Ingredients:

• Plantain – 1 Cut into small pieces
• Chanadal – 1/4 Cup – Soak it for one hour in water.
• Green Chilies – 7
• Raw Coconut – 1/4 Cup
• Onion – 1/2
• Curry Leaves – 1 Stem
• Tadka Seeds – 1 Teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Oil as needed.

Method:

1. Take a wide pan and put 2 Teaspoons of Oil and bring it to heat.
2. Put Tadka Seeds and Curry Leaves in. Once they crackle, put the plantain pieces and Saute it for couple of minutes.
3. Add salt and cover the pan with lid and cook it on low heat.
4. In a mixer, put the soaked chanadal, green chilies, coconut, onion and grind it to a paste and keep it aside.
5. Take the lid off from the pan and put 2 table spoons of oil and now put the chanadal mix paste in pan and mix it well.
6. Fry this until the paste turns into brown color and adjust the Salt.

You can server this ‘Chana Plantain’ with white Rice along with Rasam or Chutney.

Ingredients:

• Onion – 1 Cup – Cut into small pieces
• Garlic – 1 Teaspoon – Cut into small pieces
• Milk – 1/4 Cup
• Red Chili Flakes – 1/2 Teaspoon
• Olive Oil – as needed
• Peas – 1/4 Cup
• Spinach – 1 Cup
• Parmesan Cheese – 1/4 Cup
• Bread – 2 Slices.
• Tomato Puree – 2 Cups
• Chicken Breast – 1 – cut into 4 long fillets
• Italian Seasoning – 1/2 Teaspoon
• Salt and Pepper – as required
• Basil Leaves – 1 Stem.

Method for preparing the filling for Stuffing:

1. Take a heavy bottom pan and put 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil and put 1/2 cup of onion pieces, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and saute it for couple of minutes.
2. Put the spinach and peas and cook till the Spinach wilts  and season it with salt and pepper and let it cool.
3. Put the bread in milk and let it soak.
4. Now put the bread stuff, spinach mix in one bowl and put the parmesan cheese and mix it well and keep it aside.

Method – Making Sauce:

1. Take a heavy bottom pan and put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and put remaining onion and garlic and saute for couple of minutes and put the red chili flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
2. Put the Tomato puree and put 1 cup of water and let it cool for 10 minutes at this point, put the Basil leaves.

Method – Stuffed Chicken:

1. Pound the chicken fillets(don’t make them very thin) and put the filling and fold this like Chinese roll and secure it with tooth picks.
2. Make all and keep them aside.
3. Take a heavy bottom pan and put 2 tablespoons of oil and put the stuffed chicken bundles and brown for couple of minutes each side.
4. Carefully transfer this into sauce pan and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat, till the sauce becomes thick.
5. Before serving take the tooth picks off the chicken bundles.
6. Garnish it with some basil leaves.

Server this as it is or serve it with a piece of Bread.

This is good for a date night or any other night.

Ingredients:

• Tindora(Donda Kayalu) – 1 Lb
• Sesame Seeds – 1/2 Cup
• Chana Dal – 1 Table Spoon
• Onion – 1 Medium – Cut into Pieces
• Green Chilies – 4 Cut into long Lengths
• Putnala Pappu Powder – 1 Table Spoon
• Dry Red Chili – 1
• Turmeric – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Red Chili Flakes – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Salt to Taste
• Oil as required
• Curry Leaves – 1 Stem
• Dry Coconut Powder – 2 Tablespoons
• Tadka Seeds – 1 Teaspoon

Method:

1. Dry roast the sesame seeds and let it cool.
2. In a grinder, put the Sesame Seeds, Putnala Pappu, Red Chili Flakes and Coconut Powder and grind it to the powder form.
3. Cut the Tindora into long lengths.
4. Take a heavy bottom wide pan and put 2 tablespoons of Oil and put the tadka Seeds, Chanadal, Curry leaves, Onion, green chilies and saute it for 2 minutes.
5. Add the cut Tindora to the pan with salt and turmeric Powder and half cup of water.
6. Cover the Pan with lid and let it cook till all the water evaporates.
7. Add the Sesame powder mix and mix it very well. At this point the fry should look dry. Take this off from the heat.

Tip: Server this with Rice or Roties.

Ingredients:

• Semiya Vermicelli – 1 cup dry roast
• Sugar – 3/4 Cup
• Cashews – 20
• Raisins – 25
• Shredded Dry Coconut – 1/4 Cup Dry Roast
• Poppy Seeds – 1 Table Spoon
• Cardamom Powder – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Ghee – 8 Table Spoon
• Orange food Color – 1/8 Tea spoon
• Unsweet Kowa – 1/4 Cup

Method:

1. Dry Roast the Vermicelli.
2. In a medium size bowl, put the Semiya and cook them al dente and drain and keep them aside
3. Dry Roast the coconut & poppy Seeds separately and keep them aside.
4. In a heavy bottom pan put the 2 tablespoons of Ghee and fry the Cashews, Raisins and fry them and keep them aside.
5. In the same pan pour the sugar, sweet color and 1/4 cup of water and let the sugar melts and now put the drained vermicelli, unsweetened Kowa and mix them gently.(Don’t mix them like a paste).
6. Put the remaining ingredients, cashews, raisins, poppy seeds, cardamom powder and mix them gently.
7. At this point it should look like dry semiya upma.

Note: In place of 1/4 cup of water, you can put milk.

This can server hot or cold. Also this can be stored in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients:

• Rice – 1/2 Cup
• Toordal – 1/2 Cup
• Small Potato – 1
• Oil – 1 Teaspoon.
• Beans – 10
• Carrot – 1
• Chow Chow – 1/4 Piece
• Green Chillies – 6 – cut into long length
• Turmeric Powder – 1/8 spoon
• Peas – handful
• Four cups of water
• Onion – 1/2 – cut into long length
• Tamarind solution(Chintapandu Pulusu) – 1/4 cup
• Tomato – 1- cut into small pieces
• Curry Leaves  10-15
• Sambar Powder – 3 spoons
• Hing – 1/8 th spoon 
• Tadka Seeds – 1 Teaspoon.
• Oil – 3 Tablespoons
• Cilantro – 1/2 cup
• Red Chili Powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
• Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Pressure cook first 10 items in four cups of water for 4 whistles and keep it aside
2. Put the pan on stove and put the oil and then tadka seeds, hing & curry leaves.
3.  Put   the  onion and green chillies in the pan and saute for couple of minutes.
4. Put the  tomato, turmeric powder, 1/4 spoon red chilli powder, salt and then let it cook for couple of minutes
5. Now put the tamarind solution,   Sambar Powder and let it cook  for 10 minutes  it should look  like a  thick paste and now put the Cilantro and mix this well with cooked rice stuff.

Ingredients:

• Paneer – 1 cup – cut into pieces
• Spinach(Palak) – 2 Cups
• Onion – 1 big – cut into small pieces
• Tomato – 1 medium – cut into small pieces
• Green Chillies – 8 – cut into small pieces
• Ginger-garlic Paste – 1 Teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Clove Powder – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Salt to Taste
• Oil as needed
• Cilantro – Handful

Method:

1. Take a heavy bottom pan and put 5 tablespoons of oil and fry the paneer pieces till they look golden brown and keep them aside.
2. Now in the same pan, put the onion, green chilies and saute them for couple of minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
3. Put the salt, turmeric, clove powder, tomato pieces & Spinach and mix it well and put the lid on and cook it for 5 minutes and let the stuff cool off.
4. Take a food processor and grind this to a fine puree.
5. Now in the same pan put one table spoon of oil and put this puree along with fried Paneer pieces and adjust the salt and cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
6. Garnish it with cilantro.

Tip: Serve this with Zeera Rice, Roties or any other Rice Item.

Ingredients:

• Quinoa – 1/2 Cup
• Cooked Garbanzo – 1/2 Cup
• Shallot – 1 small – cut into small pieces.
• Tomato – 1 medium – cut into small pieces.
• Cilantro – handful
• Olive Oil – 1 Tablespoon
• Salt & Pepper – as needed
• Pine Nuts – 2 Tablespoons
• Lemon Juice – 1 Tablespoon

Method:

1. On the stove, put one cup of water and bring it to a boil and put 1 pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil and put the Quinoa Grains and cook till all the Water is gone and the grains are puffed and keep it aside.
2. Roast the pine nuts for 3 to 4 minutes and keep them aside.
3. Once the Quinoa is cooled off, add the tomato, cilantro, pine nuts, shallots, garbanzo, salt, pepper and remaining olive oil and lemon Juice and mix it well.

Tip: Serve this just like this or serve it with Baked Fish or Chicken.

చాప పులుసు – माछी का खट्टा

Ingredients:

• Fish – 1 lb – Cut into medium size pieces
• Onion – 1 Big – Grind it to Paste.
• Green Chilies – 4 – Cut into long lengths
• Tomato – 1 Big – Cut into Small pieces.
• Ginger-garlic Paste – 2 Tablespoons.
• Turmeric – 1/2 Teaspoon
• Red Chilies Powder – 1 Tablespoon.
• Clove Powder – 1 Pinch
• Tamarind – 1 medium lemon size.
• Salt to taste
• Oil as needed.
• Cilantro – Handful
• Fish Masala – 1/4 Teaspoon
• Raw Coconut – 2 inch piece.

Method:

1. Take a small bowl and put the Fish pieces, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder, 1/4 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder, Pinch of Clove Powder, 1/2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and mix all this well and marinate fish pieces for 30-60 minutes in the fridge.
2. Soak the tamarind in one cup of water and take the juice off and keep the juice aside.
3. Take a heavy bottom pan and put 4 teaspoons of Oil and shallow fry the fish pieces and keep them aside.
4. Take another wide mouth pan and put 6 tablespoons pf oil and bring it to heat. Put the green chilies and onion paste and fry till all the water goes off from onion paste.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste, coconut paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
6. Put Turmeric, salt, red chili powder and Fish Masala powder along with Tomato pieces, mix it once and add 1/4 cup of water and put the lid on and cook it for 5 minutes.
7. Take the lid off and add Tamarind Juice and let it cook for 10 minutes.
8. Now gently put the fried fish pieces in one layer and put the cilantro and cook it on low heat for another 10 minutes and keep it aside.

Serve this Fish Curry with Basmati Rice on a plantain leaf. It gives a special aroma.

Have fun with this curry, as my family always had.

Ingredients:

• Focaccia/Chibata Bread – Store bought – 2 Pieces
• Baked Chicken slices – 4
• Swiss Cheese – 2 thin slices
• Green Olives – 2
• Store bought Italian Pesto – 1 Tablespoons
• Basil leaves – 4
• Pickled Jalapenos – 2 Pieces
• Olive Oil
• Provolone Cheese – 2 Pieces(optional)

* Coarsely grind the olives and Jalapenos and keep it aside.

Method:

1. Preheat the Panini maker for 325 degrees.
2. Spread the pesto on two inner sides of the bread pieces. Put  Jalapenos mixture and one pieces on cheese and brush with live oil on outer sides of the bread.
3. Put the basil leaves and Baked Chicken Slices and close it like a sandwich.
4. Fallow the same with 2nd set of bread pieces.
5. Brush the Olive oil outer sides of bread.
6. Bake this in Panini Maker for 12 to 15 Minutes.

Tip: Serve this with hot chips . Also you can serve this alone.

Ingredients:

• Urad Dal – 1 Cup
• Sona Masoori Rice – 1/4 Cup
• Salt – to Taste
• Oil – As required

Method:

1. Soak Rice and Urad Dal for 1 Hour and grind it.
2. Add salt and mix it well.
3. Take a Skillet and put 1 Teaspoon of Oil and put the battered Flour as thick pancakes and put some more oil around the Pan Cakes.
4. Put the lid on and cook till it looks golden brown and flip it to the other side.
5. Let it cook for few more minutes until it looks brown. Remember, when you flip it, do not put the lid on to cook it.

Tips: Serve it with some hot chutney. Coconut chutney is a good combination.