Chepala Pulusu / Fish in tangy, sour and sweet gravy

We make 2 types of 'Chepala Pulusu' in our home. One is my Mom's way and the other is my MIL's way. Both are very delicious and yummy with a side of rice or with chapathis.

Tho both are good, I tend to incline towards my Mom's way since that is what I have grown up with. We tend to make it nice and spicy too. Well any non-veg dishes are very yummy when they are spicy spicy.....yumm!!

Fish pulusu can be made with any kind of hardy fish like salmon, tilapia or catfish and many more. I make it with any which is available. Here I made it with tilapia. Boned fish will be good, but since we don't get them always, I made it with the thick tilapia fillets, cutting them into 2-3 inch pieces.

Well when ever we make pulusu, we tend to make some fish fry too and some hot hot rasam. What can be more wonderful than this??

Ingredients:

2 lb of fish, washed and cut in medium sized pieces (I used Tilapia fillets)

To grind:

1 Onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp jeera
2-3 cloves garlic

For Gravy:

2 small onion, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
4-5 green chillies
1/2 tsp methi seeds, menthulu
few curry leaves
Chopped coriander for garnish
salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp thick tamarind juice, pulp squeezed
Water if needed


Method:

Wash and cut fish and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add methi seeds and curry leaves and let them splutter.
Add the sliced onion and let it cook till translucent.
Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies and the ground onion, jeera, black peppercorn and garlic paste.
Let it cook until the tomatoes are soft and onion paste is cooked.
Add turmeric and chilli powder and let cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the fish pieces and salt. Fry them a bit in the gravy.
When the fish is almost cooked, add the tamarind pulp juice and some water.
Let it cook and come together like thick gravy.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot or warm with rice or rotis.
Enjoy!!!

Read More

Anapakaya Pulusu / Bottle gourd in a sweet tangy tamarind gravy

Days are just flying by without me doing anything much...all I am doing is thinking and thinking and a whole lot of thinking! :)
Tho weather is getting better, I don't feel any enthusiasm in doing anything much. Even cooking...I wish it that it would get over fast so that I can be done with it!
I hope my mood would get better soon and I will feel happy yet again! :)
My only reason for being sane are my friends and my blog, well my kids too...

I made this anapakaya pulusu just recently. I feel pulusu is a heartwarming and feel happy dish, also very comforting. The sweet tangyness uplifts my mood surely.

It an easy to make dish and you can surely make it with different kinds of veggies like, eggplant, drumstick, sweet potato, okra etc.,., or you can combine all of them together too.
I think pulusu goes well with brown rice just like any type of dal. I think its a best combination.

Ingredients:

1 small anapakaya or 1/2 of a big one, peeled and cut into half rounds
1 onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes
4 green chillies

1 tsp methi seeds, menthulu, dry roasted and powdered
1/4 tsp urad daal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera
2-3 dry red chillies
few curry leaves

tamarind, little larger than a marble size, pulp squeezed
pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tsp red chilli powder (or less)
1/4 tsp turmeric
chopped coriander leaves for garnish
water, as required
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required


Method:

Dry Roast the methi seeds to brown and powder them when cooled.
Heat oil in a pot.
Add the urad daal, mustard seeds and jeera. Let them splutter.
Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the onion and green chillies. Saute for about 5 min.
Add the tomato and let it cook until they become soft.
Add the anapakaya or bottle gourd pieces along with some salt.
Cook till the pieces become soft. Add little water if needed
Add the chilli powder and turmeric and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the tamarind pulp juice. Add sugar if needed.
Cook for another 5 minutes and add the methi powder. The gravy should get thickened by the methi powder and tomatoes.
Remove when thickened from heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with rice or roti!
Enjoy!!!

Read More

Attu pulusu / Moong daal dosa in tangy tamarind sauce

Welcome New Year!! and welcome everyone to my blog in the new year :))

This month is going to be pretty exciting for me....soon my blog will turn an year...an year on blogging...gosh didn't think I would last that long!!! which I say becos of my habit of starting and stopping stuff in the middle, way too many times....but it you guys and you lovely comments which kept me going I guess...I am always enthusiastic to see all the comments I get!!! yaaaayyy...and also to all my social network friends who keep me sane from day to day...thank you all!!

All you all know I  haven't done much cooking or baking or anything much except enjoying my vacation in LA. I will soon write up on what all I did and ate in what restuarants while I was in LA....soon (head nodding)....

So I was thinking what to write as my first post this year and settles on this from my drafts....a favorite dish my childhood....still love it now and its perfect comfort food in winters too. Only that I don't make it too often to enjoy it so. And who doesn't love warm tangy and spicy dishes in winters....just mix it up in some hot rice and gobble it up!! yumm! Its called 'Attu Pulusu' or translated Moong daal dosa in tangy tamarind sauce....As much as I know its made only with moong daal dosa batter, that too left over. But I have tried making it the same with egg omlete or also with besan dosa, but nothing ever tastes so good as and when made with Moong daal dosa or pesar attu.

I try making this whenever I make Pesar attu. There is always a cup of batter leftover (or not, but we can always make it leftover ;)). A thick dosa is made and mixed with pulusu. Doesn't take much time to make it, but sure do try it when you next time make pesar attu.

Ingredients:
For pesar attu:

1 cup pesar attu batter
1 small onion, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
some chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp oil

For pulusu:

1 tsp methi seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry roasted and ground to powder
1 large onion, sliced long or julienned
1 large tomato or 2 small chopped
4-5 green chillies
1/4 - 1/2 cup thick squeezed tamarind juice from pulp
1 tsp sugar or jaggery
1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
1/4 tsp urad daal
2-4 dry red chillies
5-6 curry leaves
1/2 tbsp oil

Method:

Add chopped onions, green chilli and chopped coriander leaves to the pesar attu batter.
Heat tawa with oil and make a dosa with the batter. It should be thick not thin like dosa.
Let it brown on both sides. After cool, cut into about 2 inch square or smaller.

Dry roast methi seeds and grind them into powder after cool.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the urad daal and saute for 1 minute. Add the mustard seeds and jeera and let them splutter. Add the curry leaves and dry red chillies before adding onions and green chillies. When the onions turn translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and saute them till they are cooked and soft.
Add the thick tamarind juice and add about 1/2 cup water to make the sauce. Let cook for 5 minutes.
Add the sugar or jaggery and mix well.
Add the chopped attu pieces into the sauce cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the methi seeds powder and mix well taking care not to break the attu pieces. Add more water if the sauce gets thick after adding the attu pieces cos they absorb the juice.
Add chopped coriander leaves for garnish.
Serve hot with roti or chappathi or with hot rice.
Enjoy!!!

Read More

Vankaya pulusu / Brinjal or Eggplant in tangy, spicy Tamarind sauce

There are so many 'pulusus' made of different vegetables, here is one more to include in that category.
When winter comes around, its time for hot comfort foods. Simple daals and pulusu falls into that category too. Hot steaming rice with some daal or pulusu on a cold fall or wintery night is just so fulfilling and wonderfully yummy!
Some parts of Andhra, pulusu is made with a small amount of daal in it or is eaten with daal on the side, plain daal mostly. But in other parts pulusu is made only of tamarind, tomato and veggies.
I make it both ways or should I say three ways, daal in it, on the side or not daal at all.
But mostly I make it like this.
Putting any vegetable in this tangy tamarind sauce gives it a sweet sour flavor, and please make it spicy for me! Tho these days I don't make it that spicy...thanx to the kids!!
I used the small baby eggplants, but you can surely use any kind, like the long variety or even the green ones or chutney eggplant. Only cut thick slices so that they don't get over cooked and disappear.

Ingredients:

6-8 baby brinjals, cut
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
4-5 green chillies

1 lemon size ball of tamarind, juices extracted

1/2 tsp methi seeds, menthulu (dry roasted and grounded to powder)

1 tbsp of oil
1/4 tsp urad daal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera, cumin seeds
3 dry red chillies, broken
bunch of curry leaves, karevapaku

salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
pinch of sugar or jaggery (optional)

chopped corainder leaves for garnish

Method:

Dry roast Methi seeds and grind to powder.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add urad daal, mustard seeds, jeera and let them splutter. Add dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the onions and green chillies and saute till cooked. Now add the cut eggplant, tomato and saute with some salt. Add some water if required.
After it gets cooked, add turmeric and chilli powder.
Next add the tamarind juice and mix well.
In the end, add the methi powder and simmer for 5 min till it gets thick. Add sugar or jaggery if you wish.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice, roti or phulkas.
Enjoy!!!

Read More

Punjabi Kadhi Pakoras for ICC

Its time for ICC of this month!!
I always get excited when I have to make something for ICC...its always something new and interesting...and I get to learn a new dish!..
Even if its a dish I already know...its alwaye fun to make and share the recipe! Don't you all ICC members think so??? :))

This month's ICC, hosted by Srivalli, was to make Punjabi Kadhi Pakoras or simply called Punjabi Kadhi, recipe by Simran of Bombay Foodie.

Its so much similar to our South Indian yogurt dish called in telugu as 'Majjiga pulusu'. Only a few ingredients are different such as what's used in tempering. Even when I make majjiga pulusu..which I rarely make, cos I will be eating the whole dish and no one else......I do put onion pakodi bajjis in there...I think it just tastes wonderful with pakodis. In the same way Punjabi Kadhi also has onion Pakoras....And let me tell you that it tasted just as yum!! I think the vaamu (carom seeds, ajwain) and the methi (fenugreek seeds) gives this dish a very flavorful touch!

I followed the recipe given to us in ICC, make no changes to it....takes about 30-40 min to make....the end product, a yummy yogurt dish!
I made it according to my taste...always remember to make it to suit your taste!

Ingredients:

For Pakoras or pakodis:


1/2 cup chanaga pindi / Besan / Chickpea Flour
1 medium Onion, chopped lengthwise
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
Salt to taste

some water

Oil for Deep frying

For the Kadhi or majjiga pulusu:

1 cup plain yogurt or curd (sour curd is preferable but not required, we can substitute the sourness by adding aamchur powder or lemon juice in the end)

1/3 cup changa pindi / besan/ chickpea flour
3-4 cups Water
1 tbsp of oil
1 tsp mustard Seeds
1 tsp cumin Seeds / Jeera
1 tsp Vaamu / Ajwain / Carom Seeds
1 tsp menthulu / Methi / Fenugreek seeds
1 Onion, chopped lengthwise
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 or little more Red Chili powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp or more of Aamchur / Dried Mango powder
Lemon juice to taste (optional, if not using sour yogurt)
Method:

Pakoras:

Heat oil in Kadai.
Mix the besan, chilli powder, salt with water to make a semi-thick paste.
When the oil is hot enough, mix the onions with the besan paste and drop into oil as pakodas. Fry till crispy brown. Remove onto paper napkin, keep aside.

Kadhi:

Mix the besan with yogurt and the water to make a thin watery mixture. Use a whisk, its easier.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pot. Add the mustard seeds, jeera, methi, and ajwain seeds. Let them splutter.
Add the chopped onions, saute till translucent.
Add the yogurt mixture along with some salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Keep stirring occasionally on low heat till it becomes thick or semi thick. It should take about 20-30 min.
When you think its thick enough, add the pakoras and bring it to a boil.
Add garam masala and aamchur powder. Mix well and remove from heat.
If using lemon juice, add in after removing from heat.
I used some more of the crispy pakoras to garnish on the top!

Serve hot with chapathi, roti, paratha or with hot rice. Enjoy!!!

Read More

Chamagadda pulusu / Taro Root or Colocasia in tangy tamarind gravy

I have posted before a fry or saute using Taro root / colocasia /  chamagadda or chamadumpa. I personally like this veggie on both pulusu or a fry. Pulusu is a tangy tamarind gravy which goes well when eaten with chapathi or also with rice. As a kid the pulusu dish was my favorite.
The one which we find in India are kind of hard, so its better when you boil them before cooking the dish. But the ones we find here can be easily cooked in the pan itself, no need to boil them before. But if you like yours to be soft then go ahead and give them a boil in the microwave before peeling them. Otherwise just wash them and peel them. Once they are cooked, they are kind of sticky because of the starch content in them. This is enough to make the gravy thick, no need to add any other thickening agent. Just add some water to make it to your required consistency, because it will become thick.
It takes about 20-30 min to make this dish. Serve it up with chapathi / roti or rice with a drop of ghee.


 Ingredients:

8-10 chamagaddas or taro root, washed peeled, cooked (boiled) or uncooked
1 large onion cut into somewhat big pieces (not too big, not too small)
1 large tomato, chopped
4-5 green chillies slit lengthwise
1 lemon sized ball of tamrind, extract pulp and keep aside
1/4 tsp sugar or jaggery
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1-2 tbsp oil
water as needed
salt to taste
Garnish with coriander leaves

For Talimpu / Tempering:

1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera
1/4 urad daal
2-3 red chillies
5-6 curry leaves

Method:

(If you are going to use boiled ones, boil them after washing them. Peel after they are cooled.)
Wash the taro root, peel and chop them to about 1/2 inch rounds. In a pot, heat the oil, add urad daal, mustard seeds and jeera and wait for them to splutter.
Then add the red chillies and curry leaves. Add the onions and green chillies and cook the a little. Then add  taro root pieces, tomato, salt, tumeric powder and chilli powder.
Cook until chamadumpa is cooked but not falling apart.
Now add the tamarind pulp and stir. Add enough water and let cook covered, until everything comes together.
There should be still gravy in it when cooked. It will become thick very fast, so add water if required. Add sugar and cook for another couple of minutes and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with roti or chapathi or with rice. Enjoy!!!

Read More

Bendakaya pulusu / Lady's Finger / Okra in tangy tamarind curry

Bendakaya pulusu / Lady's Finger / Okra in tangy tamarind curry

Pulusu means a sauce of tangy sour flavor made from tamarind pulp. A little bit of jaggery or sugar is added so that its not too sour. In Andhra, We can make fish pulusu, pappu pulusu (with lentils), vegetables or even meat like mutton or lamb. A hint of methi powder gives a good flavor to the pulusu to the vegetables pulusu. Bendakaya or Okra cooked in this tangy sauce tastes yummy and flavorful. It can be eaten with hot rotis or with hot rice. A drop of ghee on the hot rice will make it more yummier. :)
Another recipe which is not that difficult to make and with simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

1/4 kg of Okra / Bendakaya
1 large onion cut into somewhat big pieces (not too big, not too small)
1 large tomato, chopped
4-5 green chillies slit lengthwise
1 lemon sized ball of tamrind, extract pulp and keep aside
1/4 tsp sugar or jaggery
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1-2 tbsp oil
water as needed
salt to taste
1/2 tsp methi powder (dry roast methi seeds and powder them)
Garnish with coriander leaves

For Talimpu / Tempering:

1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera
1/4 urad daal
2-3 red chillies
5-6 curry leaves

Method:

Wash the okra and pat them dry. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. In a pot, heat the oil, add urad daal, mustard seeds and jeera and wait for them to splutter. Then add the red chillies and curry leaves. Add the onions and green chillies and cook the a little. Then add the okra pieces, tomato, salt, tumeric powder and chilli powder. Cook until okra is cooked but not falling apart. Now add the tamarind pulp and stir. Add enough water and let cook covered, until everything comes together. There should be still gravy in it when cooked. Now add the methi powder and the sugar. Cook for another couple of minutes and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy!!

Read More

Chintapandu Pulihora/ Tamarind Rice for Sankranthi festival

Like I said in my previous blog, Pulihora is an all time favorite for kids and adults. It was my favorite while growing up and now I am glad that my kids enjoy it too. Out of all the different types, Chintapandu pulihora or Tamarind rice is my favorite. Making the mix at home is not at all difficult. I usually make more of the mix and save it in the fridge so that I can make it again over the next week. Tamarind rice with plain dal or mudda pappu and aloo curry is the way I like to eat it. It also tastes good with plain yogurt.

Tamarind Rice/ Chintapandu Pulihora

Ingredients:

100g tamarind (soak in warm water, squeeze and remove pulp)

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup cashew nuts

1 tbsp channa dal

1 tbsp urad dal

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger

1/4 tsp hing/ inguva

4-5 green chillies slit down the middle (thai green chillies)

3-4 dried red chillies

10-12 curry leaves

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

salt to taste

1/2 cup oil

2 cups cooked, cooled rice

Method:

Soak tamarind in a little water for some time untill it gets soft. Then squeeze, remove pulp and keep aside. Heat oil, add peanuts and fry till they start to  brown, then add cashews, all the dals, mustard seeds and fry till everything turns brown and mustard seeds start to splutter. Add the curry leaves, red chillies, ginger, green chillies and fry a little before adding the hing and turmeric powder. Let it cook a little before removing from heat. In a different pot, cook the tamarind paste for about 10min on medium heat. When you see it thicken, add the above mix and salt to your taste and cook for another 5 min before removing from heat. Now your pulihora paste or mix is ready. Now you can add it to the cooked cooled rice and don't forget adding salt because rice will absorb the salt and you will have to add more to get the right taste.

Tip: If you think that your tamarind paste wasn't sour enough, you can add some lemon juice to the rice while mixing. Some people even add a lttle bit of jaggery/ gud to the paste to give the sweet sour taste.

See it isn't that difficult to make pulihora paste and I am sure it tastes much better than the store bought one. So go ahead and try it!! and you will enjoy it!!!  

Read More