't panic. Just put the 'chana' in a flask full of boiling water for an hour. They are ready for cooking.
Add two to three pieces of potato to curry to absorb excess salt.
Peel a beetroot and cut into tiny pieces. Dry well in the sun and powder it. This can now be used as food colour.
Store green peas for summer. Tie the shelled peas in a cloth and dip in boiling water for three minutes. Then dip in chilled water. Dry under the fan till extra moisture is removed and then pack into airtight jars or sealed packets. Freeze and use later.
Always tie peppercorns or whole cloves in a small square of cheesecloth before cooking. You will want to remove them after cooking and it's such a job to locate them one by one. Nor is it pleasant to bite into peppercorn or clove unexpectedly. The same holds true for bay leaves, garlic and other large or whole seasonings.
Reheat leftover baked potatoes instead of discarding them. Dip the potatoes into warm water, then bake them in a 250 deg oven until they are heated throughout.
For a colorful garnish that is simple to make, cut peeled lemons into 1/4 - inch thick slices, making sure to remove all the white pith. Discard the seeds. Roll half the edge of each slice in finely-minced parsley, the other half in paprika.
Help keep cauliflower white while it cooks. Add a little milk to the water in which the cauliflower is cooked.
When you cook cauliflower, cabbage and the like, eliminate at least some of the odor by putting a piece of bread in the pot while the vegetable is cooking.
Cooking rice won't boil over if a small lump of butter is added to the pot.
Restore wilted salad greens by dipping them first in hot water, then in ice water that has a little vinegar added to it. Shake off the water and store the greens in the refrigerator as usual.
Get more juice from citrus fruits by heating the lemons, oranges or grapefruit in the oven for just a few minutes before extracting the juice.
To keep green salads fresh for a longer time, sprinkle the greens with the juice of a lemon or a lime.
Cut potato-baking time in half by boiling the potatoes for about ten minutes before baking them in a hot oven for approximately one-half hour.
A rule of thumb for cooking vegetables covered or uncovered: in general, vegetables that grow underground should be cooked covered; those that grow above the ground should be cooked uncovered.
Make a "blender soup" every time you clean out the refrigerator. Use up bits of cooked vegetables, sauces and such; whirl them in a blender and taste. The pureed vegetables will thicken soup, or if the soup is too thick, more broth or stock will thin it. With compatible leftovers - spiked with a little imagination, of course - you can come up with some delectable hot or cold soups.
For perfect boiled rice every time, cook the rice in plenty of boiling, salted water for 13 to 14 minutes and then rinse the rice under hot water.

Traditional Nellore Meals

Nellore Meals:
Traditional Nellore Meals is very famous in Coastal region of South India. The food and hospitality you get can't be forogotten in life time.
There are couple of famous hotels in Nellore by name Komala Vilas which was estd in 1931 and Venkata Ramana Vilas whcih was estd in early 90's . They perform cooking in an ethnic style and believe me there is no change in taste from their day one of their hotel business.

A typical full Andhra vegetarian meals generally consists of, Annamu (cooked Rice) together with each of the following items, click on each to know how to prepare the same and have a great day with a Full Meal.
Annamu (Rice)
Ghee
Podi (Gunpowder)
Pappu (Dal)
Talimpu (Koora - Dry Vegetable Curry)
Uragaaya (Pickle)
Sambaaru/Sambhar
Majjiga Pulusu
Rasamu/Rasam
Perugu (Curd)
Appadamu (Papad)
Payasam (Sweet Kheer)
Arati Pandu (Banana)
Beeda (Sweet Pan)
There is not much more that an individual would need to live on this earth happily.

Palak Paneer

This recipe is simple,tasty and nutritious. Instead of Paneer, you can add aloo for Aloo Palak recipe.

Ingredients:

Spinach - 500 gms
Butter - 50 gms
Paneer - 100 gms
Cummin - 1 tsp
Garlic cloves - 2
Green chillies - 4 nos.
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash fresh spinach
Boil spinach and green chillies in half a cup of water. Allow it to cool down.
Grind spinach and chillies in a mixer to make a fine paste.
Cut paneer into 1cm cubes and fry it in fresh butter till they turn golden as shown in picture below.
Now get the seasoning ready by frying cummin and garlic in butter.
Add spinach paste, fried paneer and salt to taste to the above seasoning and mix them well.
Tasty palak paneer is ready to be served.

Tomato Chutney

An Yummy yummy Tomato chutney. My friends used to like this a lot when I prepare.

Lets have a quick walkthrough of this recipe:

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 500 gms
Green chillies - 8
Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves
Cumin - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying and seasoning

Seasoning:

Dried red chillies - 2
Black gram - 2 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves few
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil for frying - 1 tbsp

Preparation:

Cut tomatoes into two halves and make few slits on green chillies and keep them aside.
In a pan add 1 spoon oil and fry the green chillies and keep them aside.
Then fry the tomatoes also on a medium heat till they turn soft as shown above and allow them to cool down.
In another pan dry fry the sesame seeds till they pop up which will take about one minute.
Now in a mixer jar add these fried tomatoes, green chillies, sesame seeds, tamarind, 1 tsp cumin, garlic and salt and grind them to make a coarse paste.
Tomato chutney is ready to be served with hot steamed rice or ulli dosas (Onion dosa).
Season it if you like. For seasoning, take 2 spoons oil and preheat it and keep the stove on medium heat.
Add mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin and black gram and toss them till they pop up.
Now add dried red chillies and curry leaves and fry them till the seasoning starts smelling good, this will take few seconds only.
Add the above to the chutney and serve.

Majjiga Charu

Ingredients:
Stirred yoghurt (Majjiga) - 1 bowl
Dried red chillies - 4 nos.
Bengal gram (Chana dal) - 1 spoon
Black gram (Urid dal) - 1 spoon
Fenugreek seeds (Menthi seeds) - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger - finely chopped as shown below.
Curry leaves - few
Onion - 1 small
Green chillies - 4 nos.
Oil - 1 spoon
Corriander leaves for garnishing


Preparation:

Heat some oil in a pan and add chana dal, urid dal, menthi seeds, cumin, mustard seeds, red chillies and fry them for few seconds till they start smelling good.
Now add curry leaves, finely chopped ginger and green chillies to the pan and fry them for few more seconds.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste and pour this in the stirred yoghurt as shown in the picture.
Now add finely chopped onion and corriander leaves to the yoghurt. Majjiga charu is ready.

Mamidi kaya pulihora

One more yummy yummy recipe is on its way. This is very easiest pulihora and tastiest.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Mango - 1

Oil - 4-5 table spoons (or enough to fry the following)

Mustard seeds - 1 table spoon

Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon

Chana Dal - 2-3 table spoons

Peanuts - 50 grams

Asafoetida - a pinch of powder

Turmeric - 1 small tablespoon or a pinch of it for colour

Green Chillies - 5-7 in number (Can add more if Spicy is preferred)

Red Chillies - depending upon taste (if required)

Preparation:

Cook the rice seperately as you do regularly.

Peel the skin of mango and grate it using a grater. keep it aside.

Take a pan/vessel and heat oil in it.

Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds.

Allow mustard seeds to splutter and then add Asafoetida, chana dal, green chillies, red chillies(if needed), turmeric and fry for few seconds or until all the above items are fried a little bit. then add the grated mango into it.

Mix it for a minute or two and remove it from stove.

Add salt to the above mixture.

Spread rice in a bowl or which ever you feel conveniant and spread the above mixture on it. Mix the rice and mixture with hand or spoon.

Your Mamidikaya Pulihora is ready.

Vegetable Rice

This rice is healthiest and nutrious can be prepared by leftout rice of yesterday's.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 1/2 cup (can use fresh rice also)

Oil - 2 table spoons

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 table spoon

Jeera - 1 table spoonGreen

Chillies - depends on your spice level (I generally use 3-4 if not spicy)

Chana Dal - 1 table spoon

Urad Dal - 1 table spoon

Lemon Juice 2 table spoon

Turmeric - a pinchSalt to Taste

Preparation:

Seperate the rice, by smashing it with the hand.

2. Heat Oil in kadai. Do the tadka (add mustard seeds, Jeera, Chana Dal, Urad Dal).3. Add green chillies, Onions. If you want more vegies, then add brinjal,cabbage etc to it.

3.Add vegetables and let it cook. Add turmeric.

4.Add salt sufficiantly for rice too. Add lemon juice also.

5. Add rice to the above and heat for 2 minutes. Your vegetable rice is ready.

Tomato Bath

Ingredients:

2 cups semolina or suji

4 ripe tomatoes - finely chopped (about 2 cups)

6 green chillies - finely chopped

1 small red onion - finely chopped1 inch piece of ginger - grated¼ cup each - fresh green peas and charoli nuts (or your choice)

Seasoning: (added to bring crunchy bite and fragrance to tomato bath)

1 tablespoon oil or ghee

6 fresh curry leaves and

a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh cilantro

½ tsp each - urad dal,

chana dal,

cumin and mustard seeds
Preparation:

Place an iron skillet on stove top. On medium heat, add and roast semolina/suji to pale gold color, stirring in-between.
Meanwhile, proceed with tomato bath preparation.

In a wide pan, add and heat oil/ghee.

Toast the ingredients listed in seasoning in the order mentioned.

When mustard seeds start to jump around, add green chillies, onion and ginger.

Cook for few minutes until the onions soften.

Stir in chopped tomatoes and fresh green peas.

Cook until tomatoes become mush.
Add about 4 cups of water along with half teaspoon of salt.

Cover and bring the water to a boil.

At this stage, pour in the roasted semolina/suji at a constant flow/speed, continuously stirrng. Take care not to form semolina lumps. Stir, stir and stir. Sprinkle charoli nuts. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the whole thing comes together to a moist firm mass.
Serve hot with coconut/peanut chutney or with a cup of yogurt.

Buggani

Recipe: Buggani

Ingredients:

Puffed rice - Muramura/borugulu

One big onion - finely chopped

lengthwise4 green chillies - made into paste

1 tsp each of salt and oil

Pinch of turmeric

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp each of cumin,

mustard seeds,

urad dal,

few curry leaves and

one red chilli

extras1 tablespoon of roasted chickpea powder(putnala pappu podi)

1/4 cup of roasted peanuts

1 lime

Preparation:

In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat one tsp of oil and do the popu (frying the mustard seeds, cumin, red chillies and curry leaves in oil).

Add onions, saut頴hem until light brown, then add green chilli paste, saut till it turns from bright green to light green colour, don’t brown it.

Finally add a pinch of turmeric and salt.

Stir them all once and turn off the heat.
Add this hot onion mixture immediately to puffed rice along with roasted peanuts and roasted chickpea powder. Mix them all together and add salt if needed.

That’s it. Serve them as soon as you prepare them.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 3 cups
Tomato - 4 (big)
Ginger/garlic paste - 3 tsp
green chilli - 8
Oil - 100gms
Cinnamonan(chekka/patta) - small piece
clove - 2
cashew - 5

preparation:

Grind tomato,green chilli with salt and keep it aside to make it as a quick purie
Take a pan adn add oil along with cinnamonan,clove and cashew one by one and keep it till golden brown color. Add ginger garlce paste and Add the soaked rice to it and fry for 2 mins.
Add the prepared tomato purie along wiht 4 and half cups of water and keep in pressure cooker
for 10 mins. Garnish with Kothimeera before serving. This goes with onion raitha very well.

Cabbage Garelu

This recipe is my another kitchen invention. As you all of know cabbage has a good iron content and normally ppl dont like eating it due to its odour and doesn't taste good. But it is rich in iron, and good for obese people to reduce thier overweight so prefer to take cabbage atleast once in a week.

Ingredients:

Bengal gram -2 cup

grated cabbage - 100gms

onions/chillies /salt- for taste

Oil - 200 gms

Preparation:

Wash and soak bengal gram for 4 - 5 hours.

grind it along with onions,chillies. Add the grated cabbage to it.

Use a plastic sheet or banana leaf for preparing vadalu and put it in oil, prepare them till golden yellow color.

Assorted Kichidi

Hi All,
Today I experimented a recipe called Assorted Kichidi as a breakfast. This is very nutirious as it has veggies,dal and good for kids also. It takes just 10 mins to prepare and will go with Oinion raitha very well.
Fortunately it cameout well and appreciated by my hubby. Lets have a quick glance of it.
Ingredients:
1 cup Rice
1/2 cup moong dal
2 carrots cutdown into small pieces( you can add any vegetables)
5-6 green chilli,
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp pepper
3 tsp oil/ghee
Pudina/coriander - 1 bunch
salt to taste

Seasoning:
1 tsp chanadal
1 tsp musturd seeds
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp black gram
1tsp oil/ghee

preperation:
wash and soak the rice and moong dal and add 5 cups of water to it.
Put all the carrots, chillies, pudina,garam masal and oil to it.
Use rice cooker for good results.
Once cooking is done, add seasoning to it and salt if required.
Add kothimeer for garnishing.
This will go with Onion raitha very well.