Thella gummudikaya pulusu| White pumpkin stew

White pumpkin or Ash gourd has about 96% water making it ideal for consumption during the summer. It is said to have a calming effect on the nerves and brain, is a natural anti-coagulant, helps combat acidity, and is a good source of many essential minerals and vitamins.

My mother usually gives me garden fresh veggies when I visit. She also tends to buy a little extra on the bigger veggies like pumpkins & cauliflowers so she can split with me. On one fine day, she handed me half a white pumpkin and my father dutifully gave me a recipe. I quickly made the dish and it has to be shared! So here goes:)

Ingredients

2 cups, cubed white pumpkin

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Salt, to taste

1 tsp jaggery powder

2 tsp coconut oil

200ml coconut milk

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp urad dal

A pinch hing (asafoetida)

4 dry red chillies (I used Guntur variety)

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

Tamarind, size of two marbles

For tempering

2 tsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch hing (asafoetida)

12-14 curry leaves

Instructions

1. Peel, de-seed and cube the white pumpkin. Add to a pan with 1/2 cup water, salt and turmeric. Cover and cook until tender.

2. While the pumpkin cooks, make the masala paste. Heat 2 tsp coconut oil in a small pan, add hing. Then add the urad dal, pepper and coriander seeds. When the dal starts turning golden, add the chillies. Saute for a few seconds and keep aside to cool. Leave the tamarind on this mix.

3. Once the mixture is cool, grind with 1/4 cup water until smooth. You can also use a little coconut milk to grind.

4. Once the pumpkin is tender, add the masala paste to it along with the coconut milk and jaggery powder (add water if you need to adjust consistency) and let it come to a boil on medium flame.

5. Adjust salt and temper. For the tempering: heat oil, add mustard and let it splutter. Then add cumin, hing and curry leaves. Pour over the pumpkin stew, give it a gentle mix and take off heat.

Serve hot with rice and/or phulkas/chapathis.

Notes:

1. You can also use fresh grated coconut instead of coconut milk. Simply add about 1/4 cup while grinding the masala paste. You would have to add water to the stew while adding the paste, to get desired consistency.

Beetroot chaaru|Beetroot rasam

Garden fresh beetroot!

I will never get tired of saying that I love the colour of beetroots! Dishes look colourful and makes one want to dive in immediately! Since the time, I saw these beets in the garden, I have been planning to make a rasam with them. I had it at a friend’s place many years ago and the taste lingers. Her mother had made a lovely beetroot sambar and it was the first time I had this dish. My mother doesn’t like beetroots very much, so it didn’t appear too often on the menu at home.

Beetroot rasam

Ingredients

2 medium sized beetroots

3-4 cups water, depending on preferred consistency

A small lime sized tamarind

1/2 tsp jaggery powder

1.5 tsp rasam powder

Salt, to taste

1/2 tsp ghee

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing/asafoetida

8-10 curry leaves

1/2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Instructions

1. Steam peeled beetroot and grind until smooth. You could add the tamarind to this (if seedless) or extract the juice separately and add to the rasam later.

2. Take the puree into a vessel that can be used for boiling. Add the water, salt, rasam powder, jaggery, tamarind (if not pureed) and allow it to boil on low flame.

3. When the chaaru/rasam starts boiling, take a separate small pan to make the tempering. Add ghee, crackle mustard, add cumin, hing and curry leaves. Pour over the chaaru, give it a stir, cover and turn off heat. You could add in some chopped coriander now, if using.

Serve hot with rice, ghee and papad. Or as a soup. Or substitute the pani of pani puri with this for a change:)

Dosakaya pulusu|Yellow cucumber stew

The yellow cucumber is a coolant and this gently spiced pulusu or stew is perfect when you want something light and healthy. The vegetable is slightly tangy adding a depth to the flavour.

How to make dosakaya pulusu:

Ingredients

1 cup cucumber cubes

2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Salt, to taste

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal

1 tsp chana dal

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

2-3 dry red chillies, broken

1/4 tsp hing / asafoetida

8-10 curry leaves

1 tsp rice flour mixed in a little water

Juice of half a lime

Instructions

1. Pressure cook the cucumber with enough water to cover the cubes, at medium heat for one whistle. When pressure releases, keep aside the cucumber along with the water in which it has been cooked.

2. Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add urad dal, chana dal, fenugreek seeds, hing, red chillies and saute. Then add the green chillies and curry leaves.

3. Add the cooked cucumber, turmeric and salt. Add the rice flour mixed in a little water and mix well. Let it boil for a few minutes until desired consistency is achieved (this is usually made thick).

4. Switch off heat, add the juice of half a lime. Serve hot with rice and ghee. It pairs well with otti/uttha pappu or the plain toor dal (recipe provided on the blog).

Dosakaya chintapandu pulusu |Yellow cucumber stew with tamarind

The Andhra dosakaya was brought to us by family who visited Andhra recently. It has a unique taste and is used in a variety of dishes. Here is a recipe for a stew. You can also make use the recipe with other varieties of cucumber available locally, though there will be a change to the taste depending on the cucumber used.

Ingredients

1 cup cucumber cubes

3 cups tamarind extract (light)

2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp jaggery powder

Salt, to taste

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal

1 tsp chana dal

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

2-3 dry red chillies, broken

1/4 tsp hing / asafoetida

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp rice flour mixed in a little water

Instructions

1. Boil together cucumber, tamarind, turmeric, jaggery, green chillies and salt until the cucumber becomes tender. Add the rice flour mixed with a little water.

2. Heat a small pan for tempering; add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add the urad dal, chana dal, fenugreek, dry red chillies, hing, and red chilli powder.

3. Pour the tempering over the stew, switch off heat and cover so the flavours seep in.

4. Transfer to a serving bowl. Pairs well with rice, uttha pappu/otti pappu/plain toor dal (recipe available) and ghee.

Notes:

1. Tamarind pulp can be added and water added instead of light tamarind extract. This is primarily to add to the pouring consistency of the stew and can be based on personal preference.

2. The amount of jaggery and red chilli also can be adjusted to personal preference.

Gongura pulusu – kenaf / Roselle leaf stew

Talk about Andhra cuisine and you cannot miss the gongura. Gongura or kenaf leaves or Roselle leaves come in two varieties – green and red stemmed. The latter is more sour. Both are rich in iron, vitamins, antioxidants and folic acid.

There are several dishes made with gongura from dal to pulusu to the ever popular chutney. Here is one recipe of the gongura pulusu or stew – a tangy, subtly spiced stew that is packed with flavour.

How to make gongura pulusu:

Note: tamarind is used only if the leaves are not sour. Typically, the red stemmed gongura may not require tamarind while, the green stemmed will.

Ingredients

75g gongura leaves, finely chopped

1/3rd cup chana dal

10-15g tamarind

1/2 cup water to soak tamarind

2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise

1/4 tsp jaggery powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp rice flour

1/2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad dal

2-3 dry red chillies

1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida

1 tsp red chilli powder

6-8 curry leaves

Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Pressure cook chana dal with a cup of water for two whistles on medium heat. Once pressure releases, remove from the cooker and keep aside.

2. Soak tamarind in half cup water and keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind to obtain the extract for use.

3. In a deep bottomed pan, heat 1/4 tbsp oil. Add gongura leaves, turmeric powder, tamarind extract, jaggery and salt.

4. Once the gongura leaves have wilted and become tender, add the cooked dal along with the water in which it was cooked. Also add a tsp of rice flour and a cup of water. Mix well. Let it simmer on low heat while the tempering is prepared.

5. To prepare tempering, heat 1/4 tbsp oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add urad dal, hing, red chillies,green chillies and curry leaves. Then add the red chilli powder and pour over the pulusu or stew.

6. Mix gently, adjust seasoning, take off heat, cover and let it rest for a few minutes before transferring to a serving bowl.

Note: if the stew seems too tangy, you can adjust it by adding a little jaggery.

Pairs best with hot rice, ghee and uttha pappu or otti pappu or plain toor dal (recipe is available on the blog).

Pappu pulusu – a mildly spiced stew

The pappu pulusu is a mildly spiced stew with moong dal and mixed vegetables. It is light and full of flavour making it a perfect addition to a meal. It can even work as a soup (just like rasam/chaaru) and is fairly quick to put together.

The moong dal and vegetables are packed with healthy nutrients and there is hardly any oil used in the recipe.

Here is the recipe; this will suffice for approximately 4 people.

Ingredients

1 medium sized carrot

1 medium sized potato

6 french beans

1/4 cup fresh green peas

1 medium sized onion (optional)

1 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped (optional)

1/3rd cup moong dal (split yellow moong)

1/2 tbsp tamarind pulp

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch hing/asafoetida

10-12 curry leaves

2 tsp oil

Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Wash carrot, potato and beans. Peel the carrot & potato and rinse in water. Chop the vegetables into approx. 1.5-2 inch pieces. Dice the onion (if using) into similar sized cubes.

2. Take a small pan and add a tsp of oil. Fry the onions until translucent and set aside.

3. Transfer the remaining vegetables to a pan. Add water to cover, half the tamarind pulp, and a little salt. Cover and cook until tender, but firm. Retain in the pan so the same pan can be used to make the stew.

4. Pressure cook the moong dal with a cup of water (2 whistles on high heat or 1 whistle on medium heat). The moong dal cooks very fast, so do ensure it doesn’t get overcooked.

5. Once the cooker has cooled, transfer moong dal to the pan with the cooked vegetables. Add the onions.

6. Add water to make pouring consistency. The add the remaining tamarind pulp, turmeric powder, coriander (if using) and adjust salt. Mix well and bring to a boil on medium heat.

7. Heat oil in a separate small pan to make the tempering. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add the cumin and hing. Then add the red chilli powder and curry leaves. Saute for a couple of seconds and pour over the pulusu/stew. Mix, cover with a lid and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with rice, ghee and papad.

Notes

1. Onion is optional, but it adds a lovely flavour. You can also use the sambar vengayam or the small round onions in full.

2. If serving as a soup, add a few drops of ghee just before serving. Unless you want it to be vegan. A side of papads will work well.

3. Coriander leaves are optional and not traditionally required. I add them only because I like the flavour.

Mukkala Pulusu – Mixed vegetable stew

The Mukkala Pulusu is a tangy, sweet & spicy medley of lentils and vegetables. The proportions of the ingredients are important here to ensure a balanced taste.

Ingredients

250g sweet potatoes, peeled & diced into large chunks

250g red pumpkin, peeled & diced into large chunks

2 drumsticks, chopped into 2-3 inch pieces

6 ladies finger, chopped into 2 inch pieces

2-3 brinjals, chopped into 3 inch pieces

10 large cubes of bottle gourd

1/3rd toor dal

1 tbsp rice flour

45-50g tamarind

100g jaggery

4-5 green chillies

2-3 dry red chillies (Guntur variety)

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal

1 tsp chana dal

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

A pinch of hing/asafoetida

8-10 curry leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt, to taste

1/2 tbsp oil

1/2 tbsp ghee

Instructions

1. Soak tamarind in water to obtain pulp.

2. Mix all he vegetables na alrge pan. Add tamarind pulp and enough water to cover the vegetables.

3. Add jaggery, green chillies, turmeric and salt. Boil this mixture until the vegetables have softened and water has reduced by 1/4 of the total quantity.

4. Pressure cook toor dal separately with enough water to cover the dal (4 whistles on medium heat). When cool, mash well and add rice flour to it.

5. Add the Dal mix to the stew, mix well.

6. In a small pan, heat oil & ghee. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add the urad dal, chana dal, fenugreek, dry red chillies, Hing and curry leaves. Pour over the stew and let it boil for another 5 minutes.

Take off heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Best eaten with otti pappu/utthi pappu/plain toor dal (recipe provided separately) and rice with ghee.

Note

1. The quantity of jaggery can be adjusted according to your preference.

Mullangi pulusu – Radish stew

Radishes, the humble root vegetable, that packs quite a punch in nutrition. There are a variety of radishes available, and the white ones are called the Daikon. We grow them at home and it’s amazing how many varieties one can churn up with this vegetable. Of course, you can eat them raw in salads too.

Radishes are full of essential vitamins, minerals, and folic acid making them great for health and immunity. The ample fibre aids digestion. They are a good source of anthocyanins making them a friend of your heart! The potassium provided helps lower blood pressure. It’s also great for your skin and the high water content helps you stay hydrated.

The radish greens are also full of nutrition, high in iron content and great for curries. A tea is also made with the greens. They help in detoxification and blood purification. So, don’t throw away those greens!

How to make mullangi pulusu/radish stew:

Ingredients

4-5 small sized white radishes

1/3rd cup moong dal (split yellow moong)

1/2 tbsp tamarind pulp

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch hing/asafoetida

10-12 curry leaves

1 tsp oil

Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Wash radishes well. Peel, rinse in water and then chop into thin circles or semi-circles as per preference.

2. Add water to cover, half the tamarind pulp, a little salt and boil the radishes in a pan. Cover and cook until tender.

3. Pressure cook the moong dal with a cup of water (2 whistles on high heat or 1 whistle on medium heat). The moong dal cooks very fast, so do ensure it doesn’t get overcooked.

4. Once the cooker has cooled, transfer moong dal to the radish pan (once radishes are tender). Add water to make pouring consistency. The add the remaining tamarind pulp, turmeric powder and adjust salt. Mix well and let it continue to cook on low heat.

5. Heat oil in a small pan to make the tempering. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add the cumin and hing. Then add the red chilli powder and curry leaves. Saute for a couple of seconds and pour over the pulusu/stew. Mix, cover and turn off heat.

Notes:

1) The radish and moong dal can be pressure cooked together, but the flavour of the vegetable is much better when boiled separately with tamarind & salt. You can control to ensure the ‘tender but firm’ state it should come to.

2) You can also add the sambar vengayam or small round onions (whole). They taste delicious and add a beautiful flavour to the pulusu. If adding, toss them in a tsp oil until golden and then add them to the tender radish along with the dal.

Cumin-Pepper Rasam

The rasam or chaaru (in Telugu) is an integral part of our daily meal. There can always be a sambar or pulusu along side, but chaaru is a must at the meal.

This recipe is perfect when you have a cold or congestion or even if it’s just the weather that is cold. While it is perfect with rice & ghee, it works very well as a soup too.

To make the rasam powder:

Ingredients

3/4 cup toor dal

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup cumin seeds

6-8 dry red chillies (Byadige variety)

1/4 cup curry leaves

Instructions

1. Dry roast all ingredients (except curry leaves) separately.

2. Wash curry leaves and dry them well before use.

3. Once cool, grind all ingredients together to a fine powder.

To make chaaru/rasam using the rasam powder, follow below steps –

1. Pressure cook 1/2 cup toor dal with one chopped tomato and a pinch of turmeric powder (3 whistles on medium heat). You can use about a cup of water, but if there is more it can easily go into the rasam.

2. Soak a small lemon sized tamarind in water.

3. In a vessel that can be used to boil the rasam (we use steel at home), add the dal & tomato, extract of tamarind, 1/4 tsp jaggery powder, 2 tsp rasam powder and salt. Add water as required to make a light pouring consistency. Bring to a boil.

4. When the rasam is boiling, prepare the tempering. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a small pan, add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp hing and 8-10 curry leaves. Pour over the rasam, switch off heat and cover the vessel.

5. Serve as a soup, or in a shot glass as an appetizer or in the main course with rice, ghee & papad!

Note: while not a traditional addition, a 1/4 cup of finely chopped coriander leaves can be added when the rasam is boiling. Lends a nice flavour.

Thotakura pulusu – Amaranth stew

The produce from my mother’s garden and mine finds its way into the homes of our family & friends. While we were just plucking some amaranth, our gardener of over 25 years requested us to make thotakura pulusu or amaranth stew for him. Of course we would.

The dish is subtly spiced and is a delightful combination of tamarind , jaggery and amaranth leaves.

Ingredients

1/2 cup chana dal (can also use toor dal, but typically chana dal is used for pulusu)

4 cups finely chopped thotakura or amaranth

4-5 green chillies, slit lengthwise

3-4 dry red chillies

1 medium sized onion, chopped fine (optional)

1/2 tbsp tamarind pulp or 1/2 cup raw mango cubes

1/2 tsp jaggery powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad dal

A pinch hing/asafoetida

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp rice flour

Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Pressure cook chana dal (two whistles) with about 1.5 cups water.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add urad dal, hing, and dry red chillies. Then add the green chillies, onions (if using) and red chilli powder.

3. Add the thotakura, tamarind, jaggery and salt. Mix.

4. Add the dal with the water along with a tsp of rice flour dissolved in water. Let it cook until thick.

5. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with rice & ghee.