Amaranthus pulusu

Amaranthus pulusu (thota kura pulusu)is a very famous dish in andhra pradesh.This is very easy recipe .We can  prepare this recipe with in a short time. This is traditional recipe In olden days people use to eat amaranthus pulusu with ragi sankati.This is good combination  and also gives strong body.Amaranthus is a leafy vegetables which one has very good nutrients values.So this recipe is also have very good for useful in weight loss treatment and low calories(add less oil) and  fat free .

Veg fish pulusu(Chemadumpala pulusu)

Chamadumpala pulusu is very famous recipe in andhra.This pulusu is different from normal pulusu.This is gives same taste like chepal pulusu(fish pulusu).So it is called  chepala pulusu.(vegetarians chepala pulusu)..Every one likes this recipe in andra .This is traditional recipe also.My grandmother used to  prepare this one in vegetarian  days like friday,saturday(non veg restricted days). 

Ingredients

Chamadumpalu	1/4 kg
tomato	1
onion	2
green chillies	4
oil	3 spoons
cloves	3
elachi	1
cinnamon	1 inch
cumin seeds	1 spoon
ginger garlic paste	1 spoon
turmeric	1/4 spoon
salt	to taste
red chilli powder	1 spoon
jaggery	small piece
coriander leaves	few
tamarind	4 to 5 flakes

Preparation

Wash chamadumpalu with plenty of water because chamadumpa is a root vegetable to take more care to wash than other vegetables.
Take a pressure cooker add cleanly washed chamadumpalu and 1 cup of water.keep to cook till 2 whistles.
Open the cooker lid when pressure completely comes out.Drain the water and peel the upper layer of  chamadumpalu and cut them into small pieces.cut chamadumpa into 4 pieces if it is in big size.
 Wash tomato and onion and green chillies with water .better to put them in salt water for 15 minutes to remove bacteria.
Cut one onion into small pieces and other one is into medium size pieces.
Add medium size onion pieces,cloves,elachi,cinnamon and cumin seeds in a mixie jar and make a fine paste.This is onion masala paste.
Split green chillies into two pieces.
Cut tomato into 5 to 6 pieces.
Wash coriander leaves with water.cut into small pieces.keep them aside. 
Soak tamarind in the water for 15 minutes .Then extract juice from it (approx 2 to 3 cups).

Method

1.Put oil  in a pan.After heating the oil add finely chopped onions and green chillies.

2.When onion pieces turn into golden colour add ginger  garlic paste and saute for 20 seconds.

3.Then add onion masala paste and stir well.fry for 2 minutes.

4.Do not allow to get masala paste into brown colour .For avoiding this stir the masala between frequent intervels.

5.Fried masala gets good smell then add  tomato pieces and  boiled chamadumalu (pieces).

6.Add turmeric,salt ,red chilli power and jaggery and mix all well.And put  the lid .cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

7.No need to cook  chemadumpalu much time because chamadumpalu already cooked in the pressure cooker.
8.Add tamarind juice and stir the curry .
9.taste the pulusu if salt and sweetness is enough or not.
10.If you want more add salt and sugar(not jaggery).
11.This time add sugar instead of  jaggery for sweetness because this is the  finishing  stage of pulusu so sugar can dissolve fastly than jaggery. so add sugar.
12.Cook for 15  minutes in  low flame.
13.When pulusu gravey constitency is going to thick add coriander leaves and put off the flame.
14.Vegetarian chepala pulusu is ready to eat .Have it with steam rice or roti.

Keep in  the mind

Chemadumpa is a root vegetable. Should be clean properly before using it.

chemadumpa has some sticky nature after cooked it.So do not cook much time.It will become paste and  gummy.The recipe also become very thick constitency..So  be careful when boiling the chemadumapa in  cooker .1 or 2 whistles is enough more than 2 whistles dumpa may be over cooked.

we can use raw chemadumpa  also.Add peeled raw chamadumpa  after frying the onions.But peel the layer of raw chemadumpa is some difficult.So i used to boiled dumpa before adding in the recipe.

Adding onion masala gives fish pulusu taste.If you do not like that taste you can avoid to add this masala paste.That gives normal pulusu taste.add seasonings and asafoetida instead of adding onion masala paste.

You can add boiled eggs in this pulusu if you like. Slighty split the  upper layer of the boiled egg and add this in the recipe when boiling the tamarind juice.

Add coriander leaves before put off the flame to get valuable nutrients .Cooked coriander leaves do not give all nutrients values present in it.

Bottle gourd soup curry

Bottle gourd soup curry is  one of the south indians famous recipe.this curry is not so sour because we adding some jaggery to reduces the tamarind sourness.This curry is good combination of both rice and roti.

Ingredients

bottle gourd	1/4 kg
tomato	1
drumstick	1
brinjal	5
onion	1
green chillies	5
oil	2 spoons
mustard seeds	1/4 spoon
cumin seeds	1/4 spoon
dry chilli	3
chana dal	1/4 spoon
fenu greek seeds	pinch
asafoteida	pinch
curry leaves	some
turmeric	pich
salt	to taste
red chilli powder	1 spoon
jaggery	small piece
tamarind	4 flakes
water	3 cups
coriander leaves	some

Preparation

clean all vegetable.we should clean vegetables thoroughly before preparing any recipe.after washing the vegetable soak in salt water(crystal salt is preferable) for 15 to 30 minutes.this can be removes pesticides,chemicals sprayed on the vegetable.

peel bottle gourd and cut into cube size pieces(paneer size).
cut the tomato into 6 pieces.
cut the onion and  green chillies into small pieces.
cut drumstick into inch size pieces.
cut brinjal into 4 pieces.put brinjal pieces in salt water till add in the curry.
soak tamarind flakes in 3 cups of water for 15 minutes.after that extract tamarind juices from it.keep it aside.
wash coriander leaves with water.and cut into small pieces and keep them aside.

Method

1.put the vessel on the stove.and heat it.
2.add oil in the vessel.after heating the oil add fenu greek seeds and fry 20 seconds.
3.add mustard seeds, when fenu greek seeds are become light brown colour.
4.when mustard seeds started to crackle add cumin seeds and dry chillies.fry for 30 seconds.
5.add chana dal fry till it became to light golden colour.then add curry leaves and asafoetida.
6.immediatly add onions and green chilli pieces after adding curry leaves.fry for 5 to 8 minutes till onions become light golden colour.
7.add tomatoes ,bottle gourd pieces.add turmeric and salt also.
8.cook for some  time.nearly  after 20 to 30 minutes water is coming from bottle gourd pieces.then add  drumstick pieces and brinjal pieces.after that add jaggery and red chilli powder.cook for 10 minutes .
9.add tamarind juice which one is extracted by soaked tamarind flakes.stir the curry .keep the lid and cook for another 10 to 20 minutes in low flame.
10.when the curry become less watery and having thick soupiness  then add coriander leaves and put off the flame.
11.have this curry  with roti or rice combination.

Keep in the mind

prepare the curry in low or medium flame.preparing any curry in high flame doesnot gives good taste.
before putting off the flame taste the curry, if salt and spiciness is enough or not.if you think salt is not enough you can add it .
for getting all useful qualities of coriander leaves  add this to the curry before put off the flame.raw coriander leaves gives great benefits to the health than cooked one.
if you  do not like to add jaggery or any sweetner to the curry, you can avoid it .but adding little bit of  jaggery or sugar in any soup curries increases the taste of the curry....

plantain pulusu

Ingredients

plantain	2
tomato	1
onion	1
green chillies	4
oil	1 spoon
fenugreek seeds	pinch
turmeric	pinch
salt	to taste
red chilli powder	1 spoon
jaggery	small piece
tamarind	3 flakes
water	1 cup

Method

wash plantain with water and peel it.then cut into inch size pieces.put in salt water.
wash onions and green pieces with water.
cut into small pieces .
1.add oil in a pan.
2.after heating the oil add fenugreek seeds and fry for 20 seconds.
3.then add onion and green chilli pieces and fry for some time.
4.when onions and green chilli pieces turn into golden colour add tomato pieces ,turmeric,salt,red chilli powder and jaggery and mix all and cook for some time.
5.strain plantain pieces from water.
6.add in tomato pieces.
7.put the lid and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
8.extract juice from  soaked  tamarind flakes.
9.when plantain pieces 3/4 cooked then add tamarind juice and mix all very well.
10.taste the curry if salt is enough or not.
11.add salt and sugar if sweet and salt  is not enough.
12.cook for 10 minutes.
13.finally add coriander leaves and put off the flame.