Uggani

This is a breakfast/snack dish that I learnt from my SIL. Her family is from the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, and this is a very typical dish from that region. Typically Uggani is served with mirchi bajji. However, both dishes can be had independently of each other too.

Ingredients:

• Borugolu or murmaralu – 250gms
• green chillies – 2
• 1 onion chopped finely
  1 finely chopped tomato (preferably naati/local tomato rather than hybrid)
• roasted peanuts
• senega pappu podi (can be replaced with desiccated coconut and putanalu pappu)
• turmeric – 1 pinch
• salt to taste
  Tadka:
• aavalu (mustard ), minapappu (urad dal), senega pappu (chana dal), curry leaves

Method:

• In a large bowl, soak the borugulu for a minute, squeeze the water out hard and set aside.
• In a wok, heat a 1 tbsp oil and add the tadka.
• once the tadka starts to sputter, add the onion and fry till it turns translucent.
• add in the tomato and chopped green chillies, and braise till the tomato has completely mingled with the tadka and onion.
• add the salt, roasted peanuts, senega pappu podi and turmeric powder, and mix well.
• Finally add the borugulu and mix well.
• let it cook for a minute and take off the flame.
• garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

You can serve the uggani with mirchi bajjis as a side. Or it can be had by itself as a snack.

 

 

 

Senegala Vada (Brown Bengalgram Fritters)

This is favourite snack, and is available, in various versions, across South Indian households and even restaurants.

Senegala vada with chutney

This is different from “masala vada” as the masala vada is made with split bengal gram, not the whole one.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown senegalu (chana, whole bengal gram) – soaked and drained.
• 6-8 green chillies
• 1″ piece of ginger
• optional – finely chopped onion
• optional – croasely ground pepper
• Chopped curry leaves
• pinch of asafetida/hing
• 1 tsp salt
• Oil for frying

The washed senegalu with chillies and ginger

Method:

• Rough-grind the soaked senegalu. You may add a bit of water to help in the grinding.
• Add the chillies and ginger and grind again so they are mixed well.
  • Ensure that the senegalu remain rough, and are not finely ground. That would take away from the texture and taste of the final vada.

coarsely ground with the chillies and ginger mixed in.

• remove from jar and add salt and mix well.
• You may add the other ingredients at this time, and set aside till the oil heats.
• Wet your fingers and take a bit of the batter and flatten.
  • Ensure that the edges are not broken as this may cause the vada to break while frying.

Flatten on your fingers

• Once the oil is heated enough, gently drop this into the oil for frying.
  • You may also use a plastic sheet for shaping the vadas. They can then be dropped from the sheet into the oil.
• Turn the vada until it is uniformly brown and then take out.

Frying into a lovely brown

• Put it on a plate lined with kitchen tissue to soak the excess oil.

Senegala vada ready!!

Serve hot with coconut chutney! 🙂

 

 

Seema Vankaya (chow-chow) Pappu

This dal was a learning experience for me. I’d never eaten or cooked this vegetable. So I’d like to share my experience here.

I received a few of the chow-chow / seema vankaya / seemae kathrikaya from my friend on a recent visit to her house. I was a bit curious about it, since it seemed to grow so well at her place. She and her MIL assured me that should it grow well, it was bound to give me a good and constant harvest, which would help my organic garden efforts. Her MIL took the help a little further by giving me a freshly sprouted plant to help me on my way! 🙂 And a couple of the vegetables to cook this weekend.

Double-checking with my own MIL helped me understand a little more about how to cook it. Since i wasn’t too sure about the taste, I opted to make teeya pappu or moong-dal pappu. It turned out pretty well (if I may say so myself)! 😉 The flavor was pretty bland, but paired with a slightly spicy curry/sabzi, it tastes good with hot rice.

Seema Vankaya / Chow-chow

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized chow-chow/seema vankaya
• 1/2 cup moong-dal/ pesara pappu
• 1 tsp salt
• a pinch of turmeric
• Tadka: 1/2 tsp of aavalu (mustard seeds) and urad dal and 1 broken red chilly

Method:

• wash, peel and chop the seema vankaya into small pieces. If the vegetable is a bit mature, you may find a core. Cut the core out and use the rest of the vegetable.
  

  Chopped into small pieces

• Was the pesarapappu and add enough water for cooking.
• Add the seema vankaya pieces, salt and turmeric and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
• After the cooker cools, mash the dal without crushing the vegetable pieces.
• In a small wok, heat a tsp of oil and add the tadka.
• When the aavalu start to crackle, add it to the dal.
• Mix well and let it sit on heat for a few mins.

Ready to serve!

Serve hot with rice and ghee. 🙂