Preethi's Andhra Kitchen

SERVES : 2 people



Shorva /sherva is mostly prepared either with chicken or with mutton . Here is my vegetarian shorva recipe which is a great accompliement for biryanis.


Preparation :-

• Chop 1 onion and 1 tomato .
  
• Heat a pan add 2 tspns oil and fry onions till they get golden brown. Add 1/4 tspn ginger garlic paste . Fry it for 2 mins.
• Add chopped tomato and fry till it turns mushy. Switch off stove and let this cool . Grind it to a paste by adding little water.
• Take a bowl , add 2tbspns of curd and make it like buttermilk . To this add 1/2 tspn salt , 1tspn chilly powder , 1/4 tspn turmeric , 1/2 tspn coriander powder , 2 tspns coconut powder or add 1/4 cup fresh coconut milk or 2tspns coconut paste. Mix all nicely and put it aside.
• Heat a pan add 1 tbspn oil , add 2 cloves , 2 litely opened cardamoms , 1" cinnamon stick, pinch of shajeera , 2 small bay leaves . Fry for a minute.
• Add grinded onion tomato paste , u can include some water. Fry this for 5 mins.
• Next add curd mixture and mix well . Now u should make it into pouring consistency /rasam consistency for that u can add either veg stock or chicken stock or plain water.
• Let this mixture boil for 15 minutes . Cook covered if not it may spill .
• Finally add 1/4 tspn home made garam masala powder and 1/4 tspn store brought chicken curry masala powder . Add few finely chopped coriander leaves. Let this boil for 5 more mins and then switch off stove .
• Serve this hot with biryanis /jeera rice / mattar chawal,............etc.

Black-eyed peas or cow peas in English, also known as Bobbarlu or alasandalu in Telugu.

Preparation :-

• Soak 1 electric rice cooker cup of black eyed beans in sufficient water for 8 hrs . After the time lapse cook the beans in same water in pressure cooker for 2 whistles .

• In mean time chop 1 big onion , 1 tomato and few coriander leaves.

• Microwave blueberry size tamarind in sufficient water for a minute.

• Heat a pan add 1/2 tspn oil . Fry onions till transparent . Add 1/2 tspn ginger garlic paste and fry for a second. Now add chopped tomato and mix nicely . Add 1 tspn tomato paste. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy and then switchoff stove . Let this cool , then grind this mixture to a fine paste . If necessary add little amount of water while grinding.

• Now takeout black eyed beans from cooker and strain the water. Do not throw the water .

• Take a paper towel and wipe the pan that u used for frying onion-tomato.

• Heat the same pan add 2 tbspns oil , when hot add 3 litely crushed cardamoms , 3 cloves , 2" cinnamon stick and a bay leaf.

• Add grinded onion tomato paste and fry for a while.

• Now add strained black eyed peas and mix nicely . Fry for 5 mins.

• Add 1/2 tspn chilly powder , 1/2 tspn salt or adjust according to ur taste, 1/4 tspn coriander powder , pinch of garam masala powder and pinch of turmeric. Mix all nicely and fry for 5 mins .

• Next add tamarind juice and add required strained water of beans .

• Let this boil nicely for 10-15 mins . Cook covered.

• Finally add chopped coriander leaves and mix nicely. Switch off stove and serve it with rotis/ naan / pulkha. Serve it along with lemon wedges . This dish tastes yummy with a twist of lemon juice .
  

This is my mom's recipe . From long time i am planning to post this but bit lazy . We all love this recipe and whenever i do this i recieve lots of compliements from Ram and our guests . So being a hyderabadi i want to show u the essence of Hyderabad . So frds try this hyderabadi special dish and enjoy .

Preparation :-

• Take a small lemon size tamarind and soak in enough water / microwave for a minute .

• Heat a pan dry fry 1 tbspn peanuts and transfer them into a mixcy container .

• In same pan dry fry 1 &1/2 tspn coriander seeds and transfer them into mixcy container .

• In same pan dry fry 1 & 1/2 tspn sesemam seeds and transfer them into mixcy container .

• In same pan dry fry 1 & 1/2 tspn poppy seeds along with 2 cloves , 2 small cardamoms (open their skin and add) , 2 " cinnamon stick & 5 whole cashews. Transfer them into the mixcy container .

• To this fried items add 1 tbspn roasted bengal gram / putnalu and grind all fried items together to a fine powder .

• Heat the same pan u used for frying dry items . Add 1 tspn oil and fry 1 medium size chopped onion. No need to brown them . When they turn trasnsparent u can switchoff and let it cool .

• In same mixcy container in that grinded powder add fried onions , 1 &1/2 tbspn fresh / frozen coconut , sufficient salt , chilly powder , turmeric & tamarind extract( Add enough salt , chilly powder for the complete curry) . Grind this nicely and add water , grind again . So with this gravy for ur curry is ready .

• Take 10 round brinjals ( try to select small ones). slit them cross till 3/4th and put them in salt water. If u want u can preserve stems of brinjals .

• chop 1 small onion , 1 small tomato and 2 or 3 green chillies.

• Now take a big pan and heat it . Add 2tbspns oil and when hot add brinjals and mix nicely . Immediately add 1/4 tspn salt ( adding salt helps brinjals from turning bitter / kanarekka kunda). Fry brinjals till they are done . Fry them perfectly if not they dont taste good afterwards . ( Instead of this process u can deep fry brinjals in oil but i dont want to use that process since it consumes more oil . so i shallow fry them )

• When they are done switch off stove and take them into a plate . Take a paper towel and wipe ur pan neatly . ( if any remainings are there it will remove . so it helps in our next process)

• Heat same pan again add 4 tbspns oil , when hot add chopped chillies , chopped onions ( brown them) , when they are done add 5 pudina leaves ( cut leaves with ur hands and then add . It enhances the flavour of pudina) ,If u did not add turmeric while grinding u can add now. Next add 1 tspn ginger garlic paste . Fry for 2 mins .

• Next add chopped tomato and fry it nicely . Tomato should turn mushy . Add 1/4 tspn garam masala powder .

• Now add fried brinjals . Mix nicely and fry for 5 mins . Be careful while stirring since brinjals are already cooked they will be sensitive . They may crush.

• Next add ur grinded paste . Add sufficient water and mix nicely . Periodically stir it since we added cashews the gravy thickens quickly , sticks to bottom and may burn if u dont stir . Adjust water accordingly since cashews make ur gravy thick even after completing cooking .

• Add coriander leaves . Check the taste and when ur required consistency comes switchoff and serve hot with bagara rice. It even goes good with plain rice / rotis / naan.

Preparation :-

• Chop 1 big Capsicum, 1 medium tomato , 1 medium onion.

• Heat a pan dry fry 3 tbspns peanuts , 3tspns coriander seeds , 1 tspn sesemam seeds , 1/2 tspn cumin seeds .

• Grind together fried items , 4 cashews , 3 cloves , 2 opened cardamom pods, 1" cinnamon sticks -2 , 1&1/4 tspn chilly powder , 1/2 tspn salt , 1/4tspn turmeric , 1 blue berry size tamarind extract , 2 tspns roasted bengal gram . Add sufficient water and grind again .

• Heat a pan add 4 tbspns oil , fry chopped onions , when they turn golden add 1 tspn ginger garlic paste . Fry for few mins .

• Next add chopped capsicum. When they are half done add 1/4 tspn salt ,this makes capsicum to cook fast . Fry them till they are done .

• Now add chopped tomato . Mix nicely and put lid .

• When tomato turns mushy add grinded paste and mix well .

• Add water to ur required consistency . Boil this nicely till oil floats on top .

• Add coriander leaves . After 2 mins switchoff stove.

• Serve hot with rotis / Pulav /plain rice.