Bendakaaya/Bhindi PEANUTS FRY (OKRA)

Okra also known as bendakaya(telugu), ladies finger, vendakaay (tamil) and Bhindi(north India) is a healthy, popular and frequently consumed vegetable by most of Indians. This recipe is simple, rich and a great delight for vegetarians. You can often find this dish in south Indian birthday parties/ceremonies, lunch buffets, pooja functions and wedding menus. Okra is considered good for memory power.
More info at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra

Ingredients
Bhindi/okra - cleaned and cut in to pieces - 1/2 kg
Dry roasted peanuts - 1 cup
Dry roasted cashews - 1/4 cup (optional)
Dry coconut powder - 1 tspoon
Fried Onions - 3/4 cup
Oil - 5 tspoons
Salt - 1 tspoon
Turmeric - 1 tspoon
Coriander/dhaniya powder - 1 tspoon
Chilly powder - 1 tspoon
Seasoning
Udad dal - 1 tspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tspoon
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs
Red chillies - 3
Garlic cloves - 4

Procedure

• At first, spread the washed okra/bindi/ladies finger vegetable on a dry tissue paper or a muslin cloth. Allow them to dry for atleast 30 mints, this helps to reduce the stickiness/sliminess. Once dried, cut each okra length wise horizontally in to 0.5 inch pieces. Each piece will look like a hexagon. Refer to above snap.
• Now take a non stick wide skillet/kadai/fry pan and add oil. Once oil gets heated, add all of the above mentioned seasoning stuff.
• Once mustard seeds splutters, add fresh cut okra, spread them evenly and stir once gently. Now add salt and turmeric.
• To retain texture of okra, do not stir until one side of okra is fried. Do not cover the pan.
• over the frypan with a lid and let okra pieces fry on a medium flame for about 8-10 mints. When bottom pieces start to turn sligtly brown, gently stir to flip over the pieces and let them fry for 10 more minutes. Do not cover the pan.
• Now to the fried okra pieces, add dry roasted nuts, chilly powder, coconut and coriander powder and stir them for couple of more minutes to let pieces get coated with spices.
• Switch off the stove, garnish with coriander and fried onions and serve with rice accompanied by dal/rasam/sour curries/sambar/lentils.

Hyderabad Samiya Pulao (Vermicelli/Thin Spagethi)

This recipe is a great life saver when I am running short of time or also in the instances when I feel little tired but still want to cook a real fast and delicious food for our breakfast/dinner.

Ingredients (serves 4)
Dry roasted vermicelli/samiya - 2 cups
Onions - 2 medium sized (cut them in to small cubes)
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs
Green chillies - 3 (sliced thin)
Udad dal - 1 tspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tspoon
Mint leaves - 3 sprigs
Beans - 1/4 cup (cut in to small pieces)
Cloves - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tspoon
Bay leaves - 1
Potato - 1 (cut them in to medium pieces)
Shredded carrot - 1/4 cup
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Extra Garnishing (optional)
Roasted cashews
Coriander leaves
Fried onions
Lime juice - 2 drops

Procedure

• Dry roast the vermicelli/samiya on a very low flame until they turn slightly brown in colour. Do not burn them.
• Boil the vegetables like carrots, potato pieces, peas and beans on stove for about 10minutes and or in a microwave for about 5 minutes. Strain the water and keep them aside.
• Now take a wide non stick pan/kadai, add little oil to it and heat on a medium flame. When oil gets heated, add udad dal and mustard seeds.
• When mustard seeds splutters, add curry leaves, onions, mint leaves, green chillies, cloves, bay leaves, cashews and the boiled vegetables.
• Once onions turn translucent, add salt, ginger garlic paste and stir the mixture properly for 2 minutes.
• Now to the same mixture, add 4 cups of water (1:2 ratio, for 1 cup of roasted samiya add 2 cups of water) and bring water to boiling.
• Once water starts boiling, add dry roasted samiya slowly and stir parallely with other hand.
• Now add 2 tspoons of ghee and cover it with a lid and let it cook on a low flame for about 5 minutes. Check if samiya is cooked soft(refer to the above snap). You will sense a nice aroma!
• Switch off the stove and garnish pulao with fried onions, cashews and coriander leaves and squeeze little lime juice for more taste. Serve hot! and yummy hyderabadi samiya pulao with plain curd/raitha/any spicy pickle.

Aratikaaya Vepudu (Plantain Fry)

I feel lucky as I got a chance to travel and explore various regions of India. I should thank my dad and his bank for giving us oppurtunity. When it comes to exploring traditional food, I enjoyed more in south India. Yummy dosas, pongal, idly, utappams, appam and stew, fish curries and list never ends. Especially in tamilnadu and kerala, the one item that best attracts everyone and motivates to munch them are the 'Hot Chips'. There are few indepedent and also a chain of stores selling fresh and hot chips made with either plantain or other potato varities as per our order.

Plantain, known as aratikaaya in telugu and Vaalakha in tamil is a very good fibrous vegetable. It is also referred to as 'potatoes in air' or 'cooking bananas' and are extremely popular in latin american countries, Africa and Asia. Plantain curry tastes great even if it is cooked with little oil.

Entire plantain plant can be used. Plantains are cooked and used to make various curries, fries, gravies, chips, snacks and much more. Their leaves are used as a great substitute for plates. Traditionally on a festival day, people eat festival varieties served on a fresh washed plantain leaf. Plantain flowers can be used in salads. Plantain cut branches and stems are used to decorate wedding halls, pooja mandir or space where gods' pooja is performed on days of festivals/vrathams/special occasions.

Yummy Festival Meal!!!!!!!
Courtesy: Wikipedia
This plantain fry is very easy to prepare and tastes great!

Ingredients
Plantain - 2 medium

Onion - 1

Red chillies - 5

Salt - 1 Tspoon

Chilly powder - 1 Tspoon

Turmeric - 1 Tspoon

Curry Leaves - 4 (chop them small)

Urad dal - 1 Tspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 Tspoon

Mustard seeds - 1 Tspoon

Dry Coconut powder - 1.5 / 1 1/2 Tspoon

Pepper powder - 2 Tspoons

Oil - 3 Tspoons

Garlic - chopped - 4 pods

Coriander/Dhaniya Powder - 2 Tspoons

Procedure

• Peel the plantain slightly to retain its fibre. Wash the peeled plantain and cut them in to medium sized pieces.
• Take a shallow and wide non stick frying pan, add oil and heat it on a low flame.
• Once oil gets heated, add mustard seeds and urad dal. When mustard seeds crackle, add cumin seeds, onions, red chillies, garlic and curry leaves, salt, turmeric and fry until onions turn slightly translucent.
• Now to the mixture, add cut plantain pieces and stir them. Allow the plantain pieces to fry on a low flame for about 7 minutes.
• Stir the mixture to avoid sticking to the bottom. Sprinkle little water and allow the half cooked plantain pieces to fry for another 5 minutes. When plantain pieces start turning slightly brown, add coconut powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and pepper powder and stir again for a minute and switch off the stove.
• Hot, yummy and slightly crispy dry plantain fry (aratikaaya kobbari kaara vepudu) is ready!! serve with rice accompanied by dal/sambar/any lentil.

Masalaedhaar Chole Aloo Curry

Chole also referred to as 'chik peas' or 'garbanzo beans' is a very popular dish in north india. Owing to its taste and good nutritional values, it has become a popular dish even in south india.

Chole aloo masala curry goes well with batora, puri, roti, naan, chapathi, pulka or even with jeera rice or any other variety of rice.

Ingredients Chik peas/chole/garbanzo beans - 2 cups (take a standard measuring cup or ricecooker cup)
Potato - 2 Big
Onions - 1 Big
Oil - 2 spoons
Tomatoes (wine red) - 2 small
Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tspoon
Green chillies - 5 slit
Salt - enough to taste
Turmeric - 1 Tspoon
Cumin powder - 1 Tspoon
Chilly powder - 1 Tspoon
Dhaniya/coriander powder - 1 Tspoon
Chole/Chana Masala (Use MDH/Shaan) - 1 Tspoon
Fresh Mint leaves - crushed - 2 Tspoons
Coriander leaves - as desired for garnishing
Procedure

• Soak chole overnight or atleast for 6-7 hrs. Now transfer the soaked chana in to a pressure pan, add 2 glasses of water and cook for about 3 whistles. Once the pressure is released, strain the cooked chana and reserve the water as it can be used for gravy.
• Chop onions, tomatoes and keep them aside. Now use the same pressure pan/cooker to fry the onions and green chillies. When onions turn translucent, add ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute.
• Now add chopped mint leaves, tomatoes and aloo/potatoe pieces and stir for couple of more minutes. Add cooked chana/chole to the mixture and fry for few minutes on a very low flame.
• Add cumin powder, chilly powder, dhaniya powder and chole masala powder and stir properly to let aloo and chana get coated with all the spices.
• Now to the ingredients, add the strained water and close the pressure pan. Let the ingredients cook until 2 whistles.
• Once the pressure is released, transfer the gravy in to a serving bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with roti/rice.