Brinjal Fry

Ingredients 

• 250 grams brinjal 
• 2 tbsp Oil 
• 2 green chilies slit 
• 1 sprig curry leaves 
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste 
• Salt to taste 

• ½ tsp mustard 
• ½ tsp Cumin 
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• ½ to ¾ tsp red chili powder

• 3 tbsp peanuts 

Method:

• Cool & crush them coarsely either in a  mixer.
  
• Add ¼ tsp salt to a bowl filled with 2 cups water.Rinse brinjals & slice them or cut to desired sizes. I chop them to 1 inch pieces.Add them to salt water. This helps to prevent them from discoloring. 
  
• Heat oil in a wide pan. Add cumin, mustard, and let them splutter. Then add the green chilies. Fry till they turn pale in color.
  
• Add ginger garlic paste, saute quickly until aromatic.Now add chopped brinjal, salt & turmeric. Toss on a medium flame for 2 to 3 mins. Then cover and cook till soft on a low flame stirring in between.
  
• Add curry leaves, red chili powder.Stir everything well & fry for 2 to 3 mins. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.
  
• Sprinkle crushed peanuts and stir.
  
• Serve brinjal fry or vankaya fry with rice or cheapti.
  

Alisandalu /Black eyed peas dosa

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Alisandalu/black eyed peas
• 1 cup urad dal
• 1 tsp methi seeds
• 5 tbsp poha
• Salt
• Oil
• Kitchen soda a pinch 

Method:

1. Soak urad dal ,alisandalu and methi for 6 hours.soak poha for 5 mins.grind all soaked ingredients .
   
2. Add salt and kitchen soda. Take the batter into a big vessel with a lid and let it ferment for over evening. The vessel should be big enough because the batter becomes double its quantity after fermentation.
   
3. Now the batter is ready to make dosas. Heat the dosa pan. You can use traditional dosa pennam or nonstick pan. Grease some oil to the pan by using the an onion piece. Pour small amount of the batter onto the pan and spread it by making circular motions as shown in the picture.Drizzle some oil onto the edges and surface of the dosa. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over the dosa to cook on the other side of it. Allow it to cook for 1 more minute. Then the dosa is ready to eat.
   
4. Serve dosa with peanut chutney.
   

Beerakaya Masala curry

Ingredients:

• 500 grams ridge gourd tender , (skin peeled and cut to small pieces)
• 2 onions medium size , chopped finely
• 1 tomato large, chopped 
• ½ tsp mustard
• ½ tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp Oil

to roast and grind

• ¼ cup coconut grated 
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp saunf
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 4 cardamom
• 4 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 6 cashew nuts
• 2 tbsp peanuts
• 4 red chilies 

Method:

1. Dry roast the ingredients mentioned under “to roast & grind”. Cool them and grind with water to a smooth thick paste and set aside.
   
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, cumin, curry leaves and green chilies. Allow them to splutter.
   
3. Add onions and fry them till they turn golden brown.
   
4. Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Fry till the tomatoes turn mushy.
   
5. Add ridge gourd, fry for a min. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 mins.
   
6. Gourd releases moisture, add the ground masala, fry well for two to three minutes and add 1 cup of waterCover and cook till the gourd is soft cooked and tender.Open the lid and cook till you get the desired consistency.
   
7. Serve ridge gourd curry with rice or chapati.
   

Sorakaya curry

Ingredients:

• 2 cups bottle gourd or sorakaya (peeled and chopped)
• ¼ cup channa dal or senaga pappu 
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• ¼ teaspoon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 1 pinch hing or asafoetida (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric or haldi
• 1 large onion chopped finely
• 1 large tomatoes chopped finely
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 to 4 tablespoon Coconut milk or coconut (optional)
• 2 tablespoon Oil as needed

Method:

• chana dal soak it for at least 30 minutes in warm water. Drain and set aside.Pour oil to a hot pan. When the oil turns hot add mustard, cumin and curry leaves. Allow them to splutter. Then add hing. 
  

  
• Add onions. Fry until the onions turn golden. Then add tomatoes, salt and turmeric. Fry till the tomatoes break down and turn mushy. Then add the bottle gourd and fry for about 3 mins.
  

  
• Add chana dal & red chili powder. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour about ¼ to ½ half cup water. Cover and simmer till the chana dal is just cooked thoroughly. Do not over cook the dal. 
  

  
• Taste the curry and add more salt if needed. Pour coconut milk or coconut if using. Mix well. If the curry is runny just evaporate the excess moisture by cooking on a slightly higher flame.
  

  

  
  

  
  
•  Serve sorakaya curry with rice or chapati.
  

Paneer briyani

Ingredients:

• 10 Cashews 
• 10 raisins 
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 handful coriander leaves chopped
• 1 handful mint leaves chopped
• 3 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp orange color 

cooking rice 

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 ½ cups basmati rice
• 1 star anise / chakra phool
• 1 bay leaf / tej patta
• 4 cloves / laung
• 2 inch cinnamon / dalchini
• 3 green cardamom / choti elaichi
• 2 to 4 pepper corn / kali mirch
• Salt to taste

Marination ingredients

• 1 cup Paneer cubes
• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 green cardamoms 
• 2 inch cinnamon 
• 4 cloves 
• ½ tsp shahi jeera 
• ¾ cup yogurt ,
• ¾ tbsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric 
• ¾ tbsp. ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp biryani masala
• 1 handful mint leaves chopped 
• 1 handful coriander leaves chopped
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee and set aside. Saute cold paneer cubes in 1 tsp of ghee for 2 to 3 mins on a medium high flame.
   

   
2. Immediately drop hot fried paneer in the cold yogurt marination ingredients and set aside for at least 30 mins.
   

   
3. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add in the spices cooking rice.soaked basmathi rice.Cook till the rice is ¾ th cooked.
   

   
4. Heat 3 tbsps. ghee in a wide and deep non-stick pan or a clay pot, add sliced onions and fry till they turn golden brown.Add the Marinated paneer. Sauté for a 2 min on medium high.
   
5. Spread a layer of rice evenly.Sprinkle the coriander and mint leaves.Sprinkle the fried onions.Pour the orange color milk evenly all over.Add the fried cashews and raisins.
   
6. Cover the pan with a foil and close with lid, making sure that the lid is airtight, so that the steam doesn’t escape. Heat a tawa move this rice pan on to the ot tawa, I used an old dosa tawa. Cook for 25 mins on a medium flame. This helps in preventing the biryani from getting burnt beneath. 
   
7. Serve and  garnish paneer biryani with mint or coriander leaves.

Andhra chicken curry

Ingredients:

• ½ kg Chicken 
• ¼ tbsp red chili powder (adjust as needed)
• 3 onions medium , finely chopped
• 12green chili slit 
• ¾ tsp Ginger garlic paste
• 3 tbsp Oil
• 1 tomato chopped finely 
• 1 handful coriander leaves finely chopped
• 10 cashewnuts 

Marination

• ¾ tsp ginger garlic paste
• ⅛ tsp turmeric
• Salt as needed
• 1 to 3 tbsp lemon juice 
• ¾ tbsp red chili powder

Whole spice

• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 2 cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• ¼ shahi jeera 

Method:

1. Blend cashew nuts with water to make a fine paste .
   

   
2. Marinate chicken with marination ingredients and set aside till we use it.
   

   
3. Add oil in a pan and heat till hot, sauté the whole spices in the oil for a min.
   

   
4. Add green chili, salt and onions. Fry till onions become fragrant and golden evenly.
   

   
5. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté again till it becomes fragrant. Do not burn. Add tomato, fry until tomato become mushy.
   

   
6. Add chicken and fry for 2 to 3 mins.Add chopped coriander leaves and the rest of the chili powder and garam masala.
   

   
7. Add water just enough to immerse the chicken.Do not add lot of water. Curry becomes runny.Cover and cook on a low flame till the chicken is fully cooked and is tender.
   

   
8. Add cashew paste. Stir well and cook till you get the required consistency for about  5 minutes.
   

   
9. Serve andhra chicken curry with any rice or roti.