Chegodilu --- Indian Cooking Challenge

Chegodilu is mostly done in the telangana region in andhra.This is a wonderful snack which i used to eat when i was kid.I had a neighbour ammamma(granny) who used to make this during dusheera and diwali.We kids used to wait for her to give this snack during festivals.

I made very less quantity when i did this for first time as i was not sure of the making.They came out very well.Few days back i again made it for the Indian cooking challenge.The recipe is given my valli and i have not done any changes.

Ingredients:-

Rice flour 1 cup

Water 1 cup (a 1-2 tbsp can be added)

Yellow moong dal/Pesarapappu 3 tbsp

Cumin 1tsp

Sesame seeds 1tsp

Red chilly powder 1tsp

Ghee 1 tsp

Oil for deep frying

Method:-

Soak moong dal for 1/2 hr in water.Then strain it and keep aside

Boil 1 cup of water,add moong dal,salt and ghee.

Then slowly add rice flour continuously stirring the water with a laddle (pappu guti)

Remove it from the stove and stir again.Cover it for 10-15minutes.

Once cool add chilly powder,cumin and sesame seeds and with hand make a dough similar to chapati dough.

Heat oil in a pan.Once the oil is hot enough,put the stove on a low flame.

Grease hand with oil and take a lemon sized ball.Roll the ball in between palms to form a thick rope.

Bring the ends together and press it.It resembles a ring.

Now slowly leave the rings into the hot oil.When leaving the rings in the oil the flame should be high.

Once they raise up in the oil put the flame to medium until they are golden brown in colour.

Remove it on a tissue or kitchen towel and once cool store them in a air tight container.

Mooli Paratha

Ingredients:-

For the dough

Wheat flour 2 cup
Salt as per taste
Cumin 1/2 tsp

Soak cumin in water for 10-15 minutes and use that water to make dough.Keep aside for 1/2 hr.

For stuffing:-

Mooli (radish) 2 (grate and squeeze water completely)

Red chilly powder 1tsp

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp

Green chilly 2 (Chopped finely)

Onion 1 (chopped finely)

Salt as per taste

Coriander and mint leaves (chopped finely)

Oil for fry paratha

Method:-

Squeeze water from mooli and mix with all the other ingredients just before making the paratha.

Roll out a thick chapati and place 2 tbsp of the filling.Close the edges.

Flatten it and dust it with more dry flour and roll out till it is not very thick and not too thin.

Fry on both sides adding enough oil and fry till it is equally cooked on both the sides.

Recipe source:-Cooking Pleasures

Carrot and Peas Pulao

This is the simplies pulao i have ever done.It calls for very few ingredients.

Ingredients:-

Rice 2 cups

Fresh peas boiled 1 cup

Carrot chopped and boiled 1 cup

Cumin seeds 1 tbsp

Oil 1-2tbsp

Salt as per taste

Method:-

Soak rice for 10 minutes.

Cook rice and keep aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and saute the cumin seeds until they crackle.

Add the boiled peas,carrot and salt.Stir fry for a few minutes.

Gently fold the cooked rice into the peas and carrot.Serve hot with curry of your choice.

PS:-I have used basmati rice as i don't get the rice we eat in india.Any rice can be used in place of basmati

Alu Methi Fry (Potato and fenugreek leaves fry)

This is simpliest and most common fry in the andhra household. I have blogged two post on potato fry.And out of all the fries this is my favourite.The combo of potato and fresh fenugreek leaves is awesome.This goes well with hot rotis or rice.

Ingredients:-

Potatoes 500gms

Onions 2 (chopped)

Fenugreek (methi) leaves 1/4 cup

Green chillies 3 (chopped)

Garlic 2 (chopped)

Curry leaves few

Rai 1/4 tsp

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

Red chilly powder 1 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Oil 4 tbsp

Method:-

Pressure cook potatoes.Peal the skin and mash it with hand.Set aside.

Take oil in a pan.When oil is hot add rai and curry leaves.When rai splutters add onions,green chillies and garlic.

Fry till the onions are light pink in colour.

Now make a well in the pan add chopped fenugreek(methi) leaves and cover it with the onions.

Leave it for 2-3 minutes.

Then saute onions and methi leaves till the leaves changes it colour.Now add turmeric powder and salt.

Add mashed potatoes and mix throughly.Fry for another 2-3 minutes and see that the curry doesn't get burned.

Lastly add red chilly powder and mix throughly.

Serve it with hot rotis or rice.

PS:-I used the big fenugreek leaves as i don't get the small ones which we get in india.This leaves are less bitter compared to the smalls ones.

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:-

Rice 500 gms

Egg 3

Carrot chopped 1 cup

Beans chopped 1 cup

Peas 1/2 cup

Spring onions chopped 1 cup

Fresh corn 1/2 cup

Black pepper 1/4 tbsp

Ajinimotto pinch

Ginger chopped 1/2 tbsp

Garlic chopped 1/2 tbsp

Soya sauce 1 tbsp

Oil 3 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Method:-

Cook rice with 1tbsp of oil.

Heat oil in a pan add ginger and garlic pieces.Saute till brown in colour.

Add vegetables and stir fry for 2-3 min on high until veggies are half cooked and crispy.Remove from pan and keep aside

In another pan add 1 tbsp of oil and add three eggs.Scramble the eggs.

Now add soya sauce and ajinimoto.Cook for 2 min, add salt.Then add the fried veggies.

Then add rice and mix thoroughly and lastly add chopped spring onions and pepper powder.Mix throughly

Serve it with hot chilly sauce or tomato sauce.The left over rice can also be used.

PS:-Salt has to be adjusted according to once taste.

Lamb brain fry/Bheja fry

This post is not review of bheja fry movie but lamb brain fry.And this post is not for people who are health conscious.This is my hubby's fav and the recipe is my mom-inlaw's.

Ingredients:-

Lamb brain - 1
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Curry leaves few
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil 3 tbsp
Red chilly powder 1 tsp

Method:-

Soak lamb brain in warm water for 10 minutes.

Slowly remove the top layer and wash throughly.

Heat oil in pan,add curry leaves.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.

Then add salt and turmeric powder and saute well.

Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes,if required sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of water.

Lastly add red chilly powder,mix well.

This dish resembles like egg bhurji.

Nellore Kodi Pulusu (Chicken cooked in tamarind gravy)

This recipe i jotted down long back from a newspaper and tried it many times.The combination of chicken and tamarind is excellent and this curry is from a place called nellore in Andhra pradesh and is quite famous there.

Ingredients:-

Chicken 1 kg

Onion chopped 1

Tomato 1 (chopped into 4 pcs)

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Juice of half lemon

Salt as per taste

Wash chicken.Add all the above ingredients.Mix well.Pour one glass of water and cook.Once the chicken is soft and there is still some water remaining switch of the stove and keep aside.

Make a fine paste of the following ingredients:-

Fresh coconut 1 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Garam masala 1/2 tsp

For seasoning

Onion 1 chopped

Green chillies silted 2

Cloves 2

Cinnamon 1'' 2pcs

Cardamom 2

Curd 1 tbsp

Tamarind small lemon size (extract juice from tamarind)

Method:-

Take oil in a pan,heat it and add cinnamon,cloves and cardamom.Once they crackle add onions and fry till brown in colour.Add green chillies and fry.

Add masala paste and fry till oil comes out.

Add curd and saute of 2-3 minutes.

Then add tamarind juice and let it boil for another 3-4 minutes.

Now pour in the boiled chicken along with water.

Cook on high flame for 10 minutes and then on low flame till it thickens into a gravy.

Serve hot with rice/dosa/parathas.

Eggless Cake With Milk Powder

Few days back i brought milk powder tin and made gulab jamuns but didn't get the jamuns properly and i didn't had courage to make them again.As milk powder was nearing expiry i remembered my neighbour used to bake cake with milk powder.I checked for the recipe in my book and got the below recipe.The cake was very soft and tasty.It had the taste of milk,dry fruits and vanilla and got over within a day of preparing it.

Ingredients:-

Plain flour 2 cups

Milk powder 1 cup (nestle)

Vanilla essence 1 tsp

Sugar 1 cup

Canola oil 1 cup (can be reduced to 3/4 cup)

Salt a pinch

Baking powder 1 tsp

Soda bicarbonate 1/2 tsp

Milk 1 cup

Tutty fruity 1/4 cup

Raisins few

Cashew few

Almonds few

Method:-

Mix all the dry ingredients.

Add dry fruits,oil and milk to the dry ingredients.

Mix thoroughly.

Line a baking tin with butter and sprinkle flour.

Pour the batter in the tin and bake in a preheated Microwave oven at 180 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until the sewer when inserted comes out clean.