Roasted Masala Corn / Spicy Corn on the Cob - Vizag Beach road Style

Corn on Cob always brings back the memories of my most happiest days in my native place - Vizag. As I am going to visit Vizag in few more days,  I felt like eating something which we get in Vizag's beach road. MASALA CORN.

Spicy Corn on the cob is a mouth watering snack. You can add spices of your choice salt, red chilli powder, pepper powder, chat masala, lemon juice. Today

 I am presenting you Vizag's beach road style masala corn which is easy to make. 

Enjoy this specially during monsoons and winter.  

Ingredients

Corn 

Salt

Red Chilli Powder

Lemon Juice

1. Roast corn on all sides on stove holding it with forks on both sides.

2. Sprinkle salt and red chilli powder on a plate. Roll Corn on it and finally add lemon juice.

3. Try your own version on Spicy corn on the cob.

Tomato Majjiga Pulusu / Tomato Mor Kuzhambu

 Majjiga Pulusu is Andhra version of Kadhi without Besan flour. There are several ways to cook Majjiga Pulusu. Sour buttermilk is cooked with vegetables and leafy vegetables. Each has its own taste.

Tomato Majjiga Pulusu is the easiest and quickest of Majjiga Pulusu but yet very delicious. Learnt it from my mom. She makes this quite frequently. 

Ingredients

 2 cups of Sour Buttermilk / 1 cup Yogurt

1 Tomato

2 Green Chillies 

1 Red Chilli (optional) 

1/4 teaspoon Salt

pinch of Turmeric Powder

1/4 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1/4 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1 teaspoon Oil

1. Slice Tomato. Heat a pan with Oil. Add Cumin seeds, mustard seeds. When they splutter add tomatoes. Cook for 5 mins. When tomatoes looks completely mashed add salt and turmeric powder. Mix it, cook it for a min.

2. Beat Yogurt to a smooth paste wihtout any lumps. Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water and then add it to pan. If you are using buttermilk, add it directly. Mix it well an cook it for a min.

3. Andhra's version of Kadhi is ready.

Sweet Corn and Cheese Bags

 

I never wanted to post this recipe. One reason is, it is really very easy to make and other is I didn't like these pictures and didn't make them properly.

 I have some left over sweet corn and cheese mix which I made for Sweet Corn and Cheese Puffs (Check my previous post). I have made these Sweet Corn and Cheese Bags for the first time and they tasted nice. 

 

Ingredients

Phyllo Sheets

1 cup Sweet Corn Kernels

1/2 cup Cheese

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Directions

1. Prepare the sweet corn and cheese stuffing ready. (Please refer my previous post )Take the Phyllo sheets out of the freezer. Leave it at room temperature for 30 mins. Cut that into squares.

2. Keep 3 phyllo sheets on each other. Keep the stuffing, fold them into a bag. Tie it with a thread.(I didn't ) Preheat the oven for 10 min and bake them for 20-25 mins at 180 degrees.

3. Enjoy.

Sweet Corn and Cheese Puffs

 

Kids love anything made with Sweet Corn and Cheese. I made sweet corn and cheese samosas many times but for a change I made these puffs. My kids loved it. They asked make these when they had play dates with their friends during December holidays. Everyone liked it. So now I have included this in the kids party menu. 

Sweet corn and Cheese Puffs are much to easy to make than Samosas. Make the puffs, freeze and bake them whenever you want.

Check Sweet corn and Cheese Samosa recipe.

Ingredients

Puff Pastry Sheet

1 cup Sweet Corn Kernels

1/2 cup Cheese

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1. Remove the frozen puff pastry sheet from freezer. Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the stuffing ready. Add cheese and salt to corn kernels, mix it well and keep it aside. Now open the puff pastry sheet, cut 12 small rectanlges of 7 X 5 cm.  Place a teaspoon of stuffing on that in the middle.

2. Gently fold and bring the ends together. Close it from all sides by pressing the edges. Make a design at the edges with a fork.

3. Repeat the same for the rest. Preheat the oven for 10 min at 220 degrees. Place them on a baking tray and bake it for 25 - 30 mins. (Temperature and the time to bake may vary so follow the instruction given on puff pastry) or till the pastry turns golden brown.

4. Your kids will sure enjoy this. You also can if there is anything left for you. :) I couldn't :(

Sooji Appam / Ravva Appam

 

Appam stuffed with Sooji Halwa. I have posted Sooji Halwa already. I made that with lot of ghee which I felt is not a good idea to use as stuffing, so I made another sooji halwa version here for the stuffing. 

Sooji Appam is crispy on the outside and chewy inside. Everyone including kids will love it.

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 cup Sooji / Ravva

3 1/2 cups Water

2 cups Jaggery

6 Cardamoms

Oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Dry roast sooji till  light golden brown. Transfer that into another bowl and keep it aside. Chop Jaggery to small pieces.Keep it aside.

2. Boil 3 cups of Water. Then add Sooji. Keep stirring it continuously so that no lumps are formed and cook it till till it is almost done.

3. Then add jaggery. Cook it till Jaggery melts and sooji becomes non sticky and starts leaving wall of the pan. Keep stirring till then. Let it cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, make the outer layer. Add 2 teaspoons of Oil to all purpose flour. Rub it into flour. Add 1/2 cup of water to flour (1/4 cup of water at a time) and knead it well for 5 mins. Keep it covered for 45 minutes. Then divide the dough into 8 parts and make balls with it. Make 8 lemon sized balls of Sooji halwa. (I have almost 1/3 of sooji halwa left. You can reduce the quantities if you want).

5. Now grease a plastic sheet with little oil. Take a maida ball flatten it by hand on the sheet like a circle keep sooji halwa ball on it. Cover it with outer layer from all the sides make a ball again and flatten it. 

6. Keep oil for deep frying. Now take the appam onto your hand and gently drop it hot oil. Deep fry it till both sides turn golden brown.

7. Tasty and yummy festive food.

Sankranti Pindi Vantalu - Pongal Festival Recipes

 

Makara Sankranthi / Pongal is a four day long festival celebrated in the month of January. This is a popular harvest festival in Southern India and an occasion to thank mother nature. During this season Rice, Sugarcane turmeric are harvested. All these are very important in South Indian Cooking.

Makara Sankranti falls typically falls on 14th or 15th of January (In 2015 it falls on 15th January). Many wedding and other important happen this month as this is the month when riches are gained through harvest in largely agriculture based communities.

This festival reminds me Rangolis, Bhogi mantalu (bonfire) on Bhogi, Paravannam (Pongal) on Sankranti, cow parade on Kanuma. New dresses, Hari dasas, Basava (nandi / bull) dance, kites and somany other things and ofcourse gods. I miss all this now.

Pongal is also celebrated in other states as Bihu, Thai Pongal and Uttarayan and also in other countries Srilanka, Combodia, Nepal and Thailand.

First day  is Bhogi is celebrated in honour of Lord Indra, the supreme ruler of clouds that give rains. The ritual observed this day is Bhogi mantalu (bonfire) , we throw our old useless household wooden articles and cow dung. Because its winter season in India in January this bonfire also keeps us warm. Ladies also put colourful Rangolis (Muggulu) and they decorate it with flowers and cow dung.

Second day is Makara Sankranti. Sun comes into Makara Raasi (Capricorn ) on this day. Fresehly harvested rice is boiled in milk in earthenware is offered to Sun god. People wear new traditional  dresses.

Third day is Kanuma, festival of cows. Cows are decorated with multi coloured beads and floew garlands and are then worshiped. They are then taken to village center. I have memories of seeing this at my grandmom's place.

Fourth day is mukkanuma. I don't remember doing any ritual on this day other than going back to our home from grand parents house. This is celebrated by non-vegetarians.   

Now see the Pongal festival recipes.

Miriyala Pongali / Katte Pongali

 

Miriyala Pongali is a traditional andhra style rice and moong dal recipe.  This is often served in temples as prasadam.The aroma of this prasadam in temples is simply irrestable. It is made during festivals like Sankranti and offered to god as naivedyam. New rice from the harvest and moong dal (pesarapappu) is used to prepare it.

I often prepare it for breakfast because it is very easy to make and tastes so good. Peppers corns fried in Ghee (Clarified Butter) brings so much of flavour and aroma to this.

Tastes good with Sambar(Drumstick Sambar / Radish Sambar) or Vanakaya Pulusu Pachadi.

 

Ingredients

2 cups of Rice

1 cup of Yellow Split Moong Dal

4 cups of Water

2 teaspoons Ghee

1 teaspoon Pepper Corns

15 Cashews

3/4 teaspoon Salt

To Temper

2 teaspoons Oil 

1/2 teaspoon Channa Dal

1/2 teaspoon Urad Dal

1/4 teaspoon Jeera

1/4 teaspoon Mustard

1 teaspoon Fresh ginger

2-3 Green chillies

10-15 Curry Leaves 

pinch of Asafoetida

1. Clean Rice and Moong Dal and cook with 4 cups of water for 3 whistles. After it is cold, mash it. Keep it aside.

2. Heat a pan, add oil channa dal, urad dal, jeera and mustard. When they turn light brown add slit green chillies, curry leaves, ginger, asafoetida. Fry till the dals turn golden brown. Add this tempering to Rice.

3. Now in the same pan, add ghee, cashew nuts and pepper corns. Fry them till cashews turn golden brown. Add this and salt to rice. Mix all these well.

4. Tastes very delicious with Sambar.