Chakkara Pongal (Sweet Pongal) Recipe

Chakkara Pongal (Sweet Pongal) also called as Chakra Pongali is a delicious home made traditional and a very popular sweet dish of South India. Chakkara Pongal is usually prepared as a dissert in special occasions and also offered as prasadam to God during religious festivals. Chakkara Pongal, though usually prepared using jaggery, you may also prepare with sugar if you want. Here is the traditional andhra style Recipe of Chakkara Pongal (Sweet Pongal) and also a Video recipe for Chakkara Pongal (Sweet Pongal) for you.

» RECIPE :: Chakkara Pongali (sweet pongal)
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Lemon Rice Recipe - More Resources

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Lemon Rice Recipe - Andhra Style

Lemon Rice Recipe is a quick and simple rice recipe that can be prepared in just a few minutes if you have some steamed or plain rice ready. You can have this dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can also prepare this dish with some leftover rice for a quick snack. Lemon Rice is a good choice for taking for picnic or as a lunch to school or office. This dish is usually served at room temperature.

Ingredients for lemon rice

• Cooked plain rice - 2 cups
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Green chillies - 1 or 2
• Groundnuts(peanuts) - 8-10 no.
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander leaves (Cilantro) - 1 tbsp chopped
• Curry leaves - 4-5
• Salt - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
• Fresh grated coconut (optional) - 2-3 tbsp
• Vegetable Oil - 1 tablespoon
• Bengal gram dal - 1/2 tea spoon
• Urad (black gram) Dal - 1/2 tea spoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch

Preparation

• Chop Chillis and Coriander leaves
• Keep cooked rice ready at room temparature. Make sure that the rice is just cooked but not too soft and not sticky.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they stop crackling, add peanuts, Bengal gram dal and urad dal. Fry for 5 seconds but do not let them burn.
• Add asafetida, turmeric powder
• Add chopped chillies, curry leaves. Fry for 5 seconds.
• Take off the pan from the stove and let it cool a little.
• Add cooked rice, lemon juice, salt, chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

• Lemon Rice Recipe Video

Gutti Vankaya Kura (Andhra Style) Telugu Recipe

• Watch Gutti Vankaya Kura (Andhra Style) Telugu Video Recipe
  
  

Ingredients:

* Small Brinjals – 500gms
* Coriander Seeds – 4tsps
* Red Chilies – 7
* Cumin Seeds – 1tsp
* Dry Coconut – 15gms
* Tamarind – Little (Approx.3gms)
* Turmeric Powder – 1/8tsp
* Salt to Taste
* Oil – 5Tbsps Divided

Preparations:

Wash and wipe dry the brinjals. Cut the head portion of the brinjal. Cut each brinjal into two parts keeping it intact (GUTTI LAGA). Cut the brinjal from the centre three-fourths length wise. Turn it upside down and cut three-fourths length wise in opposite direction to the first cut. Now observe that the brinjal is cut into two parts and it is also intact. Similarly cut all the brinjals. Add 11/2tbsps oil to the slit brinjals and coat them well. On a microwave safe plate arrange the oil smeared brinjals in a single layer. Place this plate in oven and cook on high power for 4 minutes. Cook till brinjals are three-fourths cooked. Keep the brinjals aside for cooling.

Break red chilies into pieces. Cut dry coconut into small pieces.

Heat a pan and add two drops of oil. Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chili pieces, tamarind and fry on low heat stirring continuously. Fry till coriander seeds start changing color. Then add dry coconut pieces and fry for few seconds.

Take the fried ingredients into a mixie jar and add turmeric powder and salt. Grind the ingredients to powder stirring with a spoon in between. Use this powder to stuff the brinjals.

Method:

Stuff the powder on each side of the brinjal without breaking it. Stuff all the brinjals. Heat a pan and add 31/2Tbsps oil to it. When oil is hot add the stuffed brinjals and cook covered on low flame stirring in between. If required sprinkle some water on the brinjals and again cook covered. Cook the brinjals till they are fully cooked. Then remove the lid and cook till they are crisp. When done, transfer the brinjlas to a serving bowl. Serve hot with plain rice.

Points to Remember:

Cut brinjals tend to change color when kept in open atmosphere for a long period. Cut the brinjals just when you are about to cook. Or else cut the brinjals and keep them in salt water till use.

Use red chilies,tamarind and salt according to your taste.

Cooking the brinjals in microwave oven for 4 minutes will cook the vegetable till 80%. This will help in stuffing the brinjals. And with less oil the remaining cooking can be done on stove top.

I generally use Iron pan for cooking for health benefits. Brinjal tends to change color when cooked in an iron-pan. Do not bother about the color and enjoy the taste if cooking in an iron pan. Iron pan also retains heat for long time. So even when we cook on low flame also the heat will be more. So there are chances of burning the vegetable if one is inattentive. So sprinkle some water to lower the heat of the pan. This water in no way obstructs the cooking of the vegetable—as the water evaporates and the heat of the pan will be reduced.

Dry coconut with coriander seeds gives a mild flavor to the brinjals. Serve hot with plain rice and ghee. Or else eat with curd rice.

• Watch Gutti Vankaya Kura (Andhra Style) Telugu Video Recipe

Gongura Pachhadi Recipe & Video

• Watch Gongura Pachhadi Video Recipe here

Ingredients:

* Gongura Leaves – 500gms
* Oil To Fry Gongura – 1/4Cup
* Oil For Seasoning – 1/8Cup
* Fenugreek Seeds – 1tsp
* Mustard Seeds – 2tsps
* Red Chilies – 15
* Salt To Taste
* For Onion Variation:
* Oil – 1/8Cup
* Bengal Gram – 2tsps
* Black Gram – 2tsps
* Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
* Fenugreek Seeds – 2, 3 Seeds
* Onion – 1

Preparations:

Pluck the leaves of Gongura from the stems. Wash, clean and take 500gms of Gongura and keep it aside. On a clean cloth, spread these leaves to dry. Let them dry in shade only— do not dry the leaves under sun. When these leaves are totally dried take them into a bowl and keep it aside. Break the red chilies into small pieces and keep them aside. Chop onion and keep it separately.

Method:

Take a deep pan with two big spoons. Heat the pan and add the leaves, little at a time and roast turning them with the help of the spoons as shown in the movie. Fry the leaves till they change color from green to somewhat black. When done remove them from the pan and spread in a plate to cool. Similarly fry all the leaves and keep them aside. Take oil in a pan and heat it. When oil is hot add the roasted Gongura leaves and fry them in this oil.

Let us know what we are doing here:

First we are dry roasting the leaves to remove moisture in them. Then we are frying them in oil so that the roasted leaves retain their shape. If we directly fry the leaves in oil, due to the moisture content in the leaves it will transform into a paste. So first remove the moisture in the leaves by dry roasting them and then fry in oil. As there is no moisture in the leaves this chutney will stay for long without getting spoiled.

Seasoning:

Take 1/8Cup oil in a pan and heat it. When oil is hot add fenugreek seeds and fry. Then add mustard seeds and fry till they splutter. Add red chili pieces and fry. When fried well take the seasoning ingredients into a mixie jar without oil. Add salt and grind this well. Add the fried Gongura to this ground mixture and just whip it in the mixie. Do not grind it to a paste. The Gongura should get mixed with the ground seasoning ingredients. Take it out of the mixie jar and mix well with fingers. Transfer this to a serving bowl. This is the basic GonguraPachhadi.

Onion Variation:

Take 1/8Cup oil in a pan and heat it. When oil is hot add fenugreek seeds and fry. Then add Bengal gram, black gram and fry well. The seeds should change color to light brown. Then add mustard seeds and fry till they splutter. Then add the chopped onion and fry till onions turns transparent. Switch off the heat and add the prepared GonguraPachhadi. Mix well and transfer the chutney into a serving bowl. This tastes good with the fried seeds and onion flavor.

• Watch Gongura Pachhadi Video Recipe here

Kandi Pachhadi (Tur dal Chutney) - Telugu Recipes

Ingredients:

* Pigeon Peas – 100gms
* Cumin Seeds – 1/2tsp
* Red Chilies – 3 (Break Chilies Into Small Pieces)
* Water – As Required
* Salt – To Taste
* Bengal Gram – 1tsp
* Black Gram – 1tsp
* Mustard Seeds – 1/2tsp
* Cumin Seeds – 1/2tsp
* Curry Leaves – Few
* Asafoetida – 1/8tsp
* Oil – 5tsps

Method:

Heat a pan and add the pigeon peas. Fry pigeon peas stirring on low flame. Roast pigeon peas till they release a nice aroma. For even browning roast the seeds stirring on low flame. It takes 5 minutes to roast the peas. Transfer the roasted peas into a plate and spread them to cool.

Heat the pan and add cumin seeds and red chili pieces. Fry the ingredients till they are crisp. Transfer the cumin-chili mixture to a plate and cool.

For grinding the chutney one can use mixer grinder or a stone grinder. For better texture of the chutney stone grinder works best. However if taken care in adding water while grinding even mixer grinder works well.

Grinding the chutney using a Mixer Grinder:

To a mixie jar add the roasted pigeon peas and roasted cumin-chili mixture. Grind the ingredients to a coarse texture and add salt. Add water little by little and grind the chutney to a coarse texture. Take the prepared chutney into a bowl—chutney is ready for seasoning.

Grinding the chutney using a Stone Grinder:

A stone grinder is one on which one can grind spices to a paste. A mortar and pestle is also another stone grinder. Here I am using the spice paste maker (first Variety Stone Grinder Mentioned Above—See the Movie Clip) to prepare the chutney. To simplify the process grind the chutney to a level in a mixer grinder.

To a mixie jar add the roasted pigeon peas and roasted cumin-chili mixture. Grind the ingredients to a coarse texture and add salt. Add water little by little and grind the chutney to a coarse texture. Take this coarse textured chutney on to the stone and add sufficient water. Grind the chutney rolling the stone pestle applying some pressure. While grinding on a stone grinder the pigeon peas gets crushed. As this process of stone grinding is done with hands (applying pressure) the pigeon peas gets crushed partially giving the chutney a nice texture. Add sufficient water at intervals while grinding. While grinding the chutney spreads to the sides, collect the chutney by pushing with hand to the centre and grind. Grind the chutney till desired texture is reached. If the chutney appears dry add sufficient water and mix. Take the prepared chutney into a bowl—chutney is ready for seasoning.

The chutney becomes dry when kept aside for some time—pigeon peas absorb water from the chutney and the chutney becomes dry. It is advisable to season the chutney just before serving, so that, one can add sufficient water to the chutney to retain the consistency.

Seasoning:

Heat a pan and add oil to it. When the oil is hot add bengal gram followed by black gram. Fry the ingredients stirring on low flame. When the seeds start changing color add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Fry the seasoning till the seeds crackle and the bengal gram and black gram change into golden color. Then add asafoetida and curry leaves. Fry the seasoning well and switch off the stove. Add the prepared chutney and mix well. The chutney is ready to be served. Serve the chutney with hot rice adding ghee. Try different combinations of serving this chutney—serve with Avakaya Or Vankaya Pachhi Pulusu Or Sambar.

Points To Observe:

Fry the pigeon peas till you get a nice aroma—it will take five minutes when stir fried on low flame. Stirring the pigeon peas roasts evenly.

Adding water along with the roasted ingredients will not give the proper texture to the chutney. To grind, we may require more water—if more water is added while grinding, the chutney grinds to a paste. So it is advisable to grind the dry ingredients to the desired chutney consistency and then add water and mix while grinding in a mixer grinder.

The ingredients will get chopped in a mixer grinder whereas the ingredients gets crushed in a stone grinder--hence the difference in taste and texture.

In olden days as they do not have mixer grinders, chutneys are made using stone grinders only. Grinding the chutney using a stone grinder requires some energy (Man Power). To simplify the process I have ground the chutney to a level in a mixer grinder and then used the stone grinder. This way we get the desired texture and taste with less labor.

Chutney gets dried when kept for some time. Add required amount of water to maintain the consistency. Also check the salt after adding water. It is better if we season the chutney just before serving so that water may be added to the chutney to maintain consistency.

Using fresh curry leaves gives a great taste to the seasoning.
Serve the chutney with hot rice and ghee. Ghee enhances the taste of the chutney when mixed with hot rice.

• Watch Telugu Recipes Videos Here

Modak Recipe - How to make Modak

Modak is a very popular Indian Sweet and more importantly considered as a indispensable offering for Lord Ganesha on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Lord Ganesha is called 'modaka priya', meaning He like modaks very much. By most Hindu devotees, the celebration of Ganesh Chathurthi (Vinayaka Chavithi) is considered incomplete with out offerign Modaks (Called as Undrallu in the South) to the Lord. So here is the recipe for preparing Modak.


Modak Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups Rice Flour
• 6 cups Water
• 6 tsp Oil
• 4 cups Grated Coconut
• 2 cups Sugar or Powdered Jaggery
• A little Milk

Method

• Bring the water to a boil and add oil into it for the outer covering. Take off heat.
• Now add the rice flour, little by little to avoid lumps and cover the mixture and let it cool.
• When cool, knead it well into dough with a smooth finish in such a way that it should sparkle.
• Now take the coconut and Jaggery / sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan for the stuffing. Add milk. Keep on low flame with stirring. Stir and take off heat.
• The mixture should be fairly dry and turn a shade darker. Now make balls with the (covering) dough.
• Flatten them on the palm or on a surface into a circle. Place the stuffing in it and cover it completely with the dough.
• Fold the edges tapering to the centre. Now steam-cook the modaks in a cooker for 15 minutes until done.