Vankaya Kottimeera Karam/Eggplant with Coriander Leaves

It's the one of the best combinations mostly cooked in the extreme Andhra Kitchens.....Even this combination has a movie song about it's taste.......

Ingredients: 1lb.vankayalu/eggplants(cubed

paste: grind 1/2 cup kottimeera/cilantro , 4green chillies,(adjust as per spice levels), 1/2"ginger root, 3tsp.shredded coconut with little water to a fine paste and keep it aside.

Seasoning: 1tsp.chana dal, 1tsp.urad dal, 1/2tsp.mustard and cumin each, 2 springs of curry leaves.

Method:
Heat 2tsp. oil in a pan, once it it hot, add the seasoning ingredients, once they start to splutter, add curry leaves, eggplant pieces, salt and cover with lid and cook on medium heat for about 10min. or until the eggplants are half done. Now add the cilantro paste, again cover and cook until eggplants are totally cooked and the raw smell of the greens is gone. Serve it with steamed rice.

Fried Chicken

Fried chicken..........it's the most favorite dish for kids...and it's simple for us to make it's 3 step recipe..........

Procedure:

4 chicken drumsticks, remove the skin, wash, and make deep cuts and marinate them with 1/2tsp. ginger garlic paste, slat, 1/4red chilli powder(adjust as per the taste), 1/4tsp.lemon juice for about an hour.

Then crack one egg, add it to the bowl and wisk it well with little salt to taste(careful as we have already added salt to chicken for marinating), chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves and keep it aside.

Mix 1/4cup of bread crumbs in 1/4 cup of maida/All purpose flour and keep it aside.

In a pan add oil for deep frying, once it is hot enough, dip the marinated chicken in the egg mixture and then roll it in the bread crumbs and fry them on medium high heat until it's light brown in color on both the sides and drain them on the tissue to remove the excess oil and serve it with ketchup for kids and with hot sauce for grown ups..............

Idli

This is the breakfast dish that doesn't need any introduction............this is the healthy and light breakfast...........it's an purely southern delight, there are many variations to make them, but this is one of the old and standard variety..........................

Ingredients: 1cup urad dal, 3cups idli ravva, salt taste.
Batter:

Soak urad dal and idli ravva for about 4 hrs. in separate bowls. wash the urad dal and grind into fine paste by adding water and keep it aside.

Wash the ravva and squeeze out all the water from the ravva and add it to the ground urad batter and add salt and mix well and allow them for ferment for over night or 8hrs.

Making Idlies:

Add 1cup of water ot the pressure cooker or any wide pan and keep it on medium high heat, now grease the idli trays with little oil or spray any nonstick spray and add the batter to the idli moulds and place them in the pressure cooker or pan (if using pressure cooker do not use the whistle) and steam them on medium heat for first 5 min. and later reduce the heat to medium and steam them for another 10 min... now remove them from the flame and allow them to cool a bit and by using a spoon scoop out idlies and serve them hot with peanut chutey.......

Beans Senagapappu Kura/Beans with Chana Dal

Vankaya Mamidikaya Kura

Mamidi Pandu Chuteny/Ripe Mango Chutney

Dumplings

Pita Pizza

Pesara Vada/Moog dal Vada

Filopino Food Festival

When my friend Krithi told me about Filipino Food Festival in our Place. I was so exited to be there, as I have never tasted proper Filipino Food.....I have tasted Gina Taang Mais(Corn in Coconut Milk) and Pinakbet(Stir fry Vegetables)..........yeah, I know they sound much like Chinese.......yes, the taste is also similar to Chinese.......Here are some Pics that I have Clicked......

This is the Creamy Gina Taang Mais................Cornmeal Custard with coconut milk and topped with coconut flakes......

This is Pinakbet..........Filipino Styled Veggie Stir Fry with soy sauce.............