Yum! Yum! Yum!

Dappalam is a very fine and traditional delicacy of Andhra Kitchen. If Sambar is to State of Tamilnadu, then Dappalam is to State of Andhra Pradesh.  Both dishes are common in, vegetables getting cooked in tamarind stew but Sambar is cooked along with lentils ( pappu), where Dappalam is served along with lentils (Pappu). That is the difference. This is also called as 'Mukkala Pulusu', (ముక్కల పులుసు) literally translates to Mixed Vegetable Stew. This goes well with rice and it is very nutritious as lot of squash vegetables are cooked in this stew with very less oil. This is one traditional recipe that is made for festivals like Sankranti or Ugadi makes this Festive Dish. By making this dish also you can bring the festive touch on a normal regular day. :-) Here is the recipe, Njoy!


Ingredients:
Summer or squash vegetables  - 2 cups  (Vankaya ~ Eggplant, Gummadikaya ~ Pumpkin, Potato, Mulakkada ~ Drumstick, Sorakaya ~ Squash, Carrot)
Onion - 1 medium
Green Chili - 4
Tomato - 1 (use juicy and cluster ones for great color)
Tamarind Extract - 1 Tbsp
Jaggery - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Red Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 2 Cups
Rice Flour - 1 Tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Cilantro - for Garnish

For Tempering:
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Red Chili- 2
Chana Dal -  1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing ( or Asafetida) - pinch
Curry Leaves - 10



Method:

1. Take a heavy bottom pan and add mixed vegetables, onion, green chili except pumpkin along with 1 cup of water and boil vegetables for 10 min. Add tomato and pumpkin pieces ( gummadi kaya) and cook for 5 more minutes. You notice that vegetables are semi cooked and becoming tender. 
2. Now add tamarind extract to the pot, add remaining cup of water. Add salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, rice flour to the pot, mix everything well and cook for 10-15 minutes until you get thick stew consistency.
3. Taste and adjust all the seasonings, add jaggery and cook stew until jaggery melts into it ( 5 more min).
4. Keep non-stick pan on another stove, add oil. Once oil is hot, add red chili, chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric powder and hing( asafetida) and make the tempering. 
5. Add this tempering to stew and mix well. Finally add coriander leaves ( cilantro) to the stew pot and switch off the stove and transfer to serving bowl. 
6. Serve with hot white rice, along with mudda pappu ( plain dal) and some ghee! Yummmm Sounds delicious and heavenly. 

Note:
If you don't have time or patience you can pressure cook in step #, but that won't give you the authentic taste for this dish.


will be back with another traditional dish,
Happy cooking until then!
-Mythreyi

While growing up I haven't witnessed many Pumpkin recipes, but my mom makes wide variety of stews with most of the squash type vegetables. I have got introduced to Pumpkin recipes by our Nanny who used to take care of my daughter. So today I have mixed these two women's best interest and made a Pumpkin Stew which is absolutely delicious and tasty! Here is the recipe, Njoy!


Ingredients:
Orange Pumpkin - 1/8 of medium pumpkin
Onion - 1
Green Chili - 2
salt - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1 Tbsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Bellam ( Jaggery) - 3 Tbsp
Oil - 2 Tbsp

Tempering Ingredients

Method:

1. Heat non-stick pot on the medium heat and add oil to it. Once the oil is hot add Red Chili, Chana dal, Urad Dal, Cumin Seeds and Mustard Seeds, once the lentils are roasted finish tempering by adding curry leaves. 
2. Add sliced onions and slit green chilies and mix with tempering.
3. Add pumpkin pieces to the Onions in the pot and mix it well together, close the lid and let the pumpkin simmer for 5 min so that it becomes soft. 
4. Now add, tamarind paste, salt, red chili powder, coriander powder to the pumpkin and mix it well. Add 2 cups of water and close the lid, keep the heat to low to medium and simmer the stew for 15 min.
5. Remove the lid and taste and adjust any seasonings. Add Bellam (Jaggery) to the stew and simmer more on medium heat for another 5 minutes ( or until jaggery dissolves in stew).
6. Switch off the stove and transfer the stew to serving bowl and serve hot with White Rice and Dal (Mudda Pappu) on the side along with some Ghee! Oh Heavenly.....!

Notes:

• My red chili powder is very spicy that is why I added only 1/2 tsp, if you need more spice, you can add up to 1 tsp of red chili powder
• While cutting the pumpkin I have left the Skin on, so that the pumpkin does't get mushed up, and the skin helps to retain the shape of pumpkin pieces in stew. But if you don't like Skin, please feel free to remove the skin (with knife, you can't peel it with peeler).

Actually I haven't experimented much with Bottle Gourd so far. I always make Sorakaya Palakura, as it turns out to be less spicy and little creamy that is hit at home and suitable for kids too. But this year I have planted Bottle Gourd in my garden, and there is no dearth for Sorakaya in my kitchen. I have stopped buying this vegetable from Grocery Store, Now I am reaching to a point where getting tired of distributing this vegetable with in community, friends and at work . Thanks to my in-laws who took good care of it and now it is yielding too much produce. So that means it's time to experiment more with this vegetable than routine curries. Today I have tried the Stew variety with Sorakaya, where it is simmered in tamarind gravy along with spices until it becomes tender and finally toped with some jaggery that softens all the spices and enhances the flavor for this stew. It tasted fantastic with white rice. As now it's tested and tasted in my kitchen, it's time for you to try it on with no hesitation, Here is the Recipe!



Ingredients:
Sorakaya - 1 small ( or 1/2 medium)
Onion - 1 medium
Salt - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 Tbsp
Jaggery - 2 Tbsp
Oil - 2 Tbsp

For Tempering:
Red Chili, Chana Dal, Urad Dal, Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds, Turmeric Powder, Curry Leaves

Preparatory Steps:

• Trim the edges of bottle gourd, peel and de-seed it. Cut it into big pieces.
• Chop Onions also into 4 quarters or big pieces.
• Add Tamarind in a small bowl along with 1/2 cup of water and microwave for 1 min. Let it cool and squeeze the Tamarind Juice and throw way the pulp. 

Method:

1. Heat Oil in a heavy bottomed vessel ( i have used my pressure cooker pan). Once the oil is hot add Red Chili, followed by Chana Dal, Urad Dal, Cumin Seeds and Mustard Seeds. Once the lentils starts browning, add turmeric powder followed by curry leaves. that completes the tempering process.
2. Add Onion pieces to the pan and let them saute. Add Sorakaya pieces and mix with sauteed onions. Close the lid loose and saute for 3 min. 
3. Add Tamarind water and mix it well with vegetables and simmer for 5 min. 
4. Now add salt, Red Chili powder, Coriander Powder and mix everything well. Now close the lid tight and cook for 15 min ( or until bottle gourd becomes tender). As I have used pressure cooker, I have closed the lid and waited for one whistle and then switched off the stove.
5. Now open the lid and mix every thing well, taste and adjust seasonings. Mostly you may need to add some salt. Now add 2 Tbsp of Jaggery and mix it well and simmer until jaggery melts in the stew.
6. Now you see stew comes together now top with some cilantro and switch off the stove.
7. Spicy Sorakaya Stew is ready now, transfer this to a serving bowl and enjoy with hot white rice!

Here are some more related recipes:

Stew Recipes

Sorakaya Recipes

will be back with another family cherished recipe
until then take care
-Mythreyi

When I don't have any vegetables at hand this is the first recipe that comes to my mind. As I will never run out of Onions in my pantry and my fridge is always loaded with Eggs, this recipe can happen with no doubt in my kitchen. This is so simple to make and can be made as a special dish on the menu. In this recipe, Onions are cooked with Tamarind Paste and simmered with spices, finally boiled eggs will take a bath in that gravy covered with all the spices and a final sweet touch with jaggery will make it complete. This tastes wonderful when served with white rice or jeera rice Here is the recipe, Njoy!



Check out here on How to get Soft Boiled Eggs...!




Ingredients:
Boiled Eggs -  4
Onion - 1 large ( or 1 cup chopped onions)
Tamarind - 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 Tbsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Clove - 2
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup

Preparatory Steps:

• Take Tamarind in a medium bowl along with 2 Tbsp water and microwave it for 1 min. Let it cool and squeeze tamarind to get the tamarind paste and remove the pulp. 

1. Heat Oil in the non-stick kadai. Add cumin seeds, cardamom, and clove. As they start spluttering add finely chopped onions. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Let the onions saute for 2 min. 
2. Add Tamarind paste to pot, mix it well onions. Add remaining salt and red chili powder, mix it in and add some water to make it like stew. Close the lid and simmer for 5 to 6 min. 
3. Remove the lid and add jaggery to kadai. Let it simmer for 2 min until all the jaggery is melts in. 
4. Make slight slits to Boiled Eggs and add them to the stew in Kadai. Close the lid and simmer for another 5 min, so that all the spices will sink into Boiled Eggs. After 5 min, remove the lid, taste and adjust all the seasonings and finally add some cilantro and switch off the stove.

Will be back with another great recipe,
until then take care
-Mythreyi

When ever I make any stew (పులుసు) that reminds me of my childhood morning meal made by my mom. Because she always used to make one fry, one stew and we finish our meal with the yogurt and go to school. When she was here for for the first time, she made Okra Stew, which reminded me of all those old days. Remembering those thoughts, one day I have experimented the same recipe of her with this wonderful vegetable and since then it's a favorite dish in our family. Here is the recipe for you, try it out and see if this is favorite worthy. :-). Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Stew

Ingredients:
Sweet Potato - 2 medium
Onion - 1/2 medium
Red Chile Powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Tamarind -  medium marble size (key lime size)
Cilantro - 2 Tbsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Raw Sugar- 2 tsp

Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 5
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chile - 2 ( whole)


Method:


take care until next time
-Mythreyi