Tuesday 29 July 2014

Lemon Rice / Nimmakaya Pulihora



Lemony, Spicy, Tangy.....Oh I just love this.I can eat this every day. Lemon Rice is an authentic rice item and is often made South Indians families for almost all festivals and is also a breakfast item. 

This is one of the easiest rice item and you just resist the aroma of it. We eat this with the combination of Paravannam.  

Check the paravannam recipe.  




2 cups of Rice
4 Cups of Water
2 Lemon
3 Green Chillies
3 Red Chillies
1 Sprig Curry Leaves
1/2 inch Ginger
1 teaspoon Channa Dal
1 teaspoon Urad Dal
1/2 teaspoon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Sees
3 tablespoon Groundnuts
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 Big pinch Hing 



  1. Pressure cook rice for 3 whistles. Spread rice in a wide bowl and let it cool. Squeeze lemon and strain it to get the juice. Slice green chillies and cut ginger to small pieces.
  2. Heat a pan with oil, a mustard, cumin seeds, urad dal ,channa dal, ground nuts and hing.Fry till the dals turn golden brown.Add green chillies, red chillies, ginger. Fry for a min.
  3. Add salt, lemon juice, turmeric powder. Mix it. Fry for a min again and then ad this to the cooked rice. and mix it well with a spatula not with hand.


Friday 25 July 2014

Pottu Minapappu Vada / Black Gram Vada



This authentic recipe is my grand mom's recipe.It tastes like Tirupathi Kalyanam vada. This is made during festive season along with tamarind pulihora. Tempting combination. I always fried it in oil never tried it with ghee. Must be very tasty with ghee. This vada is high in proteins. 



2 cups of Black Gram / Pottum minapappu
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Oil for deep frying
2-3 Green Chillies (optional)


  1. Soak Black Gram in water over night. Remove water, wash it again and grind it to a smooth paste.Add green chillies at this astage.(I haven't added) While grinding add a teaspoon of water at a time. 3-4 teaspoon of water should be enough. Finally add salt and mix it.
  2. Heat oil for deep fry. Now take a tablespoon of paste and drop it in hot oil. When the bottom turns brown flip it and fry for a min. Take these vadas onto an absorbent paper.
  3. You can have it as a evening snack too.



Wednesday 23 July 2014

Chikkudukaya Bellam Koora / Chikkudukaya Teepi Koora / Broad Bean Jaggery Curry



Broad Bean Jaggery curry is a combination of sweet and spice. This traditional Andhra recipe is our favorite. My mom used to make it quite often.  The only thing I don't like about this Broad Beans is removing the strings at the ends. Try this delicious and tempting curry.  



40 Broad Beans
2 tablespoons Jaggery
Gooseberry Size Tamarind
1 teaspoon Channa Dal / Bengal Gram
1 teaspoon Urad Dal / Black Gram
1/2 teaspoon Jeera / Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Mustard
2-3 Red Chillies
10 Curry Leaves
3/4 teaspoon Salt



  1. Cut Jaggery to small pieces. Cut the ends of beans in a way to remove the strings and cut again to small circles.
  2. Boil 3 cups of water with tamarind. Add beans to this tamarind pulp and boil them till soft. (takes 15- 20 mins). Remove tamarind and discard the water.
  3. Heat oil in a pan, add channa dal, urad dal, jeera and mustard. Saute till dals turn golden brown. Add Red Chillies and saute for a min.Add beans, saute for 5 mins. 
  4. Now add jaggery and salt and cook till jaggery melts.
  5. Have this curry with Rice or Rotis.





Thursday 17 July 2014

Triangle Sugar Paratha / Sweet Paratha/ Chini ka Paratha



Paratha is a thick stuffed wheat bread usually stuffed with various ingredients. Sugar paratha is a paratha stuffed with sugar, an absolute kids favorite.

From the time I tasted these at a friend's place, I just fell in love with parathas. I am not a big sweet fan but these parathas are really very tasty and yummy. I started making it quite often for my kids. It is made with simple ingredients and easy to make. 

Sugar parathas become hard once they are cold. So better to serve them with 2-3 minutes after it is made. But other parathas can be packed for lunch box.



(Makes 8)

2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour  + Flour for dusting
3/4 cups of Water (or as required)
3/4 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Ghee / Oil
Sugar as required


  1. Mix wheat flour, salt and water with a teaspoon of ghee and make that smooth dough by adding enough water. Keep it covered for 15- 20 minutes.  Make 8 lemon sized balls of the dough. Press that into a circle and dust it with flour. Now roll it into a flat circle on a dusted floor using a rolling pin.
  2. Spread sugar on half of the circle and fold it. Spread sugar again on half of the semi-circle. You can put as much as sugar as you want. Press the ends.
  3. Dust this triangle with flour and press it again as thin as possible (Don't loose the triangular shape).
  4. Heat a pan / tava. Place this paratha on it. When it puffs up (if the tava is hot enough it just takes a minute to puff up), flip it and cook on the other side for a minute. Repeat this procedure to make all other parathas.
  5. Serve them hot.