Garlic Pepper Rasam

Change in the weather made all of us sick at home. Only thing I feel like eating when I have cold and sore throat is spicy rasam. My mom always use to make this rasam and pepper milk(Miryala Kashayam) when we have cold. She used to say pepper helps to clear throat. For sure it does help. Thanks to my mom for passing on these delicious recipes and health tips.



Ingredients:

4 medium sized tomatoes cut into cubes
2 or 3 green chilies(optional) (i love to eat spicy so added green chilies as well. You can omit this if you don't want too spicy)
1tsp tamarind paste/ 1 medium sized tamarind soaked in water and remove the juice.
1tsp rasam powder
1tsp black pepper powder ( you can reduce/increase as per your spice level).
pinch of turmeric
3 garlic cloves crushed
1tsp chopped corander
salt

Tampering:
1tsp oil
pinch of asafetida(hing)
1/2tsp mustard seeds
1/4tsp cumin seeds
1 red chili
curry leaves (optional)

Procedure

In a pan/sauce pan add oil, once oil is hot add tampering items. Once mustard seeds starts spluttering add garlic and tomatoes. Cover and cook till tomatoes are cooked completely. With the back of laddle mash all the tomatoes and add rasam powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder,salt and tamarind paste/juice. Cook for 2 mts and add water to make it thin consistency and let it boil. Adjust spices and remove from heat and garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

You can have this rasam just as soup or have it with rice. Either way it is awesome.



Note: If you want little thick you can use mixer or hand belnder to mash tomatoes.
One more way to make it thick is to add 1/2 cup of cooked toor dal lentil(mashed).

Winter Melon Halwa

Continuing my experiments with winter melon. Today's dish is sweet version. Perfect time to make sweet when Diwali is just around the corner. Very simple yet delicioso :).



Here is the recipe

2 cups grated/coarsely grinded winter melon
1/2 cup sugar (Adjust as per your sweet level)
3tbsp clarified butter/ghee
1/4 cup milk
pinch of cardamom powder
Food color(optional)
nuts, raisins for garnish

Process:

Peel the skin of winter melon. Either grate or use mixer to make coarse paste. (I used mixer).
In a pan add ghee and pour melon mixture, milk and cook till all the water is evaporated and melon cooked nicely(Melon mixture becomes almost 1/2 of the original quantity). Now add cardamom powder and food color(optional). Once water is evaporated add sugar and cook for 5 to 10 mts till melon mixture looks smooth and not watery.. In a separate pan add 1 tsp ghee and roast nuts and raisins.
Garnish with roasted nuts and raisins and serve.

Winter Melon (Boodida Gummadikaya) Fritters

Few days back went to farmers market and bought winter melon(Boodida Gummadiyaka in Telugu also known as Ash melon). Was planning to make vadiyalu. Vadiyalu nothing but fritters which are usually made in hot summer in many varieties. One of the popular variety is Winter melon Fritters. Process to make vadiyalu is take spoonful of batter place it on wet cloth (like placing cookie batter on parchment paper) and dry under the sun. Usually drying takes at least 1 to 2 weeks depending on the heat. Once fritters are dried can be used through out the year storing in an air tight container. Usually fritters are eaten along with sambar/lentils.

Before keeping the batter for drying decided to make few fresh fritters. Here is the version of Pacchi Vadiyalu/fritters

Memories: I cannot finish my post if I start writing about all the memories. Glimpse of few memories associated in the process of making Vadiyalu and Papad. Parents used to keep this vadiyalu on the terrace. It is kids job to keep an eye on these vadiyalu. Not to forget while placing the fresh batter we used to taste and finish at least 1/4th quarter of batter :). There are days when surprise rain visits and we used to run to the terrace and bring back the vadiyalu. Fun old days...


Here is the recipe.



Ingredients:

1cup of urad dal(soaked in water for 4 hrs.)
2 cups of finely sliced winter melon
Green chilies (as per your spice level)
1/4 inch of ginger
pinch of asfatoedia
salt as per your taste
oil to deep fry

Preparation:
Grind soaked dal with green chilies, ginger into smooth paste like Vada batter adding few drops of water.(If you add more water fritters will absorb more oil). Add salt and mix with sliced winter melon. In a pan add oil to deep fry. Once oil is hot use your fingers to drop batter in the form of fritters in hot oil. Using laddle turn the fritters so that fritters cook evenly. Fry them till they turn golden color on medium heat.
Remove it from oil and drain excess oil using paper towel.







Serve it hot.




Here is the first step of vadiyalu process (Remaining in the next post once vadiyalu is dried completely)

Navaratri - Kolu pics

Wishing you all Happy Vijayadashami.

Here are the pics of our Bommala Koluvu.

Full view:



Zoo:

I kept mustard seeds which sprouts quickly to create the jungle kind of scene..


Barat:




Dancing doll (Kondapalli Bomma):



Dasavataram:



Japanese Village:




3rd step:



Favors