Vedas Resources

Katori chaat is a unique Indian vegetarian snack item made of a healthy combination of sprouts, fruits, vegetables and curd. The Hindi word ' Katori' means a bowl. Katori chat can be savoured as an evening snack supplemented with a hot cup of chai. It can also be taken as a starter / appetizer. Though making katoris at home is a bit time consuming process, yet it is very easy to make katoris and then fill these with sprouts, chopped veggies and fruits. This healthy, crispy, tasty snack / starter is equally relished by children and adults. How to make katori Take 3 measures of maida in a bowl and add 1 measure sooji to it. Sooji makes the cups crispy. You can add corn flour instead of sooji. Add salt to taste, ajwain i.e.carom (optional) and 1 teaspoon of edible oil. Blend it well and knead it into a dough adding enough water. Cover the dough and keep it aside for at least 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile take the following ingredients in a separate bowls: 1 measure finely chopped o...

Paneer Butter Masala with butter naan or roti is one of the most relished / favorite food items by many Indians irrespective of the region to which they belong. Here is an easy and quick way of making the recipe at home. The item comes out really delicious with freshly purchased paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and not the one which is kept in the fridge for few days. For a yummy taste freshly bought paneer without refrigerating it or refrigerating for a day or two, will do good. Preparation Soak handful of / 8-10 cashew nuts (quantity depends on the quantity of curry you prepare) in warm water for a while. Cut freshly bought paneer into desired size cubes. Shallow fry these cubes with little oil in a pan. If you don't like the taste of fried paneer, you can do without frying. Put these fried paneer cubes in warm water so that these turn softer and cooking becomes easier. Chop ginger, onion, tomato and coriander finely and keep aside. Heat little edible oil in a pan and saute few sma...

Vankaya Pachchi Pulusu is one of the traditional veg recipes of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugu word 'vankaya' means egg plant i.e brinjal, the word 'pachchi' means 'raw' i.e uncooked and the word 'pulusu' is used for gravies that are used as side dish. Though most of you are familiar with this egg plant gravy, here I'm mentioning a variation in vankaya pachchi pulusu. Almost all the family members in my in-laws are too fond of this variety of egg plant gravy. They relish this gravy as a side dish for 'pindi' - a traditional veg tiffin made of rice ravva i.e coarsely ground rice. Vankaya pachchi pulusu is a tasty recipe which is easy to prepare. The combination of tamarind extract and jaggery gives a tangy sweet and sour taste. Let's look at the ingredients required for this traditional Andhra recipe. 1 pachchadi vankaya i.e large egg plant specially used for preparing pachchadi. 1 small lemon sized tamarind. Equal measure (as tamarind)...

It's summer in India and it's time to follow the best tips to beat the heat. When summer is severe, you feel completely drained off and your energy levels will go down. To keep yourself cool and healthy in summer, you need to eat healthy summer foods to combat the internal and external heat. Avoid drinking chilled carbonated beverages for temporary relief from heat. Instead take Indian traditional foods that give your long lasting cool effect. These foods help in maintaining the body vitality and helps you to stay healthy. Traditional Summer Foods to Stay Cool There are certain age-old practices and traditional foods that keep the body cool and healthy in summer. Curd and buttermilk are the best natural coolants that are extensively used in India since ancient times. Different ways of taking curd and buttermilk in summer Home made curd is preferable. A South Indian meal is incomplete without curd rice which is taken as the last item. You can either take plain curd ric...

Different powders / podi are extensively used in preparing various Indian recipes like sambar, rasam, curries, biryani etc and some powders are even used as a side dish along with idlies, dosas and plain rice. 1. Chai Masala Fennel seeds / Saunf Cardamom seeds / Elaichi Green Cardamom Cinnamon / Dalchini Dry Ginger Black Pepper Star Anise Make a powder of the above ingredients and use it while preparing chai / tea and enjoy the hot masala chai. 2. Andhra type koora podi / curry powder 1 cup split black gram / urad dal Three fourth cup split Bengal gram / chana dal Half cup coriander seeds One fourth cup cumin seeds / jeera Few fenugreek seeds / methi Three fourth cup peanuts / groundnuts 10 -12 dry red chillies or as per taste Few sesame seeds / til Roast the above ingredients in a half spoon of vegetable oil till done, on cooling add very little tamarind for a touch of sour taste and grind it to a powder. Store this in a dry container and use it mainly for makin...

Pulagam is a famous Andhra recipe mostly used as naivedyam i.e offering to God. This is basically a rice item and is a healthy combination of cereal (rice) and lentil (dal). This food item is very much similar to the North Indian recipe - Khichdi and to that of Ven / Katte Pongal. The recipe is simple and easy to prepare. It offered as naivedyam to Sun God on Ratha Saptami day This item is prepared with the new harvest of rice on the Makara Sankranti day and offered as naivedyam to Sun God. As 'Pongal' is the special dish prepared by Tamilians on Makara Sankranti day, the festival is known as 'Pongal'. In many of the temples in South India, pulagam is offered as naivedyam to the deity and is distributed to the devotees. The mouth-watering aroma of the hot hot pulagam distributed in the temples stimulates your taste buds and it is so irresistible that you can't stop yourself from asking the priest for one or two more leaf bowls of pulagam. The taste of the recipe...

Venn Pongal / Kattu pongal or pongali is a famous recipe in South India and mostly this is made as a prasadam in the temples particularly in the Vishnu temples besides other rice items like Dadhojanam / curd rice and Pulihora / tamarind rice. This is prepared for naivedyam during Dhanur masam in all the Vishnu temples in South India. This is one of the healthy rice items which is relished the most by the devotees. This rice item is almost similar to Pulagam in preparation and taste as well. While Pulagam is mostly made by the Telugu people, Ven Pongal is particularly made by the Tamilians and the other South Indians too. Ven pongal is a healthy food item which is easy to prepare. Ingredients 1 cup rice three forth cup split green gram / moong daal 6-7 cups water 1 tbsp crushed black pepper 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds / jeera little asafoetida 1 tsp sliced / crushed ginger few cashew nuts little ghee pinch of turmeric powder little mustard seeds and curry leaves for seasoning salt Prep...

Ravva laddu is one of the popular sweets of Andhra Pradesh and is generally prepared as an offering i.e. naivdeyam to the God during various social and religious festivals like Deepavali and other such festivals. This sweet item is not only easy to prepare but also healthy, tasty to eat and is liked by all alike. Ingredients 1 measure sooji / Bombay ravva Three-fourth measure sugar (or more as per your taste) 1 measure dry coconut powder 3-5 tbsp ghee (as per your health consciousness) cashew nuts raisins / kishmish Preparation Heat ghee in a pan and fry raisins and cashew nut till brown Add sooji and sugar to it and keep stirring over low flame Sprinkle little water if necessary Keep stirring in simmer till it leaves the sides of the pan Once it is done, turn off the flame and after few minutes add coconut powder and mix it well Make small laddus or balls on slightly cooling. Store these in a dry steel or glass container. These will remain good for nearly a week.

Bitter gourd known as karela in Hindi. It is disliked by most of the people due to the bitter taste. This vegetable is cooked in different combinations to better the bitter taste. Stuffed karela is a tasty side dish and my 6 year old daughter really loves and relishes it the most. Twice a week she insists me to prepare this curry and she enjoys it with rice and ghee (melted butter). This is a healthy and easy to make recipe and is relished by all alike. Preparation Method Take 4 to 6 thin and long karelas, wash these under tap water. Wipe the karelas dry with paper / kitchen towels, slit longitudinally in the middle so as to make it into a boat shaped one. Keep these aside. Now take 2 tbsp gram flour (besan) in a bowl, add red chilli powder as per taste. Add 1 tsp each of dhania (coriander seeds)-jeera (cumin seeds) powder (or only jeera powder), amchur (dry mango powder) and salt to it. Adding amchur powder is optional. If you wish you can add little grated gur / jaggery as well for...

Health benefits of okra / bhindi Okra / bhindi is one of the extensively used green vegetable by the people of India. There is even a fad among the people that when children consume okra they will improve their performance in mathematics. Okra can be used in making different curries which is taken as a side dish along with rice or roti. This is a good source of Vitamins A and B and also minerals like iron and calcium besides being an excellent source of fiber. It helps in maintaining a smooth skin. The fiber in okra helps in maintaining the blood sugar levels. Vitamin C present in okra acts as an anti-oxidant which helps giving relief from asthma. Okra is considered a wonderful green vegetable which helps treating infections in the lungs, throat. The fiber content in this vegetable helps in easy bowel movement. The starchy content in okra is effective in beating the heat during summer. Okra being an alkaline helps in neutralizing acidity. Take small tender bhindi / lady's finge...

Gongura leaves are special of Andhra Pradesh. These leaves are sour to taste and are of two varieties - one with white stem and the other with red stem. The leaves with red stems are sourer than the one with white stems. For preparing Andhra famous Gongura pachchadi, a combination of these two varieties of leaves will add taste to the pachchadi. These leaves are even used for making Pulusu or a gravy which goes well as a side dish with mudda pappu (roasted and boiled toor daal). Mostly gongura pulusu is prepared by the people of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Gongura leaves are known as sorrel leaves in English and in Hindi it is known as Pitwa. Nutritional facts and health benefits of Gongura leaves Gongura is a green leafy vegetable which is a rich source of Vitamin A, B and C. It is also a good source of important minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium and content low in calories. These leaves are sour to taste due to the presence of oxalic acid and bec...

Undrallu or kudumulu are prepared on Ganesh Chaturthi day and is offered as naivedyam to Ganesha. This is one of the most important Hindu festivals which is celebrated with much fervor across the country. Ingredients Required 1 cup rice 2 cups water 1 tbsp ghee 1 tbsp bengal gram little cumin seeds (jeera) salt to taste > How to prepare Wash rice in clean water, spread it on a paper towel and allow it to dry Grind it with slight wetness to a coarse powder like sooji in a mixer. Heat little ghee in a frying pan and saute jeera. After it is done, add 2 cups of water, soaked Bengal gram to it and allow it to boil. On boiling add the coarsely ground rice to it and keep stirring to ensure that there is no lump formation Now keep it in simmer for few minutes till it becomes soft. Once it is cooked, make balls / laddus of it of desired size Place these on a cooker plate covered with thin wet cloth and pressure cook it Or can also steam cook these in an idli steamer or pressure cooker. Enj...

Kheer / paayasam is a pudding which is one of the simplest and easiest food item that is relished the most by all alike. Kheer / paayasam is commonly made of rice and is offered as naivedyam / prasad to the God during the pooja time and religious festivals like Basant Panchami and Ratha Saptami You can make Kheer / payasam not only with rice but you can use other ingredients like sabudana, vermicelli etc for preparing Kheer which are equally relished by all besides rice pudding. This sweet item is the best pudding taken as an after meal item and is even good for health particularly for those who suffer from acidity problem. Kheer with rice Rice pudding / kheer with rice is the most commonly prepared sweet during the religious festivals as this is one of the easiest sweet items which can be prepared in no time. Just cook rice (basmati rice will be tastier) a bit softer in pressure cooker. Remove it from the pressure cooker add milk and sugar or gur (jaggery) as per your taste and co...

Patoli a healthy and popular evening snack of Andhra Pradesh. The food item is a healthy combination of lentils (daals) and veggies and it tastes good and also is liked by the Telugu people. Unlike the deep fried evening snacks like pakoras, bajjis etc, this item is oil-free and makes a healthy evening snack for the family. It even provides the required nutrients to the body. Though it is easy to prepare the dish yet it is a bit time consuming one. However once you prepare it well, you will really relish this snack. How to prepare patoli Take one measure each of black gram (urad daal / gundu minappapu) Bengal gram (chana daal / senagapappu) and green gram (moong daa / pesarapappul) and soak it for nearly 8 hours. Add little cumin seeds (jeer), 1 or 2 green chillies. little ginger and salt and grind it to a thick batter. Heat enough oil in a thick bottomed pan, saute mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves and diced onion to it and stir it for a while. If you ...

Burelu is one of the most popular sweet item of Andhra Pradesh and any function, in particular a marriage is considered incomplete without Burelu. And these are made on festivals and offered to the God / Goddess. Preparation For the outer cover of burelu, you need to soak one measure of whole black gram (urad daal) and one and half measure of rice over night and grind it to a dough with dosa batter consistency. Add just a pinch of salt and not too much Or else you can even take one measure urad daal powder and one and half measure rice flour and soak it for an hour to make it to a dough Pressure cook one measure of Bengal gram (chana daal), after it is done, strain out the excess water and add equal measure of jaggery to it and keep it over low flame Keep stirring till the jaggery gets dissolved and starts thickening Once it is done, switch off the stove and on cooling add elaichi i.e cardamom powder, mix it well and smash it to a paste When it becomes paste, make balls of desired size...

You can make different recipes with leftover foods. Pesarattu is a popular breakfast / snack item of Andhra Pradesh. However, the batter has to used without storage as it is made of moong daal i.e skinned / skinless green gram. So when you make pesarattu and the batter is leftover, don't worry. You can use this leftover pesarattu for making few yummy crunchy delicious snack items which is relished by young and old. You can make either paatoli (one of the popular snack item of Andhra Pradesh) with the leftover batter or you can also use it for making pesara punugulu i.e moong dal fritters and relish on a cloudy / rainy evening. Paatoli with leftover pesarattu batter Ensure that the leftover batter is not of thin consistency. If the batter is too thin, you can add little rice floor to make the batter slightly thicker. Preheat little edible oil in a pan. Add little mustard seeds (sarson), cumin seeds (jeera) and asafoetida (hing). Allow it to splutter. Add curry leaves, finely chop...

Andhra Pradesh is famous for its delicious and spicy cuisine. In particular the sweets of A.P are worth relishing. Sunnundalu i.e the laddus made of urad daal are one of the popular sweets of Andhra Pradesh. It is easy to make, tasty to eat and good for health. This is one of my favorites sweets and I enjoy preparing the sweet with powdered sugar and with jaggery. I do it in a simple way and it has good shelf life. Ingredients The basic ingredients for the sweet is whole or split skinless black gram i.e urad daal (minapappu), powdered sugar or jaggery, half cup ghee, cardamom (elaichi) powder and very little water. Preparation This is how I prepare sunnandalu at home as and when required. Take 1 measure of black gram and dry roast it on simmer till it gets dark brown in color. Do not let it turn black. On cooling, grind it to fine powder. Even slightly coarse powder is okay for making these laddus. You can grind it to either fine powder or slightly coarse as per your liking. Add almos...

Ginger pickle is known as 'allam pachadi' in Telugu. This is one of the favorites of the Telugu people who relish it as a side dish with idlis, dosas, pesarattu umpa, undrallu, uppupindi or pindi, dibba rotte and many other Andhra delicacies. Almost everyone in my family relish this pachadi and I frequently make ginger pickle as a side dish mostly for dosas, dibba rotte etc. Ginger is one of the effective treatments for seasonal cold and cough and is rich in medicinal values. Ingredients 250 gm ginger 100 gm garlic (optional) - I prefer to do without garlic as no one in our family like the smell of garlic. 200 gm seedless tamarind / tamarind extract i.e juice 250 gm grated jaggery 250 gm salt 250 gm red chilly powder 3 tsp fenugreek seed powder (methi powder) For seasoning 100 gm vegetable oil preferably gingelly (til) oil or groundnut oil 5-8 red chillies 2 tsp bengal gram / chana daal 1 tsp mustard seeds little curry leaves Method Wash ginger well in cold water and peel the ...

The name chakkara pongali itself sounds so yummy. When it is savored hot hot, hmmm!, the taste takes you to a different world. Well, sweet pongal is mostly offered as naivedyam in almost all the South Indian Vishnu temples, specially in Dhanur Masam. The taste of chakkara pongali offered to the devotees of Lord Venkateswara Swamy of Tirumala in the free prasadam counter is beyond description. Sweet pongal can be easily prepared at home. I often prepare this during special poojas and offer as naivedyam. But you don't get the typical temple taste at home. I think, the divinely touch / atmosphere in South Indian temples makes chakkara pongali tastier, particularly the sweet pongal in Tirumala temple. Here is how you can prepare it in a simple way. Ingredients 1 measure of rice. Normally we use ordinary rice but even basmati rice would be fine. I tried with basmati rice and it was really tasty. Three fourth measure of skinless split green gram i.e moong daal. 6 measures of water. 1 ...

Pulihora is one of the most popular rice recipes of South India. The feast served in social / religious gatherings will compulsorily contain pulihora. It is easy to make and tasty to eat. Here is how you can make varieties of Pulihora. Mango i.e Mamidikaaya Pulihora Mamidikaya pulihora is one of the favorite food items of the Telugu people. They relish the taste during the raw mango season. Mango pulihora is even offered as naivedyam during special poojas. Prepare with little less tamarind as it becomes too sour on using raw mangoes. Take one small sour raw mango. Peel off the skin and cut it into very small pieces. Add these pieces into pulihora and blend well. Relish mamidikaya pulihora. Lemon Pulihora / Nimmakaya Pulihora Prepare pulihora without tamarind Take one small juicy lemon and squeeze the juice in pulihora. Allow the pulihora to cool down before mixing lemon juice. Do not squeeze lemon juice in hot pulihora as it won't be tasty. Mix it well. R...