lemon chicken

Ingredients:

marinade

• 300 grams boneless chicken cubes or breast
• 1½ tbsp. oil (do not reduce)
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1½ to 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• salt as needed
• ¾ tsp red chili powder
• ⅛ tsp turmeric

other ingredients

• ½ tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp. chopped or minced ginger
• ½ tbsp. garlic
• 1 green chili slit
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tbsp. soya sauce
• handful of fresh mint leaves
• coriander leaves

Method:

1. marinate chicken with all the ingredients mentioned under marinade. Set this aside for about 1 hour 15 minutes.
   
2. Heat a pan with oil, add ginger and garlic and fry until nice smell begins.
   
3. Add onions, chili and salt. Fry until the onions turn pink.
   
4. Add marinated chicken and stir. Fry until the chicken is half cooked.
   
5. Add gram masala and stir. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes.
   
6. Add soya sauce and mix well. Cook until the chicken is soft and tender. Any taste can be adjusted now, more chili powder, spice powder,salt or soya sauce can be added to reduce the tang.
   
7. Add mint leaves and fry until they wilt. Cook to evaporate any excess moisture.
   
8. Serve with rice and roti.
   

Kakarakaya pulusu

Ingredients:

• 5 small Bitter gourd
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 6 fenugreek seeds
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 1 tbsp coconut powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar(optional)
• 1/2 tbsp roasted sesame powder
• 1 cup tamarind pulp
• 3 tbsp oil

 Method:

1. Peel bitter gourd slightly and cut into small pieces.Take a bowl and add bitter gourd pieces, little salt, turmeric powder and mix, keep aside. 
   
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, onion and saute it.To it add ginger garlic paste, curry leaves, turmeric powder and saute it.now squeeze water from bitter gourd and add to pan.
   
    
3. Add  red chilly powder, coriander powder, salt and mix it later cook with lid on it.
   
4. Add tamarind pulp, blend roasted sesame seeds and coconut and add it pan.cook it for 5 mins with lid on it.
   
5. Add little sugar and cook for 1 mins.Now kakarakaya pulusu is ready to serve with rice or roti.
   

Prawns curry

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 1 large tomato
• 1 ½ tbsp. fresh  coconut 
• 2 pinches of turmeric
• lemon juice
• ½ to ¾ tsp. red chili powder
• ½ tsp. coriander powder
• ½ tsp. garam masala
• 1 tsp. ginger garlic paste or grated
• 250 grams prawns
• 1 ¼ cup water (adjust, you may need more or less)
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ tsp. cumin
• Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
• 1 ½ tbsp. oil

Method:

1. clean and wash the prawns. Add turmeric and lemon juice to the prawns. 
   
2. Add ¾ tbsp. oil to a pan and fry onions till transparent, add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
   
3. Add tomatoes, add salt and turmeric and fry till the tomatoes turn mushy. Add red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder and then the coconut. Fry everything well for about 3 to 5 minutes without burning. Cool this and blend with ¾ water to smooth. To speed up the process you can use ice cold water to blend the hot mix.
   
4. Add another ¾ tbsp. oil to the pan and heat up, add cumin and garlic, when the garlic is lightly roasted add curry leaves and saute till they turn crisp.
   
5. Add the prawns and fry till the color changes, just for about 2 minutes, for the raw smell to disappear.
   
6. Pour the ground mixture and add water as needed. Cook till the prawns are cooked, they swirl up when cooked. Do not overcook they turn hard.
   
7. Garnish with coriander leaves.Serve with any rice, biryani  or chapathi.
   

Gongura pullagura

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gongura leaves
• 1 onion
• 1 tomato
• 3 green chilies
• 1 tsp mustard 
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chenna dal 
• curry leaves
• hing
• oil
• half cup oil
• small glass water

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,hing,green chilies,curry leaves and chenna dal. Fry for 1 min.
   
2. Add onions fry until onions become transparent.
   
3. Add tomato fry for 2 min. Add gongura leaves fry for 2 min.
   
4. Then add water and salt boil until water evaporates, cool it.
   
5. Mash it or grind but don't do paste. serve with white rice.
   

peas pulao

Ingredient:

• 2 cup rice
• 3.5 cups water
• 1  cup green peas / matar
• ¾ tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 large onion or ¾ cup sliced
• 2 tbsp ghee
• coriander leaves
• Salt as needed

Spices

• 1 tsp cumin/ jeera or shahi jeera
• 1 star anise 
• 6 cloves / lavang,
• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 inch cinnamon stick 

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice for at least 30 mins. If you are in a hurry you can soak it in hot water for 15 mins and use up. Discard the water and drain to a colander.
   
2. Heat ghee or oil in a pot or cooker. Saute spices for a minute.
   
3. Add onions and fry until golden. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes off.
   
4. Add peas, rice and coriander leaves. Saute for 3 to 4 mins.
   
5. Pour water and add salt. Check salt and add more if needed. The water must taste medium salty.
   
6. Cook on a medium heat until the water is almost absorbed. If using pressure cooker, cover the lid and cook on a low heat for 5 mins.If cooking in a pot, then cook covered for 5 to 7 mins on a low heat.
7. Fluff up with a fork once done. Allow to rest for sometime.
8. Garnish with nuts. Serve with raita or a gravy
   

Ragi Ladoo

Ingredients:

• 1 cups ragi flour
• ¼ to ½ cup sesame seeds 
• ¼ cup peanuts
• 4 green cardamoms
• 150 grams of jaggery 
• 1 ½ to 2 tbsp. Ghee

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbsp. Ghee and fry the flour till you get a nice aroma of ragi. Set this aside to cool
   
2. Dry roast peanuts, cool, remove the skin.
   
3. Dry roast sesame seeds, cool. Set aside ½ tbsp. of seeds aside 
   
4. Powder together peanuts, sesame seeds, coconut and cardamoms. You can even powder each of these separately if doing in large quantity.Grate or powder jaggery or sugar.In a large bowl mix the blended powder, jaggery, flour and sesame seeds that were set aside. Or you can just add the flour and jaggery to the blender if it fits.Blend for about 1 to 2 minutes for the oil to ooze out from the mix. 
   
5. Make balls while the mix is still warm. If needed add melted warm ghee and make balls