Chepala Pulusu Nellore style / Andhra style Chepala Pulusu

Preparation time: 1 hour
Servers: 4 adults

Andhra Style Chepala Pulusu (Nellore style)

The recipe that I am bringing about today is a very famous and delicious fish curry that widely made in the house holds of a costal district Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.

Ingredients:

1. Fish/ Chepalu : 1 kg (before cleaning)
2. Tamarind       : little above a lemon sized
3. Lemon       : 1
4. Onion       : 2
5. Green chillies     : 5
6. Tomatoes     : 3
7. Ginger garlic paste : 1 1/2 tbsp
8. Salt         : to taste (~2 tbsp)
9. Chilli powder     : to taste (~ 2 1/2 tbsp)
10. Turmeric powder : a pinch
11. Coriander powder   : 1/2 tbsp
12. Coriander leaves   : 3 strands
13. Curry leaves     : 2 strands
14. Oil : 4 tbsp
15. Water : 3-4 tea cups

Procedure:

1. Buy one kilo gram of fish, remove the(or get it removed) scales, tail, head(optional), fins and other unnecessary things from the fish(Chepa). Slice the fish into 3/4th inch wider pieces. Clean the fish slices once again with lemon and crystal salt.
2. Soak the tamarind in a 2 tea glasses of water for about 15 minutes.
3. Dice the onions and tomatoes into small pieces, and slit the green chillies.
4. Make tamarind juice(Pulusu) by squeezing the soaked tamarind thoroughly.
5. Take a vessel, which has wider base, and pour oil and heat it in simmer. Add green chillies and curry leaves, once they are fried add onions. Once onions turned translucent add ginger garlic paste and fry it for a while. Now add tomatoes and fry them till tomatoes boil well. 
6. Now pour the tamarind juice(Pulusu) and add salt. Boil the the tamarind till the content leaves the oil. It probably takes about 5 minutes.
7. Now add the chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, and pour 3-4 tea glasses of water. Now switch the flame to high.
8. Once the water boiled well, add the fish slices and keep it in high flame for 5 minutes.
9. Now reduce the flame, add coriander leaves, and boil the curry in low flame for about 5 to 7 minutes. 
10. You are ready to serve the curry/ Chepala Pulusu now.

Onion rings - a good Indian munching snack

Onion rings

Onion rings - a good Indian munching snack

Ingredients:

1. Onion : 1 big size
2. Maida : 1 tea cup
3. Bread crumbs         : 1 1/4 tea cup
4. Corn floor : 3 table spoons
5. Baking soda : a pinch
6. Oil : to fry (2 tea cups)
7. Salt                        : to taste
8. Chilli powder          : to taste
9. Water : to mix the floor

Procedure:

1. Slice the onion, preferred size is 3/4 centimetre.
2. Make dough by adding little water to maida, 1 cup bread crumbs, Corn floor, salt, chilli powder and baking soda. The dough consistency should be akin to Mirchi bajji dough.
3. Heat oil on a pan and turn it simmer when oil is heated.
4. Spread rest of break crumbs in a plate and coat each onion ring with that powder.
5. Now dip each onion ring in dough and give a hard tap to remove extra dough sticked to onion ring.
6. Fry onion ring in oil till it turn to golden brown colour.

Aakura pulla koora / Totakoora pulla koora

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Serves: 3 adults

Ingredients:

1. Amarnath leaves (తోటకూర) : 1 big bunch (Or the cleaned leaves filling 3 litre container to brim)
2. Tomatoes                             : 5
3. Onions                                 : 4
4. Green chillies                      : 10 to 15
5. Tamarind                             : 1 big lemon sized
6. Mustered & sesame             : few for seasoning
7. Oil                                        : 1 tea spoon for seasoning.

Procedure

1. Cleanse the Amarnath leaves bunch and ensure to keep tender stems for nutritious benefits.
2. Slice tomatoes, onions, and green chillies.
3. Soak the tamarind in a tea glass of water.
4. Add the cleansed leaves; sliced onions, tomatoes, and green chillies in the pressure cooker. Pour 2 tea glasses of water to it.
5. Turn on the stove and keep it in simmer for 3 whistles. Meanwhile, prepare seasoning.
6. Whisk the content in pressure cooker, pour the tamarind juice into it in periods by tasting it.
7. Add the seasoning to the cooker and heat it for 5 minutes in simmer. You now excelled in making this curry.

Dry Fruit Cake - in pressure cooker

Serves: 7 people
Preparation time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Dry-fruit cake / plum cake without wine in pressure cooker

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour (Maida): 1 tea glass
2. Butter:                                 1 tea glass
3. Eggs                                    1 tea glass (probably 3 in quantity)
4. Sugar                                  1 tea glass
5. Dry fruits(dates, raisins etc)1 tea glass
6. Vanilla essence                   1 tea spoon
7. Baking-Powder                   1 1/2 tea spoon
8. Baking-Soda                        a pinch
9. Cardamon(Optional)           3 no.
10. Cinnamon stick(Optional)  1/2 inch 

Procedure:

1. Sieve Maida; grind Sugar,Cinnamon stick, and Cardamon; liquidate Butter by keeping it in room temperature or by exposing it to heat; de-seed and slice the dates into small pieces.
2. Mix and beat Miada,butter, sugar, eggs, Baking-powder, Baking-soda and vanilla essence with a whisk or in a mixer-grinder. Finally add dry-fruits to it and mix them thoroughly.
3. Grease the bowl with butter, which you are planning to keep in pressure cooker, and pour the content to the bowl.
4. Place the bowl in a pressure cooker and place the cooker on stove in simmer for 45 minutes. After 30 minutes, check readiness of cake by poking the sharp object such as knife to the cake. If the knife comes out clean, then you can suppose it to be ready and turn off the stove.
5. Do not try to remove the cake from the bowl for at least an hour. Once cake turned cool, pop it out of the bowl, slice, and eat them.

Note:

• The bowl that you are planning to use in pressure cooker should be wider.
• If you planning to cook in oven: place the pan in the preheated oven at 180 C for 20 minutes.

Gatti Pappu / Mudda Pappu - Andhra Style

Serves : 2 people
Preparation time : 15 minutes 

Gatti Pappu /  Mudda Pappu - Andhra Style

Ingredients: 

1. Yellow lenthils  - 1 tea glass 
2. Water               - 2 tea glass 
3. Onion                - 1 
4. Chilli powder    - 1/4 tea spoon 
5. Salt                   - to taste 
6. Oil                    - 1/2 table spoon 

Procedure: 

1. In a pressure cooker add yellow lentils,water, sliced onions, chilli powder and oil. 
2. Boil it for 4-5 whistles in simmer. 
3. Omce the pressure cooker is ready to open, open it and smash the paapu to the desired  consistancy needed by you. 
4. Now it is good to have with ghee.

* Gatti Pappu tastes very good with ample amount of Clarified butter(నెయ్యి).

Combinations:

• Rasam / Chaaru - Andhra style
• Potato fry - Andhra style