Rava Upma - Andhra Style

Rava Upma - Andhra Style

Upma is originally from South India and is a popular breakfast across India.

There are many ways of preparing upma. Today, I am blogging what I call the Andhra style upma recipe. I have noticed a lot of difference in the upma that is made in Maharashtra and Andhra. In Maharashtrian upma, we add sugar and the upma is a bit thick. But in Andhra most of the times, I have had upma in restaurant's which was quite different in taste, texture, and a bit liquidy. It was also served with a special chutney that adds to the taste of this upma and is called tomato pachadi which I just loved. So at Home, I make two types of upma one is the Maharashtrian style upma ...and the other one is the Andhra style upma...which I am blogging today. You can also check my other post on Upma - Maharashtrian Style.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rava/suji/semolina
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 1/2 tea spoon finely chopped ginger
• 2 finely chopped green chillies
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard
• 1/2 tea spoon jeera
• 1 tea spoon peanuts
• 2 tea spoon cashew nuts
• 1/2 tea spoon chana dal
• 1/2 tea spoon hing
• salt to taste
• 2 table spoon oil
• 2 table spoon fresh grated coconut
• 1 table spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
• 5 cups water
• 1-2 tea spoon ghee

Method:

Heat a kadai and dry roast rava for five to eight minutes stirring continuously, till a nice aroma comes out. Don't let the rava turn brown. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Now, heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds when they splutter, add cumin seeds, peanuts, cashew nuts, chana dal, ginger, curry leaves, green chillies and hing. Fry for a minute.

Add chopped onion, fry till its turns transparent.

Now, add 5 cups water and salt. Once the water starts boiling, add grated coconut and coriander leaves. Mix well.

Add the roasted rava/semolina slowly little by little, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.

Cover and cook till the rava absorbs the water and becomes slightly thick, thick dosa batter consistency (as shown in the picture below). Add ghee and mix. Please note that the upma gets thick once it becomes cold. So, it is better to have when it is really hot.

Now turn off the heat. Your upma is now ready to be served.

 

Serve hot with Tomato pachadi.

Tomato Chutney/ Tomato Pachadi

Tomato Chutney/ Tomato Pachadi

This is tasty and simple to prepare chutney. I basically make it with Andhra style upma, but it goes well with dosa, idli, rice etc.

Ingredients:

For Chutney/Pachadi:

• 4 finely chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 tea spoon mustard
• 1/4 tea spoon cumin
• 2 dry red chillies
• 2 tea spoon oil
• 4 garlic
• 1 tea spoon chopped ginger
• 1 table spoon cashew nuts or channa dal
• 2 inch tamarind
• 4 chopped green chillies
• 6 curry leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
• 1 tea spoon urad dal
• 2 tea spoon chopped mint
• 1 cup water
• a pinch hing

For Tempering:

• 1/4 tea spoon mustard
• 6 curry leaves
• 2 dry red chillies
• a pinch hing
• 1/2 tea spoon urad dal
• 1 1/2 tea spoon oil

Method:

Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add cumin seeds, urad dal, ginger, garlic, dry red chillies, curry leaves, green chillies, cashew nuts or chana dal, hing and tamarind. Fry for some time till the cashew nuts change colour.

Now add chopped tomatoes, and cook till the tomatoes turn soft.

Add 1 cup water and once it starts boiling add coconut and mint leaves.

Cook till the water is absorbed.


Cool and add it in a grinder and grind it into a fine paste with a bit of water and transfer it into a bowl.

Heat oil in a pan add mustard seed, when they splutter, add urad dal. Allow it to turn red. Now add dry red chilly, curry leaves and hing and turn off the heat.

Now pour this tempering on the chutney.

Serve with upma, dosa, idli etc...



Cucumber and Tomato Sandwich



Cucumber and Tomato Sandwich

This is simple and quick to prepare kind of sandwich. As I had said earlier in our family everyone loves sandwiches. Many a times we plan to organize sandwich dinner. This sandwich tastes different because of the home made red sauce which I use.

Ingredients:

• 16 slices sandwich bread
• 1 Cucumber
• 2 tomatoes
• pudina/mint chutney
• Red sauce
• butter as required

Method:

Peel and cut the cucumbers in thin slices. Cut the tomatoes in thin slices and keep aside.

Apply butter on two slices of bread. On one buttered slice apply pudina chutney and on the other buttered slice apply red sauce.

Now arrange the tomato and cucumber slices on top of the chutney and then cover it with the other slice.

Now trim the edges and cut the sandwich diagonally and enjoy as it is or grill the sandwich in an electric sandwich grill without removing the edges. If you don't have a grill you can make it on a tava with a bit of butter untill both the sides are golden brown.

Serve Hot with tomato ketchup.

Chilli Mushroom In Brown Sauce

Chilli Mushroom In Brown Sauce

Ingredients:

For fried mushrooms:

• 200 grams Button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 table spoons maida
• 2 tea spoon corn flour
• 1/2 tea spoon chilli powder
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tea spoon pepper powder
• oil for frying

For brown sauce:

• 2 table spoon oil
• 7-8 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 inch finely chopped ginger
• 3 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 finely chopped spring onion
• 2 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
• 1 small onion cut into big pieces.
• 1 capsicum cut into big pieces
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 table spoon soya sauce
• 1/4 tea spoon sugar
• 1/4 tea spoon ajinomoto (optional)

Method:

Wash and cut all the vegetables and mushrooms.

Mix maida, corn flour, salt, red chilli powder and pepper powder in a bowl with some water to make a thick batter. Now add mushrooms and toss, coat it with the batter.

Heat oil in a kadai and deep dry the mushrooms. Remove and drain off excess oil and keep them aside.

Now in another wok heat oil. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies. Fry it till it becomes slightly brownish.

Add the spring onion white, onion and capsicum saute for a minute.Pour in the vegetable stock and all sauces and seasonings, bring it to boil.

In another cup take half cup of water or vegetable stock and add the corn flour, mix and remove all lumps.When the vegetable stock starts boiling add the batter fried mushrooms.Lastly add cornflour paste.Cook for 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat.Garnish with spring onion greens.

Serve hot with fried rice or plain rice.

Aloo Paratha



Aloo Paratha

Aloo Paratha needs no explanation. It is made in every household and loved by all...

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1 cup maida
• salt to taste
• water as required

Filling:

• 5 big potatoes boiled
• 2 tea spoon green chilly paste
• 2 tea spoon ginger paste
• salt to taste
• 1 tea spoon cumin/jeera powder

Method:

Mix all the ingredients of the dough together and knead well to make a soft dough.

Peel and mash boiled potatoes when they are still hot and add green chilly paste, ginger paste, cumin powder and salt.Mix all of it together.

For Paratha, take a palm full of the dough to form a small ball, dust the board with some wheat flour and roll the dough with a rolling pin gently to form a small chapati. Place the potato filling in the centre of the dough.

Now close the dough from all the sides to form a small modak. As shown in the picture below. If there is some extra dough on top remove it and seal it properly.

 

Now turn the ball upside down dust the board with wheat flour and flatten the stuffed dough using a rolling pin, gently flatten it to form a thick round circle. Do not make the parathas very thin. Be careful not to be too hard or the filling may come out.

Heat a tawa/griddle and fry the paratha with oil or ghee from both the sides on a medium flame. When both the sides turn golden brown your paratha is ready to serve.

   

Serve hot with dahi, raita, pickle, butter or sauce.