Rava Pulihora | Nimmakaya Rava Pulihora | Pulihora Pindi

The word 'Pulihora' makes my mouth water. I like Chintapandu Pulihora (Puliyogre) or Lemon Rice(Nimmakaya Pulihora) for its tangy taste.I prepare some variety of Pulihora during festivals and also when I run out of time for a simple lunch along with Curd rice.

Today, I am posting another Andhra special Pulihora which is made up of Rava and is usually prepared using lemons.It is also called Pulihora Pindi in coastal region of Andhra and is a specialty in that region.It is a very simple recipe and do definitely give it a try as it hardly takes any time to make .As this does not have any onion or garlic in the recipe, you can prepare this even during festivals instead of preparing a rice variety. Try it for Ugadi . You can include this as a lunch or breakfast item during Ugadi. Check out my Ugadi menu planner here.

Nimmakaya Rava Pulihora | Pulihora Pindi Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice Rava(see notes)

5-6 light colored Green chillies,slit

1/4 cup Groundnuts

12-15 Curry leaves

juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1-2 Red chilies(optional)

2 tbsp Chana dal

1 tbsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2-3 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Boil 2 cups water with little salt,turmeric powder.Once it comes to a boil add rice rava and stir it well and let it cook for sometime until done.It takes 4-5 mins.Once it is done spread the cooked rice rava mixture on a wide plate until it is cooled down.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard and cumin seeds.
• Add groundnuts and fry them until they turn crisp and slightly red in color.
• Add chana dal and urad dal and fry them until they turn slightly red in color.
• Add slit green chillies and fry them until they wilt.
• Add curry leaves,red chillies and fry them for few seconds.
• Cool the tempering mixture for some time and add this to the cooled rava mixture.
• Mix the required amount of salt to lemon juice and keep it ready.We have already added some salt to the rava mixture while cooking,so do add the salt quantity accordingly.
• Mix everything with hands as it ensures even mixing.Check for the taste of salt and lemon juice and add more if required.Let it sit for 1-2 hrs so that the flavors to blend well.

Serve it at room temperature with some fryums/chips/sliced cucumber.

Notes:

1. Adjust the amount of chillies,salt and lemon juice as per your taste buds.
2. I personally prefer it slightly on the sour side,hence I add more lemon juice.
3. To prepare Rice rawa: Clean and Soak the rice for some time and drain it completely and spread over a cloth so that it will drain off excess water.Coarsely grind the pound mixture in a mixer and then sieve it(do it in whipper mode).Use the rawa which is in sieve and the flour that it is sieved can be used for dosas or regular rice flour.

Read More»

Avarekalu Akki Tari Uppittu | Rice Rava Upma with Flat Beans

During Avarekai season, my mom prepares various varieties ranging from simple snacks to sweets, and uses it in many breakfast and lunch varieties (Usli,saaru, curry, dal, rotti, upma etc.).Not everyone would like these beans for the first time. Its an acquired taste and it was the same with me. I never liked it as a child but now I like it and do not miss preparing a few favorite varieties with them during the season.

We do get good Avarekaalu even in Mumbai and during the season I buy them in large quantities and try to store them in a freezer for later use.I use them in various recipes if I want to add some extra flavor to it.These beans lends a different flavor and taste to the dish if added in moderate amounts.I usually add them in upma,rotti and sometime pair it up with brinjal or aloo. I am sharing a simple Upma recipe today using rice rava and these hyacinth beans.

Avarekalu Akki Tari Uppittu Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice Rava

2 cups Water

1/3 cup tender Hyacinth beans(avarekalu)

1/4 cup grated Fresh Coconut

1 medium Onion,sliced(optional)

3-4 Green chillies,slit

4-5 Pepper corns,slightly crushed

8-10 Curry leaves

1 tsp Urad dal

1 tsp Chana dal

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Ghee

Method:

• Pressure cook the tender hyacinth beans for 2-3 whistles with salt until they are cooked.Drain them and keep them aside.
• Dry roast rice rawa for 2-3 mins ,it does not need to change its color.
• Heat oil and ghee in a kadai and crackle mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Add chana dal,urad dal and fry until they turn bit red in color.
• Add slit green chillies,curry leaves,crushed pepper corns and fry until the green chillies wilt.
• If you are using onions,add sliced onions at this stage and fry them well.
• Add cooked and drained hyacinth beans to it and fry well.
• Add 2 cups of water and cover it with lid and let it come to a boil.
• Add enough salt and roasted rice rava and stir it nicely and cover it and cook for 4-5 mins until the water is absorbed.
• Add grated coconut at the end and give a nice stir.

Serve it hot with Lemon Pickle /Avakai /Mango Thokku /Podi and sliced cucumber/chips.

Notes:

1. The addition of onion is entirely optional,I like to add onions in upma and hence I added.It is your personal choice.
2. You can even skip the addition of chana dal and urad dal in the recipe and just give simple tempering of mustard and cumin seeds.
3. Green chillies can be replaced by red chillies or you can use both the chillies in the recipe.It is your wish.
4. You can add chopped dill leaves for additional flavor.If you are adding them you need to saute them in oil before you add water to it.
5. The quantity of hyacinth beans can be increased even to 3/4th cup- 1 cup which depends on your choice.
6. You can follow the same recipe and replace rice rava with normal sooji or bansi rava and make regular upma.You can increase the water quantity to 2 1/2 cups if you want a soft upma.

Also check out other Avarekalu recipes in my blog here.

• Avarekalu Benne Usli with Utta rotti
• Pithikipappu(Special Avarekalu dal) with Bilavalige(Rice flour Rotti)
• Avarekalu Kadubu(Tiny Rice flour balls snack with Hyacinth beans)

Read More»

UNDRALLU RECIPE | VINAYAKA CHAVITHI RECIPES

With Ganesh Chaturthi around the corner many south Indian house holds would have already started the preparations for the festival. This is the major festival in south Indian states like Andhra, Karnataka, Tamilnadu and also in Maharashtra.Here in mumbai,the pandals have started their arrangements and even the lord Ganesha was also brought to their respective pandals.It is nice to see the energy of people in Mumbai especially during Ganesh Chaturthi,which is celebrated in a grand manner.

The first and foremost thing that comes in mind if we talk about this festival is Modak/Kudumulu which is Lord Ganesha's favorite.While we mostly prepare steamed version of Modak/Kudumulu with various fillings like coconut,groundnut,sesame,khus khus and cashew nut stuffings for this festival one can even prepare Karida Kadubu which is Deep fried Kadubu/Modak.
Celebrations differ from state to state,I have mentioned in this post about the celebrations and food at my mom's place and the menu is entirely different at my in-laws place.Varieties like Medu vada(Gaarelu),Pulihora,Sweet pongal are common for every festival at my in-laws place(most of Andhra homes) and for Ganesh Chaturthi they add Undrallu, Bellam Kudumulu(rice flour-jaggery discs) in addition to the usual festival menu.My typical menu that day looks like this:- Rice Rava Idli (Nooka Idli) with coconut chutney and Kudumulu for breakfast and for lunch- a sundal variety,one veg stir fry, Kudumulu, one mixed rice variety, steamed toor dal dumplings or deep fried Vade,Majjige Huli and one Payasam variety.
Coming to Undrallu recipe,I wanted to post this one especially for those who are looking for easy recipes for this festival.We add minimum salt to the undrallu recipe and hence it is suitable to serve with either spicy Coconut chutney or any sweet payasam variety like Chana dal payasam or Moong dal payasam and it tastes good either ways.
Check out other important recipes for Vinayaka Chavithi:

• Steamed Kudumulu - with 3 fillings
• Karida Bele Kadubu | Fried Modak
• Bellam Kudumulu | Vella Ammini Kozhukattai
• Paal Kozhukattai | Undralla Payasam
• Puran Poli
• Dry fruit Modak | Kharjur Modak
• Pappulo Undrallu
• Palathalikalu
• Undraalu with Biyyam rava - Andhra recipe
• Avarekaalu Kadubu/Spiced Steamed Rice flour Dumplings
• Chintapandu pulihora - Andhra style

For a complete list of various options for Ganesh Chaturthi menu, check out here.

UNDRALLU RECIPE:
(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Rice rava* - recipe given below
1 1/2 cups Water
1 tbsp Chana dal
1 tsp Ghee
1/4 tsp Salt
Method:

• Soak chana dal in water for 30mins.Drain and keep aside.
• Heat ghee in a thick shallow vessel and add drained chana dal and fry for a minute.
• Add measured water(1 1/2 cups) and let it come to a boil.
• Add salt and rice rava and mix well until no lumps are formed.Cover it and cook on low flame for 4-5 mins until the rava is cooked and the mixture is dry with out any water.Switch off the flame.
• Leave it aside to cool down a bit for 10 mins.
• Dip your hands in water and make lemon sized balls out of it and place them in a greased steamer.

• Arrange them in a steamer leaving some gap in between them as they will bulge after steaming.Steam them for 12-15 mins.

Serve them hot with Coconut chutney or any payasam like Chana dal payasam or Moong dal payasam.

*To prepare Rice rava: Clean and Soak the rice for some time and drain it completely and spread over a cloth so that it will drain off excess water and leave it for an hour.Grind it to a coarse rava in whipper mode and then sieve it.Use the rava which is in sieve and the flour that it is sieved can be used for dosas or regular rice flour.
Rice rava can also be prepared directly by grinding it in the mixer in whipper mode and sieve it.
Notes:

1. You can even add soaked moong dal along with chana dal in the recipe.
2. As I made a neutral version which is good to serve with savory chutney as well as sweet payasam.If you want to serve only with savory chutney you can even add cumin seeds even before add chana dal in the tempering.Also increase the salt according to your requirement.

This entry goes to Priti's event for Ganesh Chaturthi - 'Festive Food' which she is hosting exclusively for the Ganesh festival celebrations.Do send your entries to her event.

Read More»

Steamed Corn-Rawa Dumplings | Upma Kozhukattai

I bought a pack of corn rava long back thinking of experimenting various varieties with it and it was almost ignored for a couple of months.It caught my attention when it was nearing its expiry date and thought of making something simple with it.I initially thought of making upma with it,but I was not sure whether I would like the taste of corn in upma and so took a easy route of combining regular rava and corn rava to subside the dominating flavor of corn.
Then the idea of making steamed dumplings (and the Tamilians call it Kozhukattai) with it seemed more interesting for me and proceeded with rice rava instead of regular rava and followed the same process for kozhukattai with my addition of corn rava to it. Though I made upma kozhukattai before(to be precise just once) during my initial days of blogging,hubby was not fond of eating it and hence never attempted to prepare it again.I gave myself an excuse to use the corn rava and prepared it only for me and was pretty much happy with the result.Even I am not a fan of such steamed kind of rava dumplings but it tasted good when paired with the chutney.
Corn-Rawa Dumplings | Upma Kozhukattai Recipe:
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 cup Rice rava
1/3 cup Corn rava
1/4 cup fresh/frozen Peas
1/4 cup grated fresh Coconut
4-5 Green chillies,finely chopped
a sprig of Curry leaves,finely chopped
Salt to taste

for Tadka:
1 tbsp Chana dal
1 tsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tbsp Oil
Method:

• Slightly roast rice rava and corn rava until a nice aroma comes out of it and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Add chana dal and urad dal and fry them well until red.
• Add finely chopped green chillies and curry leaves and fry well.
• Add green peas and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add 2 1/2 cups of water to it and let it come to a boil.
• Add grated fresh coconut and salt to it and also add corn and rice rava mixture and mix well until no lumps are formed.
• Cover it and cook on medium flame for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is cooked well.
• Remove the covered plate and let the mixture come to a room temperature.
• Apply oil to your right palm and start making oblong balls(as shown in photos) and place them on a greased idli plate(steam plate).
• Steam the oblong balls for 10-12 mins in a steamer or in cooker(without whistle).

Serve them hot with coconut chutney or any other chutney or milagai podi.

Variations:

1. Addition of green peas is optional or you can add other finely chopped vegetables like carrots,beans and fresh corn.
2. You can replace corn rava with toor dal rava.To make toor dal rava,just grind toor dal to a rava consistency.Follow the same procedure.
3. You can even replace green chillies with bits of red chillies and ground pepper.
4. If you want to make regular kozhukattai,just avoid adding corn rava to it.
   

Read More»

Kandinooka BillaKudumu/Toor dal-Rice Rava Tikkis with Peanut Chutney....FFF#9

Finally I have entered the 10th week of my FFF-series and I am really enjoying my series with all the wonderful entries from my family members.

I had already posted a version of Billakudumulu/Rice rava Tikkis long back and today's version is a variation to it and is sent by my cousin Chaitra.This is the 3rd entry she has sent for my event and I really thank her for it.

Let us see what Chaitra says about this recipe in her own words."This is a different version of the billakudumu and it is made of toor dal and rice and is made only in the particular region of Chittoor District, AP. This is my MIL's version and at my mom's place we are used to eating only the rice version.

Having tasted both of them I can frankly say that this tastes so much better and especially I find this version to be more tasty and crispier too. But this combination of the billakudumu and chutney is an amazing combination and special.It is an extra effort to make this combination of rawa. But we make 3 different types of recipes with the same rawa. With the fine powder we make the dosa and with the same rawa we can also make upma. So it is well worth the effort to get this rawa done. I usually get this rawa from my MIL and But when I run out I just make the toor dal rawa at home and mix it with the rice rawa.

P.S: In the Photos it is my daughters plate, she is the first one to eat breakfast at our place and hence you can see the varied designs.Otherwise we just shape them in rounds".

Kandi nooka Billakudumu:

Ingredients:
1 cup toor dal-rice rawa

1 3/4 cup water

salt to taste
1 tsp oil

oil to fry the tikkis

for rice and toor dal rawa:

1 cup toor dal
3 cups rice(sona masuri or any equivalent)

Method:

for rice and toor dal rawa:

• For every 3 cups of rice add 1 cup of toor dal and get it done in the chakki to a coarse rawa.
• I do it in the mixer when I run out of this mixture which I get from India. You can also buy the rice rawa and just add coarsely ground toor dal for it in the proportion of 1 cup toor dal rawa: 3 cup rice rawa.
• Then we usually sieve it with the medium size sieve and take out all the powder and use it for making a different variety of dosa and the coarse rawa is used to make these tikkis.Dry roast the the rawa mixture till it is nice and fragrant and keep aside.You can store this rawa upto 2 months if it is roasted and it would also insect free when well roasted.The rawa should be like this as shown in picture.
  

for making Billakudumu:

• Heat water, oil and salt in a medium size pan. Once it starts to boil reduce the flame to medium and add the rawa mixture and continue to stir in one hand to avoid lumps.Let it cook completely and switch off the gas and let it cool till you can handle it. Then knead the mixture till it forms like a soft ball and is free of lumps.
• Grease your hands with little oil and take some mixture and make it into a smooth round and flatten to 1/2 inch thickness like a round or oval patties and give a nice shape pressing at the edges.Do follow the same procedure to prepare the remaining ones.
• Now on a heavy tawa pour 3tbsp of oil(on a medium flame) and place the prepared tikkis 7-8 at a time on it and shallow fry both sides on medium flame applying oil on both sides until golden brown and crisp.This is bit time consuming as it takes more time to get browned on both sides on low flame.so please be patient at this part.This should be roasted in such a way that when you try to tear a place it should split into two parts.
  

Serve it hot with Peanut-Coconut chutney or Onion Chutney or Coconut chutney.

Note:

I find that it is easier to make the tikkis when the dough is slightly warm. Once you refrigerate the dough it takes some effort to knead it again. Hence I make the tikkis when it is warm and then refrigerate the tikkis.It is easier this way.

Peanut-Coconut Chutney:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup roasted and skinned peanuts
1/2 cup fresh coconut
6 red chillies
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp grated jaggery(optional)
Salt to taste

to mix in with the chutney:
1/2 cup finely chopped onions

Method:

• Make the chutney by grinding all the ingredients into a thick paste by adjusting sourness and spiciness according to your taste.
  
• Then add in the finely chopped onions and mix it well. It is suppose to be a thick chutney. Add more onions according to your taste.
  

Serve it immediately with Billakudumu.

Toor Dal-Rice Rawa Dosa:(Dosa with the same rawa,but the finer version)

This dosa is made with the sieved portion of the toor dal-rice rawa mixture as I mentioned above. There are many versions to this dosa and this is an instant dosa as there is no soaking involved. It just tastes like omelet beacuse of its texture and in our house it is known by the name tomato Omelet.

Even if I do not have the fine rawa mixture,I use the coarse rawa mixture and then grind it little more to get finer rawa.

Ingredients:

1 cup fine rice-toor dal rawa(sieved finer rawa)
1/2 cup sour curd

1 onion,finely chopped
1 tomato,finely chopped

1 tsp green chilli paste

Salt,to taste
Method:

• Thin the curds with another 1/2 cup of water. Add it to the rawa mixture and let it soak for 15-30 mins. Then add some more water to make it to the medium consistency batter.
• Add the green chilli paste, salt and chopped onion and tomato and stir to combine.
  
• Pour a ladle of dosa batter on hot tawa like how we do for rava dosa,but need not to be thin and there is no need to spread.Pour oil all over the dosa.
  
• Make dosas on a medium high flame. Cover them with a lid and flip them over and fry on both sides.

This dosa can be served as it is and does not require any chutney.Otherwise you can serve it with the same peanut chutney or coconut chutney.

Variations:

Just like uthappam, you can add extra onions and tomato on top of the dosa.

Read More»

Billa Kudumulu / Rice Rava Tikkis & Onion Chutney and my 100th post..!!

Hurray....!!!!!
I have finally reached a small milestone in my blogging world...yes this is my 100th post.Before I proceed to the recipe I would like to thank all my blogger friends for their tremendous support by visiting my blog regularly and writing those lovely words. Thanks a lot girls,without your support I would not have reached my milestone so easily.Thanks a tonne..:)

As it is my 100th post I thought of posting something which is not familiar with many of you guys. This is a typical traditional food which is prepared only in few house holds of Andhra and Karnataka,so many people might not be aware of this dish.This is a all time favorite breakfast made at our place and especially my brother likes it so much that my mom makes this atleast once every fortnight.Even though the recipe sounds so simple,the preparation is bit time consuming in making the billakudumulu/tikkis and frying them,but the outcome is all worth the effort you had put in that.Do give a try once,you will definitely like it.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice Rava /Akki tari/Biyyapu rava
3 cups Water
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste


Method:

• Slightly roast rice rava until you could smell the aroma of it.Cool it completely.You can even fry it and keep it in advance and store it in airtight containers.
  
• Bring the water to a boil and add salt and oil to it,Once it starts boiling add roasted rice rava to it and keep on stirring until it gets cooked and forms a lump.
• Now turn off the flame.Let the mixture cool for a while(not completely) until you can handle the mixture with your hand.
• Grease your hands with little oil and take some mixture and make it into a smooth round and flatten to 1/2 inch thickness like a round or oval patties and give a nice shape pressing at the edges.Do follow the same procedure to prepare the remaining ones.
• Now on a heavy tawa pour 3tbsp of oil(on a medium flame)and place the prepared tikki's on it and shallow fry both sides on medium flame applying oil on both sides until golden brown and crisp.This is bit time consuming as it takes more time to get browned on both sides on low flame.so please be patient at this part.This should be roasted in such a way that when you try to tear a place it should split into two parts.
  

Serve it hot with Onion Chutney or Coconut Chutney.

But in our house,Onion chutney and Billa kudumulu are like made for each other combo.

Note:

1. To prepare Rice rawa: Clean and Soak the rice for some time and drain it completely and spread over a cloth so that it will drain off excess water.Coarsely grind the pound mixture in a mixer and then sieve it(do it in whipper mode).Use the rawa which is in sieve and the flour that it is sieved can be used for dosa's or regular rice flour.
   
2. Rice rawa can also be prepared directly by grinding it in the mixer in whipper mode and sieve it.
   
3. Instead of 1 cup rawa,add 3/4 th cup of rawa and 1/4th cup of coarsely ground toor dal(generally they will be ground together in 3-rice:1-toor dal ratio).Even this tastes very yummy and different in taste than the regular one.They turn little yellowish in colour because of the addition of toor dal.
4. You can add soaked chana dal(approx - 3-4tsp) and grated fresh coconut- 2tsp to the boiling water along with rice rawa.
5. These Tikki's(Billakudulumu) can be even steamed like how we do for Idli's for healthier version,but the roasted version will be more tastier than the steamed one's.

Onion Chutney:

Ingredients:
3 big onions,sliced
6-8 red chillies
1/4 cup grated dry coconut
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
1 tsp grated jaggery(optional)
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp oil

for tadka:
1 tsp mustard seeds
a sprig curry leaves
1 tsp ghee


Method:

• Grind red chillies,grated dry coconut,jaggery and salt to a coarse powder.
• Add sliced onions and tamarind pulp to it and pulse it in whipper mode.The mixture should be slightly chunky with onion bites.
  
• In a kadai heat oil and add ground mixture and fry for 8-10 mins until brown and starts leaving the edges.
• Heat ghee in a tadka pan crackle mustard seeds and add curry leaves and fry for a minute.Add the tadka to the onion chutney and mix.
  

Serve it with Billa kudumulu.

Notes:

• This stays good for 3-4 days when stored in refrigerator.
• This taster better with billa kudumulu, rice flour rotti/akki rotti and chapathy.
• For a Vegan version use oil instead of ghee for tempering.

I am sending this entry for "WYF:Light Meal"-event hosted by EC.

Read More»